Healthy Ninja Creami Coconut Ice Cream- High Protein
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Introducing my personal favorite of all my Ninja Creami recipes: my high-protein Ninja Creami Coconut Ice Cream! This sweet treat is thick, creamy, smooth, and full of tropical coconut flavor, but still low-calorie. You’re going to love it!
If this is your first time making a Ninja Creami ice cream, you’re in for a treat. My high-protein, low-calorie Ninja Creami ice cream recipes are made with minimal effort and without heavy cream, sugar, or half & half.
Despite the delicious coconut flavor, there’s no coconut sugar, coconut cream, or other high-calorie ingredients.
This recipe is for a high-protein, low-calorie delicious Coconut Ice Cream, but if coconut is not your thing, check out my Ninja Creami Recipes page to see all the different flavors I have.
Making Coconut Ice Cream
This simple recipe starts with my vanilla ice cream base that is part of many of my recipes, but I use unsweetened coconut milk instead of skim milk, and I add some McCormick Coconut Extract.
In my opinion, this creamy ice cream is the star of my protein ice creams! My husband will debate me on that as his personal favorite is my peanut butter protein ice cream.
But we both love this recipe, and it goes great swirled with dark chocolate ice cream. We call our chocolate-coconut swirl our Mounds Bar Creami!
My Ninja Creami machine is one of the best kitchen investments I’ve made. Healthy, high-protein ice cream is a dream!
While I had nothing like this available to me on my weight loss journey, if I had, it would have made it so much easier. It certainly is a game changer for maintenance and muscle building!
Now, let’s get to making this awesome recipe!
Want More Recipes Like This One?
If you love my Ninja Creami recipes and want some more fun flavors like S’Mores, Pistachio, Monster Cookie, Black Forest Cake, or even Moose Tracks, check out my Ninja Creami Recipe eBook!
The recipe book is available for instant download and offers delicious recipes in an easy-to-access eBook without any ads.
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 & Equipment
To make this Ninja Creami coconut ice cream, you will need a handful of simple ingredients:
- Cottage Cheese– I’m using 2% fat cottage cheese. Use whatever kind you’d like.
- Vanilla Whey Protein Isolate Powder– Make it a good powder you love the taste of. I’m using Legion French Vanilla. The amount used in this recipe is specifically for whey protein isolate. If your powder is a different form of protein, you will probably need to adjust the amount. The high amount of protein gives a creamier lite ice cream than lower protein recipes.
- Vanilla Bean Paste– I prefer vanilla bean paste for ice cream, but vanilla extract is a fine substitute.
- Coconut Extract– I have only tried McCormick’s coconut extract. It’s good and relatively easy to find! It’s strong, though. You will use a small amount.
- Allulose– As with most of my Ninja Creami recipes, I use granulated Allulose to sweeten my pints. Find more information about allulose here.
- Unsweetened Coconut Milk– I absolutely love coconut milk in my Creami creations! It is thicker than almond milk, lower calorie than dairy skim milk, and super tasty.
As for equipment, you will need a Ninja Creami ice cream maker. This recipe has not been tested in any other ice cream maker, and I don’t think it’s likely to work.
I also recommend an immersion blender, but if you don’t have one, you can use a good whisk or frother.
Instructions
Making this Ninja Creami ice cream base is very easy.
1. Combine Ingredients
Add all ingredients to the Ninja Creami pint cup, saving the milk for last. Fill the pint cup to the max fill line with coconut milk. Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth.
2. Freeze
Freeze the pint container on a flat surface in the freezer for at least 24 hours.
3. Spin
Install your Ninja Creami Pint into your machine as specified by the instructions for your model. Spin once on “Lite Ice Cream.”
4. Check Texture & Re-Spin
This ice cream is often a great texture after the first spin, especially if you like firm ice cream. But you may need to use the re-spin function to get the texture you’re after.
That’s it! Making this Ninja Creami coconut ice cream couldn’t be easier, and it’s the perfect base to take in all kinds of flavor directions!
Serving Suggestions
Try topping this Ninja Creami ice cream recipe with chocolate chips, shredded or toasted coconut, or even pineapple chunks to make a Pina colada ice cream.
Looking for a completely different flavor profile? Check out one of the following Protein Ice Cream Recipes:
- My Almond Joy Protein Ice Cream is another coconut-inspired flavor–this time with a chocolate base.
- Ninja Creami Coffee Ice Cream is a delicious, low calorie ice cream great for all coffee lovers out there.
