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pumpkin ice cream

Pumpkin Ice Cream

This high protein Ninja Creami pumpkin ice cream proves that a genuinely creamy, pie-flavored dessert does not require heavy cream, a crust, or a sugar crash to taste convincing. You follow the twenty-four-hour freeze, the Lite Ice Cream setting, and the Re-Spin fix whenever the texture turns crumbly, and this pumpkin ice cream delivers fall flavor and real protein in the same scoop. Whether you top it with pecans or eat it straight from the pint, this recipe turns a random pumpkin craving into a dessert worth keeping in the freezer through the entire season.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
1 day
Total Time 1 day 5 minutes
Servings: 1
Course: Desserts
Cuisine: American
Calories: 145
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup fairlife fat-free milk
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (about 30 grams)
  • ½ cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 tablespoon sugar-free maple syrup
  • ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt

Equipment

  • Ninja Creami machine
  • Ninja Creami pint container
  • Small whisk

Method
 

  1. Mix the base
    You add the Fairlife milk, vanilla protein powder, pumpkin puree, sugar-free maple syrup, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract, and salt directly to the Ninja Creami pint container. You whisk until the mixture reaches a completely smooth consistency with no visible lumps. A clump of undissolved protein powder left in the pint turns into an unpleasant surprise once the base freezes and spins.
  2. Freeze for a full 24 hours
    You place the lid on the pint and freeze it on a completely flat surface for twenty-four hours. A pint frozen at an angle produces an uneven surface that the blade struggles to process, which causes the machine to shake violently during the spin cycle.
  3. Process in the Ninja Creami
    You remove the frozen pint, place it into the outer bowl, and run the Lite Ice Cream setting, which is calibrated specifically for lower-fat, protein-based mixtures like this one. The machine runs loudly during this process, similar to a small jet engine, which is completely normal for this type of base.
  4. Re-spin if needed
    You check the texture after the first spin. A powdery, crumbly appearance at this stage happens with nearly every protein-based Ninja Creami batch, and running the Re-Spin cycle a second time almost always smooths it into a creamy, scoopable consistency.
  5. Serve immediately
    You scoop the finished pumpkin protein ice cream into a bowl or eat it straight from the pint, since a protein-based base melts faster than a traditional high-fat ice cream once it leaves the freezer.

Recipe Notes

Mix-in note. Graham crackers and other crunchy mix-ins turn soggy if frozen with leftovers, so you add fresh mix-ins each time you spin a portion rather than mixing them into a batch meant for storage.