If you are looking for a healthy sweet treat this summer, try thisNinja Creami maple walnut ice cream recipe. It’s not only low calorie and sugar free, but it’s also high protein and low carb ice cream. TheNinja Creamimachine turns healthy ice cream into a decadent and creamy frozen treat. Each serving has 105 calories, 5 grams net carbs and 15 grams of protein!
You might also like this keto maple fruit dip recipe!
I remember back in high school my friend used like vanilla ice cream with walnuts and maple syrup. I used to think that was unusual for a kid but now I can totally understand the deliciousness of this flavor combination.
So armed with my most beloved Ninja Creami ice cream maker, I created a new and delicious flavor today. I made a keto Ninja Creami maple walnut ice cream. Once again you only need a few ingredients to make this keto sweet treat. There are no eggs, heavy cream nor bananas and no cooking.
Best of all it’s low carb, high protein, sugar free and low calorie ice cream. I’m telling you once you start making healthy ice cream in the Ninja Creami you will be hooked too! This is going to be the best way to beat the heat this summer.
About the Ninja Creami ice cream maker.
Since this recipe is made with theNinja Creamiice cream machine, I thought I better tell you about in case you have never heard of it.
It’s a Ninja brand kitchen appliance that can make homemade ice cream and other frozen desserts like sorbets, gelato, smoothies, smoothie bowls and milkshakes. To make ice cream like we are today, have to freeze the base for 20-24 hours. Then put the frozen base in the machine and you have deliciously creamy ice cream in about 5 minutes.
It sort of works in reverse from regular ice cream makers which starts with a frozen bowl that you pour your liquid mixture in and then let churn for 30 minutes. TheNinja Creamistarts with a frozen pint of the base mixture and then grinds it into a smooth and creamy ice cream in minutes.
I just love it for making healthy ice cream because it miraculously makes them smooth and creamy like regular ice cream but without the heavy cream. I’m really happy with mine.
Recipe ingredients I used.
Below you can see the simple ingredients I used – sugar free cheesecake pudding mix, Fairlife vanilla protein drink, Lakanto sugar free maple syrup and maple extract. I always forget but you can add a pinch of salt as well. The salt brings out the sweetness.
I find the Fairlife protein drinks have the best flavor and work best for these recipes but you can use any kind of vanilla protein drink you want. You can even use a protein powder and almond milk, unsweetened coconut cream or coconut milk instead and it would be a dairy free ice cream too!
The cheesecake flavored pudding mix is what I had on hand but you can also use any kind of sugar free vanilla pudding. And if you don’t have maple extract you can use vanilla extract instead.
Lastly you do need sugar free maple syrup and I LOVE this Lakanto keto maple syrup and highly recommend it. If you don’t care about carbs you can use regular maple syrup.
How to make Ninja Creami maple ice cream.
Step 1: Place all the ingredients into a high speed blender or whisk it by hand in a medium bowl. Pour the ice cream base into a the pint containers that came with the Ninja Creami and add the storage lid on top.
Place into the freezer and make sure it’s on a flat surface so it freezes level.
Step 2: Let the mixture freeze for 20-24 hours then when you are ready to eat it, take pint from freezer and place it in the bowl assembly and put it in theNinja Creamimachine.
Step 3: Press the Lite Ice Cream button and when it’s done take it out and take off the outer bowl lid assembly. If the texture is to your liking that’s it. If not run it through the cycle again.
Sometimes it takes me 1 time but most times it takes 2-3 cycles to get that creamy texture. Below is what mine looked like after 1 cycle.
If after 3 cycles it’s still powdery, add 1-2 tablespoons of almond milk and run it through the Lite cycle and again that should do it.
Step 4: Below is what mine looked like after 2 cycles. When it’s done spoon into a bowl and add some chopped walnuts and sugar free maple syrup if you want or eat it as is.
Step 5: Store leftovers in freezer. Use the same pint container and make sure to smooth it down so it’s level. Place the storage lid back on and freeze. When you want to eat it again, just run it through the machine. It may take 2-3 times again.
