Chocolate Banana Ninja Creami Pint
By Emily Carter ·
Published
Quick answer
Blend 2 ripe bananas with 3/4 cup Greek yogurt, 2 tablespoons cocoa, 1/4 cup milk as needed, 1 tablespoon honey or maple and optional chocolate protein powder until smooth, freeze the pint for a full 24 hours, then spin on Ice Cream and re-spin once if needed. The pint carries about 24 g of protein from label values, about 40 g with powder, not lab tested.
Chocolate Banana Ninja Creami Pint is the easiest chocolate dessert that still feels like real ice cream. It is just ripe bananas, Greek yogurt, cocoa, milk, honey and optional protein powder, blended smooth, frozen solid and spun into thick chocolatey scoops with a natural banana sweetness underneath.
Why you’ll love it
- Tastes like chocolate banana ice cream, rich and creamy, not like a frozen shake.
- About 24 g of protein per pint from label values, about 40 g with protein powder.
- Six ingredients and ten minutes of hands-on work, then the freezer does the rest.
- Spins thick and scoopable, with one re-spin fixing a crumbly first spin.
- Kid friendly, naturally gluten free, and made from pantry and fruit bowl staples.
Ingredient notes
Bananas: ripe and spotty is the rule. Ripe bananas bring sweetness and body, so the pint needs very little added sweetener and spins creamy instead of starchy.
Greek yogurt: the protein and texture base. It adds about 19 g of protein per 3/4 cup from standard labels, plus tang that keeps the chocolate from tasting one note.
Cocoa: unsweetened cocoa gives deep chocolate flavor without adding fat or sugar. Two tablespoons is enough for a strong chocolate taste that still lets the banana show through.
Milk: just enough to blend is right. A quarter cup loosens the base so the blender runs, but more milk thins the pint and makes it icier after spinning.
Honey and protein powder: honey rounds out the cocoa bitterness, and the optional scoop of chocolate protein powder lifts the pint to about 40 g of protein. Leave the powder out if you want a cleaner banana flavor.
Why the freeze and spin rule matters for banana bases
Two rules decide this pint, and both are about patience. First, freeze for a full 24 hours on a level surface, with the top smoothed flat. A pint frozen for only a few hours, or frozen at a slant, spins soft and uneven. Second, do not judge the first spin. Banana and protein bases often look crumbly after the first cycle, and that crumbly look sends a lot of people to the conclusion that the recipe failed. It did not. One tablespoon of milk and one re-spin turns it thick, creamy and scoopable. A second re-spin takes it softer still, toward soft serve, so stop after the first re-spin if you want proper scoops.
Variations
- Chocolate peanut butter: add 1 tablespoon of peanut butter to the blender for a chocolate peanut butter banana pint.
- Chocolate chip: after the re-spin, run the Mix-in cycle with 2 tablespoons of mini chocolate chips for crunch.
- Mocha banana: add 1 teaspoon of instant coffee to the blender for a gentle mocha flavor that suits the chocolate.
- Banana split: serve scoops with sliced banana, a drizzle of chocolate sauce and a few chopped peanuts.
What we learned testing it
- Ripe bananas beat just yellow bananas clearly in the side by side test. The ripe pint tasted sweet and chocolatey, while the firmer banana pint tasted starchy and flat.
- Cocoa gave a deeper chocolate flavor than melted chocolate in the test. Melted chocolate set into small chips and dulled the banana, while cocoa stayed smooth.
- Protein powder thickened the pint and boosted protein a lot, but the no powder version still spun creamy thanks to the bananas and yogurt, so both work.
Read how we test recipes.
Chocolate Banana Ninja Creami Pint
Makes 1 pint (about 2 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 chocolate banana base until completely smooth
Add the bananas, Greek yogurt, cocoa, milk, honey or maple and protein powder if using to a blender. Blend for 45 to 60 seconds until completely smooth, with no banana pieces left. Add a splash more milk only if the blender stalls. The base should look like thick chocolate banana shake.
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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 with a spoon so it freezes level, which helps the machine spin evenly. Snap on the lid and freeze the pint on a level surface for a full 24 hours.
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Spin on Ice Cream, then re-spin if crumbly
Take the pint straight from the freezer, remove the lid and load it into the machine. Select the Ice Cream setting and let it run the full cycle. If the pint looks powdery or crumbly after the first spin, add 1 tablespoon of milk and press Re-spin once.
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Scoop and serve right away
Scoop into bowls while the texture is at its best, in the first few minutes after spinning. Serve plain, or with sliced banana and a few chocolate chips on top.
Notes
- Use spotty ripe bananas. Green bananas taste starchy once frozen, while ripe bananas give sweetness and a smooth, creamy spin.
- Taste the base before freezing. A frozen pint always tastes a little less sweet than the liquid base, so the base should taste just slightly sweeter than you want the finished ice cream.
- Do not add too much milk. Just enough to blend is right. Extra milk makes the pint icier and thinner after spinning.
- If your freezer runs very cold and 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
- Honey or maple syrup
- Use 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar or sweetener instead. The pint will be a touch firmer after spinning, which suits scoops.
- Greek yogurt
- Use 3/4 cup of plain regular yogurt instead. The pint will be a little thinner and less tangy, but it still spins well.
- Chocolate protein powder
- Leave it out entirely. The pint still carries about 24 g of protein from label values, and it tastes a little more like banana and a little less like a shake.
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. Re-spin leftovers straight from the freezer on Ice Cream, adding a tablespoon of milk if they look crumbly. Eat refrozen leftovers within 3 days for the best texture.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make this chocolate banana ninja creami without protein powder?
Yes, and it is still a high protein pint for a fruit dessert. Without powder the pint carries about 24 g of protein from label values, mostly from the Greek yogurt. With powder it rises to about 40 g, so add powder only if you want the extra protein.
Why is my chocolate banana pint crumbly after the first spin?
That is normal, not a failure. Add 1 tablespoon of milk and press Re-spin once. One re-spin fixes almost every pint, and a second makes it softer, almost like soft serve.
Can I use frozen bananas?
Yes. Use 2 cups of frozen banana pieces and add the full 1/4 cup of milk to help the blender. The base may be thick, so push it down with a tamper or spoon between blends.
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 24 g of protein without powder, about 40 g with one scoop of chocolate protein powder. Check your yogurt and powder labels for your exact numbers.
Can I refreeze and re-spin the leftovers?
Yes. Smooth the surface flat, lid the pint and refreeze it. Spin leftovers straight from the freezer on Ice Cream, with a tablespoon of milk if they look crumbly. The texture is best within 3 days.
