When I first tested this, I used store-bought salted caramel syrup, and it was a miss. The sweetness tasted fake, there was no real caramel depth, and the pint came out icy. So I dropped the syrup and blended in dulce de leche instead.
That swap is what makes this Ninja Creami Salted Caramel Ice Cream work. Dulce de leche is thicker and milkier than caramel sauce, so the base freezes with more body and spins smooth. Sea salt keeps the sweetness in check. There's no pudding mix and no gums: just half and half, cottage cheese, dulce de leche, vanilla, and salt. It's one of my classic full-fat flavors.
If your pint comes out crumbly or icy, my troubleshooting guide has the fixes. Once it's spun, it's a great base for mix-ins. One reader's husband stirs in crushed Butterfingers.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Salted Caramel Ice Cream
- Dulce de Leche vs. Caramel Sauce
- Ingredients + Easy Swaps
- Easy Swaps
- How to Make This Salted Caramel Ice Cream
- 🍒Mix-In and Topping Ideas
- Tips, Storage & Troubleshooting
- How to Store Leftovers
- Troubleshooting
- 👪Serving Size
- 🌀Tools You’ll Need
- Recipe FAQs
- More Classic Ice Cream Flavors
- Did you try this recipe?
- Ninja Creami Salted Caramel Ice Cream
Why You'll Love This Salted Caramel Ice Cream
- No pudding mix or gums. The body comes from dulce de leche and cottage cheese, so the pint spins smooth without stabilizers.
- Smooth, scoopable texture. Cottage cheese adds thickness and a little protein, and once it's blended you can't taste it.
- Sweet and salty in balance. Sea salt cuts the richness of the dulce de leche so the flavor doesn't go flat or cloying.
- Real caramel flavor. Dulce de leche is milk and sugar cooked down slowly, so it tastes like caramel instead of syrup.
- Five ingredients. Canned dulce de leche is sold at most grocery stores, and everything else is likely in your fridge already.
Dulce de Leche vs. Caramel Sauce
This is a salted caramel ice cream, but the base uses dulce de leche, not caramel sauce. Here's the difference:
Caramel sauce is sugar cooked until it browns, then finished with butter and cream. It's thin and sticky, which makes it great for drizzling but less ideal in a frozen base.
Dulce de leche is sweetened condensed milk cooked down slowly. The extra milk solids make it thick, so it blends smoothly into the base and helps the pint spin creamy instead of icy.
You can buy dulce de leche in a can at most grocery stores, or make your own by pressure-cooking a sealed can of sweetened condensed milk for 30 minutes, label removed and fully submerged in water.
Ingredients + Easy Swaps
This is just an overview. Jump down to the full recipe card for exact amounts and instructions.
- Half and half: The liquid base. It has enough fat to keep the pint creamy but not so much that it turns waxy when you re-spin, which can happen with straight heavy cream.
- Dulce de leche: The caramel flavor and the sweetener in one. Its thickness gives the frozen base body, so it spins smooth instead of icy.
- Cottage cheese: Adds thickness and a little protein. Blend it until there are no lumps; once it's smooth, you won't taste it.
- Vanilla extract: Rounds out the caramel so it tastes deeper, not just sweet.
- Sea salt: Cuts the sweetness of the dulce de leche and is what makes this "salted" caramel. Fine sea salt dissolves fully in the base.
Easy Swaps
- Caramel sauce instead of dulce de leche: It works, but sauce is thinner, so expect a softer, slightly less creamy pint.
- Cream cheese instead of cottage cheese: Gives the same thickness with a little more tang. Soften it first so it blends without lumps.
- Kosher or flaky salt instead of sea salt: Kosher salt works in the base. Save flaky salt for sprinkling on top after spinning, where its crunch shows.
- Honey or maple syrup for more sweetness: Taste the base before freezing. Cold dulls sweetness, so if it already tastes just right, it will be a little flat once frozen.
