Ninja Creami vanilla ice cream is a classic you will be making on repeat. It is uses everyday ingredients and delivers a soft gelato type texture that feels indulgent with no added processed ingredients.
This is the perfect base for countless other Ninja Creami recipes, but also delicious enjoyed just as it is. Serve it on a pie, swirl it with fruit or enjoy as it is.
Ninja Creami Vanilla Ice Cream
One of the things I really love about the Ninja Creami is the ease with which you can make delicious ice creams (as well as sorbets and frozen yoghurts) all using natural ingredients with no added nasties!
So far I’ve been concentrating on fruit ice creams, but this vanilla version is just as delicious and will be a base for many other flavours. It is soft, more of a gelato than a heavy ice cream, but oh so very good. All with jut a few ingredients and no added processed additions.
(No Ninja Creami? Try my no churn vanilla ice cream)
More Ninja Creami Recipes
- Mixed berry froyo is a breakfast staple
- Bursting with fruit my blackcurrant ice cream will become a favourite
- Mango sorbet is easy to make and refreshing after a heavy meal
- All my Ninja Creami recipes
Good ice cream is a science, needing a careful balance of sugar, water and fat for the perfect texture, freezing point and mouth-feel. It took a good few experiments to get this vanilla ice cream perfect.
Too little sugar and fat and the ice cream is icy, too much sugar and the ice cream does not freeze, and with too much fat the machine will churn it to butter as it spins.
I have reduced the sugar as much as possible so the ice cream is still sweet and has a great texture but is not overly sickly sweet.
There is enough fat in the cream to make a delicious smooth creamy ice cream which is stable and doesn’t melt too quickly into a watery liquid.
All of this without needing processed additions like pudding mix or gums which I prefer not to use.
Why make this recipe
- It uses simple everyday “clean” ingredients
- It’s easy to make – prepare the ice cream in advance, blitz in the tub and then process in the Creami
- Delicious – perfect creamy, gelato style vanilla ice cream.
- Far cheaper than premium store bought ice cream – and no nasties – this is UPF free!
- Adaptable – once you have learnt and memorised this easy recipe it is the base for so many more flavours.
Ninja Creami Vanilla Ice Cream Ingredients
- Milk – Any – I usually use semi skimmed (around 1.7% fat)
- Double Cream – British double cream is 48% fat. (If using American heavy cream then add another tablespoon and reduce the milk by the same amount.)
- Sugar – I usually use golden caster for some extra flavour.
- Cream Cheese (full fat) – this adds body and stability to the final ice cream. You can also use a full fat cottage cheese. Neither adds any detectable flavour.
- Golden Syrup – This makes the biggest difference to a smooth ice cream that does not melt too fast. You can also use corn syrup, or honey, or maple syrup but these will add flavour.
- Vanilla Extract / Paste – A good vanilla is essential here for the very best flavour! I prefer a vanilla bean paste with the little black flecks of seed, as they have much more flavour.
It is worth spending more money on a decent brand, because if you buy a cheaper, one you often need twice as much (or more). Avoid false economy! Vanilla extract contains real vanilla, while vanilla essence is generally synthetic and really does not taste very good. So don’t buy it.
How to make Ninja Creami vanilla ice cream – step by step
Follow my step by step instructions, with hints and tips for how to make this vanilla ice cream perfectly every time.
Scroll down for the recipe card with quantities and more tips at the bottom of the page.
Step One – Put all the ingredients into the Creami pot.
Helen’s Pro Tip
Rather than measure in a jug or cups I weigh the ingredients straight into the pot. 1g to 1ml is accurate enough.
Step Two – Gently whizz with a stick blender to break up the cream cheese and to mix the sugar and syrup in.
The syrup will sink to the bottom of the container when you add it, so check it has been properly mixed in as it can sit in a layer right at the bottom of the tub.
Blitz this gently as the mixture is quite thin so it is easy to whizz it out of the full container.
Freeze until solid; this can take overnight or up to 24 hours depending on your freezer.
Step Three – If the vanilla mixture has developed a hump or bump in the middle scrape with a spoon so it is flat.
Freezing with the lid off can help to stop these humps forming. Different recipes and freezers will cause different sized humps to form. If your mixture always forms a large hump give it a stir after an hour or so in the freezer.
Do not spin a mixture that has a large hump, without flattening it first. You may damage your machine.
Step Four – Put the frozen vanilla mixture in the machine and spin – with the regular Creami (the NC300 which makes pint pots) the light ice cream cycle gets the best results for this recipe.
Scrape the sides down and respin as needed to get the best creamy texture. I find it usually needs one respin.
What do I do if my vanilla ice cream is grainy / sandy?
If your ice cream looks sandy or grainy after processing put it back in the machine and run the respin cycle, repeat as needed. You can also add a splash of milk to help it along.
Do NOT add cream – as this will freeze into small lumps which will not be blitzed on a respin cycle.
Serving suggestion
Enjoy straight away as is, or top with some fresh fruit, a drizzle of cream, or some of my hot chocolate sauce for a treat!
