The Creami Method
High-protein ice cream in a Ninja Creami. None of it is complicated and it takes about two minutes to learn — but I had to assemble it from a bunch of different websites. You just have to read this page.
My base recipe
My default base is 50% cottage cheese and 50% Greek yogurt, plus 200 g of liquid protein. Everything gets weighed in grams, straight into the pint.
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Cottage cheese — 1% or 2% fat, whichever is on sale | 100 g |
| Greek yogurt — usually vanilla | 100 g |
| Protein drink (Slate, Premier, whatever) or almond milk + protein powder | 200 g |
200 g base + 200 g liquid + flavor
Flavorings — all of these work great
- Cocoa powder
- Cheesecake flavor drops
- PB2
- Vanilla extract
- Zero-sugar pudding mixes
Sometimes Splenda goes in too. Always a little salt.
One recent chocolate batch
- Slate protein shake160 g
- Almond milk40 g
- Cottage cheese103 g
- Yogurt97 g
- Cocoa9 g
The method
- Blend everything until smooth.
- Freeze for 24 hours.
- Run the sealed pint under warm water for 20–30 seconds. This is right before it goes in the machine — not before adding ingredients, not before eating. It’s the step most recipes leave out.
-
Spin on “Lite Ice Cream.” It runs a minute or so, tops.
Sound on. This is the noise. -
Add ~30 g more liquid — milk, water, or almond milk — and hit Re-spin.
A splash of liquid into the crumble, then back in the machine. - Repeat the respin once more if it still looks crumbly. Otherwise, eat.
What it should look like
The most useful thing nobody tells you: it comes out of the first spin looking like a mistake. It isn’t. The crumbly texture is the protein — expected, and fixable with liquid and a respin.
Field notes
- The crumbly look after the first spin is caused by the protein. That’s as much of the science as I understand — it’s expected, not a failure.
- Keep at least two pint containers so one can always be freezing; three is better.
- The warm-water rinse on the pint before spinning makes a real difference, and most recipes never mention it.
- Buy whichever cottage cheese is on sale. The ice cream cannot tell the difference.
None of it is super complicated and it takes like two minutes to learn, but I had to assemble this from a bunch of different websites to master it.
The machine
You need a Ninja Creami. That’s the whole gear list — that, a kitchen scale, and spare pints.
The original 7-in-1. It’s the machine in every photo and video on this page, it has the “Lite Ice Cream” and “Re-spin” buttons this method depends on, and it’s usually the cheapest way in.
See it on Amazon →
Same idea, 11 programs, and bigger 24 oz pints — worth it if you’re feeding more than yourself.
See it on Amazon →
The newest one, with a soft-serve dispensing handle. Fun, fancier, priced accordingly.
See it on Amazon →
Genuine Ninja pints for the NC301. I have two and I’ll likely get a third — one spinning, one freezing, one full of ice cream you already made.
See them on Amazon →As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. The links above use my affiliate tag; it costs you nothing.