Ninja Creami Cottage Cheese Ice Cream
Quick answer
Blend 1 1/2 cups cottage cheese with 1/2 cup milk, sweetener and vanilla until completely smooth, freeze the pint for a full 24 hours, then spin on Lite Ice Cream. You get about 30 g of protein per pint with no pudding mix, and one re-spin fixes any crumbly first spin.
This ninja creami cottage cheese ice cream is the pint to start with if you are new to the machine. It blends up silky smooth, tastes like the filling of a classic vanilla cheesecake, and lands at roughly 30 grams of protein for the whole pint. The ingredient list is short, the base takes about five minutes to blend, and there is no cooking, no eggs and no churning.
Why you’ll love it
- Tastes like vanilla cheesecake, not cottage cheese.
- About 30 g of protein in the whole pint, with no protein powder and no pudding mix required.
- Five minutes of blending, then the freezer and the machine do the work.
- One base, endless variations, from strawberry cheesecake to chocolate peanut butter.
Ingredient notes
Cottage cheese: full-fat gives the creamiest result. Low-fat works too and keeps the protein high, but the pint freezes a little firmer. Small curd or large curd does not matter, since everything gets blended smooth. The tang is a feature here: it is exactly the flavor note in a New York cheesecake.
Sweetener: a monk fruit and erythritol blend or regular sugar both work at the same amount. Allulose gives the softest scoop because it keeps the base from freezing quite as hard.
Pudding mix: truly optional. One tablespoon of sugar-free cheesecake pudding mix makes the pint thicker and more cheesecake-like, but the base recipe stands on its own without it.
Why cottage cheese works in the Creami
Cottage cheese is naturally high in casein protein, and casein gives the pint body and a dense, scoopable texture instead of an icy, sorbet-like finish. It freezes firm and spins soft, because the Creami shaves the frozen block into fine layers. One honest note on texture: a cottage cheese pint will always be a touch denser than a custard based ice cream. Most people love that. It eats like a frozen cheesecake mousse.
Variations
- Strawberry cheesecake: blend 1/2 cup (75 g) fresh or thawed strawberries into the base before freezing, then fold in the graham crumbs with the Mix-in cycle.
- Chocolate peanut butter: add 2 tablespoons (10 g) cocoa powder and 2 tablespoons peanut butter or powdered peanut butter to the blender. A pinch of extra salt makes the chocolate pop.
- Cookie dough style: skip the lemon zest. After the first spin, add 2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons chopped egg-free cookie dough pieces, then run the Mix-in cycle.
What we learned testing it
- Blending for a full 60 to 90 seconds is the difference between a silky pint and a grainy one. Shorter blends left visible curd texture after spinning.
- The first spin almost always looks crumbly with this base. One tablespoon of milk and a single re-spin brought every test pint to a scoopable texture.
- Allulose gave the softest scoop straight from the freezer. Granulated sugar worked too, but the pint froze firmer and needed the re-spin every time.
Read how we test recipes.
Ninja Creami Cottage Cheese Ice Cream
Makes 1 pint (16 oz) · 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 base
Add the cottage cheese, milk, sweetener, vanilla, salt and lemon zest (if using) to a blender. Blend on high for 60 to 90 seconds, stopping once to scrape down the sides, until the mixture looks completely smooth and pourable, like a thick shake. If you are using the optional pudding mix, blend it in for the last 15 seconds.
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Taste and adjust
Give the base a quick taste. The frozen pint will taste a little less sweet than the liquid base, so aim for a base that tastes just slightly sweeter than you want the finished ice cream.
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Fill the pint
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.
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Freeze for 24 hours
Snap on the lid and freeze the pint on a level surface for a full 24 hours. This step is not optional. A shorter freeze gives a soft, slushy spin.
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Spin on Lite Ice Cream
Take the pint straight from the freezer, remove the lid and load it into the machine. Select the Lite Ice Cream setting and let it run the full cycle.
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Re-spin if crumbly
If the pint looks powdery or crumbly after the first spin, that is completely normal for a high protein base. Add 1 tablespoon of milk, then press Re-spin. One re-spin fixes almost every pint. A second re-spin makes it softer, almost like soft serve.
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Add the mix-ins
For the classic cheesecake finish, make a small well in the center with a spoon, add the crushed graham cracker crumbs and run the Mix-in cycle. Or simply sprinkle the crumbs on top when serving.
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Serve right away
Scoop and enjoy. The texture is at its best in the first few minutes after spinning.
Notes
- Icy pint: add the tablespoon of milk before re-spinning, and next time use full-fat cottage cheese or allulose, which keeps the base from freezing quite as hard.
- Too tangy: skip the lemon zest next time and add an extra 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla.
- 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
- Cottage cheese
- Use the same amount of blended Greek yogurt for a tangier pint with a similar protein count and a slightly softer texture.
- Granulated sweetener
- Use 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey instead. The pint will be a little softer and sweeter, so freeze it the full 24 hours.
- Milk
- Any milk works, including unsweetened almond milk. Lower fat options give a slightly firmer pint after spinning.
Storage and make-ahead
Smooth the top flat, put the lid back on and return the pint to the freezer for up to 2 weeks. Leftovers freeze hard again, so re-spin on Lite Ice Cream before serving and use a re-spin if it looks crumbly. Avoid refreezing more than twice, since each cycle makes the texture a little icier.
Frequently asked questions
Does cottage cheese ice cream actually taste like cheese?
No. Once blended with vanilla and sweetener, the curds disappear and the flavor reads as mild, tangy cheesecake. The optional lemon zest is the ingredient that makes most people say cheesecake out loud.
Can I make this without pudding mix?
Yes, and the base recipe is written that way. The pudding mix is an optional thickener for an extra firm, extra cheesecake-like pint. The standard version is a true protein ice cream, no pudding mix needed.
How much protein is in one pint?
About 30 grams for the whole pint, based on standard cottage cheese labels. Your exact number depends on the brand and fat level you use, so treat it as a solid estimate. Low-fat cottage cheese usually lands a little higher per pint.
Why did my pint come out crumbly?
High protein, lower fat bases often look crumbly after the first spin. Add 1 tablespoon of milk and press Re-spin. That almost always turns it smooth and scoopable, and one more re-spin gets you to a soft serve texture.
Can I use a regular ice cream maker instead?
You can churn this base in a countertop ice cream maker for about 20 to 25 minutes and it will be tasty, but the texture will be a bit icier. The Creami shaving process is what makes this base shine.