There's something about seeing candy canes tucked into Christmas stockings that instantly makes it feel like Christmas morning. My kids are always excited to find them, even if half the candy canes end up sitting around long after the holidays.
So I turned that little Christmas tradition into this Ninja Creami candy cane ice cream. It's a creamy peppermint ice cream with crushed peppermint candy folded in at the end, so every scoop is cool, minty, and crunchy. For this batch I used starlight mints, the round red-striped peppermints. If your family likes my Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, this is the holiday version.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Candy Cane Ice Cream
- 🛒Ingredients
- Add-Ins & Swaps
- How to Make Ninja Creami Candy Cane Ice Cream
- Topping and Mix-In Ideas for Candy Cane Ice Cream
- 👪Serving Size
- 🌀Tools You’ll Need
- Recipe Tips & Troubleshooting
- Recipe FAQs
- More Holiday Ice Cream Recipes
- Did you try this recipe?
- Ninja Creami Candy Cane Ice Cream
Why You'll Love This Candy Cane Ice Cream
- It tastes like Christmas. Peppermint and crushed red-striped candy give you that candy cane flavor in a cold, creamy scoop.
- Thick and creamy from cottage cheese. Blended smooth, cottage cheese adds body to the base, so it spins thick instead of icy. It won't taste cheesy.
- No gums or pudding mix. Half and half, cottage cheese, and sweetened condensed milk keep the texture smooth without stabilizers.
- Crunch in every bite. The crushed mints go in at Mix-In, so they stay crunchy instead of dissolving into the base.
- Easy holiday ingredients. Peppermint candy and flavoring are easy to find in the holiday aisle, and the rest are everyday dairy staples.
🛒Ingredients
This is just an overview. The full recipe card below has exact amounts.
- Half and half: It's the creamy base. It has enough fat to spin smooth without turning waxy or buttery the way heavy cream can in the Creami.
- Cottage cheese: It makes the base thick and creamy and helps it spin smooth instead of icy. Blend it completely and you won't taste any cheese, just a richer texture.
- Sweetened condensed milk: It adds sweetness and milk solids in one ingredient, which keeps the pint soft and scoopable straight from the freezer.
- Vanilla bean extract: It rounds out the mint so the flavor tastes like candy cane ice cream, not toothpaste. Regular vanilla extract works too.
- Peppermint or chocolate mint flavor oil: I used chocolate mint flavor oil, but peppermint extract also works. Oils are much stronger than extracts, so start with just a few drops, and taste the base before freezing.
- Starlight mints: These are the round red-striped peppermint candies. Crushed and added at Mix-In, they give you the candy cane crunch and little flecks of red throughout.
Add-Ins & Swaps
- Peppermint bark version: Add mini chocolate chips or chopped chocolate with the crushed mints during Mix-In. Chocolate and peppermint together taste like the classic holiday candy, and the chocolate adds a second kind of crunch.
- Peppermint extract instead of flavor oil: It works if you don't have flavor oil. Extract is milder than oil, so you'll need more of it. Start small and taste the base before freezing, because cold mutes mint.
- Crush the mints finer: For a softer crunch, crush them almost to a powder. Smaller pieces spread through the pint more evenly and are easier on the teeth than big shards.
- Regular vanilla extract: It works if you don't have vanilla bean extract. You'll just miss the little vanilla specks.
How to Make Ninja Creami Candy Cane Ice Cream
- Blend the base. Add the half and half, cottage cheese, condensed milk, vanilla, and mint flavoring to a blender. Blend until completely smooth, because any cottage cheese lumps left behind freeze into grainy bits.
- Freeze flat for 24 hours. Pour the base into a Deluxe 24 oz pint, level the top, and freeze on a flat surface. An even top lets the blade cut through smoothly, and the full 24 hours makes sure the center is as solid as the edges.
- Let it sit, then spin. Leave the pint on the counter about 5 minutes, or about 10 if your kitchen runs cold, then spin on Ice Cream. If it looks powdery like snow, that's normal. It just means the pint is still very cold.
- Respin only if it's crumbly. Add a splash of milk or half and half and run Respin. The extra liquid gives the blade something to pull the base together into a smooth scoop.
- Add the crushed mints. Crush the starlight mints in a zip-top bag with a rolling pin. Make a well in the center, add the crushed mints, and run Mix-In. Adding them now, not before freezing, keeps them crunchy instead of dissolving into a sticky mess.
- Serve. Scoop it right away, straight from the pint if you like, or freeze it 10 to 15 minutes for firmer scoops.
Topping and Mix-In Ideas for Candy Cane Ice Cream
- Chocolate drizzle: Chocolate and mint are a classic pair, and a drizzle on top makes it taste like peppermint bark. Drizzle it after scooping, so it doesn't freeze hard in the pint.
- Whipped cream and extra crushed mints: The whipped cream adds a light layer. Mints sprinkled on top add fresh crunch and color, since the ones mixed in soften a little over time.
- Mini chocolate chips: Sprinkle them on top for crunch with no extra work. Small chips spread evenly, so you get a little chocolate in every bite.
- Crushed Oreos: They turn it into a holiday cookies and cream. If you like that combo, try my Mint Cookies and Cream Ice Cream.
- A pinch of flaky salt: A few flakes cut the sweetness and make the mint taste brighter.
- For more ideas, check out my guide to the best Creami mix-ins.
👪Serving Size
This recipe is written for the Ninja CREAMi Deluxe 24-ounce pint and makes about 4 servings.
