Ninja Creami Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream
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This Ninja Creami Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream features a rich chocolate ice cream base with banana and REAL peanut butter pieces dispersed throughout the ice cream! It’s a feel-good healthy treat for anytime you’re craving ice cream!
Looking for healthy low calorie Ninja Creami protein ice cream recipes? Try my Peanut Butter Protein Ice Cream, this Cookies and Cream Protein Ice Cream, or Pumpkin Pie Protein Ice Cream next!
I love a decadent chocolate ice cream. Now when you add sweet banana and peanut butter to the mix, you’ve got the ultimate delicious dessert and winning flavor combo!
This Ninja Creami Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream features a thick and velvety rich chocolate banana ice cream base and has REAL creamy peanut butter pieces incorporated as a mix-in.
With a few tricks like freezing the peanut butter first and incorporating it on the sides of the pint as a mix-in, the peanut butter doesn’t get pulverized by the Ninja Creami ice cream maker or integrated as a flavoring.
Instead, you get a delicious chocolate banana ice cream with peanut butter chunks dispersed throughout. It’s similar to Haagen-Dazs Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream except it has the sweet creamy goodness of banana!
Why This Recipe Works
- Easy to make. All you need to do to make this healthy chocolate peanut butter banana ice cream is blend the ingredients, freeze, process in the Ninja creami machine and enjoy!
- High protein, low sugar and low calorie. Although there’s no protein powder in this ice cream, it’s higher in protein thanks to Greek yogurt, ultra-filtered milk and peanut butter. It’s also lower in calories than your typical chocolate peanut butter ice cream and has the added benefit of being sweetened primarily with a ripe banana!
- Customizable! You can add any of your favorite toppings and also adapt it for different dietary needs such as dairy-free or vegan.
- DELICIOUS chocolate peanut butter banana flavors! If you’re a fan of chocolate ice cream with peanut butter, you’ll love the rich chocolatey and peanut butter flavors in this guilt-free healthy Ninja creami ice cream!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutes
- Banana: The riper the better as it will be our main sweetener for this ice cream. The banana also makes the ice cream thick and creamy. I don’t recommend using frozen banana for this recipe.
- Ultra-Filtered Low-Fat Milk: Such as Fairlife 2% milk if you are based in the USA or Canada. I used Paul’s Hi-Calcium Low-Fat Milk which is an ultra-filtered milk available in Asia and Australia. Ultra-filtered milk is higher in protein than regular milk and has less calories, making it a great choice for healthy low calorie Ninja Creami ice creams. Milk with a high protein content also results in a creamier and thicker ice cream consistency. If you can’t find ultra-filtered milk, use any low-fat, semi-skimmed (2% milk) or regular whole milk.
- Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk: Or use any nut milk, plant-based milk, or regular milk of choice.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: I like using Dutch Processed cocoa powder over a natural cocoa powder such as Hershey’s and unsweetened dark cocoa powder. It has a richer chocolatey flavor! However, any unsweetened cocoa powder you love or have on hand is fine.
- Plain Greek Style Yogurt: I used a 4% fat Greek style yogurt, but Greek yogurt or any thick plain yogurt can be used. I recommend using one that is not non-fat as fat helps to reduce the formation of ice crystals and also makes the ice cream thick and creamy.
- Peanut Butter: I used a natural peanut butter without any salt or sugar added. Commercial peanut butter such as Skippy or Jif won’t freeze well so I don’t recommend them.
- White Sugar Replacement: I add Lakanto Classic Monkfruit Sweetener with Erythritol as find that using just the banana is not sweet enough for me. Feel free to leave it out or use regular granulated white sugar or any other sugar-free sweetener of choice (stevia, allulose, etc). You can also use honey, pure maple syrup, coconut sugar or other natural sweetener of choice.
- Guar Gum: A natural stabilizer that is often used in store-bought ice creams. Its purpose is to thicken the ice cream base, reduce the formation of ice crystals, and help create a scoopable ice cream texture.
- Xanthan Gum: Serves a similar purpose as the guar gum and is typically used in baked goods to thicken the texture. However, I find using both stabilizers together yields the best ice cream texture for Ninja creami ice creams. See the ‘Variations’ section below if you prefer not to use these stabilizers in their natural form.