How to Make This Salted Caramel Ice Cream
- Blend the base. Add the half and half, dulce de leche, cottage cheese, vanilla, and sea salt to a blender or food processor. Blend until completely smooth with no cottage cheese lumps. Any lumps left in the base freeze into icy bits.
- Freeze flat for 24 hours. Pour the base into a Ninja Creami pint and freeze it on a level surface for a full 24 hours. A level top protects the blade, and a fully frozen center spins evenly.
- Spin on Ice Cream. Lock the pint into the machine and press the Ice Cream button. If it comes out crumbly, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk and press Respin. A crumbly first spin is normal for a fully frozen pint; the extra liquid is what makes it creamy.
- Add mix-ins (optional). For crushed pretzels, Biscoff, or chopped pecans, make a well in the center after spinning, add the mix-ins, and run the Mix-In program. Adding them before freezing blends them into the base.
- Scoop and serve. Eat it right away for the softest texture, or top with a pinch of flaky salt for crunch.
🍒Mix-In and Topping Ideas
- Crushed Biscoff cookies: The cinnamon and brown sugar notes echo the caramel, and the crumbs stay crunchy.
- Salted pretzels: Adds more salt and crunch to stand up to the sweet base. Crush them to mix in, or use whole ones as a scoop.
- Crushed Butterfingers: A reader's husband mixes these in, and the peanut butter crunch pairs well with caramel.
- Mini chocolate chips: Small chips spread evenly through the pint, so you get chocolate in every bite without big frozen chunks.
- Toasted chopped pecans: Toasting brings out their oils, so they taste nutty instead of flat once frozen.
- Flaky sea salt: Sprinkle on top after spinning. It stays crisp on the surface, while salt mixed into the base dissolves.
- Whipped cream: Lightens each scoop and works as a sundae topping with an extra drizzle of dulce de leche.
Tips, Storage & Troubleshooting
- Taste before freezing. The base should taste slightly sweeter than you want the finished ice cream, because cold dulls sweetness.
- Use a fully frozen pint. A pint frozen less than 24 hours can spin soupy in the center. Give it the full time.
- Flatten leftovers before freezing again. Press the surface level with a spoon before you put the lid on. A hump or uneven top can strain the blade on a respin.
How to Store Leftovers
Keep leftovers in the Creami pint with the lid on. They hold well in the freezer for 2 to 3 weeks; after that, ice crystals start to form.
To serve again: let the pint sit on the counter for a few minutes, microwave it for 10 to 15 seconds, or put it back in the machine and press Respin. A respin restores the texture best, since it breaks up any ice that formed in storage.
Troubleshooting
- Crumbly or powdery? Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk and press Respin. The base needs a little more liquid to turn creamy.
- Icy? The base may not have been blended smooth. Respin with a splash of milk now, and blend longer next time.
- Too soft? Return the pint to the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes before scooping.
- Not sweet enough? Next time, add a little more dulce de leche or a drizzle of honey before freezing. Adding sweetener after spinning won't mix in evenly.
- Too sweet? Add a pinch more salt to the next batch to balance it.
👪Serving Size
This recipe is made for the Ninja Creami Deluxe and its 24-ounce pint, so it makes about 4 servings.
If you have the original Creami with the 16-ounce pint, the base won't all fit. Fill only to the max fill line and save the rest for a second pint, since overfilling can keep the blade from reaching the bottom.
🌀Tools You’ll Need
- Blender or food processor: Gets the cottage cheese fully smooth. A whisk leaves small curds, and those freeze into icy bits.
- Ninja CREAMi Deluxe 11-in-1 Ice Cream & Frozen Treat Maker: The machine this recipe was tested in. The Deluxe uses a 24-ounce pint and has the Ice Cream, Respin, and Mix-In programs used in the steps.
- Extra Ninja Creami pints: Each base needs 24 hours in the freezer, so a spare pint lets you freeze the next batch while you finish this one.
