Strawberry banana is one of those combinations that just works. Fruity, naturally sweet, and somehow both fresh and creamy at the same time. If you love either flavor solo, I have a Ninja Creami banana ice cream and a Ninja Creami strawberry ice cream but together they do something neither can pull off alone.
I made this one on a weekend when I had half a banana sitting on the counter and a container of strawberries that needed to be used. Blended the whole thing into a base, added some heavy cream and condensed milk, and spun it the next day. It worked SO well I made it three more times to nail the ratios. This is that Ninja Creami strawberry banana ice cream recipe.
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Why You'll Love This
- Made with real strawberries and banana
- Creamy, fruity, and naturally sweet
- Just 7 simple ingredients Only 10 minutes of prep
- Beginner-friendly and easy to customize
Ingredients
Here's what goes into the base:
- Banana - Use ripe or overripe banana for the sweetest, strongest flavor. Frozen and thawed banana works too.
- Strawberries - Fresh or frozen both work. If using frozen, thaw and drain them first so the base doesn’t get watery. Hull the strawberries before blending and taste one first. If they’re not very sweet, add a little sugar or honey before freezing since the flavor mellows once frozen.
- Heavy cream - Gives the ice cream a rich, creamy, scoopable texture.
- Milk - Whole milk makes the creamiest base, but 2% works for a slightly lighter version.
- Sweetened condensed milk - Adds sweetness and helps create a smooth, dense texture.
Easy Swaps and Add-Ins
- Dairy-free: Swap the heavy cream for coconut cream, the milk for full-fat oat milk or coconut milk, and use coconut condensed milk in place of regular sweetened condensed milk. The texture will be slightly softer but still fruity and creamy
- Lower sugar: Reduce the condensed milk to ⅓ cup and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of a 1:1 sugar substitute to compensate. The condensed milk also contributes to texture, so don't cut it entirely
- Fresh vs. frozen strawberries: Both work. Frozen strawberries are often sweeter and more concentrated in flavor, which is actually a bonus here. Just thaw and drain first
- More banana flavor: Use a full banana instead of half. The base will taste more banana-forward and slightly less strawberry-dominant, which is a great direction if that's your preference
- Strawberry jam swirl: After spinning, hollow out a small well and spoon in a tablespoon of strawberry jam before running the Mix-In function.
How to Make Ninja Creami Strawberry Banana Ice Cream
- Blend. Add the banana, strawberries, heavy cream, milk, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract, and salt to a blender. Blend until completely smooth, about 30 to 45 seconds. Give it a taste. It should be fruity, sweet, and clearly strawberry-banana flavored at the liquid stage.
- Freeze. Pour the base through a fine mesh strainer into your Ninja Creami pint if you want a completely smooth result. If you don't mind small flecks of strawberry seeds, you can skip the strainer and pour directly. Fill to the max fill line, seal, and freeze on a level surface for at least 24 hours.
- Spin. Pull the pint from the freezer and let it sit on the counter for 2 to 3 minutes. Lock it into your Ninja Creami and select the Ice Cream function.
- Respin. If the texture looks crumbly after the first spin, don't panic. Hit Respin once and it'll come together into something smooth and scoopable. Fruit-based bases occasionally need a respin because of the water content in fresh fruit. One respin always fixes it.
- Scoop and Serve. Scoop right away for a soft-serve consistency, or pop the pint back in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes if you prefer firmer scoops.
🍒Mix-In and Topping Ideas
The base is fantastic on its own, but the mix-in slot opens up a lot of fun directions. For a full breakdown of what works well as mix-ins across different Creami recipes, the Guide to the Best Mix-Ins is worth a read.
A few favorites for this flavor:
- Fresh strawberry chunks - fold in a few after spinning for extra bursts of fresh fruit
- Graham cracker crumbles - adds a cheesecake-adjacent crunch that pairs really well with the fruity base
- White chocolate chips -sweet, creamy, and they don't compete with the fruit at all
- Banana chips - a little crunch with a concentrated banana flavor hit in every bite
- Strawberry jam ribbon -a teaspoon swirled into the mix-in well gives you an almost sundae-style finish
This Recipe as a Flavor Base
Strawberry banana is a great starting point for other Ninja Creami recipes. I’m building out more versions, including:
- Strawberry Banana High Protein Froyo - with Greek yogurt and protein
- High Protein Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream - richer, creamy, and cheesecake-inspired
- High Protein Banana Cream Pie - sweet, creamy, and banana-forward
For now, my Ninja Creami High Protein Vanilla Ice Cream is a helpful place to start if you want to learn how protein bases work in the Creami.
Serving Size
This recipe is made for the Ninja CREAMi Deluxe, yielding 4 servings per pint.
