I’ve always been the person who would pick chocolate peanut butter over chocolate chip cookie dough, any day. Rich chocolate and nutty peanut butter together just win for me every time.
Since I’ve been trying to make smarter choices with dessert, I wanted a Ninja Creami version that still feels like a real treat but sneaks in a little extra protein. This chocolate peanut butter ice cream is it. Cottage cheese, cocoa, and powdered peanut butter spin into a rich, creamy pint with about 12 grams of protein per serving.
There’s no protein powder and no pudding mix, just simple ingredients that blend together in a few minutes. If you’d rather go all in on peanut butter, try my Ninja Creami PB2 Peanut Butter Ice Cream.
Jump to:
- Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream
- What Is Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream?
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- Substitution
- How to Make Ninja Creami Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream
- Tips for Creamy Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream
- Mix-In and Topping Ideas
- Tools You’ll Need
- Recipe FAQs
- More Chocolate and Peanut Butter Ninja Creami Recipes
- Did you try this recipe?
- Ninja Creami Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream (High Protein)
Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream
- 12g protein per serving. Cottage cheese, milk, and powdered peanut butter add up to about 48 grams per pint, without any protein powder.
- Rich chocolate and peanut butter in every bite. Cocoa and powdered peanut butter are blended right into the base, so the flavor runs all the way through instead of sitting in a swirl.
- No pudding mix. Blended cottage cheese gives the base its body, so it spins thick and creamy without the thickeners many protein recipes rely on.
- Simple pantry ingredients. Cottage cheese, milk, cocoa, powdered peanut butter, allulose, and vanilla. Nothing you need to hunt down.
- Powdered peanut butter keeps it light. It packs in peanut butter flavor and extra protein with much less fat than regular peanut butter.
What Is Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream?
Chocolate peanut butter ice cream is a frozen dessert that combines chocolate and peanut butter, one of the most popular flavor pairings in desserts. Most versions start with a chocolate or vanilla ice cream base, then add peanut butter either blended into the base, swirled through in ribbons, or mixed in as peanut butter cups.
This version is made in the Ninja Creami with cottage cheese, milk, cocoa, and powdered peanut butter, all blended into one base. It’s lighter than a traditional cream-based recipe and higher in protein, with about 12 grams per serving.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Low-fat cottage cheese: This is the main source of protein, and it gives the base the thick body that pudding mix usually provides. I use Knudsen low-fat. Blend it completely smooth, because any curds left behind freeze into small lumps.
- Whole milk: Milk thins the base so it blends and spins smoothly. Whole milk adds a little fat for a creamier texture. Lower-fat milk has more water, which can make the pint icier.
- Allulose: Allulose sweetens without adding sugar, and it freezes softer than regular sugar, which helps a lean base stay scoopable. It also balances the bitterness of the cocoa.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: Cocoa gives the ice cream its deep chocolate flavor and color. Use unsweetened, not hot cocoa mix, so you control the sweetness.
- Powdered peanut butter: Powdered peanut butter adds real peanut butter flavor and extra protein with much less fat than regular peanut butter. Because it’s a powder, it blends evenly into the base instead of leaving oily streaks.
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla rounds out the chocolate and peanut butter so the flavor tastes fuller.
- Pinch of salt: Salt brings out both the chocolate and the peanut butter, much like a salted peanut butter cup.
- See the recipe card below for quantities.
Substitution
- Regular peanut butter instead of powdered: Use 3 tablespoons of creamy peanut butter. It gives a richer, nuttier flavor and a slightly creamier texture, but it adds a lot more fat and calories than powdered peanut butter.
- Chocolate Fairlife shake instead of whole milk: Use the same amount for even more protein and a deeper chocolate flavor. It brings the pint to about 64 grams of protein, or about 16 grams per serving.
- Regular sugar instead of allulose: Use ⅓ cup of granulated sugar. It keeps the texture soft and scoopable, but it’s no longer sugar-free.
- Sweetened condensed milk instead of allulose: Use ½ cup of sweetened condensed milk for a richer, creamier pint with a milky sweetness. It adds more sugar and calories.
How to Make Ninja Creami Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream
- Blend the base. Add the cottage cheese, milk, allulose, cocoa powder, powdered peanut butter, vanilla, and salt to a blender. Blend until completely smooth, with no cottage cheese curds or dry pockets of cocoa or peanut butter powder. Powders tend to clump in cold liquid, so blend a little longer than you think you need to.
- Fill the pint. Pour the base into your Ninja Creami pint, staying below 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 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 milk and run Respin until smooth.
- Add mix-ins (optional). Make a well down the center, add your mix-ins, and run the Mix-In program.
