If you have ever had strawberry pretzel pie at a summer BBQ or potluck, you know how good those flavors are together. This Ninja Creami strawberry pretzel pie protein ice cream takes that same combination of sweet strawberry, cheesecake, and crunchy pretzel and turns it into a thick and creamy frozen treat. I promise you would never know it has 33 grams of protein!
This recipe comes in at 359 calories, 33 grams of protein, 10 grams of sugar, 4 grams of fat, and 50 carbs for the ENTIRE pint.
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Strawberry pretzel pie is one of those classic potluck desserts with a salty pretzel crust, a layer of sweet cheesecake filling, and a strawberry jello topping loaded with fresh strawberries. This Ninja Creami protein ice cream captures all of those same flavors in every single bite. You get real strawberry flavor from the fresh strawberries and jam, the cheesecake flavor from the pudding mix, and the salty crunch from the chopped pretzels.
The sugar-free cheesecake instant pudding mix is what gives this Ninja Creami ice cream its smooth, creamy texture and real cheesecake flavor. The pudding mix has to be instant, not cook-and-serve, since the instant variety acts as a thickener in the ice cream base without needing to be heated. It also helps prevent that crumbly texture that a lot of protein ice creams get on the first spin.
Ripe strawberries are what give you the best flavor in this Ninja Creami strawberry ice cream recipe. The chopped fresh strawberries get added as a mix-in along with sugar-free strawberry jam, and together they pack so much fresh strawberry flavor into every bite without using any artificial flavors or strawberry flavoring. You can use store-bought or homemade jam, and either one works great.
The pretzels are what really make this taste like strawberry pretzel pie. Chopped pretzel sticks give you that salty crunch in every bite, just like the pretzel crust from the original dessert. If you don’t have pretzel sticks, you can use any shape of pretzel that you have on hand, just chop them up before adding them as a mix-in.
Sweet, salty, creamy, and crunchy all in one bite, this Ninja Creami strawberry pretzel pie protein ice cream really does taste just like the dessert it was inspired by. The cheesecake pudding base, fresh strawberries with sugar-free jam, and chopped pretzels work so well together that you would never guess this is a high-protein, low-calorie treat. It’s a fun way to enjoy that classic summer BBQ flavor in frozen form any time of year!
Tips for making Ninja Creami Strawberry Pretzel Pie Protein Ice Cream
Instant, sugar-free pudding powder is used to make this recipe. Do not actually make the pudding, just use the powder. You can use regular pudding mix with sugar in it if you prefer, and the pudding helps add great cheesecake flavor while making the ice cream less icy and very creamy.
Sometimes the ice cream gets a bit of an icy ring between it and the container. To remove it, run the container under warm water for about 15 seconds to melt the ice so it doesn’t impact the texture of the ice cream. Don’t let it melt too much or your ice cream will end up more like soft serve.
You can, but make sure they are completely thawed before adding them as a mix-in. Fresh, ripe strawberries give you the best fresh strawberry flavor though. If you’re trying to get that real strawberry flavor, fresh is the way to go.
Cheesecake pudding mix is what gives this recipe that classic strawberry pretzel pie taste, but vanilla pudding mix will also work if that’s what you have. Just know that the cheesecake pudding is really what makes this taste like the original dessert.
Not at all! The sweet strawberries, creamy cheesecake pudding, and salty pretzels give this so much flavor that you would never know there’s a protein shake in it. The texture is thick and creamy too, not chalky or icy like a lot of protein ice cream recipes can be.
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Ingredient tips and substitutions
The full ingredient list is at the bottom of this post in the recipe card.
- Vanilla Protein Shake: Premier Protein and Fairlife both work great in this Ninja Creami strawberry ice cream recipe, but if you don’t have a protein shake, use the same volume of your milk of choice (like whole milk, 2% milk, or Fairlife milk) mixed with vanilla protein powder and adjust the flavor and sweetness based on what you use (a splash of vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste adds nice flavor too).
- Sugar-Free Cheesecake Instant Pudding Mix: Make sure to use INSTANT pudding mix only, not cook-and-serve or premade pudding, and regular pudding mix with sugar in it works fine if that’s what you have.
- Fresh Strawberries: Ripe strawberries give you the best fresh strawberry flavor without any artificial flavoring, but if you only have frozen strawberries, just make sure they are completely thawed before adding them as a mix-in.
