Almond Joy Protein Ice Cream
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Rich, chocolatey, and tropical, this almond joy Ninja Creami protein ice cream recipe is absolutely divine! Dark chocolate protein ice cream is infused with coconut & almond extracts to make one of the most delicious healthy ice cream flavors you could hope for. With a whopping 50 grams of protein in the entire pint for only 369 calories, this is a surefire way to help you increase your protein intake while maximizing enjoyment.
This healthy ice cream recipe for the Ninja Creami machine was inspired by one of my favorite candies: Almond Joy!
This protein ice cream recipe is perfect for when making something like my chocolate coconut swirl seems too challenging, or when you would much rather enjoy chocolate over my vanilla coconut ice cream. (If you can’t tell by my Ninja Creami recipes…I love coconut!).
This flavor is made with some chocolate whey protein powder (I like Legion Whey+ but you can use whatever your favorite is), black cocoa powder (key! Much richer than regular cocoa), and some flavor extracts to make something tropical, indulgent, and absolutely amazing. The best part is that this easy recipe has no added sugar!
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Purchase my 20 High-Protein Ninja Creami Recipes eBook on Etsy. Feel free to reach out to me (holly@thesweetsimplethings.com) with any questions!
Ingredients
To make this delicious Ninja Creami almond joy ice cream, you need the following simple ingredients:
Chocolate Protein Powder – This recipe was formulated with whey isolate. Using a different type may impact taste & texture.
Black Cocoa Powder – I much prefer the rich flavor of black cocoa powder, but you can use regular cocoa powder, too.
Unsweetened Coconut Milk Beverage - Make sure you get the beverage, not the canned coconut milk. Unsweetened is preferred, but if you’re not watching sugar, vanilla is fine, too.
Extracts – Coconut Extract & Almond Extract give amazing flavor to this ice cream, completely transforming it from a regular chocolate base.
Vanilla Bean Paste - I love vanilla paste for ice creams, but vanilla extract can also be used.
Cottage Cheese - This makes it super creamy and adds more protein.
Low-Calorie Sweetener – I love allulose (no weird aftertaste and it pretty much tastes just like sugar). But you can also use erythritol, monk fruit blends, stevia, etc. Just make sure whatever you choose is formulated to be a 1:1 sugar substitute, otherwise, you will need to figure out how to make adjustments.
You will also need a Ninja Creami ice cream maker and I highly recommend an immersion blender.
Step-by-Step Instructions
You can whip this Almond Joy Ninja Creami Protein Ice Cream up the way you would whip up any Creami recipe:
1. Combine Ingredients
Add all of the ingredients to a Ninja Creami pint container. Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth.
2. Freeze
Freeze for 24 hours on a level surface in your freezer.
3. Spin
When ready to eat, install the pint into your Creami machine per the manufacturer’s instructions. Press “Lite Ice Cream.”
4. Mix-In or Re-Spin
Check your texture after the first spin. If it’s at least 75% smooth and you plan to add mix-ins, do that at this time and press the “Mix-In” button. If you don’t want to add mix-ins, or if it’s less than 75% smooth, press “Re-Spin.”
Ninja Creami Mix-In Cycle Tips
The mix-in cycle is slower than the re-spin cycle because it’s attempting not to completely pulverize your mix-in items. It will still offer some additional smoothing of the ice cream texture.
For best results when planning to add mix-ins, if it’s at least 75% of the way to your desired texture, then skip the re-spin and go straight to mix-in, or else the ice cream may become too soft.
Mix-In Ideas
I highly recommend serving with flaked coconut and sliced almonds! That said, there are other delicious mix-in possibilities, too!
Other Delicious Creami Flavors
If coconut is your jam, make sure you try my chocolate-coconut flavor swirl Creami recipe.
For coconut without the chocolate, you can’t go wrong with my coconut ice cream recipe.
Some other delicious flavors:
- Chocolate-Peanut Butter Swirl is a similar concept to my chocolate-coconut swirl linked above.
- Peanut Butter Protein Ice Cream is a delicious recipe for pb lovers who need a break from chocolate (not sure I understand that, but I get that it happens, hah!)
- Ninja Creami Cinnamon ice cream is one of my personal favorites–like a protein snickerdoodle!
- Ninja Creami Lemon ice cream is a delicious frozen treat for spring and summer.
Recipe Notes
If you do not finish the pint in one sitting, level the top with a spoon and put back in the freezer. When you’d like to eat it again, spin it on lite ice cream.
You can also microwave the pint for 30 seconds to soften the ice cream enough to eat with a spoon, however the texture won’t be as good as when it is spun again in the machine.
Below is the nutritional stat breakdown for this recipe:
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Almond Joy Ninja Creami Protein Ice Cream
Equipment
- Ninja Creami Machine
Ingredients
- 100 grams cottage cheese about 1/2 cup
- 50 grams chocolate whey isolate protein powder a little less than 2 scoops
- 12 grams black cocoa powder 1 1/2 tbsp
- 20 grams allulose 2 tbsp
- 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 1/4 tsp coconut extract
- 1/8 tsp almond extract
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk beverage a little more if needed to reach max fill line
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a Ninja Creami pint container. Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth.
- Freeze for 24 hours on a level surface in your freezer.
- When ready to eat, install the pint into your Creami machine per the manufacturer's instructions. Press "Lite Ice Cream."
- Check your texture after the first spin. If it's at least 75% smooth and you plan to add mix-ins, do that at this time and press the "Mix-In" button. If you don't want to add mix-ins, or if it's less than 75% smooth, press "Re-Spin." See notes.
Video
YUM!! So good, reminds me of an almond joy for sure! One of my favorite Creami flavors so far–perfectly rich and tropical for summer.