- Optional toppings: Drizzle of peanut butter, store-bought or homemade granola such as this chocolate peanut butter banana protein granola or peanut butter granola, Reese’s pieces or peanut butter cups, Nutter Butter Bites, etc.
Full ingredient list and amounts are in the recipe card below.
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How to Make Ninja Creami Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream
Here is a step-by-step overview on how to make this recipe. The full recipe with detailed instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
Storing and Processing Leftovers
If you can’t finish the ice cream, level and smooth out the top with the back of a spoon. Cover and refreeze. It will freeze solid again. When ready to enjoy the leftovers, spin on the “Light Ice Cream” function again. DO NOT spin on the “Re-spin” function as the ice cream has frozen back into its original state. Using the “Re-spin” function when the mixture is solid can damage the machine and the paddle blade.
Note that the peanut butter pieces will be pulverized and incorporated into the base when you process the leftovers. You can add more frozen peanut butter pieces as a mix-in if desired.
Cook’s Tips
- Use more peanut butter. To keep this ice cream on the lighter side, I only used 1 tablespoon (15 grams) of peanut butter. Feel free to freeze more if you’d like an indulgent treat and more peanut butter pieces in this chocolate banana ice cream.
- Freeze the peanut butter in chocolate bar molds. This will save you time and will be easy to break apart evenly to add to the pint before spinning on the “Mix-in” cycle.
- Don’t use a handheld immersion blender, whisk or spoon. I don’t recommend using a handheld immersion blender to blend the ingredients directly in the pint for this recipe. There is too much volume and the ingredients may spill out while blending. A whisk or spoon will result in not fully mixed cocoa powder.
- Freeze until solid for the best texture. Ninja recommends freezing for 24 hours before spinning your ice cream mixture. However, the time varies depending on how cold your freezer is and also the ambient temperature. The desired goal is for the ice cream mixture to freeze rock solid or be around -0°F (18°C) in order for the machine to process it properly. If the mixture has not frozen through completely, the ice cream will be very loose and more like a thick milkshake after you spin it.
- Tips before you process the ice cream. Run the bottom of the container under hot water from the sink for 15-30 seconds to help loosen up the icy edges from the sides of the container. Pat-dry, then proceed with processing the ice cream.
- Work quickly. The frozen peanut butter starts to soften very quickly once it is removed from the freezer. Only take it out once you’re ready to slice the peanut butter slab and add to the pint. It will start to melt a little but once it touches the frozen/cold ice cream, it will be chilled to maintain a firm enough texture to be dispersed throughout the ice cream upon spinning on the “Mix-in cycle” instead of be pulverized and incorporated in it.
- Purchase extra creami pints. I recommend purchasing extra Ninja creami pints and batch prepping your creami ice creams. Making several pints and flavors at once saves time during the week. Plus, you’ll always have one ready to spin anytime you’re craving ice cream!
Variations
- Use powdered peanut butter for a lower calorie option. Instead of natural peanut butter, mix 2 tablespoons of peanut butter powder such as PB2 of PBFit with 1.5 tablespoons water. Freeze in a small Ziplock bag. Chop into chunks and add to the ice cream pint when ready to run the “Mix-in” cycle. You can make a hole down the middle to add these.
- Use a different nut butter. Almond butter, cashew butter, pecan butter are some tasty options.
- Make it dairy-free. Use coconut milk or coconut cream instead of ultra-filtered low-fat milk. I don’t recommend using only almond milk as the fat content will be too low for the ice cream to thicken and become rich and creamy.
- Use chocolate flavored ultra-filtered milk. This will make the ice cream flavor more chocolatey!
- Use sugar-free instant pudding mix. An alternative to using guar gum and xanthan gum is adding 1 tablespoon of sugar-free chocolate flavored instant Jello pudding mix. Instant pudding mix powder already has stabilizers or emulsifiers such as xanthan gum or soy lecithin incorporated. Note that it is already sweetened so you won’t need to add as much sweetener and can leave it out if desired.
- Use cottage cheese or cream cheese. You can omit the xanthan gum and guar gum if doing so. Add ¼ cup (40-50 grams depending on the brand) low sodium or unsalted cottage cheese or cream cheese (1 ounce / 28 grams) to the ice cream base. Note that you will need less almond milk if using cottage cheese – about 150ml should be enough to fill the pint to the max fill line.
