Ninja Creami Milkshake Recipes

Milkshakes are the Creami’s most forgiving category, because the Milkshake program does the opposite of every other program. Instead of shaving a frozen block into cream, it blends the block with liquid you add on top, so there is no re-spin, no crumbly first pass and no flat-top anxiety. A frozen full-fat base plus 1/4 cup of milk came out thick enough to stand a straw in on the NC501, and plus 1/2 cup it poured through the straw.

The base still matters for thickness. A full-fat vanilla or chocolate base makes the thickest shake because the fat holds the air the blending adds; a protein base on the Milkshake program makes a thinner, lighter drink that still works but needs the lower end of the milk range. Store-bought ice cream packed into a pint, levelled and frozen flat for 24 hours at 0 F, gives a diner-style shake that is hard to tell from the real thing. Every recipe here states the base, the milk amount for the 16 oz pint and the 24 oz XL tub, and the model it was tested on.

Mix-ins behave differently in a shake. Cookies, candy and syrups go in with the milk before the Milkshake cycle rather than after, because the program blends them through the shake instead of folding them in whole. The base ratios page lists the full-fat base we use as the starting point, and the chocolate and cookies-and-cream protein pints both double as shake bases.

Tips for milkshakes

• Add the milk cold, straight from the fridge. Room-temperature milk melted the top of our base before the cycle started and the shake came out looser.
• Start at 1/4 cup of milk per 16 oz pint and add more only after the cycle. You can thin a shake; you cannot thicken one without a refreeze.
• Use a full-fat base for the thickest shake. Our protein base made a drinkable shake but needed only 3 tablespoons of milk to avoid going thin.
• Freeze the base flat for 24 hours at 0 F with the lid on, even for a shake. A half-frozen base turns to soup rather than shake.
• Put cookies, candy and syrup in with the milk, not after. The Milkshake program blends them evenly where Mix-In would leave chunks.
• Make shakes from the top half of a Deluxe tub using top processing and keep the bottom half frozen for scoops the next day.

Best model for milkshakes

The NC501 is our pick for milkshakes. Every model has the Milkshake program, so the deciding factors are tub size and the top and bottom processing that both Deluxe models offer: a 24 oz XL tub makes enough shake for three glasses, and processing only the top half lets one tub give a shake tonight and scoops tomorrow. We would choose the NC501 over the NC601 here because the NC601’s extra programs, CreamiFit and Dairy-Free, add nothing to a shake, while the NC501’s Frozen Drink and Slushi programs sit naturally next to it for a drinks-focused household. The NC501 review covers which drink programs stayed in use after 30 days.

The recipes hub lists the other 13 categories. The italian ice and slushi recipes cover the NC501’s other drink programs, and the kids category has the simplest shakes of all.