Chocolate Creami Ice Cream
By Emma
Certified Culinary Professional
•
Recipe tested & approved
Cream cheese softened or nuked briefly blends with cocoa, sugar, and a cream-milk mix. Freeze in a specialized pint without lid to avoid blade-damaging humps. Spin with Ninja Creami, aiming for that dense, creamy scoop that won’t fail. Blend cycles cut short or mix by hand, a whisk’s your best friend if no blender. Perfect for mix-ins, stirred with a gentle hole through the center, then rerun briefly. Keep things chill, trust your eyes and feel for texture before adding time or flavor. Useful tips for substitutions and troubleshooting included.
Prep:
15 min
Cook:
PT25S
Total:
Servings:
1 pint
#ice cream
#Ninja Creami
#chocolate
#dessert
#cream cheese
#frozen dessert
Cold kitchen routines. Cream cheese needs softening but no soupy mess—catch that line perfectly or blending ends in foam disaster. Tried blending longer once, ended up with stubborn air bubbles, piece-of-cake myth busted right there. Cream and milk ratio is key. Too much milk, sorbetish texture; too heavy cream, it won’t spin well. Freeze flat, no wiggle, no lid. That hump? Blade killer from past regrets. Spin times: a quick listen and feel tells the whole story, not the clock. Mix-ins must nest neatly, no giant chunks that jam machine. Ice cream lovers think texture means perfection — nah, it’s about timing. Experiment, listen, and trust your senses. Frozen creaminess comes alive not from clocks but close attention.
Ingredients
- 6 ounces cream cheese softened or microwaved 12 seconds
- 1/3 cup sugar brown or white works
- ¼ cup cocoa powder preferably Dutch process or substitute instant coffee
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract pure or imitation
- ¾ cup heavy cream or half and half for lighter texture
- ½ cup whole milk or oat milk for dairy-free twist
About the ingredients
Cream cheese is the backbone here. Full fat always better, but part-skim works with slight texture dulling. Microwave in 12-second bursts. Sugar type matters — brown sugar adds depth, but white dissolves fastest. Cocoa powder? Dutch process if you have it, natural if you don’t; each slightly changes the tang and bitterness. Vanilla can be real or imitation — you’d be surprised by the difference. Dairy cream and milk you can swap for half-and-half, or plant-based milks for allergies; oat milk is my go-to for neutral flavor, but thins the mix so cut sugar slightly if you use it. Blend speeds and times are critical — blend too long, you’ll aerate, no good. Hand whisk method works well if you’re patient, just don’t rush sugar dissolving or you’ll feel unwanted grit. Freeze at least 23 hours; shorter times cause ice crystals and a tough spin. No lid, remember. It’s simple but nuanced. These small adjustments save cleanup headaches and blade repairs.
Method
- Nuke cream cheese in microwave no more than 12 seconds if still cold; no mush, just soft to touch.
- Toss cream cheese, sugar, cocoa, and vanilla in blender for no longer than 25 seconds or mix vigorously by hand using rubber spatula and whisk to avoid foaming.
- If whisking, stir sugar and cocoa thoroughly with softened cream cheese until gritty texture disappears; add cream & milk slow, keep whisking until mixture looks homogenous and sugar dissolved, no grain left.
- Pour into CREAMi pint leaving lid off; place on flat freezer shelf, no tilt or wobble. Freeze 23 to 25 hours. Lid on causes ice domes that wreck blades — don’t risk it.
- Remove frozen pint, place in outer bowl, lock lid snug. Set bowl assembly on machine base, twist handle right to raise the platform until locked tight.
- Choose Ice Cream setting on Ninja Creami; listen for change in motor sound, usually done in under 1 minute but no longer than 35 seconds. If texture seems crumbly or chalky, run spin once more only.
- For mix-ins, scoop 1½ inch hole through center with spoon, add desired chunks or swirls. Run Mix-in program once, do not overdo or ice cream gets dense and hard to scoop.
- Serve right away or spoon on top for extra texture and flavor; cold air hitting mix-ins makes sound like crunch, will melt slower when ice cream softens.
Cooking tips
Start with cream cheese evenly softened but firm. A quick microwave burst is fine — 12 seconds max, no melting. When blending, keep it brief; 20-25 seconds tops. Slow gradual whisking the alternative — think pancakes batter—no lumps allowed. Pour mixture in your pint container without its lid, set flat in freezer; a level surface critical to prevent nasty doming on top. Freeze long enough — 23 to 25 hours. When ready, carefully mount the pint in machine. Lock it solid. Turn handle to raise platform until it clicks. Selecting ice cream program is straightforward but you must watch. Listen for motor slowing, sound shifting - don’t overdo. One respin might be necessary but don’t overuse or risk foam and air pockets. Mix-ins staged with a gentle hole, no stabbing mush through container walls. Run Mix-in once to finish. Serve immediately to feel that cold cream hit your mouth just right. Leftover ice cream hardens fast, so plan serving size accordingly.
Chef's notes
- 💡 Softening cream cheese only till just soft, not melted or soupy. Microwave max 12 seconds in bursts. Still cold but no hard bits. This controls texture – too warm and you get air bubbles, too cold no blend smoothness.
- 💡 Freezing flat with lid off critical. Lid traps moisture, domes form—blade killers. Level surface only; wobble = uneven ice, hard spins. 23 to 25 hours freeze best. Fewer crystal chances, better machine spin. Patience here beats rush.
- 💡 When blending, 20 to 25 seconds max. Longer aerates, foam forms, ruins dense creaminess. Hand whisk as fallback. Start sugar and cocoa with cream cheese till grain gone; then slow cream and milk drips. No lumps or grain appreciated.
- 💡 Mix-ins must be added through 1½ inch hole scooped gently mushroom style. Stabbing container walls or large chunks jam blades, cause motor strain. Mix once on Mix-in program only or ice gets dense, tough to scoop. Timing critical, listen to motor change.
- 💡 Milk and cream ratio tweak. Half and half for lighter texture—too much milk gives sorbet feel, too much cream clogs spin. Oat milk neutral but thins mix, cut sugar slightly. Substitutions affect mouthfeel and freezing behavior, adjust accordingly.
Common questions
How long to soften cream cheese?
Quick 12 seconds max microwave. Still cold but no hard chunks. Too soft melts, ends with air bubbles if blended. Hand soften slow option but watch lumps.
Can I use regular ice cream container?
Nope. Must be CREAMi pint with no lid during freeze. Lid traps moisture dome forms on top, blades hit and dull quickly. Level, flat surface freeze is key. Don’t risk it.
What if ice cream too crumbly after spin?
Re-spin once only. If still dry, add splash milk, mix by hand gently, then rerun spin. Over spinning creates foam, air pockets. Hand mixing sugar fully also helps texture.
Best storage practice?
Freeze pint tightly closed after spin done. Leave some air space tops harden fast. Serve fast once opened due to crystallization, soften quickly at room temp but re-freeze careful to avoid ice damage.