- Pretzel Sticks: Use any shape of pretzel that you have on hand, just chop them up before adding them as a mix-in (you could even use a few crushed cookies if you want a different crunch).
- Sugar-Free Strawberry Jam: Homemade or store-bought jam both work great, and regular jam with sugar in it works fine too if you prefer.
- Unsweetened Almond Milk (Optional): This only gets used if the ice cream looks like sand after the first spin, and any dairy or dairy-free milk works in its place like whole milk, 2% milk, heavy cream, coconut milk, cashew milk, oat milk, or Fairlife milk (the higher the fat content, the creamier the texture).
Directions for Making the Ice Cream Mixture
- Pour the protein shake and pudding mix into a small blender and blend together until the pudding mix is completely combined with the liquids.
- Freeze on a level surface for 24 hours. Your freezer should be between 9 and -7 degrees Fahrenheit. To avoid getting a bump on the top of the frozen mixture, freeze with the lid off of the container.
Directions for Processing the Ice Cream Mixture
- After 24 hours, remove the pint container from the freezer.
- Place the pint container into the outer bowl of the Ninja Creami and then process on “LITE ICE CREAM.”
- If the ice cream is dry or crumbly looking (like sand), pour in a tablespoon or two of unsweetened almond milk and then re-spin. If the ice cream looks like little balls of ice cream, respin without adding liquid. You may have to repeat this process a couple of times.
- Dig a well down the center of the ice cream and pour in the chopped strawberries, pretzels, and jam. Process on mix-ins.
- Remove the pint from the machine and enjoy!
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Recipe
Ninja Creami Strawberry Pretzel Pie Protein Ice Cream
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Equipment
Add Food Grade Vegetable Glycerin To Make Leftover Ice Cream Scoopable Right Out of the Freezer
Per 16 ounce pint: *Add 1 Teaspoon to full fat/full sugar bases *Add 1.5 teaspoon to high protein bases *Add 2 teaspoons to low sugar/low fat lite bases. Freeze and process per the recipe. Take the leftovers out of the freezer and scoop without having to reprocess. ***This is a guideline and adjustments may be needed based on your recipe.
Original, Breeze, Swirl, and Deluxe Ingredient Measurements
Use the multiplier below to adjust quantities based on the machine that you own. ***If you have the Original, Breeze, or Swirl machine, which use 16 ounce containers, choose the 1X option. ***If you have the Deluxe or XL machine, which use 24 ounce containers, choose the 1.5X option.
Ingredients
Ice Cream Base
- 11.5 Fluid Ounces (340 ml) Vanilla Protein Shake
- 2 Tablespoons (2 Tablespoons) Sugar-Free Cheesecake Instant Pudding Mix
Mix-Ins
- ½ Cup (72 g) Fresh Strawberries (Chopped)
- ½ Cup (28 g) Pretzel Sticks (Chopped)
- 1 Tablespoon (1 Tablespoon) Sugar-Free Strawberry Jam
Optional
- 1-2 Tablespoons (1 Tablespoons) Unsweetened Almond Milk
Instructions
Make the Ice Cream Mixture
- Pour the protein shake and pudding mix into a small blender and blend together until the pudding mix is completely combined with the liquids.
- Freeze on a level surface for 24 hours. Your freezer should be between 9 and -7 degrees Fahrenheit. To avoid getting a bump on the top of the frozen mixture, freeze with the lid off of the container.
Process the Ice Cream
- After 24 hours, remove the pint container from the freezer.
- Place the pint container into the outer bowl of the Ninja Creami and then process on "LITE ICE CREAM."
- If the ice cream is dry or crumbly looking (like sand), pour in a tablespoon or two of unsweetened almond milk and then re-spin. If the ice cream looks like little balls of ice cream, respin without adding liquid. You may have to repeat this process a couple of times.
- Dig a well down the center of the ice cream and pour in the chopped strawberries, pretzels, and jam. Process on mix-ins.
- Remove the pint from the machine and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. Optional ingredients are not included in the nutrition information.
Recipes that use allulose:
Allulose is a low calorie sweetener that your body doesn't fully digest, so it provides only 0.4 calories per gram instead of 4. That's why the calorie total doesn't match what you'd expect from the carb count. Calories from allulose are calculated based on metabolized carbohydrates. Allulose contributes fewer calories than standard carbohydrates.
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