Ninja Creami Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream

This Ninja Creami Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream is my new favorite with rich chocolate flavors and warm spices of cinnamon. I created this recipe after visiting the famous Mexican restaurant Javiers, located in Southern California. The server told me the secret to making their Mexican Ice Cream, and I knew I had to try making it in the Ninja Creami. The results were spot on! Not only is this flavor easy to make, it’s also low in calories and high in protein!

Flavoring

At Javiers, the server told me they actually make the ice cream using a Mexican Hot Chocolate mix. I knew this would translate into the perfect Ninja Creami ice cream so I began searching for the perfect Mexican Hot Chocolate Mix. The flavor of Mexican Chocolate is very unique. Mexican Chocolate has a rich sweet flavor with warm spices. There is cinnamon, but also secret spices that aren’t revealed. I let my palette do the picking and found a highly reviewed Mexican Chocolate mix that tastes exactly like the ice cream I enjoyed at Javier’s.

I also used my signature Royal Dark Chocolate Atkins shake. Even if you don’t like protein shakes, just trust me on this. The Atkins shake does not taste artificial, and it makes the most incredible chocolate ice cream base. I keep them stocked in my pantry.

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, Protein Shake, and collagen all work as stabilizers, creating a creamy ice cream texture.

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 the 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, add 1 tbsp of milk and it will be the perfect ice cream consistency.
• 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 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 or the very bottom of the container. To avoid an icy mixture, run the outside and bottom of the container under warm water for about 30 – 60 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 Mexican Chocolate ice cream is sweetened already from the protein shake and the mexican chocolate mix. I then add some monk fruit sweetener into the mix. This may be enough for some people. After your first spin, taste the ice cream and see if it needs more. I have a bit of a sweet tooth so I added an additional 1 tbsp of agave in the respin. The blend of natural sugars with monk fruit results in no aftertaste.

You can also use your preferred sweeteners in the same amount.

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

If you want to add toppings or mix-ins, some suggestions might be shredded coconut, chocolate cookies, or snickerdoodle cookies to complement the cinnamon spice in the ice cream. This ice cream, however, is amazing on its own. Just to give you an idea of how delicious this is, we paid $9 for one small scoop!

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 found the Atkins Royal Dark Chocolate to have the perfect flavor and sweetness for creating this ice cream.
• 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.