Check out my recipe for making Ninja Creami Salted Caramel Butterscotch Chip Protein Ice Cream! It tastes like ice cream…not like protein shakes! It’s the creamiest, and most delicious butterscotch ice cream you’ll ever have!! And you get the added bonus of it being high in protein!
Caramel protein shakes don’t taste as much like caramel once they have been frozen as they do straight out of the bottle. So, this recipe for salted caramel butterscotch chip protein ice cream adds in a few extra ingredients to make the caramel and butterscotch flavors more intense!
This recipe comes in at 285 calories, 32 grams of protein, 2 grams of sugar, 9 grams of fat, and 22 carbs for the ENTIRE pint. See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for all nutrition facts.
Salted caramel ice cream combines the sweet flavors of caramel and in this case butterscotch too, with a little kick of saltiness. It brings salty and sweet together in a perfect, creamy, delicious, protein-packed ice cream…oh and there’s only 2 grams of sugar per pint!!
You’ll notice that I used sugar-free butterscotch pudding mix in this recipe. It’s instant pudding mix, not premade or cook-and-serve pudding. Adding the pudding mix adds a ton of flavor and helps make the texture thick and creamy. I’ve noticed that some instant pudding mixes help a lot with texture but don’t add a whole lot of flavor. I can say, that is not the case with the butterscotch-flavored pudding mix. The butterscotch flavor really stands out!
Using flavored pudding mixes is super easy and very convenient! If you don’t want to use instant pudding mixes in your protein ice cream, you can instead use some sort of gum, but you’d also need to add in butterscotch flavor with syrup, extract, or oil. You can use a very small amount of xanthan gum, guar gum, or locust bean gum instead of the pudding mix. I have only experimented with guar gum, which provides a nice texture.
Taste your protein ice cream before putting it in the freezer!
When protein ice cream, or any ice cream, is frozen, the flavors tend to be less intense. It’s not so much that the mixture loses flavor through the freezing process. Instead, it’s because things taste different when they are very hot or very cold. If you freeze your mixture, it will taste a little different when you eat it and it’s frozen. But, if you were to thaw the mixture completely after freezing, it will taste the same as it did before you froze it.
When I make ice cream, protein ice cream, or regular ice cream, I try to taste it right before I put it in the freezer. If it’s not sweet enough or doesn’t have quite enough flavor, I add more sugar or sugar substitutes and more flavor extract or syrups. Don’t overdo it, but it should be a little strong tasting before freezing.
For this recipe, I used a premier protein salted caramel-flavored protein shake and the results were fantastic! Many people prefer the Fairlife protein shakes over the Premier Protein, but it’s all a matter of what you like the best. Fairlife protein shakes are very hard to find in comparison to the Premier Protein ones. Choose a protein shake that you like the taste and texture of.
Tips for making Ninja Creami Salted Caramel Butterscotch Chip Protein Ice Cream
That’s a tricky question. Because the answer is, “it depends.” It depends on what you add to the protein to make the ice cream. And, it depends on what you consider to be good. It’s not just about flavor, it’s also about texture. When made with the right ingredients, protein ice cream should taste like regular ice cream.
Technically, yes. But freezing just the protein shake with no additional ingredients will provide a mellow, protein shake flavor. In my opinion, protein shakes need to have other things added to them to help with the flavor. Adding in sugar-free pudding mixes, extracts, fruit, or syrups will help the protein shake taste more like ice cream. Also, freezing just a protein shake will result in a VERY hard ice cream. And, once it’s processed in the Ninja Creami it will be very dry and powderlike. You need to add in some sort of thickener/stabilizer to make it less icy and creamier.
No, you cannot create caramel swirls in the actual Ninja Creami ice cream maker. The swirl will be fully incorporated with the rest of the ice cream and you will end up with caramel-flavored ice cream. You can however swirl in some caramel by hand after processing it.
Dairy-based ice creams are a good source of protein. Adding protein shakes, protein powders, cottage cheese, or yogurt to ice cream can increase the amount of protein in ice cream drastically.
You can use any milk or non-dairy milk like coconut milk, cashew milk, or oat milk. The flavor and texture may vary once the protein ice cream is processed.
Click HERE to see a full list of substitutions. Some substitutions provide a less creamy texture.
Looking for more of the best Ninja Creami Recipes? Check out all of our Ninja Creami ice cream recipes here!
Ingredients to make Ninja Creami Salted Caramel Butterscotch Chip Protein Ice Cream:
Ingredient substitutions and tips for making Ninja Creami Salted Caramel Butterscotch Chip Protein Ice Cream:
The full ingredient list is found at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.
Sugar and dairy substitution suggestions can be found here.
Caramel Protein Shake- I used a salted caramel premier protein shake for this recipe. But, you can use your favorite brand of protein shake. Since protein shake taste and texture vary by brand, the end product may vary.
Unsweetened Almond Milk– Any dairy or dairy substitute can be used. You can use lowfat or nonfat milk, 2% or whole milk, cashew milk, oat milk, coconut milk, or almond milk.
