Cottage Cheese Vanilla Ice Cream (Ninja Creami, Lite Ice Cream Program)

Cottage cheese gives a protein pint without protein powder, and it works because the curds blend into a thick, slightly fatty liquid that freezes smoother than skim milk alone. One cup of 2% cottage cheese brings about 24 g of protein and 5 g of fat, Fairlife skim milk thins it and adds 10 g more protein, and sugar-free pudding mix holds the water during the freeze. We tested it on the Ninja Creami NC351, where the first Lite Ice Cream spin came out powdery and one re-spin made it creamy. Per serving, four per pint, we estimate 65 kcal, 9 g protein, 5 g carbs and 1 g fat.

Tested recipe

Cottage Cheese Vanilla Ice Cream

A high-protein vanilla ice cream made from blended 2% cottage cheese and Fairlife skim milk, with no protein powder, that scoops after one re-spin on Lite Ice Cream.

Lite Ice CreamNC3511 re-spin

Prep

5 min

Freeze

24 h

Process

4 min

Total

24 h 9 min

Servings

4 per pint

16 oz pint24 oz XL tub

Ingredients

• 1 cup (225 g) 2% low-fat cottage cheese
• 3/4 cup (180 g) Fairlife skim milk, cold
• 2 tbsp (24 g) allulose or granulated sweetener of choice
• 1 tbsp (8 g) sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 1/2 tsp (7 g) vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp fine salt

Equipment

• Ninja Creami NC351
• 16 oz Creami pint

Method

1. Put the cottage cheese and milk in a blender.
2. Blend on high for 45 seconds, until no curds are visible.
3. Add the sweetener, pudding mix, vanilla and salt and blend for 10 seconds more.
4. Pour the base into the Creami pint up to the max fill line.
5. Lid the pint and freeze it on a level surface for 24 hours.
6. Remove the lid, lock the pint into the outer bowl, fit the paddle lid and press Lite Ice Cream.
7. Press Re-spin once if the surface looks powdery.
8. Scoop and serve.

Nutrition per serving (estimated)

Calories

65 kcal

Protein

9 g

Carbs

5 g

Fat

1 g

Program: Lite Ice Cream · Tested on NC351 · By Mike Lala

Tips

• Blend until completely smooth before you add anything else. Cottage cheese curds that survive the blender freeze as hard white specks that the paddle cannot break down. Forty-five seconds on high in a jug blender, or 90 seconds with an immersion blender, is the minimum we have found reliable.
• Freeze the pint flat. Set it on a level shelf at 0 F and check that the surface is even before processing. A domed or tilted top gives you one creamy side and one crumbly side regardless of how many re-spins you run. Fill lines and leveling notes for every pint system are in our base ratio cheat sheet.
• Re-spin once, then add liquid if needed. The first Lite Ice Cream result on the NC351 looked like fine snow; one 70 second re-spin fixed it without any added milk. If the pint is still crumbly after the first re-spin, pour 1 tbsp of milk over the surface before running a second re-spin.
• Taste the base before freezing. Cottage cheese brands vary in salt, so skip the pinch of salt if your brand is already salty, and add a little more sweetener if the base tastes sour rather than tangy.
• Store the pint on a shelf, not the freezer door, so the center freezes as hard as the edges.

Variations

• Strawberry cheesecake: use cheesecake pudding mix and fold 1/4 cup (40 g) of diced frozen strawberries in on a Mix-In cycle after the re-spin.
• Chocolate: add 1 tbsp (6 g) of cocoa powder and swap the vanilla pudding mix for chocolate, or compare with the whey-based version in our chocolate protein ice cream.
• Honey vanilla: replace the allulose with 2 tbsp (40 g) of honey, which adds about 30 kcal per serving and usually removes the need for the re-spin.

Storage and refreeze

Level the leftover ice cream with the back of a spoon, lid the pint and return it to a flat shelf at 0 F. The base refreezes solid overnight. To serve again, run Lite Ice Cream and then one Re-spin; a refrozen cottage cheese pint is slightly drier than a fresh one, so keep 1 tbsp of milk ready for a second re-spin. The tang becomes a little more noticeable after a refreeze. We finish refrozen pints within five days, and we always process the whole pint and refreeze the remainder rather than trying to spin a half-full pint, which sits below the paddle’s reach.

The model and pints we used

This pint was tested on the Gen 2 Creami NC351 in an original 16 oz pint. The NC351 measured 82 dB on our meter, two decibels quieter than the NC301, and shows no paddle wear after a month of near-daily protein pints. The pints fit the NC301 and NC299AMZ as well; the pints guide covers the two-packs and four-packs and the Deluxe tubs and Swirl pints that will not lock in. More bases like this are in the cottage cheese recipes and protein recipes categories.

Frequently asked questions

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