Sugar Free Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

This Ninja Creami Cookies and Cream Ice Cream will become a favorite of adults and kids alike! If you’re looking for a healthier version of this classic ice cream sweet treat that packs a punch of protein, look no further! This recipe gives a creaminess you only thought possible with heavy cream or whole milk, without the additional fat or tons of sugar.

When it comes to a healthy lifestyle that prioritizes eating enough protein and minimizing excess sugar intake, the Ninja Creami Ice Cream Maker is a game changer.

Creating equally delicious and healthy light ice creams has become a passion of mine. These homemade healthy ice creams are so much better than the ones you find in supermarkets, such as Halo Top or Rebel. Seriously–this kitchen device is worth it.

My homemade versions are lower calorie AND higher protein…and most importantly, they taste way better! I’ll never buy an overpriced “healthy” ice cream at the store again.

Both my husband and I notice that when we satisfy our sweet tooth by splitting one of our healthy protein Ninja Creami recipes, we are both so much more satisfied and less hungry the rest of the day.

It is much more satiating than a regular protein shake. I’ve never had a dessert or snack do that before–normally they just prime me to want to eat even more.

Not with these delicious protein ice creams! This Ninja Creami Cookies and Cream ice cream is added sugar-free (outside of the small amount that occurs naturally in milk–but we use Fairlife milk in our Creami creations to reduce sugars).

Ingredients

For this protein-packed cookies and cream ice cream, you will need:

2% Cottage Cheese– This serves as a binder to make creamy, heavenly ice cream. We are going to blend it, so do not worry about the chunks! And no, you can’t taste it at all. If you really can’t stomach the idea of cottage cheese, Greek yogurt works as well.

Vanilla Whey Isolate Protein Powder– The quantity of protein powder given is specifically for making a creamy texture with whey isolate. If you use another type, you may need to adjust the amount. Also, make sure you are using a good quality powder with a natural taste. Anything too artificial tasting can be overpowering in ice cream.

Sugar-Free Cookie Dough Flavor Syrup– I’m obsessed with the Torani Sugar-Free cookie dough syrup. It adds a warm, buttery taste to your ice cream! I like it best with vanilla-based ice creams, such as this cookies & cream flavor.

Granulated Allulose– Allulose is my sweetener of choice these days due to the neutral taste (it’s probably the most “normal” tasting of any sugar substitute I’ve tried, albeit a tiny bit less sweet than sugar) and good safety profile. Of course, you can swap for any sweetener you like.

Vanilla Bean Paste–I like using vanilla bean paste in ice creams. You can sub vanilla extract if needed.

Nonfat Ultrafiltered Milk– I choose Fairlike Skim milk because it’s ultra-filtered, meaning it’s creamier, has fewer carbs & sugars, and more protein per serving than regular milk. Regular milk is fine to use, too! You could also use nut milk, such as cashew milk, macadamia nut milk, or almond milk. I do not recommend oat milk because it is lower in protein and much higher in calories than other options, but you can certainly choose to use it if you wish. Just note that swapping the milk may give a slightly different consistency.

Sugar-Free Highkey Sandwich Cookies— These are our dupe for Oreo cookies. They are very low-calorie (3 cookies for 70 calories?? Yes, please!) and add the cookie bits that we need in our ice cream.

Equipment Needed

To make this delicious, creamy ice cream, you will need a Ninja Creami ice cream machine and an immersion blender. The Ninja Creami machine is essential–this recipe will not work in other ice cream makers.

If you do not have an immersion blender, you can blend it in a regular blender (only for a few seconds–just enough to smooth it out. You don’t want to add too much air to the mixture).

You can also just whisk the ingredients together. If you choose to whisk the ingredients instead of blending, I recommend using the Greek yogurt option instead of the cottage cheese. The cottage cheese curds may sink to the bottom if you don’t blend them before freezing. You won’t have that issue with Greek yogurt, and the yogurt works just as well!

Tips & Variations

Another fun twist we absolutely love is the peanut butter-oreo ice cream combination. To make this, follow our base recipe for the Peanut Butter Ninja Creami recipe, then add the Highkey Sandwich cookies as a mix-in. It’s phenomenal!

You can also easily make cookies and cream chocolate ice cream by using chocolate protein powder instead of vanilla. I also like to add 12 grams (about 1 1/2 tablespoons) of cocoa powder to create a rich, chocolatey taste.

If you don’t have access to Highkey sandwich cookies and don’t mind adding a small amount of sugar, you can use Oreo-Os cereal as a great, low-calorie mix-in option! Instead of using the mix-in button, try stirring them in with a spoon. The mix-in cycle might chop them too small. Sprinkle some mini sugar-free chocolate chips on top for an extra treat!

Serving Suggestions

This is the perfect ice cream to eat for dessert any night of the week! My husband and I eat a Ninja Creami protein ice cream nearly every day. We like to have ours in the afternoon to help hold us over for dinner.

Other Ninja Creami Recipes

Want some other Ninja Creami Protein ice cream flavors? Our Ninja Creami Recipes page has some of the BEST Ninja Creami Recipes! Check out my decadent chocolate protein ice cream, my Chocolate-Coconut Swirl , and my Peanut Butter Ninja Creami flavors! Or for you coffee lovers out there, try our Ninja Creami Coffee Ice Cream.

Nutritional Information

The nutritional information for an entire pint of this Ninja Creami Cookies and Cream ice cream pint, including the cookies, is:

• Calories: 416
• Protein: 61.2 grams
• Fat: 6.9 grams
• Carbs: 52.2 grams** (The net carbs for this recipe are 20.2 grams–the majority of the total carb count includes the carbs from the Highkey cookies which use sweeteners that are shown not to be metabolized by the body or raise blood sugar levels.

Special Ingredient Notes

While this recipe uses relatively simple ingredients, it does call for allulose and Cookie Dough flavor syrup which I know may not be common in all households.

You can replace granulated allulose with a variety of sugar substitutes. However, I would not leave the sweetener out completely. A little bit of sweetener will go a long way in creating a satisfying frozen treat.

Another often overlooked fact of sweeteners in ice cream is that they lower the freezing point of the mixture, which is essential for best results and protection of your machine (anything that freezes too hard could break it).

Allulose is a monosaccharide which means “single sugar molecule.” Monosaccharides are able to lower the freezing point of a mixture more than sucrose on a gram-per-gram basis, which makes it perfect for ice cream.

A neat fact about allulose is that it can also slow the rate of melting! This means your ice cream will be more scoopable after spinning. What a win!

Outside of the science of ice cream mixtures, freezing dilutes sweetness, so you do need to make your base recipe a little sweeter than you think you need to if you want it to actually taste like dessert.

If you are trying to avoid all sweeteners, remember that your protein powder also contains sweeteners–so it’s not possible to make a sweetener-free protein ice cream.

As for the cookie dough flavor syrup, it’s my favorite ice cream flavoring trick I’ve tried, but it is something you can leave out if needed. If you choose not to use it, increase your sweetener to 2 tbsp to make your ice cream is sweet enough.

FAQ