This easy Ninja Creami banana frozen yogurt is made with just a few simple ingredients for a smooth, creamy, and naturally sweet treat. Perfect for a healthy dessert or snack – with no processed add-ins.
Ninja Creami Banana Frozen Yogurt
The Ninja Creami is amazing for making fruit packed sorbets, ice creams and froyo; all with natural “clean” ingredients and no ultra processed add-ins!
We have had froyo with breakfast almost every day since we bought the machine – and are really quite annoyed we didn’t get one sooner!
I’ve now made dozens and dozens of batches of frozen yogurt in the Ninja Creami, and this one hits the sweet spot of flavour and texture every single time!
More Ninja Creami Recipes
- Raspberry froyo – bursting with fruit!
- The summer classic – strawberry froyo!
- Blueberry froyo is delicious and such an amazing colour!
- All my Ninja Creami recipes
My secret? A perfect balance of ripe bananas (for that natural sweetness), a little vanilla, and thick yogurt for a perfectly smooth, scoopable texture. No icy bits, no bland banana mush – just a light, creamy swirl that is just like soft serve straight from a fancy froyo shop.
This recipe is super easy to adapt: make it sweeter, or sugar free, or use a higher protein or lower fat yoghurt to suit your dietary preferences. Also there are flavour and mix in options galore.
Why make this recipe
- It uses simple everyday ingredients
- It’s easy to make: Mix in the Creami pot, Freeze and process. No blender needed.
- Delicious – soft and creamy, sweet, and bursting with banana flavour
- Far cheaper than premium store bought frozen yoghurt – and no nasties – this is UPF free – unlike other recipes that use store bought flavoured yoghurt etc as a base.
- Adaptable – once you have mastered this basic recipe, you can make any flavour of fruit froyo.
Ninja Creami Banana Froyo Ingredients
- Bananas – The riper the banana the more intense the flavour and sweetness. So pick ones which are deep yellow and starting to get some flecks of brown.
- Yoghurt – For the best results use a thick creamy Greek style natural yoghurt. I prefer full fat. Supermarket brands vary wildly so shop around and find one that you like.
- Maple Syrup – Adds a little sweetness, flavour and improves the texture of the final froyo. You can also use honey or golden syrup – or leave it out.
- Vanilla Extract / Paste – takes your banana froyo to the next level!
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.
How to make Ninja Creami banana frozen yoghurt– step by step
Follow my step by step instructions, with hints and tips for how to make this banana froyo perfectly every time.
Scroll down for the recipe card with quantities and more tips at the bottom of the page.
Step One – Peel and add the bananas, maple syrup and vanilla to the Creami Pot.
Use a fork and give it all a good mash.
Step Two – Add the yoghurt up to the max fill line. Use a spatula to mix the banana mixture and yoghurt well.
Generally froyo recipes do not need to be blended – as the yoghurt is thick enough to stop the pieces of fruit sinking to the bottom.
Freeze until solid; this can take overnight or up to 24 hours depending on your freezer.
Step Three – 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 also 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 container in the machine and spin – with the regular Creami (the NC300 which makes pint pots) the light ice cream cycle gets the best results.
If you want to scrape the sides down and select the respin cycle to process these.
Respin as needed to get a creamy texture. I find froyo usually needs one respin for the perfect texture.
What do I do if my froyo is grainy / sandy?
If your froyo looks sandy or grainy (like this mango flavour) after processing put it back in the machine and run the respin cycle, repeat as needed.
You can also add a splash of milk or a little more yoghurt for extra creaminess.
Serving suggestion
Enjoy straight away as is, or top with some nuts or seeds, slices of banana, or a sprinkle of granola for some crunch.
Storage
Your frozen yoghurt 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 banana froyo so it is flat.
Process the froyo again on the light ice cream cycle, respinning as needed to get the best texture. I find on the third refreeze then respin cycle you need to add a little more yogurt for texture.
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 froyo 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 froyo is scoopable from the freezer. Experiment to perfect quantities.
- Wash the lid and blade as soon as the machine has finished.
Variations
We love to mix our recipes up to keep it interesting when we make them again
- Swap 1/4 cup of the yoghurt for milk kefir
- Add 1/4 cup of chocolate spread or peanut butter
FAQs
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 I am now a convert, and through the summer with have had a frozen treat on an almost daily basis. I love the simplicity of the process – mix up the pot and freeze. Processing takes only a few minutes.
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 Banana Froyo
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 bananas (1)
- ½ tsp vanilla
- 1 tbsp maple syrup (2)
- 280 g Greek style natural yoghurt (3)
Optional
- ¼ cup milk kefir (4)
Instructions
- Prep the fruit – Add the peeled bananas, maple syrup and vanilla to the ninja pot. Give it all a mash with a fork to squash the banana.2 bananas, ½ tsp vanilla, 1 tbsp maple syrup
- Add the yoghurt (depending on the size of your bananas you may need a little more or less) up to the max fill line. Use a spatula to mix the banana mixture and yoghurt together so the fruit is completely surrounded by the yoghurt. You do not need to blend as the yoghurt is thick enough to stop any pieces of fruit sinking to the bottom.Freeze until solid; this can take overnight or up to 24 hours depending on your freezer.280 g Greek style natural yoghurt
- 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. Respin if needed.
Notes
- Banana – ripe, but not overripe bananas. You don’t want them to be black. About 200g
- Maple syrup – optional but adds some sweetness, flavour and improves the texture of the final froyo. You could also use honey or golden syrup.
- Vanilla paste – or extract. Adds to the flavour. Don’t use artificial vanilla essence.
- Yoghurt – For the best results use a thick creamy Greek style natural yoghurt. I prefer full fat.
- Optional – substitute up to 1/4 of a cup of the yoghurt with milk kefir.
- 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.
- If you add some banana slice as additions using the mix-in function, then any re-spinning of the froyo will blend them completely.
- Smooth the surface of any leftover froyo 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 vegetable, food grade glycerine into the mixture so it is scoopable from the freezer. Experiment to perfect quantities.
- Add in 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) of chocolate spread or peanut butter.
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