This vanilla cottage cheese protein ice cream blends cottage cheese with milk and a little dry milk powder for a smooth base. This is a spoonable frozen dessert made in a Ninja CREAMi, with two snack portions per pint. Plan ahead: the machine processes a fully frozen base rather than freezing it for you.
Tips for vanilla cottage cheese protein ice cream
Blend the cottage cheese completely before freezing; curds left in the base will not help the texture. Use plain 2% cottage cheese and ordinary nonfat dry milk, not coffee creamer. The measured sugar contributes sweetness and softness. Removing it or replacing milk with water can make a harder, icier result. Nutrition uses generic 2% dairy references, so check your labels.
Helpful equipment: a Ninja CREAMi machine. Check the size and features for your kitchen before buying.
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Makes 2 servings. One serving: one-half of the entire processed pint, including the reserved liquid and any specified mix-ins. Prep 10 minutes; cook 0 minutes; total elapsed time 1455 minutes including at least 24 hours freezing.
Vanilla Cottage Cheese Protein Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 cup 2% cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup 2% milk plus 1 tbsp reserved for processing
- 1/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder about 0.6 oz
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Blend cottage cheese, 1/2 cup milk, dry milk powder, sugar and vanilla until completely smooth. Refrigerate the separate 1 tablespoon milk until processing time.
- Pour the smooth base into one compatible standard 16-fl-oz (473 mL) Ninja CREAMi pint. Keep below its MAX FILL line; chill any excess separately rather than overfilling. Cover and freeze upright on a level surface for at least 24 hours at 0°F or below.
- Follow your model’s assembly and safety instructions. Process the flat, fully frozen base on LITE ICE CREAM (LIGHT ICE CREAM on some models). This is written for standard NC300-series pints, not a Deluxe or Swirl container. Do not process a tilted frozen block, loose ice cubes or a solid block of unblended fruit.
- If crumbly after the first cycle, add the reserved 1 tablespoon liquid and RE-SPIN. If already creamy, stir in that tablespoon instead so the listed ingredient amount remains the same. Do not add unlimited liquid; further additions change the estimate. Divide the entire finished pint into two equal portions.
Storage and meal prep
Freeze prepared pints covered at 0°F or below. Use within 2 weeks for best quality. Flatten leftover dessert, cover and refreeze promptly; process again according to your model’s instructions when fully frozen. Do not use MIX-IN as the initial processing program. Keep dairy or soy ingredients refrigerated at 40°F or below before preparation and do not leave the mixture out more than 2 hours. Texture depends on your freezer, machine and ingredient brands.
More practical ideas
Try cottage cheese oat pancakes for another option. See how we estimate recipe nutrition for more help.
About the nutrition
Estimated nutrition includes every listed ingredient divided into 2 equal servings. Brand substitutions and extra sides change the result. This development draft has not been kitchen-tested.