Recipe FAQs
No. Butterscotch is made with brown sugar and butter, which gives it a molasses note. Salted caramel starts with white sugar cooked until it browns, then gets cream, butter, and sea salt for a sweet and salty finish.
Yes, but expect a softer, slightly less creamy pint. Caramel sauce is thinner than dulce de leche, so the frozen base has less body.
Not if it's blended until completely smooth. It adds thickness and a little protein, and the dulce de leche and vanilla cover any tang.
A fully frozen pint often spins crumbly the first time. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk and press Respin. If it's icy rather than crumbly, the base may not have been blended smooth before freezing.
Yes, with one adjustment. The recipe is sized for the Deluxe's 24-ounce pint, so in a 16-ounce pint, fill only to the max fill line and save the extra base.
About 2 to 3 weeks in the pint with the lid on. After that, ice crystals start to form, so respin it before serving.
I haven't tested a dairy-free version. Full-fat coconut milk in place of the half and half and coconut cream in place of the cottage cheese is a reasonable place to start, but expect a different texture and adjust to taste. Most canned dulce de leche contains milk, so you'd also need a dairy-free caramel.
Fine sea salt dissolves fully in the base. Save flaky salt like Maldon for sprinkling on top, where its crunch shows. If you use kosher salt in the base, use a little less, since flake sizes vary by brand.
More Classic Ice Cream Flavors
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Did you try this recipe?
Share how it turned out in the comments below, and if you loved it, share it on Facebook, Pinterest & Instagram.
Thank you! - Rose
Ninja Creami Salted Caramel Ice Cream
Equipment
- 1 Ninja Creami Deluxe
- 24 oz Ninja Creami Container Pint
- 1 Blender or food processor
Ingredients
- 1½ cup half and half
- ½ cup dulce de leche or caramel sauce
- ½ cup cottage cheese
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Start by adding half and half, dulce de leche, cottage cheese, vanilla extract, and sea salt into a blender or food processor.1½ cup half and half, ½ cup dulce de leche, ½ cup cottage cheese, 1 tsp vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon sea salt
- Blend everything until the mixture is completely smooth and creamy.
- Pour the blended mixture into your Ninja Creami pint container.
- Freeze the pint on a flat surface for 24 hours so it sets properly.
- Once frozen solid, place the container into the Ninja Creami outer bowl, secure the lid, and lock it into your machine.
- Press the Ice Cream button and let it spin until it stops.
- If it turns out crumbly, add a splash of milk and hit the Respin button.
- When it’s smooth and creamy, scoop into a bowl or add mix-ins like salted pretzels, then spin again on the Mix-In setting.
Notes
- Crumbly after the first spin? Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk and press Respin.
- Taste before freezing. The base should taste slightly sweeter than you want, since cold dulls sweetness.
- Mix-ins go in after the first spin, using the Mix-In program. Added before freezing, they blend into the base.
- Original Creami (16-ounce pint): Fill only to the max fill line and save the extra base for another pint.
- Caramel sauce works in place of dulce de leche, but the pint will be softer and less creamy.
- Leftovers: Flatten the top, cover, and freeze for up to 2 to 3 weeks. To serve, respin, or microwave for 10 to 15 seconds.
- Nutrition is an estimate and varies with the brands of dulce de leche, half and half, and cottage cheese you use.
Mimi says
I just found your recipes. We were using premade bases from a nearby market, my husband now prefers your recipes! He says the flavor of your salted caramel base is superb! He mixed in crushed butterfingers, it’s his current favorite go-to. Thanks for sharing easy and delicious Creami recipes!
Rose Sioson says
Aww thank you so much for telling me that!! That seriously makes my day. I’m happy the salted caramel base was a hit. Thank you for trying my recipes and for taking the time to leave such a sweet message.
Rose says
This one always hits the spot when I’m craving that sweet-salty combo! I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do—let me know if you give it a try!