Ninja Creami Protein Milkshake Base
By Emily Carter ·
Published
Quick answer
Blend 1 1/4 cups whole milk with 1 scoop protein powder, 1/4 cup cottage cheese blended smooth, 2 tablespoons sweetener or sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla until smooth, freeze the pint for a full 24 hours, then spin on Milkshake and re-spin with an extra 1/4 cup milk. The pint carries about 42 g of protein from label values, not lab tested.
Ninja Creami Protein Milkshake Base is the one base that turns your Creami into a milkshake machine. It is just milk, protein powder, cottage cheese, sweetener and vanilla, blended smooth, frozen solid, spun on Milkshake and re-spun with extra milk into a thick, drinkable shake that still carries serious protein.
Why you’ll love it
- Tastes like a real milkshake, thick and creamy, not like a thin protein shake.
- About 42 g of protein per pint from label values, about 21 g per serving.
- Any flavour of protein powder works, so one base gives endless shakes.
- Ten minutes of hands-on work, then the freezer and the machine do the rest.
- Kid friendly, naturally gluten free, and easy to flavor with fruit or peanut butter.
Ingredient notes
Milk: whole milk gives the thickest, creamiest shake, and 2% is a close second. The milk adds about 10 g of protein per 1 1/4 cups from standard labels, plus the extra 1/4 cup at the spin keeps the shake drinkable.
Protein powder: any flavour works here, since the base is built to carry it. One scoop adds about 20 g of protein on most brand labels, but check yours, since scoops vary a lot.
Cottage cheese: the secret thickness ingredient. A quarter cup, blended fully smooth, gives body and about 6 g of protein from standard labels, without any cottage cheese flavor in the finished shake.
Sweetener and vanilla: two tablespoons of sweetener is enough once the pint is frozen, and vanilla rounds out any flavour of powder. Taste the base before freezing and adjust, since frozen shakes taste less sweet.
Why the Milkshake setting plus extra milk matters
This base has one rule that makes it a milkshake instead of a pint of ice cream. Spin on the Milkshake setting, then add the extra quarter cup of milk and re-spin. The first cycle breaks the frozen pint down, and the extra milk plus the re-spin thins it to a pourable, straw friendly thickness without making it watery. Skip the extra milk and you get soft serve in a pint, which is tasty but not a milkshake. Skip the re-spin and the texture stays uneven. Do both, in order, and you get a thick shake that pours into tall glasses and stays thick long enough to enjoy.
Variations
- Chocolate milkshake: use chocolate protein powder and add 1 tablespoon of cocoa to the blender for a double chocolate shake.
- Strawberry milkshake: use vanilla or strawberry protein powder and add 1/2 cup of frozen strawberries to the blender.
- Peanut butter milkshake: add 1 tablespoon of peanut butter to the blender for a creamy peanut butter shake.
- Coffee milkshake: add 1 teaspoon of instant coffee to the blender for a gentle mocha shake that suits vanilla powder.
What we learned testing it
- Cottage cheese beat no cottage cheese clearly in the side by side test. Without it the shake was thin and icy, while with 1/4 cup it was thick, creamy and properly milkshake like.
- The Milkshake setting plus a re-spin with extra milk beat the Ice Cream setting in the test. Ice Cream gave a scoopable pint, while Milkshake with extra milk gave a true drinkable shake.
- Whole milk beat 2% for thickness, but 2% still worked well. Skim milk made the shake noticeably thinner, so I do not recommend it here.
Read how we test recipes.
Ninja Creami Protein Milkshake Base
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
-
Blend the milkshake base until completely smooth
Add the 1 1/4 cups milk, protein powder, cottage cheese, sweetener and vanilla to a blender. Blend for 45 to 60 seconds until completely smooth, with no cottage cheese curds or protein powder lumps left. The base should look like a thick, creamy shake.
-
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.
-
Spin on Milkshake, then re-spin with extra milk
Take the pint straight from the freezer, remove the lid and load it into the machine. Select the Milkshake setting and let it run the full cycle. Add the extra 1/4 cup of milk, then press Re-spin. The extra milk is what turns a thick frozen pint into a drinkable milkshake.
-
Pour and serve right away
Pour the milkshake into tall glasses while it is thick and cold, in the first few minutes after spinning. Serve with a straw, and add whipped cream or a drizzle of chocolate sauce if you want a treat version.
Notes
- The extra milk at the re-spin step is essential. Without it the pint spins like soft ice cream, not like a milkshake you can drink through a straw.
- Blend the cottage cheese fully smooth. Any curds left in the base show up as lumps in the finished milkshake.
- 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 shake.
- Use any flavour of protein powder. Vanilla is the most flexible base, chocolate makes a chocolate shake, and strawberry makes a pink berry shake.
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition information is being calculated.
Substitutions
- Whole milk
- Use 2% milk instead for a lighter shake. Add the same extra 1/4 cup at the re-spin step, since the shake still needs it to become drinkable.
- Sweetener or sugar
- Use 2 tablespoons of maple syrup or honey instead. The shake will be a touch softer and a little warmer in flavor, which suits vanilla and chocolate powders.
- Cottage cheese
- Use 1/4 cup of Greek yogurt instead. The shake will be a little tangier and slightly thinner, but it still spins thick and creamy.
Storage and make-ahead
This milkshake is best drunk right after spinning, while it is thick and cold. If you have leftovers, smooth the surface flat, put the lid back on and refreeze. Re-spin leftovers straight from the freezer on Milkshake with a splash of milk. Eat refrozen leftovers within 3 days for the best texture.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my ninja creami protein milkshake too thick to drink?
It needs the extra milk and the re-spin. Add 1/4 cup of milk after the first Milkshake cycle and press Re-spin. If it is still too thick, add another splash of milk and re-spin again until it pours.
Can I use any flavour of protein powder for this milkshake base?
Yes. Vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and salted caramel all work well, since this base is built to carry any flavour. Pick the flavour you want the finished shake to taste like.
Can I add fruit or peanut butter to this base?
Yes. Add 1/2 cup of frozen fruit or 1 tablespoon of peanut butter to the blender before freezing. Both blend in cleanly and give you a flavored shake without changing the spin.
How much protein is in this milkshake base?
These are label-based estimates, not lab tested numbers, and they vary by brand. The pint carries about 42 g of protein in total, mostly from the protein powder, milk and cottage cheese. Check your 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 Milkshake, with a splash of milk if they are too thick. The texture is best within 3 days.
