Classic Chocolate Ice Cream (Ninja Creami, Ice Cream Program)

This chocolate ice cream works because its fat and sugar sit in the range the Ice Cream program is tuned for: 3/4 cup of heavy cream and a cup of whole milk give roughly 15 percent fat, half a cup of sugar plus the dissolved cocoa keeps the block from setting glass hard, and a tablespoon of cream cheese adds protein and emulsifiers that stop ice crystals forming at the edges. We tested it on the Ninja Creami NC301 in a 16 oz pint, frozen 24 hours at 0 F, and it came out of the 150 second Ice Cream cycle scoopable with zero re-spins. Each serving is an estimated 320 kcal, 4 g protein, 32 g carbs and 21 g fat.

Tested recipe

Classic Chocolate Ice Cream

A dense, old-fashioned chocolate ice cream made with cocoa, whole milk and heavy cream that needs no re-spin on the Ice Cream program.

Ice CreamNC3010 re-spins

Prep

10 min

Freeze

24 h

Process

3 min

Total

24 h 13 min

Servings

4 per pint

16 oz pint24 oz XL tub

Ingredients

• 1 cup (240 g) whole milk
• 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (24 g) Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp (15 g) cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup (180 g) heavy cream
• 1 tsp (4 g) vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp fine salt

Equipment

• Ninja Creami NC301
• 16 oz Creami pint

Method

1. Microwave the milk, sugar and cocoa in a jug for 60 seconds, then whisk until no cocoa lumps remain.
2. Whisk the softened cream cheese into the warm cocoa milk until smooth.
3. Stir in the heavy cream, vanilla and salt.
4. Pour the base into the pint, stopping at the max fill line.
5. Lid the pint and freeze it for 24 hours on a level surface.
6. Lock the frozen pint into the outer bowl, fit it to the machine and press Ice Cream.
7. Check the texture; if the top is crumbly, press Re-spin once.
8. Scoop straight from the pint or lid it and refreeze.

Nutrition per serving (estimated)

Calories

320 kcal

Protein

4 g

Carbs

32 g

Fat

21 g

Program: Ice Cream · Tested on NC301 · By Mike Lala

Tips

• Freeze the pint on a flat, level freezer shelf. A tilted block puts more ice on one side of the paddle and the NC301 left a soft crescent on the low side in our tilted test pint; a level top processed evenly in one pass.
• Do not fill above the max fill line. This base expands slightly as it freezes and a pint filled to the brim pushed up against the lid and left a ridge the paddle had to grind through first.
• If the top is crumbly after the first spin, press Re-spin once (75 seconds on the NC301) before adding anything. Only if a second re-spin is needed should you add 1 tbsp of whole milk first; the re-spin guide covers the full decision.
• Let the pint sit on the counter for 5 minutes if it comes straight out of a freezer colder than 0 F. Our thermometer read 0 F for every test; a chest freezer at minus 10 F needs that short rest or the first spin runs powdery.
• Soften the cream cheese properly. Cold cream cheese whisked into the cocoa milk left white specks that froze into chewy dots; 20 seconds in the microwave fixes it.

Variations

• Chocolate malt: add 2 tbsp (16 g) of malted milk powder with the cocoa for a flavor closer to a diner shake, as in our Oreo milkshake base.
• Mexican chocolate: add 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne to the warm cocoa milk.
• Double chocolate: after the first spin, use the Mix-In program with 1/4 cup (45 g) of mini semisweet chips.

Storage and refreeze

Smooth the surface flat with the back of a spoon after scooping, so the next spin starts from a level top rather than a crater. Press the storage lid on fully and put the pint back on a level shelf at 0 F. A refrozen pint needs a full 24 hours before it will process cleanly; a pint refrozen for 8 hours was slushy in the middle and froze to the paddle. On the second day run the Ice Cream program again, then one Re-spin if the top is crumbly. We refroze and respun this base three times across a week and the texture score held at 5 on the third spin, with only a slight loss of gloss. Extra pints make this easier; the pints accessory page lists the 2-pack and 4-pack that fit the NC301, NC351 and NC299AMZ.

The model and pints we used

We made this recipe on the NC301 with the grey-lid original 16 oz pints that ship with the machine. The NC301 measured 84 dB at 1 m during the Ice Cream cycle. Owners of the NC351 can use the same pint and the same program at a slightly shorter 142 second cycle. Deluxe owners should use the XL tub quantities, and the full set of fat and sugar ratios behind this recipe is in our base ratios cheat sheet. More recipes for younger eaters are in the kids recipe hub.

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