Creamy Mint Chocolate Chip Protein Ice Cream
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With refreshing mint flavor, rich dark chocolate, and an ultra-creamy texture, this is the best Ninja Creami mint chocolate chip protein ice cream recipe out there! Plus–let me show you a trick for getting those melt-in-your-mouth chocolate flakes!
For more decadent protein ice cream flavors, try my Ninja Creami Dole Whip and my Ninja Creami Orange Sherbet.
Mint Chip Creami at a Glance
⏱️ Prep Time: 10 minutes
❄️ Freeze Time: 24 hours
🍽️ Servings: 1 pint
👍 Difficulty: Easy!
😋 Recipe Highlights: Ultra-creamy, guilt-free mint chocolate chip ice cream packed with 62g protein, refreshing peppermint, and melt-in-your-mouth dark chocolate flakes. No icy texture–just true decadence.
🛒 Featured Ingredients: Whey protein, mint extract, cottage cheese, sweetener, chocolate chips
💪 Macros: 424 calories, 62g protein, 8g fat, and 43g carbs
SUMMARIZE & SAVE THIS CONTENT ON
Move over traditional ice cream! High-protein homemade ice cream is the best invention of the 21st century.
Whether you prefer Ninja Creami Dole Whip, Raspberry Ice Cream for the Ninja Creami, Ninja Creami coffee protein ice cream, or a simple vanilla protein ice cream, I’ve got you covered!
Mint chocolate chip is my kids’ favorite flavor, and it’s a close second for my husband (he loves chocolate peanut butter swirl the most).
Jump to:
- Mint Chip Creami at a Glance
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- How to Make Perfect Chocolate Flakes
- Key Ingredients for Mint Chip Protein Ice Cream
- Mint Chip Protein Ice Cream Instructions
- Expert Tips
- Mint Chocolate Chip Protein Ice Cream FAQs
- More Ninja Creami Flavors
- Want More Recipes Like This One?
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Reviews
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
You’ll love this mint chocolate chip Ninja Creami recipe for its ultra-creamy texture and refreshing peppermint flavor paired with melty dark chocolate flakes-all in a guilt-free 62g-protein pint.
How to Make Perfect Chocolate Flakes
Even though mint ice cream was not too difficult to make, I don’t like ice-cold chocolate chips–they have no flavor. They’re also hard to chew.
I was dreaming of those melt-in-your-mouth chocolate flakes that are common in brands like Breyer’s. I knew I could figure this out if I kept working on it. In my recipe testing, we found the perfect solution! We use melted chocolate on a mix-in spin instead of chocolate chips.
Now I know what you’re thinking–doesn’t it harden into a clump? But no, it won’t as long as you work quickly.
These melt-in-your-mouth chocolate flakes are the perfect replacement for the hard chunks of tasteless cold chocolate.
I have the full step-by-step for how to do this in the instructions section, so give it a try!
Key Ingredients for Mint Chip Protein Ice Cream
Here are the key ingredients for this amazing high-protein Ninja Creami mint chocolate chip ice cream recipe. Check the recipe card for a full list of ingredients:
Cottage Cheese or Greek Yogurt – Either is fine. I use 2% cottage cheese in most of my recipes, but whenever I’m out of cottage cheese, I sub in plain Greek yogurt and it works wonderfully–it just adds a touch of tang.
Vanilla Whey Isolate – Everyone thinks fat is what makes ice cream creamy, but when it comes to protein ice cream, it’s the PROTEIN that makes it creamy! Using enough protein powder eliminates iciness and gives you a thick, delicious ice cream.
The quantity of powder given in this recipe is specifically for a whey isolate. If you use a different kind of powder, amounts may vary.
Allulose – Granulated allulose is my natural sugar substitute of choice. Allulose has a pleasantly neutral taste.
However, you can certainly replace this with monk fruit sweetener, stevia, erythritol, etc. Just make sure your sweetener blend is meant to be a 1:1 sugar sub. If it is not scaled for 1:1, then the quantity you need will vary from this recipe.
Mint Extract – Just use 1/8 to 1/4 tsp mint extract in your creami to get the right mint flavor–you only need a little bit!
Whether you use 1/8 tsp or 1/4 tsp will depend on your brand. Some are stronger than others. Extracts containing spearmint are usually milder than those containing peppermint, so adjust your quantity as needed.
Dark Chocolate - This is what we will use to melt and create our chocolate flakes.
Mint Chip Protein Ice Cream Instructions
Follow the steps below to make your own Ninja Creami mint chocolate chip protein ice cream:
- Mix & Blend: Add all of the ingredients except for the dark chocolate to a Ninja Creami pint container. Add more milk if needed to reach the max fill line. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth.
- Freeze 24 Hours: Cover & place pint container in the freezer on a level surface for 24 hours.
