Classic Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (Ninja Creami, Ice Cream Program)

This is the full-fat vanilla base from our four standard tests, and every Creami processes it on the first spin. Heavy cream brings the fat that keeps the frozen block soft, whole milk lightens it, sugar lowers the freezing point, and a tablespoon of cream cheese binds the water in place of a cooked custard. A real vanilla bean gives the specks. We tested it on the Ninja Creami Deluxe NC601 with the Ice Cream program, where it came out dense and glossy in 175 seconds with zero re-spins. Per serving, four per pint or six per XL tub, we estimate 260 kcal, 3 g protein, 21 g carbs and 19 g fat.

Tested recipe

Classic Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

A full-fat vanilla bean ice cream made from heavy cream, whole milk, sugar and a scraped vanilla bean that comes out dense and scoopable on the first Ice Cream spin.

Ice CreamNC6010 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

• 3/4 cup (180 g) heavy cream
• 3/4 cup (180 g) whole milk
• 1/3 cup (67 g) granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp (15 g) cream cheese, softened
• 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped (or 2 tsp vanilla bean paste)
• 1/8 tsp fine salt

Equipment

• Ninja Creami Deluxe NC601
• 24 oz Deluxe XL tub

Method

1. Whisk the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla seeds and salt in a bowl until it forms a smooth paste.
2. Whisk in the milk a little at a time until the sugar dissolves and no lumps of cream cheese remain.
3. Stir in the heavy cream.
4. Pour the base into the XL tub (or pint) up to the max fill line.
5. Lid the tub and freeze it on a level surface for 24 hours.
6. Remove the lid, lock the tub into the outer bowl, fit the paddle lid and press Ice Cream.
7. Scoop and serve.

Nutrition per serving (estimated)

Calories

260 kcal

Protein

3 g

Carbs

21 g

Fat

19 g

Program: Ice Cream · Tested on NC601 · By Mike Lala

Tips

• Freeze flat. A cream base holds its surface shape, so pour it, tap the tub once on the counter, lid it and set it on a level shelf at 0 F. The flat-top rule still applies even though this base forgives more than a protein pint; a tilted block leaves a soft side and a hard side. Fill lines and leveling notes are in our base ratio cheat sheet.
• Start with the cream cheese paste. Whisking the cream cheese with the sugar and vanilla first, then adding the milk gradually, is what prevents the small white lumps that otherwise freeze as chalky flecks. Softened cream cheese at room temperature takes about a minute of whisking.
• Do not expect to re-spin. On the NC601, the NC351, the NC301 and the NC701 this base scored 5 out of 5 on the first Ice Cream spin. If yours is crumbly, the cause is almost always a freezer above 0 F or a tub stored in the door. Press Re-spin once, and add 1 tbsp of milk only before a second re-spin.
• Use the whole bean. After scraping the seeds, drop the empty pod into the milk while you mix, then remove it before pouring; it adds flavor in the ten minutes it sits there.
• Let the tub sit for one minute after processing before scooping. The first few seconds out of the machine the surface is at its softest and scoops ragged; a short rest gives clean, rolled scoops.

Variations

• Lite vanilla: replace the heavy cream with whole milk, reduce the sugar to 1/4 cup (50 g), add 1 tbsp of sugar-free vanilla pudding mix and run Lite Ice Cream with one re-spin, or go further with our vanilla protein ice cream.
• Vanilla chocolate chip: after the Ice Cream spin, dig a hole to the bottom, add 2 tbsp of mini chocolate chips and run Mix-In; for a chocolate base see our classic chocolate ice cream.
• Brown butter vanilla: brown 2 tbsp (28 g) of butter, cool it, and whisk it into the cream cheese paste for a nutty, caramel note.

Storage and refreeze

Press the leftover ice cream flat with the back of a spoon, lid the tub and return it to a level shelf at 0 F. It refreezes firm overnight. To serve again, run Ice Cream; a refrozen cream base is the most forgiving of any we make and usually scoops on the first pass again, because the fat and sugar protect the texture. Press Re-spin once if the surface looks crumbly and add 1 tbsp of milk only before a second re-spin. Refrozen tubs stay good for a week or more. Process the whole tub each time and refreeze what you do not eat, since a half-full tub sits below the paddle’s reach and spins unevenly.

The model and pints we used

We made this in a 24 oz Deluxe XL tub on the Gen 2 Deluxe NC601, which measured 83 dB on the Ice Cream cycle and scored our vanilla base 5 out of 5. The XL tubs fit the NC501 and NC601 only; our Deluxe tubs guide covers the two-packs, and the pints guide covers the original 16 oz pints for the NC301 and NC351, where the pint quantities above apply. For the lighter version and more like it, see the lite recipes category, and for simple family bases the kids recipes category.

Frequently asked questions

Related recipes