Most banana pudding recipes start with a box of pudding mix. But if you want real banana flavor, I’d rather use a very ripe banana, the same way I do in my Ninja Creami Banana Ice Cream. It brings its own natural sweetness and tastes like actual banana, not banana flavoring.
That’s the idea behind this banana pudding ice cream. Ripe banana, cottage cheese, and a vanilla protein shake spin into a creamy pint with about 11 grams of protein per serving, and crushed Nilla wafers give it that classic banana pudding finish.
I made it high protein to keep it on the lighter side, without giving up any of the flavor that makes banana pudding worth eating in the first place.
Jump to:
- Why You’ll Love This Banana Pudding Ice Cream
- What Is Banana Pudding Ice Cream?
- How to Get Banana Pudding Flavor Without Pudding Mix
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- Substitutions
- How to Make Ninja Creami Banana Pudding Ice Cream
- Tips for Creamy Banana Pudding Ice Cream
- Mix-In and Topping Ideas
- Tools You’ll Need
- Recipe FAQs
- More Banana and Protein Ninja Creami Recipes
- Did you try this recipe?
- Ninja Creami Banana Pudding Ice Cream
Why You’ll Love This Banana Pudding Ice Cream
- No pudding mix. All the banana flavor comes from a real, very ripe banana, not a box of instant pudding. It tastes like actual banana instead of banana flavoring.
- Naturally sweet. A ripe banana brings its own sweetness, so you only need a little allulose to round it out.
- 11g protein per serving. The vanilla protein shake and cottage cheese supply most of it, so it’s a lighter way to enjoy a classic dessert.
- That banana pudding crunch. Nilla wafers give it the cookie layer that makes banana pudding what it is.
- Six simple ingredients plus wafers. Banana, protein shake, cottage cheese, allulose, vanilla, and salt. Everything blends in one go.
What Is Banana Pudding Ice Cream?
Banana pudding ice cream is a frozen dessert inspired by classic Southern banana pudding, which layers vanilla pudding, sliced bananas, and vanilla wafers. The ice cream version blends banana and vanilla into a creamy base, then adds crushed vanilla wafers for the cookie layer. Most recipes use instant pudding mix for the flavor and thick texture.
This version skips the pudding mix entirely. A very ripe banana gives it real banana flavor and natural sweetness, while cottage cheese and a vanilla protein shake give it a thick, creamy body in the Ninja Creami.
How to Get Banana Pudding Flavor Without Pudding Mix
Banana pudding gets its flavor from three things: banana, vanilla, and vanilla wafers. Pudding mix mostly supplies the vanilla flavor and the thick texture, and both are easy to get from real ingredients.
- A very ripe banana: As a banana ripens, its starch turns to sugar and its flavor gets stronger. A banana with plenty of brown spots tastes sweeter and more like banana than a yellow one, so it carries the flavor on its own.
- A generous amount of vanilla: Vanilla is what makes banana pudding taste like pudding rather than plain banana. Between the vanilla extract and the vanilla protein shake, the base gets the same warm, custardy note that vanilla pudding mix provides.
- Cottage cheese for thickness: Pudding mix thickens the base. Blended cottage cheese does the same job here, giving the ice cream a rich, spoonable body while also adding protein.
- Nilla wafers for the finish: The wafers bring the buttery vanilla cookie flavor that makes it taste like banana pudding, not just banana ice cream.
- A pinch of salt: A little salt brings out both the banana and the vanilla, so the flavor doesn’t taste flat once frozen.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Very ripe banana: This is where all the banana flavor comes from, so ripeness matters more than anything else. Use one with plenty of brown spots. It’s sweeter, softer, and blends completely smooth. A banana that’s still mostly yellow tastes starchy and flat once frozen.
- Fairlife Nutrition Plan vanilla protein shake: The shake is the liquid in the base and one of the main sources of protein. Its vanilla flavor adds to the pudding taste, and since it’s already lightly sweetened, you need less added sweetener.
- Low-fat cottage cheese: Cottage cheese gives the base the thick, pudding-like body that pudding mix usually provides, plus extra protein. I use Knudsen low-fat. Blend it until completely smooth, because any curds left behind freeze into small lumps.