Please scroll down to view the printable recipe card.
This delicious keto ice cream is great just as it is but if you want to go the next level add the maple syrup and raw walnut topping. I’ve included the nutritional information for each of these below.
Are nuts keto? How many carbs in nuts?
Yes nuts are ketogenic and great if you are on a low carb diet because they are low in net carbs, high fat and high protein. However they are rather high in calories so you should limit how much you eat.
Nuts are good source of fiber, minerals and antioxidants. They make a tasty and convenient snack and add lots of flavor to dishes both savory and sweet.
I’m a big fan of nuts and use them a lot in my low carb recipes. They are great on salads, in cauliflower rice pilaf, quick breads and sweet desserts like this ice cream!
Here are the carb counts of some popular nuts.
- walnuts – (chopped) ¼ cup has 2.0g net carbs
- pecans – (chopped) ¼ cup has 1.2g net carbs
- peanuts – (dry roasted) ¼ cup has 3.0g net carbs
- almonds – (sliced) ¼ cup has 2.1g net carbs
- hazelnuts – (chopped) ¼ cup has 2.0g net carbs
- cashews – (whole, raw) ¼ cup has 9.2g net carbs
- Brazil nuts – 8 pieces has 1.6g net carbs
- macadamia nuts – (whole, dry cooked) ¼ cup has 1.8g net carbs
- pine nuts – (raw) ¼ cup has 3.2g net carbs
Whether you want to eat this ketoNinja Creamimaple walnut ice cream without the nuts and extra syrup or not, you will be enjoying a creamy treat that’s a healthy dessert! This low fat ice cream will be great for hot summer days or an after dinner treat. Enjoy!
The nutritional information for 1 plain serving is 105 calories / 1.2g fat / 10g carbs / 5g fiber / 15g protein = 5g net carbs
The nutritional information for 2 tablespoons Lakanto syrup is 20 calories and 1g net carbs
The nutritional information for 2 tablespoons of chopped walnuts is 96 calories and 1g net carbs
Don’t forget to check out my other Ninja Creami ice cream flavors – chocolate, strawberry, salted caramel and coffee flavors. All are low carb and healthy.
Keto Ninja Creami Maple Walnut Ice Cream Recipe
Yield: 2
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Additional Time: 1 day
Total Time: 1 day 5 minutes
This keto Ninja Creami maple walnut ice cream is creamy and delicious without using heavy whipping cream. However it is low calorie, low carb, sugar free and high protein so you can feel good about inedulging!
Ingredients
- 1 vanilla Fairlife protein shake*
- 1 tablespoon sugar free vanilla pudding (or use cheesecake flavor)
- ¼ cup Lakanto keto maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon maple extract (or use vanilla extract)
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a high speed blender or whisk by hand in a medium bowl. Pour into the pint containers that come with the machine. Add the storage lid and place in the freezer on a level surface. Let freeze for 20-24 hours.
- When ready to eat, take out of the freezer and take off the storage lid. Place into the bowl assembly and then insert into the Ninja Creami machine. Press th Lite Ice Cream button and run through the cycle. Take it out and take off the outer bowl lid. Check the texture and if it's too powdery, you might have to run through this cycle 2-3 times to make it creamy in texture.
- If after 3 times it is still powdery, add 1-2 tablespoons of almond milk and run through the Lite cycle once more and it should be fine.
- Spoon into a bowl and pour addition maple syrup and chopped walnuts on top or eat as is. You can also just chop the nuts and mixthem in the ice cream before serving.
Notes
* If you want to use protein powder and almond milk, unsweetened coconut cream or coconut milk, just make sure you use roughly 12 ounces of liquid.
The nutritional information for 1 serving of plain maple ice cream is 105 calories / 1.2g fat / 10g carbs / 5g fiber / 15g protein = 5g net carbs
The nutritional information for 2 tablespoons Lakanto syrup is 20 calories and 1g net carbs
The nutritional information for 2 tablespoons of chopped walnuts is 96 calories and 1g net carbs
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 105 calories
