Ninja Creami Gingerbread Ice Cream Recipe

Name: Ninja Creami Gingerbread Ice Cream
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 1460 min
Ingredients: 2 cups (473ml) milk; 1 ½ cups (354ml) heavy cream (or half and half); 3-4 tablespoons brown sugar (or your preferred sweetener); 2 tablespoons cream cheese; 2 teaspoons gingerbread spice (use more or less, depending on your preference); 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

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Looking for a fun Christmas dessert you can eat all the time? Then this easy Ninja Creami gingerbread ice cream with just 6 ingredients and minimal prep is just what you need!

Suitable for gluten free and vegetarian diets.

the completed Ninja Creami Gingerbread Ice Cream recipe.

Every winter, I get obsessed with gingerbread everything, but this year, my Ninja Creami has completely ruined me (in a good way). I tested gingerbread ice cream four different ways before landing on this version: creamy, warmly spiced, perfectly scoopable, and full of that nostalgic “soft gingerbread cookie” flavor.

Table of Contents

Easy Christmas Ice Cream

If you’re a Ninja Creami person, you know the drill: we freeze, we spin, we respin, we obsess just a little. And it’s so worth it for this treat. Especially as we only need 6 simple ingredients for this utterly delicious Christmas dessert, and we can swap out some ingredients for an even healthier version. If gingerbread lattes are your personality in December… this is for you.

And like my Ninja Creami pumpkin ice cream, this is a frozen Christmas treat that I can whip up and have on hand to indulge in any time the mood strikes. Ps, feel free to check out my entire collection of homemade Ninja Creami recipes!

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a spoon scooping out the completed gingerbread ice cream inside the Ninja Creami container.

Why Make This Recipe

Here’s what makes this recipe super special, and all that:

Easy and super quick to mix. Simply combine all the ingredients, freeze them, and process. Yeap, easy homemade gingerbread ice cream in a few steps!
Budget friendly. Make with a handful of budget friendly pantry + refrigerator staples.
Diet-friendly options. I’ve included vegan + low-sugar versions below.
Customizable. Add some mix-ins like cookie chunks, a molasses swirl, or candied ginger to create your perfect ice cream.
Holiday flavors. Full of warm ginger, cinnamon, cloves, molasses in every bite.
Creamy every time. Yeap you get a smooth texture even with dairy-free swaps.
You can also check out the equally delicious Ninja Creami vanilla ice cream.

Ingredient Notes

Here’s the staples that make it into this recipe, plus a few ideas of how I like to change it depending on what’s in the fridge/freezer:

Heavy cream – makes a perfect ice cream base, but you can use half and half in
Milk – This recipe calls for whole milk.
Cream cheese – use full fat cheese for ultra rich and creamy ice cream.
Vanilla extract – Use the best quality extract that you have.
Brown sugar – or your preferred sweetener of choice.
Gingerbread spice – Adds warming winter and Christmas flavor. Feel free to add more or less to suit your taste.

the ingredients needed to make this Ninja Creami gingerbread ice cream recipe.

Handy Tip: Use Good Kitchen Tools!

For the best tools to help make your recipe even easier and more successful, check out my collection of the Best Kitchen Tools on Amazon.

How To Make It

Get the complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.

the gingerbread ice cream ingredients inside a blender.

Step 1. Add cream cheese, cream, milk, brown sugar, vanilla, and gingerbread spice to a blender.

the blended ingredients for gingerbread ice cream.

Step 2. Blend until all of the ingredients are fully combined.

the ice cream mixture in a Ninja Creami pint container ready to go into the freezer.

Step 3. Pour the mixture into an empty Ninja CREAMi container pint, cover, and freeze on a level surface in the freezer for 24 hours. Then remove, take the lid off, and place in the Ninja CREAMi according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

the ice cream mixture inside the Ninja Creami pint.

Step 4. Process using the Ice Cream setting. Then when done, open and quickly stir. You will need to add a splash of liquid and re-spin. Feel free to repeat until you reach the desired consistency.

Bintu’s Tips For Success

Please allow the mixture to freeze for the full 24 hours. It must be fully frozen in order to process correctly.
Prep and freeze several recipes, like this Ninja Creami apple pie ice cream, at once so you’ll always have a frozen pint ready to process!
Use the re-spin function if your ice cream isn’t creamy enough.
If after respinning, it’s still not the right texture, add a splash of milk or cream and re-spin again.
Serve your ice cream in cold containers so that it stays colder and remains solid longer.

close up view of the gingerbread ice cream in the Ninja Creami container with a spoon inside.

Delicious Variations

Make it vegan – Use coconut cream and vegan cream cheese to make delicious vegan ice cream.
Lighten it up – To make this a sugar-free ice cream, simply replace the brown sugar with a sugar-free alternative, then process using the Lite Ice Cream program.
Make a milkshake – Use the Ninja Creami milkshake setting to turn this ice cream into a delicious milkshake.
Add mix-ins – Add in whatever strikes your fancy! Some suggestions to try: gingerbread cookie crumbles, candied ginger bits, pecans, walnuts, almond flakes, and chocolate chips.

top down view of the processed ice cream inside the Ninja Creami machine.

Prep and Storage

Prep Ahead – Make your ice cream base and let it freeze for at least 24 hours before adding it to the machine.
Storage – Keep in a sealed container in the freezer for several weeks, up to 1 month.

a spoon inside the gingerbread ice cream.

FAQs

Do I really have to wait 24 hours for Ninja Creami?

Yes, and having to wait 24 hours for Ninja Creami is probably the most difficult part of the process. To get the proper texture, it is critical that the ice cream base be a frozen solid. This ensures that smaller ice crystals form, which provides that super creamy texture we all love.

Why is my Ninja Creami ice cream so icy?

If your Ninja Creami ice cream is icy, you have a few options;
(1) The freezer is too cold. Try letting your frozen ice cream sit on your counter for about 10 minutes to warm up a little bit before processing.
(2) The base does not have enough fat content – try adding in some extra dairy with high fat content.
(3) The base does not have enough sugar. Try adding a bit more sugar, honey, or corn syrup and re-spinning.

Can I put frozen fruit in my Ninja Creami?

I do NOT recommend using frozen fruit in the Ninja Creami, since it is not made to process hard frozen fruit, and this will likely damage your machine. Allow the fruit to thaw before using.

If starting with frozen fruit, you may need to blend them separately in a high powered blender before adding the mix into your Creami.

How long can you keep Ninja Creami in freezer?

You can keep it in the freezer for several weeks. Smooth out the processed mixture so it’s flat, place the lid on, and put it in the freezer. When you are ready to enjoy it again, simply run it on the same setting that you used the first time.

a serving of gingerbread ice cream in a bowl with a spoon.

More Ninja Creami Recipes

Feel free to sandwich it between Air Fryer gingersnap cookies, make a holiday affogato, and serve alongside a gingerbread house or with some buttermilk waffles for Christmas breakfast or brunch.

Recommended Tools

The awesome Ninja Creami is a must!
Extra Ninja CREAMi Deluxe pints to always have a frozen batch ready to process.
A good set of Mixing Bowls to combine ingredients with ease.
Measuring Cups and Spoons to ensure you use the correct amounts.
And for the best tools to help make your recipe even easier and more successful, check out my collection of the Best Kitchen Tools on Amazon.

Thank you for reading my gingerbread ice cream recipe post. And please come visit again as I continue to slice, dice, and dream up affordable Air Fryer recipes, Instant Pot recipes, Southern Recipes, and more. Thanks for supporting Recipes from a Pantry, food blog.

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