- Allulose: Allulose rounds out the banana’s natural sweetness without adding sugar. It also freezes softer than regular sugar, which helps keep a lean base scoopable.
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla gives it the pudding flavor, so this recipe uses a little more than usual. Use pure extract for the best taste.
- Pinch of salt: Salt brings out the banana and vanilla, so the flavor stays bright once frozen.
- Nilla wafers: The wafers add the buttery cookie layer that makes it taste like banana pudding. Break them into pieces so they spread through the ice cream instead of clumping.
See the recipe card below for quantities.
Substitutions
- Not worried about protein? Swap the protein shake for the same amount of whole milk or half and half. Half and half makes it richer and creamier, closer to classic banana pudding. The protein drops to about [X]g per pint.
- Skip the cottage cheese, too: Replace the cottage cheese with a ¾ cup Greek yogurt or cream cheese.
- Regular sugar instead of allulose: Use granulated sugar. Sugar also keeps the ice cream soft and scoopable, so the texture stays about the same. Sweetened condensed milk is also a great subsitute.
How to Make Ninja Creami Banana Pudding Ice Cream
- Blend the base. Add the banana, protein shake, cottage cheese, allulose, vanilla, and salt to a blender. Blend until completely smooth, with no banana pieces or cottage cheese curds left. A smooth base before freezing means a smooth pint after spinning.
- Fill the pint. Pour the mixture into your Ninja Creami pint, stopping at the max fill line. Overfilling can strain the machine and keep the blade from processing the pint evenly.
- Freeze for 24 hours. Put the lid on and freeze the pint on a flat surface for a full 24 hours. A tilted pint freezes unevenly, and a base that isn’t frozen all the way through comes out soft in the middle.
- Spin on Lite Ice Cream. Remove the lid, lock the pint into the machine, and run the Lite Ice Cream program. This setting is made for lighter, lower-sugar bases like this one.
- Respin if needed. If it looks dry or crumbly, add a tablespoon or two of the protein shake and run Respin until smooth.
- Add the Nilla wafers. Make a well down the center of the ice cream, add the broken wafers, and run the Mix-In program to fold them through.
Tips for Creamy Banana Pudding Ice Cream
- Wait for the banana to get really ripe. The riper the banana, the sweeter and stronger the flavor. If yours is still mostly yellow, give it a few more days on the counter until it’s covered in brown spots.
- Blend until completely smooth. Banana pieces and cottage cheese curds both freeze into icy or lumpy bits. Keep blending until the base looks silky and pourable.
- Freeze the base right after blending. Banana darkens as it sits exposed to air. Getting the base into the pint and into the freezer right away keeps the color closer to a soft, creamy yellow.
- Taste before freezing. Cold dulls sweetness, so the blended base should taste a little sweeter than you want the finished ice cream to be. Bananas vary in sweetness, so adjust the allulose now if needed.
- Let the pint sit before spinning. Give it about 5 minutes on the counter, or closer to 10 if your kitchen is cold. A lean protein base freezes hard, and a short thaw lets the blade cut through smoothly instead of shaving it into crumbles.
- Respin with the shake, not water. If it comes out crumbly, add a tablespoon or two of the protein shake and run Respin. Water adds iciness, while the shake keeps it creamy.
- Add the wafers last. Mix the Nilla wafers in after spinning, and add a few fresh ones on top when you serve. Wafers soften as they sit in the ice cream, so the ones on top give you the crunch.
Mix-In and Topping Ideas
The Nilla wafers are the classic mix-in, but a few extras make it feel even more like a bowl of banana pudding. For mix-ins, make a well down the center of the spun ice cream, add them, and run the Mix-In program. Add toppings right before serving.
- Fresh banana slices: Add them on top right before serving. Mixed into the pint, fresh banana freezes into icy chunks, but on top it tastes like the banana layers in classic banana pudding.
- Whipped cream: A dollop gives you the creamy top layer that banana pudding is known for. Add it at the table so it doesn’t melt into the ice cream.
- Caramel drizzle: Caramel and banana are a classic pairing, and a light drizzle adds a deeper, toasty sweetness.