FAQs
If you want real peanut butter pieces to be dispersed throughout the ice cream, the best way is to freeze natural peanut butter for 24 hours and add the frozen pieces to sides of the pint as a mix-in. The frozen peanut butter pieces will be evenly distributed throughout the ice cream and won’t be entirely pulverized upon running the “Mix-in” cycle.
Peanut butter can also be added to the ice cream base as a flavoring ingredient prior to processing.
Adding non-frozen peanut butter in the center of the pint after spinning on “Light ice cream” will simply flavor the ice cream base but won’t result in peanut butter ribbons or swirls.
You can also add store-bought peanut butter chips in the center of the pint after spinning on “Light Ice Cream” and process on the “mix-in” cycle.
The “Ice Cream” function is suitable for ice creams with a high sugar and high fat content while the “Light Ice Cream” function is for lower sugar and low-fat ice cream bases. Low-fat and low sugar ice cream bases, including those sweetened with sugar substitutes, tend to freeze harder. The paddle spins faster on the “lite ice cream” function for a longer period.
After the first spin, it is common for the ice cream to be crumbly or powdery. This happens because your freezer is very cold and the ice cream base froze harder. Simply spin again on the “Re-spin” cycle to yield a creamy ice cream texture. Some people find 1-2 cycles of “Re-spin” yields the best texture. However, the ice cream can become softer due to the repeated cycles of “Re-spin” causing more heat and friction.
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More Ice Cream Recipes
Ninja Creami Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream
This Ninja Creami Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream features a rich chocolate ice cream base with banana and REAL peanut butter pieces dispersed throughout the ice cream! It’s a feel-good healthy treat for anytime you’re craving ice cream!
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Freezing Time: 24 hours
- Cook Time: 0 Minutes
- Total Time: 24 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 1x
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Freeze
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Mix-in:
- 1 TBSP / 15 grams Natural Peanut Butter (unsalted or salted, unsweetened – note 1), or more if desired – frozen in a sealable zipper bag for 24 hours
Ice Cream Base:
- 1 small Banana (65–70 grams peeled weight) – broken in half
- 3.4 fluid ounces / 100ml Ultra-Filtered Low-Fat Milk (such as Fairlife 2% Milk – note 2)
- 6.76 fluid ounces / 200ml Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk (or any nut milk, plant-based milk or other milk of choice)
- 3 TBSP / 18 grams Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (Dutch processed cocoa powder preferred – note 3)
- 2 TBSP + 1 TSP / 40 grams Plain Greek Style Yogurt (I used 4% fat – or use plain Greek yogurt)
- ≈ 3 TBSP + 1 TSP / 35 grams granulated White Sugar Replacement, to taste (I used Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener – note 4)
- ¼ TSP Guar Gum (note 5)
- ⅛ TSP Xanthan Gum (optional – note 5)
Toppings (optional):
- Drizzle of Peanut Butter
- Granola
- Reese’s Pieces
- Nutter Butter Bites
Instructions
- Freeze the peanut butter: Add peanut butter to a zipper/Ziplock bag. Seal and flatten the peanut butter so that it is about ⅛ – ¼ inch thick. Freeze for 24 hours (note 5).
- Combine the base ingredients: Add the banana, ultra-filtered low-fat milk, unsweetened vanilla almond milk, unsweetened cocoa powder, Greek style yogurt, guar gum and xanthan gum to a mini blender such as the Ninja Blast or NutriBullet or a food processor. Blend until smooth, then pour into a Ninja Creami pint container. (I don’t recommend, using a handheld immersion blender to blend the ingredients directly in the pint for this recipe because there is too much volume and the ingredients may spill out while blending).
- Freeze: Place the container in the freezer on a level surface and freeze for 24 hours until frozen solid.
- Prepare for spinning: Remove the pint from the freezer and briefly run the bottom of the container under hot water from the sink for 15-30 seconds to help loosen up the icy edges from the sides of the container. Pat-dry, then take off the pint lid and install into the outer bowl and lock the lid.
- Spin: Turn on your Ninja Creami machine and install the outer bowl. Press the “Light Ice Cream” button. The ice cream will come out looking crumbly and that is normal.
- Shave down ice walls: Eject the outer bowl and remove the pint. Run a butter knife around the edges of the container to help incorporate any icy parts into the ice cream.