For a standard 16-ounce pint, use two-thirds of each ingredient. Everything stays in proportion, so the texture and mint flavor come out the same. The freeze, thaw, spin, and Mix-In steps don't change.
🌀Tools You’ll Need
- Blender: Cottage cheese needs a full blend to disappear into the base. A blender gets it completely smooth, so the pint freezes creamy instead of grainy.
- Ninja CREAMi Deluxe 11-in-1 Ice Cream & Frozen Treat Maker: The amounts in this recipe are sized for the Deluxe. Its Mix-In cycle folds the crushed mints in gently, so they stay in crunchy pieces.
- Ninja Creami Pint Container: Use the 24 oz Deluxe pint for the amounts in the card. An extra pint lets you keep a batch freezing for Christmas while you eat from another.
Recipe Tips & Troubleshooting
- Icy texture? Blend the base until it's completely smooth and freeze the pint flat for the full 24 hours. A rushed freeze or an uneven top keeps the blade from spinning it creamy.
- Crumbly after spinning? That's normal for a very cold pint. Add a splash of milk or half and half and run Respin, because the extra liquid gives the blade something to pull the base together.
- Too soft after Respin? Freeze it 10 to 15 minutes. Spinning warms the ice cream slightly, so a short rest firms it right up.
- Grainy texture? The cottage cheese wasn't fully blended. Blend longer next time, until no curds are left, because any lumps freeze into grainy bits.
- Candy turned sticky? Peppermint candy dissolves when it sits in the base too long. Always add the crushed mints at Mix-In, never before freezing.
- Mint too strong or too weak? Taste the base before freezing and make it a little stronger than you want. Cold mutes mint, so a base that tastes right at room temperature will taste milder once frozen.
Recipe FAQs
How much peppermint flavor should I use?
Start with the amount in the recipe card and taste the base before freezing. Flavor oils are strong, so add a drop at a time. Cold mutes mint, so the base should taste a little stronger than you want the finished ice cream to be.
Is candy cane ice cream the same as peppermint ice cream?
They're close. Both use a peppermint-flavored base. Candy cane ice cream adds crushed peppermint candy at the end, which gives it crunch and red-and-white flecks.
Can I mix the crushed mints in before freezing?
It's better not to. The candy dissolves or turns sticky when it sits in the base. Add the mints at Mix-In, after spinning, so they stay crunchy.
Will the cottage cheese taste cheesy?
No. Once it's blended completely smooth, cottage cheese just makes the base thicker and creamier. The mint and vanilla cover any dairy tang.
Can I save leftovers?
Yes. Smooth the top flat and freeze. Run Respin before serving to bring back the creamy texture. The mints soften a little over time, so add a few fresh crushed ones on top for crunch.
More Holiday Ice Cream Recipes
Looking for more pints for the holidays? Try these:
- Eggnog Ice Cream: One ingredient, plus cheesecake and ube variations.
- Spiced Hot Chocolate Ice Cream: Hot cocoa flavor with cinnamon and a little heat.
- Spiked Eggnog Ice Cream with Rum: A grown-up holiday pint.
- Maple Walnut Ice Cream: Maple and toasted walnuts for a cozy holiday pint.
- Mango Cranberry Ice Cream: A fruity option for the holiday table.
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 Candy Cane Ice Cream
Ninja Creami candy cane ice cream with a creamy mint base and crushed starlight mints folded in at Mix-In. Cottage cheese makes it thick and creamy, with no gums or pudding mix.
Equipment
- 1 Ninja Creami Deluxe Ice Cream maker
- 24 oz Ninja Creami Pint Container
- 1 Blender
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups half-and-half
- ½ cup cottage cheese
- ½ cup sweetened condensed milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean extract or vanilla extract
- 3 drops Peppermint or chocolate mint flavor oil chocolate mint flavor oil or peppermint extract, to taste (start small)
- 2 tablespoon crushed starlight mints red-striped round peppermint candies, for Mix-In
Instructions
- Add the half and half, cottage cheese, condensed milk, vanilla, and mint flavoring to a blender. Blend until completely smooth with no cottage cheese lumps.1¾ cups half-and-half, ½ cup cottage cheese, ½ cup sweetened condensed milk, 2 teaspoons vanilla bean extract, 3 drops Peppermint or chocolate mint flavor oil
- Pour into a Deluxe 24 oz pint and level the top. Freeze flat for at least 24 hours.
- Let the pint sit on the counter about 5 minutes, or about 10 in a cold kitchen.
- Spin on Ice Cream.
- If it looks crumbly, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk or half and half and run Respin.
- Crush the starlight mints in a zip-top bag. Make a well in the center, add the crushed mints, and run Mix-In.2 tablespoon crushed starlight mints
- Serve right away, or freeze 10 to 15 minutes for firmer scoops.
Notes
- Taste before freezing. Cold mutes mint, so the base should taste a little stronger than you want the finished ice cream.
- Flavor oil is stronger than extract. Add oil one drop at a time. If you use peppermint extract, you'll need more.
- Add the mints at Mix-In only. Crushed candy dissolves and turns sticky if it sits in the base before freezing.
- Peppermint bark version: Add mini chocolate chips or chopped chocolate with the mints during Mix-In.
- 16 oz pint: Use two-thirds of each ingredient and follow the same steps.
- Leftovers: Smooth the top flat before refreezing, then Respin before serving. Top with fresh crushed mints for crunch.
Tried this recipe?Leave us a comment below and share how it came out!
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