If you’re using a standard 16-ounce Ninja Creami pint instead of the Deluxe 24-ounce, just use two-thirds of each ingredient. Think of it as filling the pint about the same way. Just a little less of everything.
Tools You’ll Need
- Blender: Makes mixing ingredients effortless.
- Ninja CREAMi Deluxe 11-in-1 Ice Cream & Frozen Treat Maker: The star of the show, perfect for creating creamy, smooth ice cream.
- Ninja Creami Pint Container: The pint container is essential for freezing and churning your ice cream mix.
Recipe Tips
- Use ripe fruit. This sounds obvious but it makes a real difference in a fruit-forward recipe. An underripe banana gives you a starchy, almost bitter note in the base. A spotted, fragrant banana gives you sweetness and depth.
- Strain the base if you want a perfectly smooth texture. Strawberry seeds don't affect flavor, but they can create a slightly grainy mouthfeel. A 30-second pass through a fine mesh strainer before pouring into the pint takes care of it.
- Don't skip the salt. A pinch of salt in a fruit base makes the strawberry flavor read brighter and sharper. It's not optional.
- Freeze on a level surface. If the base freezes at an angle, the blade hits it unevenly. A flat freezer shelf makes a consistent spin much more likely.
- One respin is almost always enough. Fruit bases have more water than cream-heavy bases, so a crumbly first spin is normal. Don't worry about it. Hit Respin once and you're good. If you want more detail on troubleshooting, the Ninja Creami FAQ and Troubleshooting Guide covers all the common texture issues and how to fix them.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, and they actually work really well here. Frozen strawberries tend to be sweeter and more concentrated in flavor than out-of-season fresh ones. Thaw them first and drain any excess liquid before blending.
Yes. A full banana will make the base more banana-dominant and slightly sweeter. It's a great option if banana is your favorite part of this flavor combination.
The most common culprits with fruit-based recipes are too much liquid (from watery strawberries), underfreezing, or not enough fat in the base. Make sure you're draining thawed strawberries well, using the full 24-hour freeze, and not substituting out the heavy cream. One respin usually fixes any texture issues that come up.
Yes. Use coconut cream in place of heavy cream, full-fat oat milk or coconut milk in place of regular milk, and coconut condensed milk instead of sweetened condensed milk. The texture will be slightly softer but still creamy and fruity.
Related Recipes
- Ninja Creami Creamy Strawberry Sorbet - lighter and dairy-free, all strawberry
- Ninja Creami Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream - richer and creamier with a cheesecake base
- Ninja Creami Chocolate Strawberry Ice Cream - strawberry meets chocolate
- Ninja Creami Mixed Berry Ice Cream - if you want to go broader with the fruit
- Ninja Creami Mango Cranberry Ice Cream - another fruit-forward flavor with a similar creamy base
- Ninja Creami High Protein Vanilla Ice Cream - if you want to start experimenting with protein-based versions
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 Strawberry Banana Ice Cream
Equipment
- Ninja CREAMi Deluxe 11-in-1 Ice Cream & Frozen Treat Maker
- Ninja Creami 24 ounce container pint
- Blender or food processor
Ingredients
- ½ ripe banana
- 1 cup strawberries hulled
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Add the banana, strawberries, heavy cream, milk, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract, and salt to a blender.½ ripe banana, 1 cup strawberries, ½ cup heavy cream, 1 cup whole milk, ½ cup sweetened condensed milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 pinch salt
- Blend until completely smooth, about 30 to 45 seconds.
- Strain the base through a fine mesh strainer if you want a smoother, seed-free texture.
- Pour the mixture into a Ninja Creami pint container, staying at or below the max fill line.
- Seal the pint and freeze on a level surface for at least 24 hours.
- Remove the pint from the freezer and let it sit on the counter for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Spin using the Ice Cream function on the Ninja Creami.
- Respin once if the texture looks crumbly after the first spin.
Notes
- Use ripe or overripe banana for the best sweetness and flavor.
- Fresh or frozen strawberries both work. If using frozen, thaw and drain them first so the base does not get watery.
- Whole milk gives the creamiest texture, but 2% milk can be used for a slightly lighter version.
- Do not skip the heavy cream unless making a variation, since it helps prevent icy texture.
- Strain the base if you want a smoother ice cream without strawberry seeds.
- Freeze the pint on a flat, level surface so it spins evenly.
- One respin is usually enough if the ice cream looks crumbly after the first cycle.
- For more banana flavor, use a whole banana instead of half.
- For a dairy-free version, use coconut cream, full-fat oat milk or coconut milk, and coconut condensed milk.
- Store covered in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. Let it sit for 3 to 5 minutes before re-spinning if stored for more than a day.
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