Chocolate Ninja CREAMi Ice Cream Recipe
- kcal
- 740
- protein
- 14g
- sugar
- 52g
- fat
- 53g
per pint, estimated
This is the chocolate pint the vanilla anchor was always going to grow up into: the same milk-and-cream chassis, three extra tablespoons of cocoa, and nothing else standing in the way. Real cocoa powder — not syrup — is the entire trick. Syrup is mostly water, and loose water is what makes a CREAMi base spin icy; powder delivers pure chocolate flavor and firms the texture instead. The result tastes like a scoop from an old-school creamery: dark, faintly bitter at the edges, sweet enough to keep the spoon moving. Whisk the cocoa with the sugar before any liquid joins the party, and grit never gets a chance.
Ingredients
| Ingredient | US | Metric | kcal | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole milk | 1 cup | 240 ml | 150 | 8g |
| Heavy cream | 1/2 cup | 120 ml | 400 | 3g |
| Unsweetened cocoa powder | 3 tbsp | 18 g | 36 | 3g |
| Granulated sugar | 3 tbsp | 36 g | 140 | 0g |
| Pure vanilla extract | 1 tsp | 5 ml | 12 | 0g |
| Pinch of kosher salt | 1/8 tsp | 0.75 g | 0 | 0g |
Per-line macros are for the whole amount listed. Nutrition per pint is estimated — see the methodology on the About page.
Steps
Whisk the cocoa powder and sugar together in a medium bowl until uniform, then whisk in the whole milk — about 60 seconds total — until no lumps remain. Dry cocoa clumps the instant it touches liquid, so start it dry.
Whisk in the heavy cream, vanilla, and salt until smooth.
Pour into the CREAMi pint, stopping at the max-fill line, and freeze upright on a level shelf for a full 24 hours.
- Spin: ICE CREAM
Process on ICE CREAM. The first pass will look crumbly and dry — that's expected for a cocoa base.
- Spin: RE-SPIN
Add 1 tbsp whole milk over the surface and RE-SPIN if the texture is crumbly, stopping as soon as it holds soft-serve ridges. Serve immediately for the deepest chocolate flavor.
If it comes out crumbly: respin
If the first spin looks crumbly or dry, add 1 tbsp whole milk and RE-SPIN. Cocoa bases run drier than vanilla, so one extra pass is completely normal — add a second splash only if it still looks powdery.
Still icy after the respin? The icy-fix guide has all seven fixes.
Scaling to your machine
For the 24 oz Deluxe tub (NC501), multiply every ingredient by 1.5 and spin on the Deluxe ICE CREAM setting. On Scoop & Swirl (NC701), the same base works — spin on ICE CREAM, then use SWIRL to fold in chopped chocolate or fudge chunks.
FAQ
Can I use chocolate syrup instead of cocoa powder?
Skip it. Syrup is mostly water and sugar with flavoring, and that extra water is exactly what turns a CREAMi pint icy. Cocoa powder gives you more chocolate flavor per calorie and keeps the base's water balanced — if you want a stronger hit, add an extra teaspoon of powder, not syrup.
Why does my chocolate base taste gritty?
Almost always undissolved cocoa. Whisk the cocoa with the sugar first, then add milk slowly while whisking — cocoa hydrates around dry clumps if you dump it straight into liquid. A blender instead of a whisk removes the problem entirely.
Can I add melted chocolate for a fudgier pint?
Melted chocolate seizes into hard flecks when it freezes and can leave waxy bits. For fudge texture, add 2 tbsp chopped chocolate after the final spin with a MIX-IN spin — or on SWIRL for the NC701 — and fold it through by hand.
Is this chocolate ice cream keto-friendly?
No — whole milk and 3 tablespoons of sugar put the pint at 52 grams of sugar. If you're eating low-carb, the keto chocolate pint elsewhere in this catalog uses allulose and heavy cream and lands at 7 grams of sugar for the whole tub.
Chasing protein? Peanut Butter Ninja CREAMi Ice Cream Recipe packs 41g per pint.
More pints to spin next
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