- Crushed Biscoff cookies: If you want to switch up the cookie, Biscoff adds a warm, spiced crunch in place of or alongside the Nilla wafers. For another cookie-filled pint, try my Ninja Creami Cookies and Cream Ice Cream.
- Graham cracker crumbs: Graham crackers give it a slightly heartier crunch and work well if you’re out of Nilla wafers.
Tools You’ll Need
- Blender: A blender gets the banana and cottage cheese completely smooth. Mashing by hand leaves banana pieces and curds that freeze into icy or lumpy bits.
- Ninja Creami Deluxe: This recipe is sized for the Deluxe’s 24 oz pint and uses the Mix-In program for the wafers. If you have the original 16 oz Creami, use about two thirds of each ingredient.
- Extra Ninja Creami pints: These let you keep one pint ready to spin while another is freezing.
Recipe FAQs
I use the Lite Ice Cream setting, which is made for lighter, lower-sugar bases like this one. If it looks crumbly after the first spin, add a tablespoon or two of the protein shake and run Respin.
No. Once the cottage cheese is blended completely smooth, the banana and vanilla cover it. It just makes the base thicker and creamier and adds protein.
You can, as long as it was very ripe when you froze it. Let it thaw enough to blend completely smooth, and include any liquid that collects as it thaws, since that’s mostly banana juice and flavor.
They soften a little as they sit in the ice cream, which gives them a cake-like texture similar to classic banana pudding. For crunch, add a few fresh wafers on top right before serving.
About 11 grams per serving, or about 43 grams for the full 24 oz pint. Most of it comes from the cottage cheese and the protein shake.
Yes. Use about two thirds of each ingredient: about two thirds of a large banana, ⅔ cup protein shake, ½ cup cottage cheese, about 3½ tablespoons allulose, 1 teaspoon vanilla, a pinch of salt, and 3 to 4 Nilla wafers.
More Banana and Protein Ninja Creami Recipes
- Ninja Creami Banana Ice Cream: a simple banana pint for when you want pure banana flavor without the cookies
- Ninja Creami Strawberry Banana Ice Cream: ripe banana and strawberries in a classic, full-fat scoop
- Ninja Creami Protein Ice Cream: the vanilla shake and cottage cheese base this recipe is built on
- Ninja Creami Cookies and Cream Ice Cream: another high-protein pint loaded with cookie pieces
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 Banana Pudding Ice Cream
Equipment
- Blender
- Ninja Creami Deluxe
- 24 oz Ninja Creami pint
Ingredients
- 1 large very ripe banana
- 1 cup Fairlife Nutrition Plan vanilla protein shake
- ¾ cup low-fat cottage cheese
- ⅓ cup allulose
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 4 to 6 Nilla wafers broken into pieces
Instructions
- Add the banana, protein shake, cottage cheese, allulose, vanilla, and salt to a blender. Blend until completely smooth.1 large very ripe banana, 1 cup Fairlife Nutrition Plan vanilla protein shake, ¾ cup low-fat cottage cheese, ⅓ cup allulose, 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract, Pinch of salt
- Pour into a Ninja Creami pint, stopping at the max fill line.
- Cover and freeze on a flat surface for 24 hours.
- Remove the lid, lock the pint into the machine, and spin on Lite Ice Cream.
- If it looks dry or crumbly, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the protein shake and run Respin.
- Make a well down the center, add the broken Nilla wafers, and run the Mix-In program.4 to 6 Nilla wafers
Notes
- Banana: Use one with plenty of brown spots for the sweetest, strongest banana flavor.
- Thaw before spinning: Let the frozen pint sit on the counter for about 5 minutes, or closer to 10 if your kitchen is cold.
- Extra crunch: Add a few fresh wafers on top right before serving, since the mixed-in ones soften as they sit.
- 16 oz Ninja Creami: Use about two thirds of each ingredient.
- Leftovers: Smooth the top flat before refreezing, then spin again on Lite Ice Cream and add fresh wafers.
Rose Sioson says
A couple of things that help: let the pint sit on the counter about 5 minutes before spinning, and save a few Nilla wafers for the top so you still get some crunch. If you try it with Biscoff instead, let me know how it turns out.