Tips for Creamy Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream
- Blend until there are no curds or dry pockets. Cottage cheese curds and clumps of cocoa or powdered peanut butter all freeze into gritty bits. Scrape down the sides of the blender once and blend again until the base looks completely smooth.
- Taste before freezing. Cold dulls sweetness, and cocoa is naturally bitter, so the base should taste a little sweeter than you want the finished ice cream to be. Add a little more 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 a splash of milk. If it comes out crumbly, add a tablespoon or two of milk and run Respin. Too much liquid can make it soft and icy, so start small.
- Using regular peanut butter? Warm it first. Thick peanut butter can clump in a cold base. A few seconds in the microwave loosens it so it blends in evenly.
- Add mix-ins after spinning. Peanuts, chocolate chips, and pretzels go in after the first spin, in a well in the center. Added before freezing, they get ground down by the blade.
Mix-In and Topping Ideas
Chocolate peanut butter goes well with salty, crunchy, and extra-chocolatey add-ins. 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.
- Peanut butter drizzle: Warm a spoonful of creamy peanut butter until it’s pourable, then drizzle it over the top for visible peanut butter ribbons.
- Chopped roasted peanuts: Salted peanuts add crunch and bring out the peanut butter flavor even more.
- Mini chocolate chips: These add little bursts of chocolate in every bite. Mini chips stay tender in the cold, while big chunks freeze hard.
- Crushed pretzels: The salty crunch balances the sweet chocolate, for a sweet and salty scoop.
- Chopped peanut butter cups: For a candy shop version, fold in chopped peanut butter cups. If you love that combination, try my Ninja Creami Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream.
For more on what to add and when, see my guide to the best Ninja Creami mix-ins.
Tools You’ll Need
- Blender: A blender gets the cottage cheese completely smooth and mixes the cocoa and powdered peanut butter in evenly. Whisking by hand leaves curds and dry clumps that freeze into gritty bits.
- Ninja Creami Deluxe: This recipe is sized for the Deluxe’s 24 oz pint. 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, which helps if you’re making protein pints regularly.
Recipe FAQs
No. Once the cottage cheese is blended completely smooth, the chocolate and peanut butter cover it. It just makes the base thicker and creamier and adds protein.
Powdered peanut butter is roasted peanuts with most of the oil pressed out, then ground into a powder. It has the flavor of peanut butter with much less fat, and it blends easily into liquids. You can find it near the regular peanut butter in most grocery stores.
I spin it on Lite Ice Cream, 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 milk and run Respin.
About 12 grams per serving, or about 48 grams for the full 24 oz pint. With the chocolate Fairlife shake instead of whole milk, it goes up to about 16 grams per serving.
Yes. Use about two thirds of each ingredient: ⅔ cup cottage cheese, ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon milk, about 3½ tablespoons allulose, 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons powdered peanut butter, ⅔ teaspoon vanilla, and a pinch of salt.
More Chocolate and Peanut Butter Ninja Creami Recipes
- Ninja Creami Protein Ice Cream: a vanilla protein base with a chocolate variation, no protein powder needed
- Ninja Creami Old-Fashioned Chocolate Ice Cream: a classic, rich chocolate pint
- Ninja Creami Chocolate Brownie Ice Cream: chocolate ice cream loaded with brownie chunks
- Ninja Creami PB2 Peanut Butter Ice Cream: the all-peanut-butter protein version
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 Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream (High Protein)
Equipment
- Blender
- Ninja Creami Deluxe
- 24 oz Ninja Creami pint
Ingredients
- 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
- 1¼ cups whole milk
- ⅓ cup allulose
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons powdered peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a blender. Blend until completely smooth, with no cottage cheese curds or dry pockets of cocoa or peanut butter powder.1 cup low-fat cottage cheese, 1¼ cups whole milk, ⅓ cup allulose, 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, 3 tablespoons powdered peanut butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, Pinch of salt
- Pour into a Ninja Creami pint, staying below 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 milk and run Respin.
- Optional: make a well in the center, add your mix-ins, and run the Mix-In program.
Notes
- Thaw before spinning: Let the frozen pint sit on the counter for about 5 minutes, or closer to 10 if your kitchen is cold.
- Regular peanut butter: Use 3 tablespoons of creamy peanut butter instead of powdered. Warm it first so it blends evenly.
- More protein: Use the chocolate Fairlife Nutrition Plan shake instead of whole milk, for about 16g protein per serving.
- Not sugar-free: Use ⅓ cup granulated sugar or ½ cup sweetened condensed milk instead of allulose.
- 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.
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