Banana Cream Pie Ninja Creami Protein Ice Cream
By Emily Carter ·
Published
Quick answer
Blend banana, milk, vanilla protein powder, Greek yogurt, sweetener, vanilla and salt until completely smooth, freeze the pint for a full 24 hours, then spin on Ice Cream and spin again with a splash of milk if crumbly. Fold in crushed graham crackers last so they stay crunchy. About 34 g of protein per pint from label values, about 9 g per serving across 4 servings.
Banana Cream Pie Ninja Creami Protein Ice Cream tastes like the pie filling, cold and creamy. Real banana blended into a vanilla protein base, spun thick, with crushed graham crackers folded in at the very end so they stay crunchy. About 34 g of protein per pint, and no actual pie required.
Why you’ll love it
- Tastes like banana cream pie filling, cold and scoopable.
- About 9 g of protein per serving from label values, about 34 g per pint.
- Real banana, no artificial banana flavor.
- Graham crackers folded in last stay crunchy, never soggy.
- Ten minutes of hands on work, then the freezer does the rest.
Ingredient notes
Banana: the pie flavor. One ripe banana with a few brown spots gives the sweetest, most pie like flavor. Underripe bananas taste starchy once frozen.
Vanilla protein powder: the protein and the cream pie note. One scoop adds about 20 g of protein on most brand labels.
Greek yogurt: the tang that reads as pie filling. It adds about 6 g of protein per quarter cup and keeps the pint thick.
Milk: whole milk gives the creamiest spin and adds about 8 g of protein per cup from standard labels.
Graham crackers: the crust. Crushed and folded in after the final spin, they stay crunchy. Frozen into the base, they turn to mush.
Why the graham crackers go in last
Graham crackers are the one ingredient that must never go through the freezer or the spin cycle. Frozen graham crackers absorb moisture and turn into a pasty layer that drags down the whole pint. Spin the banana base first, spin again with a splash of milk if it looks crumbly, then crush two full graham cracker sheets into rough pieces and fold them through the spun pint with a spoon. Two or three gentle folds is enough. Serve right away while the contrast between creamy pint and crunchy cracker is at its best.
Variations
- Peanut butter banana pie: add 1 tablespoon of peanut butter to the base before blending.
- Strawberry banana pie: fold in 1/4 cup of diced fresh strawberries with the graham crackers.
- Toasted meringue top: finish each bowl with a spoonful of marshmallow fluff and toast it quickly with a kitchen torch.
- Chocolate banana pie: add 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder to the base for a chocolate covered banana twist.
What we learned testing it
- Ripe bananas beat barely yellow ones clearly in the side by side test. The ripe batch tasted like banana cream pie, while the underripe batch tasted like frozen milk with a hint of banana.
- Folding the graham crackers in last was the crunch difference. The batch folded in after spinning stayed crunchy for 20 minutes, while the batch frozen into the base turned to mush.
- Blending a full 45 to 60 seconds mattered here. The short blend batch had tiny banana fibers that showed up as stringy bits after spinning.
Read how we test recipes.
Banana Cream Pie Ninja Creami Protein Ice Cream
Makes 1 pint (about 4 servings) · 24 hr 10 min total · Easy
Ingredients
Equipment
Blender · Ninja Creami machine · Ninja Creami pint container with lid
Instructions
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Blend the banana cream base until completely smooth
Add the sliced banana, milk, vanilla protein powder, Greek yogurt, sweetener, vanilla extract and salt to a blender. Blend for 45 to 60 seconds until completely smooth, with no banana chunks or protein powder lumps left. The base should look like a thick banana milkshake.
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Pour into the pint and freeze for 24 hours
Pour the base into your Ninja Creami pint container, staying below the max fill line. Smooth the top flat so it freezes level, snap on the lid and freeze for a full 24 hours. Banana bases need the full freeze to spin thick instead of slushy.
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Spin on Ice Cream, then spin again if crumbly
Load the frozen pint into the machine and run the Ice Cream setting for the full cycle. If the pint looks crumbly after the first spin, add a splash of milk and spin again once. Stop when the pint looks thick and creamy.
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Fold in the crushed graham crackers
Crush the graham crackers into rough pieces, make a well in the center of the spun pint and fold the pieces through gently with a spoon. Serve right away so the crackers stay crunchy against the creamy pint.
Notes
- Use a ripe banana with brown spots for the sweetest pie flavor. Underripe bananas taste starchy and flat once frozen.
- Keep the graham crackers out of the freezer and the spin cycle entirely. They go in after the final spin, which keeps them crunchy.
- Taste the base before freezing. Frozen pints taste a little less sweet than the liquid base, so it should taste just slightly too sweet.
- If the pint is too firm to load, let it rest on the counter for 2 to 3 minutes before spinning, no longer.
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition information is being calculated.
Substitutions
- Whole milk
- Use 2 percent milk instead. The pint will be a little thinner, so plan on the second spin with a splash of milk.
- Greek yogurt
- Leave it out and add an extra 1/4 cup of milk. The pint spins a little icier and loses the pie filling tang.
- Graham crackers
- Use crushed vanilla wafers instead for a banana pudding style twist. Fold them in after the final spin, the same way.
Storage and make-ahead
The texture is at its best in the first few minutes after spinning. If you have leftovers, smooth the surface flat, put the lid back on and refreeze. Spin leftovers straight from the freezer on Ice Cream, adding a splash of milk if they look crumbly. The graham crackers soften in the freezer, so eat refrozen leftovers within 3 days for the best texture.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use frozen banana?
Yes, thaw it first and pour off any liquid. Frozen banana blended straight in makes the base too thick to blend smooth, and the extra water makes the pint icy.
Why is my banana pint crumbly after the first spin?
That is normal for protein bases. Add a splash of milk and spin again once. One extra spin turns almost every pint thick and creamy.
How much protein is in this pint?
These are label based estimates, not lab tested numbers, and they vary by brand. The pint carries about 34 g of protein in total, about 9 g per serving across 4 servings. Check your milk, yogurt and powder labels for your exact numbers.
Can I add the graham crackers before freezing?
I do not recommend it. Graham crackers frozen into the base absorb moisture and turn to mush. Fold them into the spun pint at the very end to keep them crunchy.
Can I refreeze leftovers?
Yes, but the graham crackers will soften in the freezer. Smooth the surface flat, refreeze, and spin again on Ice Cream with a splash of milk. The texture is best within 3 days.
