Dairy-Free Cake Batter Ninja Creami Protein Ice Cream

A Ninja Creami protein ice cream recipe without the dairy! Still packed with protein, sweetened naturally, in a funfetti-inspired vanilla cake batter flavor – it’s the perfect healthy frozen treat!

For as much as I use my Ninja Creami and as much love as my other Creami protein ice cream recipes have received, I would be remiss to not post a classic vanilla version. But I make my Ninja Creami creations a little bit different than the usual protein shake + pudding mix way you see in a million Instagram reels…

Dairy → dairy-free (almond milk, coconut milk, cashew milk, non-dairy yogurt…there are so many options/combinations!)
Whey protein → plant based protein (or if you aren’t vegan but don’t tolerate dairy well, I love using THIS protein powder too)
Sugar-free sweeteners → medjool dates (or maple syrup sometimes too!)

Those are my personal preferences, but there is really no wrong way to do it. I have experimented SO much with this machine to find what combos and ratios are my favorite, so this recipe can be a starting point or a template for you to get creative.

How To Make Dairy-Free Protein Ice Cream

First of all, this recipe is designed for a Ninja Creami, so if you don’t have one (BUY ONE YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT) then this blender method is where you need to be. But if you’re sticking with me, Creami machine in your kitchen and ready to roll, let’s break it down ingredient by ingredient so we can deep dive into why this combo works and possible substitutions.

Cake Batter Ninja Creami Ingredients

Milk. For this particular flavor, cashew milk is my first choice. Homemade or store-bought, I personally love this one for ingredients and creaminess. You can also use canned coconut milk, full-fat will make for a creamier ice cream but light will work too. I have also had some luck with a mix of almond milk and full-fat coconut milk.
Dairy-free yogurt. Coconut is my favorite here, one without thickeners or gums is ideal. I really like the Cocojune Pure Coconut (unsweetened) one lately, but I’ve used quite a few different varieties. If you want to skip the yogurt, you can use all milk (1.5 cups total) and add 2 tablespoons of nut or seed butter to get that extra richness.
Vanilla protein powder. Everyone has such unique preferences here, use whatever you love the taste of. But I personally used Sproutliving’s Vanilla Lucuma Epic Protein, which is a mix of quite a few different plant proteins and sweetens with coconut sugar and stevia.
Medjool dates. Make sure you pit them first! Two is usually enough for me, but if you like it sweeter go with 3. They will also add some lovely thickness to your ice cream base when you blend them up, so it’s a win-win of fruit-sweetness and extra creaminess.
Vanilla and salt. For flavor and sweet balance.
Sprinkles. Obviously totally option and you can definitely substitute about a million different mix-ins you might love even more (cookies, chocolate chips, fruit, nuts, pretzels, granola, marshmallows, etc.)

I realize that was pretty detailed and more specific with brands and stuff than I usually get into, but it does matter when you are trying to achieve that perfect Ninja Creami consistency. I just want you to have the most DELICIOUS and CREAMY protein ice cream possible without having to do all the trail and error I did.

Blending, Freezing, and Churning

I must confess, I break the whole “freeze overnight” rule every single time with my Ninja Creami ice creams. BUT! Nothing bad has happened to me yet, and personally I find it easier to remember to blend up the base first thing in the morning and let it freeze all day until Family Ice Cream Time (yes that is a thing, and yes my dog is a part of it too…comment if you need a dog ice cream recipe for your pup lol) after dinner. You just need at least 8 hours of freezing time.

So step one is blending all the ingredients until VERY smooth. Pour that mixture into one of the Ninja Creami containers (I always go a smidge above the max fill line…oops!), and freeze for 8+ hours.

When you are ready for ice cream, I like to microwave the cup for 10-15 seconds before processing. If it’s too hard the blade can pop off while it’s processing, and fishing that thing out of a frozen powdery pint is NOT fun. So this trick helps prevent that.

Then process on the LIGHT ICE CREAM setting and let the Creami work its magic. When it’s done with this cycle, the texture will be powdery. Add a splash of milk, and process on RE-SPIN. Now it should be a pretty creamy ice cream consistency. Add your mix-ins, and process on the MIX IN setting. Now it should look very irresistible and you should dig your spoon in there immediately!

Ninja Creami Protein Ice Cream FAQs

Can I swap X for X?

All substitutions that I feel confident recommending are discussed above in the “Cake Batter Ninja Creami Ingredients” section. If you have any other specific substitution questions, leave me a comment I respond pretty quick!

Mine came out icy instead of creamy…why?

Most likely either your milk or your yogurt or both were too low fat. Many commercial milks are thickened with gums instead of actual thickness from fat content which is necessary for creamy ice cream. Either use a higher fat milk/yogurt, or add some nut or seed butter to make up for the low fat milks.

Can I make this without the protein powder?

The protein powder is necessary for the creamy texture, so I don’t recommend skipping it entirely. If you want a less processed alternative, try one of Sproutliving’s simple protein powders, or use powdered nut butter instead.

What if I don’t own a Ninja Creami?

Try THIS or THIS recipe instead for a similar soft-serve ice cream but all you need is a blender!