Check out my recipe for making Ninja Creami Strawberry Banana Protein Ice Cream! Strawberry and banana go so well together! The creaminess of the banana works really well with the sweetness and sometimes tartness of the strawberries. At some point, just about everyone will have had or made a strawberry banana smoothie! And, what’s better than a strawberry and banana smoothie….ice cream!
This recipe comes in at 292 calories, 32 grams of protein, 20 grams of sugar, 4 grams of fat, and 37carbs for the ENTIRE pint. See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for all nutrition facts.
There’s just something so amazing about bananas when you mix them with other things in the Ninja Creami. They create the most wonderful thick and creamy texture ever! Seriously, you don’t need much more than just a ripe banana to make something delicious with the PERFECT texture!! So, it was no surprise that my Ninja Creami Strawberry Protein Ice Cream turned out wonderfully! I had high hopes for this one and it did not disappoint!
A lot of people ask if they can use frozen bananas in their Ninja Creami creations. The topic of frozen fruit in the Ninja Creami is discussed all the time. And, it’s because there is no solid yes or no answer. Can you use frozen fruit? Yes. You can, but….. There are some buts with this one. You cannot put a bunch of frozen fruit into a Ninja Creami container, freeze it, and then process it. There cannot be open gaps between ingredients in the containers. But, you also cannot fill those gaps with water because there will be sections where it’s only water and that will turn to ice. The Ninja Creami should not process ice.
So, what do you do? There are a couple of options. The easiest one is to just thaw the fruit before using it. Or, blend the fruit with a liquid. That liquid can be water. Just as long as it is fully blended together to create a cohesive mixture.
So, the answer is yes, you can use frozen bananas for this recipe. But….you need to either thaw the bananas or blend them really well with the other ingredients. Some blenders don’t blend frozen fruit really well so you’ll need to make sure you’re using a high-powered blender that can handle frozen fruit.
How Do I Eat Ninja Creami Leftovers?
Leftovers with the Ninja Creami are a bit tricky as they get very hard once they are frozen again. Usually, the ice cream is not scoopable after freezing again. To help with this, you can store the leftovers in a shallow, freezer proof container, cover the top of the ice cream with plastic wrap or parchment to prevent freezer burn, with the lid on. When ready to eat, let the ice cream sit on the counter to thaw for about 15 minutes. You can even try microwaving the ice cream for 10-20 seconds.
While this process SHOULD make the ice cream a bit more scoopable, the texture never seems to be the same as it was when it was first processed.
If the leftover ice cream has mix-ins that have been added to it, the mix-ins will completely incorporate with the ice cream if it is respun after being frozen again. If there are no mix-ins, or if you don't mind if they get fully mixed in the ice cream, I'd recommend reprocessing the leftover ice cream on the original function that you used.
If your ice cream is coming out like soft-serve ice cream, check the temperature of your freezer. The proper temp is 9F to -7F. If your freezer is too warm, the ice cream will not fully freeze and it will be too soft to scoop.
Tips for Making Ninja Creami Strawberry Banana Protein Ice Cream
Yes! You can! But the protein shake will lose some of its flavor when frozen. And, it will likely be quite icy. So you need to add additional flavors and thickeners/stabilizers to get the right taste and consistency.
Taste your ice cream before freezing. When things are really cold and frozen they don't have as strong of a flavor. So, you want to make sure that the base mixture is sweet enough and flavored enough. Remember that it will lose some of its flavor when you eat it cold so it's ok to add a little extra sweetener and flavorings.
You don't need to add both. Instant pudding mix usually already has guar gum in the package. So, you can use instant pudding mix when you want to add the flavor of the pudding or use guar gum when you are only looking to modify the texture of the ice cream.
You can use any type of milk that you want in ice cream. You can use dairy milk that is fat-free, skim, 2%, whole, or cream. You can also use non-dairy milks like almond milk, coconut milk, oat milk, or cashew milk. But, milks with lower fat contents tend to me less creamy and more icy.
Bananas have about twice as much sugar content as strawberries do. So, if you are looking to reduce the amount of sugar, use more strawberries than bananas in the recipe.
Looking for more Ninja Creami Protein Ice Cream Recipes?
Ingredient Substitutions for Making Ninja Creami Creami Strawberry Banana Protein Ice Cream:
The full ingredient list is at the bottom of this post in the recipe card.
Strawberry Protein Shake- I used a Premier Protein strawberries and cream protein shake. If you can't find this flavor, any strawberry protein shake should work. Just be sure to taste it to make sure you like the flavor before adding it to the recipe.
Banana- 1 small banana or half of a large banana. If you are using frozen bananas, thaw before adding to the mixture.
Strawberries- Frozen thawed strawberries can be used for the ice cream base but I would recommend using fresh strawberries for the mix-ins.
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.
Directions for Making Ninja Creami Creami Strawberry Banana Protein Ice Cream:
Directions for Making the Ice Cream Mixture
- Pour the strawberry protein shake, 1 banana, and 1-2 strawberries into a small blender and blend together until the all ingredients are fully combined. 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.
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, pour in a tablespoon or two of unsweetened almond milk and then respin. You may have to repeat this process a couple of times.
- Remove the pint from the machine and enjoy!
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Recipe
Ninja Creami Strawberry Banana 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 Ounces (326 g) Strawberry Protein Shake
- 1 (1) Banana (1 small banana or half of 1 large banana)
- 1-2 (1-2) Strawberries (Fresh or Frozen(thawed))
Mix-Ins
- ½ Cup (118 2/7 ml) Fresh Strawberries (Diced)
Optional
- 1-2 Tablespoons (2 Tablespoons) Unsweetened Almond Milk
Instructions
Make the Ice Cream Mixture
- Pour the strawberry protein shake, 1 banana, and 1-2 strawberries into a small blender and blend together until the all ingredients are fully combined. 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.
- Dig a well down the center of the ice cream and pour in the chopped up strawberries. 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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