- Ninja Creami Cinnamon Ice Cream is one of my personal favorites–great with baked apples!
- Ninja Creami Dole Whip Copycat is a tasty remake of the delicious Disney Dole Whips with more protein and less calories.
- Ninja Creami Lemon Ice Cream is a delicious flavor for lemon lovers on hot summer days.
Making your own homemade ice cream healthy with less sugar and low-fat ingredients is not only possible, but it’s super easy! That said, sometimes people run into issues. Here are a few tips based on common complaints I see online:
Ninja Creami Tips & Tricks
**Your Creami should not have ice crystals–it should be smooth and creamy. If you have this issue, you need a better balance of ingredients. If you’re using less protein powder than I call for, or if you use a different kind of milk, or if you leave out the sweetener, etc, all of those things can impact your final texture.
**It might seem like no big deal to simple swap ingredients, but much of the time it makes a bigger difference than you think. Omitting ingredients changes the texture, too. So yes, “small” changes really aren’t that small in a Ninja Creami. Each swap is a gamble.
**Do not leave your Ninja Pint container to sit at room temperature before spinning. While some people say it makes it less icy, the Ninja Creami was designed to drill through the ice cream bases right out of the freezer. You risk making your ice cream very wet and sloppy by letting it sit out.
Nutritional Information
For one pint of this ice cream, the nutritional info is as follows:
- Calories: 313
- Protein: 47 grams
- Fat: 6 grams
- Carbs: 37 grams (13 net carbs if you subtract the carbs from the allulose)
Recipe Notes
If you don’t finish the whole pint, level off the top of the ice cream so it is flat before sticking it back in the freezer. Next time you want to eat it, spin it on “Lite Ice Cream” first, and then use the re-spin button if necessary.
If you forget to level off the top, stick the pint of ice cream in the microwave for 30 seconds. That will soften it enough so you can eat it with a spoon, but the texture won’t be as good as when it was spun in the machine.
Need to Troubleshoot?
If you’re having issues with your Ninja Creami machine, check out my Ninja Creami Troubleshooting Guide.
Enjoy a Scoop of Tropical Heaven!
I hope you love this Ninja Creami coconut ice cream as much as I do! I’m not kidding when I say this is my absolute favorite creami recipe, and this concoction is one I always have in my freezer ready to go.
It tastes so indulgent for a “nice cream” that it’s hard to believe this is so macro-friendly. Purchasing a Ninja Creami might feel indulgent, but if you like ice cream and you like the idea of eating healthier treats, it’s sure to be well worth the money.
What flavors would you like to see next? Let me know in the comments!
Healthy Ninja Creami Coconut Ice Cream
Equipment
- Ninja Creami Ice Cream Maker
- Immersion Blender optional, but recommended
Ingredients
- 100 grams 2% Cottage Cheese about 1/2 cup
- 50 grams Vanilla Whey Isolate Protein Powder about 1 1/2 scoops–see notes
- 1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste or vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp Coconut Extract
- 24 grams Granulated Allulose about 2 tbsp
- 240 ml Unsweetened Coconut Milk 1 cup
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to your Ninja Creami pint container. Blend with an immersion blender, or whisk very well to combine ingredients.
- Freeze your pint container for at least 24 hours on a flat surface in your freezer.
- When ready to eat, install your Ninja Creami pint container into your machine per the manufacturer's instructions for your model. Spin once on "Lite Ice Cream."
- When the spin is over, peak at your ice cream to check the texture. If it looks good to you, go ahead and enjoy! If you want to smooth it out a bit more, put the pint back in the machine and press the "Re-Spin" button.
Loved it! This was great with graham crackers and flaked coconut. Just like pie! One of my favorite creami flavors for sure 😀
I’m excited to try this! Is the allulose just for sweetening or does it also contribute to the texture? My gut is sensitive to allulose, so I was going to use monk fruit if it would not affect the creaminess.
Hi Rebecca! Yes, you can absolutely swap out the allulose for something else! I’ve also used the Whole Earth Monk Fruit Blend successfully. 🙂 You could omit a sweetener if you want, too, but the flavors will be a bit dull after freezing without one.
This was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! I followed the recipe but just used ‘Swerve’ granulated sweetener and ‘Jocko Molk’ vanilla whey protein…my new favorite ice cream for sure and can’t believe I’m not ‘cheating’ given how incredible this tastes!
I’m so glad you loved it! That’s one of my favorite ones, too! So creamy and delicious. I love crumbling one of those little fiber one brownies into there. The coconut brownie thing is soooo good.