Go mad with mix ins here. But remember that if there is leftover ice cream they will be completely blended if you process again from the freezer.
Storage
Your ice cream will keep for a couple of weeks in the freezer in an airtight container. Before returning a half eaten pot to the freezer smooth out the top of the vanilla ice cream so it is flat.
Never use the respin cycle on a tub of leftovers taken directly from the freezer until after it has been spun on a regular cycle.
Alternatively you can mix some vegetable food-grade glycerine to soften the mix and keep it scoopable from the freezer. The perfect amount will vary with recipe, but start with 2 teaspoons.
Hints and Tips
- The recipe is for the regular “original” Ninja Creami (NC300). If you have the deluxe model multiply the recipe by 1.5x to fill the tub.
- Make sure the mixture is completely frozen before processing. You might have to turn up your freezer in hotter weather. On my basic freezer, turning the dial up to a higher number makes the freezer work more, giving a colder temperature. If you freezer is more sophisticated then you might have direct control of temperature.
- If you add some additions using the mix-in function, then any re-spinning of the ice cream after refreezing will blend them completely. If you don’t want to do this, simply allow the mixture to defrost a little before enjoying. Or, you can add about 2 teaspoons vegetable, food grade, glycerine into the mixture so your ice cream is scoopable from the freezer. Experiment to perfect quantities.
- Wash the lid and blade as soon as the machine has finished.
FAQs
My half finished tub of ice cream has frozen solid
Either just let it thaw slightly, or process again with the light ice cream function. You can’t use the re-spin function on a solid mixture. You can also add glycerine, as detailed above.
Well, it is admittedly an expensive device but we are loving homemade fruit based ice creams, sorbets and froyos with no added nasties.
The containers, lids, and paddle are top-rack dishwasher safe. Ensure the paddle, tub, outer bowl, and lids are all separated before placing them in the dishwasher. Sometimes water can get trapped in the lid – make sure the lid is positioned with the sliding knob facing down so that water can drain out.
The advantage of the Deluxe NC501 model is that it has more cycles and you can process only half a tub at a time. We have the NC300 model which is perfect for a two person household with a smaller freezer.
The other advantage of the deluxe machine is the larger pots, which might help you if you have many people clamouring for ice cream.
Ninja Creami Vanilla Ice Cream
Equipment
- Stick / Immersion Blender (UK) Get one with the highest wattage you can find, and ideally a steel shaft
Ingredients
- 240 ml (1 cups) milk (1)
- 180 ml (¾ cup) double cream (2)
- 70 g (⅓ cup) sugar (3)
- 15 g (1 tbsp) cream cheese (4)
- 2 tsp golden syrup (5)
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (6)
Instructions
- Prep the tub – Add all the ingredients to the Creami tub240 ml milk, 180 ml double cream, 1 tsp vanilla bean paste, 15 g cream cheese, 2 tsp golden syrup, 70 g sugar
- Blitz – use a stick blender to whizz everything together, breaking up the cream cheese. This is quite a liquid mix so go gently. I do this in the Creami tub to save on washing up.
- Freeze – until solid; this can take overnight or up to 24 hours depending on your freezer.
- Check for humps – If the mixture has developed a hump or bump in the middle scrape with a spoon so it is flat.* Freezing with the lid off can help to stop humps forming. Different recipes and freezers can different sized humps to form. If your mixture always forms a large hump as it freezes give it a stir after the first hour in the freezer. Do not spin a mixture that has a large hump, without flattening it first. You may damage your machine.
- Process – Put the container in the machine and spin – with the regular Creami (the NC300) I have found that the light ice cream cycle gives the best results. Scrape the sides down and respin if needed.
Notes
- Milk – Any – I usually use semi skimmed (around 1.7% fat)
- Double Cream – British double cream is 48%fat. (If using American heavy cream then add another tablespoon and reduce the milk by the same amount.)
- Sugar – I usually use golden caster for some extra flavour.
- Cream Cheese (full fat) – this adds body and stability to the final ice cream, you can also use a full fat cottage cheese. Neither adds any detectable flavour.
- Golden Syrup – Adds some more sweetness and a silky smoothness to the final ice cream.
- Vanilla Extract / Paste – A good vanilla is essential here for the very best flavour! I prefer a vanilla bean paste with the little black flecks of seed, as they have more flavour. It is worth spending more money on a decent brand, because if you buy a cheaper, one you often need twice as much (or more). Avoid false economy! Vanilla extract contains real vanilla, while vanilla essence is generally synthetic and really does not taste very good. So don’t buy it.
- This recipe is for the regular NC300 Ninja Creami, with (American) pint pots. For the Deluxe model use 1.5X the ingredients.
- Make sure the mixture is completely frozen before processing.
- Smooth the surface of any leftover ice cream before returning to the freezer.
- To enjoy a half empty pot: either just let it thaw slightly or process again with the light ice cream function. You must not the re-spin function on a solid mixture. Or, you can add about 2 teaspoons of food grade glycerine into the mixture so it is scoopable from the freezer. Experiment to perfect quantities.
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