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Cherry Chocolate Ice Cream in the Ninja Creami

Cherry chocolate ice cream in the Ninja Creami with a dark chocolate base and chopped frozen cherries for a Black Forest-inspired swirl. Creamy after an Ice Cream cycle, then finished with a Mix-In fold for visible ruby-red cherry pieces.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 6 minutes
freezing 24 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 2 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 560
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chocolate base
  • 1 cup chocolate milk If using plain whole milk, add the cocoa listed below instead.
  • 2 tbsp cocoa Use only if starting with chocolate milk: omit; if using whole milk, mix it in.
  • 0.5 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp cream cheese Soften to make blending smooth.
  • 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
  • 0.25 tsp almond extract
  • 0.25 tsp salt
Cherry mix-in
  • 0.33 cup frozen dark cherries, chopped Chop before using, and keep them frozen until mix-in time.
If needed for re-spin
  • 1 tbsp milk Add only if the pint needs re-spinning for a smoother texture.

Equipment

  • 1 Ninja Creami

Method
 

Blend the chocolate base
  1. Blend the chocolate milk (or whole milk with cocoa), heavy cream, granulated sugar, cream cheese, vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt until smooth and fully combined.
  2. Scrape down the container as needed so there are no visible cream cheese lumps.
Freeze the pint
  1. Pour the mixture into the Ninja Creami pint, fill to the proper line, and freeze for 24 hours to harden completely.
Process on Ice Cream
  1. Process the frozen pint on the Ice Cream setting until thick and scoopable.
  2. If needed, re-spin on the Ice Cream setting with 1 tablespoon milk to improve the texture, then process again until uniform.
Fold in cherry pieces
  1. Use the Mix-In function to fold in the chopped frozen dark cherries so they stay suspended throughout the ice cream.
Serve
  1. Top with a fresh cherry and serve immediately for the best color contrast.

Notes

Pro tip: warm the cream cheese just enough to soften before blending so the base turns silky with no lumps. Freeze time must be a full 24 hours for proper processing. Store covered in the freezer up to 1 week; re-spin in small batches if it gets too hard. Freezing is yes for leftovers—freeze in the pint for best texture. For a dairy-light swap, use a lactose-free milk and lactose-free cream cheese while keeping heavy cream (or a high-fat lactose-free cream) for a similar creamy body.