- Spin Cycle #1: After the pint is thoroughly frozen, install it in your Ninja Creami machine per the manufacturer’s instructions for your model. Spin on “Lite Ice Cream.”
- Melt Chocolate: While the ice cream is spinning, add your dark chocolate to a microwave-safe dish. Microwave in 30-second increments until melted, stirring in between.
- Check Texture: When the first spin is done, check the texture of the ice cream. If it is at least 50% of the way to your ideal texture (looks like ice cream, but may not be perfectly smooth yet) make a wide hole in the center of your ice cream that reaches the bottom of the pint.
If it is not yet at least 50% smooth, do a re-spin cycle on the ice cream, then carve the well down the center.
- Mix-In Cycle: Work quickly to scrape the melted chocolate into the well you carved in the ice cream, then quickly place lid back on the pint and install it back into your machine. Press the “Mix In” button.
Your guilt-free treat is ready to enjoy!
Expert Tips
Freeze the ice cream base for 24 hours before spinning.
If you don’t finish the whole pint, flatten the top with a spoon before putting it back in the freezer. Then you can spin it again (use “Lite Ice Cream” with one re-spin if needed) the next time you want to eat it.
Alternatively, you can microwave the pint container for 30 seconds. This will not be the same creamy texture, but it will make your ice cream scoopable.
Need to Troubleshoot? If you’re having issues with your Ninja Creami machine, check out my Ninja Creami Troubleshooting Guide.
Mint Chocolate Chip Protein Ice Cream FAQs
I know many recipes out there advertise lower calories than what some of my ice creams come in at, but I do want to point a few things out:
1) My recipes make a FULL pint. Many of the lower-calorie recipes are simply using a protein shake, or 1 scoop of protein in 1 cup of liquid. Yes, that is lower calorie, and it’s also only half the amount of ice cream. It’s also icier and doesn’t taste very good.
2) These lower-calorie recipes are lower in protein, and therefore higher in iciness unless they’re adding a lot of pudding mix or xanthan gum, which I prefer not to include in my recipes. While those additions can lower iciness, they can add different unpleasant textures. Since we are not using heavy cream, cream cheese, whole milk, etc in this healthy ice cream, a high protein content makes a huge difference in achieving the perfect creaminess without the use of texture additives.
That said, if you’re looking to cut back calories on this mint chocolate protein ice cream recipe, you could swap out the milk in the recipe for unsweetened almond milk. Another option is to only use 1/2 cup of nonfat skim milk and then fill the rest of the way to the line with water.
The only difference between green and white mint ice creams is the food coloring. Mint extract is not green, but many people associate mint flavor with the green color so it can be a fun touch sometimes.
More Ninja Creami Flavors
For more protein ice cream ideas, check out my full collection of Ninja Creami recipes. My peanut butter oreo cup protein ice cream is luscious and full of flavor, as is my S’mores Protein Ninja Creami 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.
Nothing’s Better than a Mint Protein Ice Cream! If you try this delicious high-protein mint chocolate chip ice cream, please leave a comment and review! It means the world to hear from everyone who tries my recipes. 🙂
📖 Recipe
The Best Ninja Creami Mint Chocolate Chip Protein Ice Cream
Equipment
- Ninja Creami Ice Cream Maker
Ingredients
- 100 grams 2% cottage cheese or Greek yogurt – about 1/2 cup
- 50 grams vanilla whey isolate protein powder 1 1/2 scoops
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 2 tablespoon granulated allulose
- 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract some may only need 1/8 tsp–see notes
- 1 cup skim milk ultra-filtered recommended
- 18 grams dark chocolate or 1 to 1 1/2 tbsp chocolate chips
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients except for the chocolate to a Ninja Creami pint container. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth.
- Cover the pint and freeze on a level surface in the freezer for 24 hours.
- After the pint is thoroughly frozen, install it in your Ninja Creami machine per manufacturer's instructions for you model. Spin on "Lite Ice Cream."
- While the ice cream is spinning, add your dark chocolate to a microwave-safe dish. Microwave in 30-second increments until melted, stirring in between.
- When the first spin is done, check the texture of the ice cream. If it is at least 50% of the way to your ideal texture (so looks like ice cream, but may not be perfectly smooth yet) procede with the next step. If your ice cream is still powdery and not yet looking close to edible, then do one spin cycle with the "Re-Spin" button.
- When the ice cream is decently smooth and the chocolate chips are melted, work quickly to make a well in the center of the ice cream that goes down deep to the bottom. Scrape the melted chocolate into the well, then quickly place the pint container back into your machine. Press the "Mix In" button.
- Your mint chip protein ice cream is now ready to enjoy!
Perfectly minty and creamy. I love the chocolate flakes rather than crunchy chocolate chips!