- Add peanut butter: Remove the frozen peanut butter slab from the fridge. Working quickly, slice into pieces and add on the sides of the pint (not the center) where you shaved down the icy edges. Push as far down as you can with the knife. (Note: This can be tricky as natural peanut butter is quick to thaw, but work as quick as you can so that it stays as frozen as possible once it touches the ice cream in the pint.) Place the pint in the outer bowl again and cover and lock the lid. Reinstall into the machine and press the “Mix-In” button.
- Enjoy! Remove the pint from the machine and smooth the top with a spoon. Scoop into bowls (or eat directly from the pint) and add any other desired toppings. Then enjoy!
Notes
- Peanut Butter: Commercial peanut butter such as Skippy or Jif won’t freeze well so I don’t recommend them. You can use powdered peanut butter for a lower calorie and higher protein option. Mix 2 tablespoons of peanut butter powder such as PB2 of PBFit with 1.5 TBSP water. Freeze in a small ziplock bag. Chop into chunks and add to the ice cream pint when ready to run the “Mix-in” cycle. You can make a hole down the middle with a spoon or the butter knife after shaving down the ice walls to add the peanut butter chunks.
- Ultra-Filtered Low-Fat Milk. I used Paul’s Hi-Calcium Low-Fat Milk which is an ultra-filtered milk available in Asia and Australia. You can use Fairlife 2% milk or any ultra-filtered milk from another brand if you are based in the USA or Canada. Ultra-filtered milk is higher in protein than regular milk and has less calories, making it a great choice for healthy low calorie Ninja Creami ice creams. Milk with a high protein content also results in a creamier and thicker ice cream consistency. If you can’t find ultra-filtered milk, use any low-fat, semi-skimmed (2% milk) or regular whole milk.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder. I like using Dutch Processed cocoa powder as it has a richer chocolatey flavor than regular unsweetened dark cocoa powder. However, any unsweetened cocoa powder you love or have on hand is fine.
- White Sugar Replacement. I add Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener as using only the banana is not sweet enough for my taste. Feel free to leave it out or use regular granulated white sugar or other sugar-free sweetener of choice. Honey, maple syrup or coconut sugar are other natural sweetener options but the macros will vary (if that is important to you).
- Guar Gum and Xanthan Gum. Guar gum thickens the ice cream base and reduces the formation of ice crystals. It also helps with creating a scoopable ice cream texture. Xanthan gum serves a similar purpose as the guar gum. I find using both of these stabilizers together yields the best texture. If you prefer not to use stabilizers in their natural form, you have two options:
- Use 1 tablespoon of chocolate flavored sugar-free instant jello pudding mix. It already has stabilizers/emulsifiers such as soy lecithin or xanthan gum in it. Keep in mind that pudding mix is already sweetened so you will need less sweetener or can leave it out.
- Use cottage cheese or cream cheese. Add ¼ cup (40-50 grams depending on the brand) low sodium or unsalted cottage cheese or cream cheese (1 ounce / 28 grams) to the ice cream base. Note that you will need less almond milk if using cottage cheese – about 150ml should be enough to fill the pint to the max fill line.
- Freeze the peanut butter in chocolate bar molds. This will save you time and will be easy to break apart evenly to add to the pint before spinning on the “Mix-in” cycle.
- Storing and processing leftovers. If you can’t finish the ice cream, level and smooth out the top with the back of a spoon. Cover and refreeze. It will freeze solid again. When ready to enjoy the leftovers, spin on the “Light Ice Cream” function again. DO NOT spin on the “Re-spin” function as the ice cream has frozen back into its original state. Using the “Re-spin” function when the mixture is solid can damage the machine and the paddle blade. Note that the peanut butter pieces will be pulverized and incorporated into the base upon when you process the leftovers. If desired, add more frozen peanut butter pieces as a mix-in.
- Nutritional information is approximate and will vary with any ingredient substitutes.
- See the ‘Variations’ section in the post above if you’d like to customize this Ninja Creami ice cream.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 pint
- Calories: 300
- Sugar: 16.2g
- Sodium: 117mg
- Fat: 15.1g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11.8g
- Trans Fat: 0.3g
- Carbohydrates: 35.8g
- Fiber: 10.9g
- Protein: 16.9g
- Cholesterol: 10mg
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