Ninja Creami Dubai Chocolate Ice Cream (Pistachio)

This Ninja Creami Dubai Chocolate Ice Cream is infused with flavors of rich chocolate and nutty pistachio. Enjoy indulging in this decadent, trendy treat without the extra calories!

Flavoring

First, to achieve a truly rich and indulgent chocolate flavor, it’s important to use the Atkins Royal Dark Chocolate protein shake. Normally I say to use whatever protein shake you’d like, but in this case, it’s important that you are using a dark chocolate shake. If you use a regular chocolate shake, the flavors will be more muted and you won’t get that rich chocolately flavor. All chocolate ice cream lovers should keep these shakes stocked up as they are the base for almost all my chocolate ice cream recipes.

Next, to get a strong pistachio flavor without all the extra calories, I use both pistachio pudding mix and almond extract.

Stabilizers

All Ninja Creami ice creams need ingredients to stabilize the mixture and make it nice and creamy (not icy). This is especially true if you are using low-fat ingredients. For this ice cream, the cottage cheese, pudding mix, and collagen all work as stabilizers, creating a creamy ice cream.

Pro Tip: Flavorless Collagen is a wonderful, all-natural ingredient that acts similarly to gelatin, keeping your ice cream thicker and creamier. It is low calorie, adds extra protein, and studies have shown it can have both hair and skin benefits.

Tips & Tricks

• After doing for first spin on the ice cream setting, it is completely normal for the ice cream to look a little powdery, like in the picture shown above. After a re-spin, it will be the perfect ice cream consistancy.
• In this recipe, you can add any additional sweetener after the first spin. This will sweeten the ice cream without having to add more than necessary to achieve the best flavor. For this ice cream, adding 1/2 tbsp of agave was the perfect amount.
• When you use a blender, it incorporates air into the mixture. Let your mixture rest on the counter or in the refrigerator for a few minutes to settle, then give it a quick stir and place it in the freezer.
• The blade of the machine does not reach all the way to the edges of the container. To avoid an icy mixture around the edges, run the outside of the container under warm water for about 30 seconds before placing it in the machine. This will loosen the frozen mixture away from the edges.
• To adapt a standard Ninja Creami recipe (16 oz pint) for the Deluxe model (24 oz tub), you should increase the recipe by 1.5 times. 
  

Sweetener

This Ninja Creami Dubai Chocolate ice cream is sweetened with Allulose and agave. The blend of allulose and a natural sugar results in no aftertaste. You can also use your preferred sweeteners in the same amount. I added 1 tbsp of allulose into the mixture and then 1/2 tbsp of agave after the first spin. This is a special technique I use to use less sweetener and keep the calories low.

Pro Tip: When you add sweeteners to your Ninja Creami ice cream mixture, the freezing process mutes the flavor. I get around this by adding any additional sweetener when I re-spin the ice cream.

Optional Toppings

For this Dubai Chocolate ice cream, you definitely want to get that authentic crunch by adding a sprinkle of dried Kataifi. Kataifi is the shredded phyllo dough that is mixed with pistachio cream in Dubai chocolate bars. It offers this ice cream the perfect crunch.

You can also add some extra finely chopped pistachios on top.

Alternatives

Here are some alternatives and substitutions you can use when making this ice cream to suit your preferences..

• You can make this recipe using any type of sweetener; these are just my preferences to get the most natural flavor while keeping the ice cream low-calorie. I am not a fan of the aftertaste left by most sugar alternatives.
• Feel free to use any DARK CHOCOLATE protein shake you’d like. I find the Atkins Dark Royal Chocolate Shake to have the best flavor.
• If you are lactose intolerant, they make lactose free cottage cheese.
• If you are vegan, sub the cottage cheese for Violife Vegan Cream Cheese, any dark chocolate milk alternative, dark chocolate powder, and then add 1/4 tsp guar gum.
• If you are scared of cottage cheese, you can also use whipped cream cheese, but it will be much higher in calories and will lack all the protein. I encourage you to try that cottage cheese. When it’s blended, you will not notice or taste it.

More Ninja Creami Ice Cream Recipes

All of my Ninja Creami recipes are designed for maximize flavor while still being low in calories and high in protein. I try to find a happy medium and experiment with different ingredients to achieve the perfect balance.