Dairy-free is the base where the model you own changes the result more than in any other category. Our standard test base, full-fat oat milk with coconut cream, sugar and a little guar gum, needed two re-spins and a tablespoon of oat milk on the NC301 and NC501, one re-spin on the NC351 and NC701, and no re-spin at all on the NC601’s Dairy-Free program. Same base, same 24 hour freeze at 0 F, four different outcomes.
The reason is what plant milks lack. Butterfat and milk protein hold the water in dairy ice cream in small crystals; oat, almond and soy milks are mostly water with a fraction of the fat and little protein. Left alone they freeze into a block that spins to ice. Every recipe in this category adds fat back in, usually 1/3 cup of coconut cream per 16 oz pint, and a quarter teaspoon of guar gum to bind what the fat does not.
Sugar does more work here than in a dairy base, because there is no fat to soften the pint. Our dairy-free recipes carry about 1/3 cup of sugar or maple syrup per pint, and the sugar-free versions use allulose at the same volume. The base ratios page lists the oat, coconut and cashew ratios we start from, and each card gives the 1.5x quantities for a 24 oz XL tub.
Dairy-Free (Lite Ice Cream plus one re-spin on other models) · NC601
Oat Milk Vanilla Ice Cream
225 kcal · 2 g protein per serving
Tips for dairy-free ice cream
- Use full-fat oat milk or canned coconut milk as the base. Almond milk and rice milk are too lean on their own and gave us ice, not cream.
- Add 1/3 cup of coconut cream per 16 oz pint even to an oat base. It brought our texture score from 3 to 4 on the NC351 without changing the flavor much.
- Blend 1/4 teaspoon of guar gum into the base for 30 seconds. It is the single ingredient that stopped the icy crust forming on top of the pint.
- Freeze flat for 24 hours at 0 F with the lid on. Oat bases separate slightly as they freeze, and a level top keeps the fat layer even across the paddle path.
- On the NC601, use the Dairy-Free program rather than Lite Ice Cream. It was the difference between zero re-spins and one in our tests.
- Add 1 tablespoon of the same plant milk only before a second re-spin. Before the first re-spin it is too early and the pint comes out soupy.
Best model for dairy-free ice cream
The NC601 is the clear pick, and it is the one category where we would say the model matters more than the recipe. Its Dairy-Free program took the oat base to a texture score of 4 out of 5 on the first spin in a 160 second cycle with no re-spin, while the NC301 and NC501 needed two re-spins and extra liquid to get to a 3. After 30 days the Dairy-Free program is one of the three we use every week. The NC601 review has the oat base results next to the other three bases. If you own an NC351 or NC701, Lite Ice Cream plus one re-spin gets to the same texture score of 4.
Creami Deluxe · Gen 2
Ninja Creami Deluxe 11-in-1 Gen 2 (NC601)
Model NC601 · Our score 8.9/10
- 11 programs including CreamiFit and the only Dairy-Free program
- Two 24 oz XL tubs, about 6 scoops each
- Oat base needed zero re-spins on the Dairy-Free program
The recipes hub covers the other 13 categories. Sorbet is the other naturally dairy-free style, and it needs no added fat at all.
The NC601. It is the only model with a Dairy-Free program, and that program took our oat and coconut cream base to creamy on the first spin with no re-spin. The same base needed one re-spin on the NC351 and NC701 and two re-spins plus a tablespoon of oat milk on the NC301 and NC501 using Lite Ice Cream.
Lite Ice Cream. It shaves finer than the Ice Cream program and suits a base with plant fat rather than butterfat. Expect one re-spin on the NC351 and NC701 and two on the NC301 and NC501. Add 1 tablespoon of the same plant milk before the second re-spin, not before the first.
Because most plant milks are mostly water with little fat or protein to hold the texture. Our fix is full-fat oat milk plus 1/3 cup of coconut cream per 16 oz pint and 1/4 teaspoon of guar gum. The fat and gum bind the water into smaller crystals. A base of plain almond milk with nothing added froze into a block that spun to ice.
Yes, with pea or soy protein, but it is the hardest base we test. Plant protein thickens the base less than whey, so use the full coconut cream amount, add guar gum, and expect two re-spins on Lite Ice Cream. On the NC601 we run it on Dairy-Free rather than CreamiFit and it needed one re-spin.