Sugar-Free Butterscotch Instant Pudding Mix- You can use a pudding mix that has sugar but the nutrition info will change based on what you use. Use the powdered mix and not premade or coook and serve pudding.
Sugar-Free Caramel Syrup– This is the drink syrup, not the ice cream syrup. The syrup is used to help add more caramel flavor to the base of the ice cream. There are a lot of different brands and flavor variations. Pick your favorite.
Salted Caramel Chips– Be sure to chop the chips into small pieces. If you don’t the large chips will get extremely hard and difficult to chew in the finished ice cream. You can use mini chips, which don’t need to be chopped. But finding mini chips that are sugar free is difficult.
Sea Salt– Coarselyground sea salt. If you use table salt or very finely ground salt, the salt will mix in to the base too much and make it all salty. Using coarsley ground salt helps to add a little crunch and a pop of saltiness.
Optional
Unsweetened Almond Milk– Any dairy or dairy substitute can be used. You may not need it. If the ice cream is dry and crumbly after processing, you’ll need to add a tablespoon or two of liquid.
Steps for making Ninja Creami Salted Caramel Butterscotch Chip Protein Ice Cream:
Prepare the mixture:
Steps for making Ninja Creami Salted Caramel Butterscotch Chip Protein Ice Cream:
Process the mixture:
Directions for making Ninja Creami Salted Caramel Butterscotch Chip Protein Ice Cream:
1. Pour the caramel protein shake, ½ cup of unsweetened almond milk, pudding mix, and caramel syrup into a small blender and blend together until the pudding mix is completely combined with the liquids.
2. Pour the mixture into the Ninja Creami pint container.
3. 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.
4. After 24 hours, remove the pint container from the freezer.
5. Place the pint container into the outer bowl of the Ninja Creami and then process on “LITE ICE CREAM.”
6. If the ice cream is dry or crumbly looking, pour in a tablespoon or two of unsweetened almond milk and then respin. You may have to repeat this process a couple of times.
7. Pour the caramel chips and sea salt down the center of the ice cream and then process on mix-ins.
8. Remove the pint from the machine and enjoy!
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Recipe
Ninja Creami Salted Caramel Butterscotch Chip Protein Ice Cream
Rate this Recipe
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 (326 g) Caramel Protein Shake
- 4 Fluid Ounces (118 2/7 ml) Unsweetened Almond Milk
- 2 Tablespoons (2 Tablespoons) Sugar-Free Butterscotch Instant Pudding Mix
- 1 Teaspoon (1 Teaspoon) Sugar-Free Caramel Syrup
Mix-ins
- 1 Tablespoon (1 Tablespoon) Salted Caramel Chips (Chopped)
- ¼ Teaspoon (¼ Teaspoon) Sea Salt
Optional
- 1-2 Tablespoons (2 Tablespoons) Unsweetened Almond Milk
Instructions
Make the Ice Cream Mixture
- Pour the caramel protein shake, unsweetened almond milk, pudding mix, and caramel syrup into a small blender and blend together until the pudding mix is completely combined with the liquids. Pour the mixture into the Ninja Creami pint container.
- 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, pour in a tablespoon or two of unsweetened almond milk and then respin. You may have to repeat this process a couple of times.
- Pour the caramel chips and sea salt down the center of the ice cream and then 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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Beverly Brown says
Loved this recipe but have one question. It was super thick and the Deluxe struggles a bit with it.
What can I do to fix that?
Lauren Cardona says
I love when it’s super thick! If you want it softer, you can add some liquid (dairy or protein shake, yogurt, etc) and re-spin. The machine should not “struggle” to process the mixture though.
Cheryl Anderson says
Hey, this wasn’t as yummy as I hoped. I ended up mixing in some condensed milk and caramel syrup just to make it okay. Might need to add even more since the first round didn’t really do much.
Lauren Cardona says
Hi Cheryl- I’m sorry you weren’t in love with this recipe. This recipe has a milder flavor and isn’t overly sweet. Adding the condensed milk and caramel syrup should make it have a stronger flavor and add a lot of sweetness.
ro gard says
I’d like to make this using cottage cheese (no salt cottage cheese, regular is so high in sodium). How would I adjust recipe to use cottage cheese?
Lauren Cardona says
Which ingredient are you trying to replace with the cottage cheese? I would probably cut back on the almond milk and replace it with the cottage cheese. Keep in mind that cottage cheese does make the ice cream taste kind of like cheesecake, depending on how much you use, so the flavor won’t be exactly the same.
MARIA SPINNATO says
I absolutely love all your protein powder recipes. Thank you so very much for everything. with my GI issues, I live almost off all protein shakes etc so having ice cream is such a treat with protein powders. Thank you so much 💓
Lauren Cardona says
Hi Maria! I’m so glad you are enjoying my Ninja Creami protein recipes!
DeAnna says
I’ve owned my Creami for 2 weeks. Have probably used it every day and i can honestly say, this is the first recipe that has completely sold me on this appliance! Love it, thank you!!
Lauren Cardona says
Woo Hoo!! That’s so great to hear!