Pumpkin Cottage Cheese Ice Cream (Ninja Creami)
Description
High-protein pumpkin cottage cheese ice cream made in the Ninja Creami. 32g protein per pint, no protein powder, and it tastes like frozen pumpkin pie filling.
Ingredients
- 1 cup cottage cheese, 4%, full fat
- ½ cup canned pumpkin purée, 100% pumpkin, not pie filling
- ⅓ cup whole milk
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon instant vanilla pudding mix
- 1½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons gingersnaps, crushed, optional
- 2 tablespoons pecans, chopped toasted, optional
Instructions
- Add the cottage cheese, pumpkin purée, milk, maple syrup, pudding mix, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, and salt to a blender. Blend on high for 30 to 45 seconds, until the base is a uniform orange with no white flecks and no visible pumpkin strands.
- Taste the base. It should taste slightly too sweet and noticeably too spiced — freezing mutes both. Adjust now.
- Pour into an empty Ninja Creami pint, stopping at the MAX FILL line. Let the foam settle for 2 to 3 minutes, wipe the rim, and seal the lid.
- Freeze for a full 24 hours on a flat, level shelf.
- Remove the lid, seat the pint in the outer bowl, lock it into the machine, and run Lite Ice Cream (or CreamiFit on the Swirl).
- The first spin will look crumbly. Dig a small well in the center, add 1 tablespoon of milk, and run Re-spin. Repeat once more if it isn't smooth — most pumpkin pints need two passes.
- For mix-ins, make a well in the center, add them, and run the Mix-In program.
- Serve immediately for soft-serve texture. To store, level the surface, replace the lid, and re-spin with a splash of milk before serving the rest.
Equipment
- Ninja Creami (Original, Deluxe, or Swirl)
- Ninja Creami pint container with storage lid
- Blender, food processor, or immersion blender
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Rubber spatula — for scraping the base out of the blender
- Spoon — for digging the well before the re-spin
Notes
- Use 100% pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling is pre-sweetened and thinner, which throws off both the sugar and the liquid.
- The milk is intentionally low. Canned pumpkin is roughly 90% water and does most of the liquid's work. Adding more gives you a pint of pumpkin-flavored ice.
- Canned pumpkin varies. If yours looks loose in the can, cut the milk to ¼ cup.
- Sugar-free: substitute allulose for the maple syrup, not erythritol — erythritol doesn't lower the freezing point and the pint sets rock-hard. Add 1 tablespoon of milk back to replace the lost liquid.
- Deluxe owners: multiply everything by 1.5 for the 24oz pint. Freeze time stays at 24 hours.
- A crumbly first spin is normal and not a sign of failure.
Nutrition
Serving: 1ServingCalories: 399kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 16gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 627mgPotassium: 470mgFiber: 3gSugar: 34gVitamin A: 9755IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 215mgIron: 2mg