Ninja Creami mix-ins guide
Mix-ins turn plain ice cream into a proper flavour. Here is what works, how to add it and 18 combinations to start with.
How to add mix-ins
- Make a base and freeze it for 24 hours.
- Process it on the program that matches the base: ice cream, gelato or lite ice cream.
- Make a hole about 4 cm (1½ inches) wide down the middle, reaching the bottom of the pint, and put the mix-ins in it.
- Run the mix-in program.
Short of time? Scoop shop-bought ice cream into the pint and start from the hole.
Hard or soft?
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Hard mix-ins stay chunky
Chocolate, sweets and nuts are not broken down by the mix-in program. Use mini chocolate chips and sweets, or chop everything first.
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Soft mix-ins break up
Cereal, biscuits and frozen fruit end up smaller. Use bigger pieces than you want in the finished ice cream.
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Skip these in ice cream and gelato
SharkNinja doesn't recommend fresh fruit, fudge or caramel sauce, chocolate hazelnut spread or nut butters. Sauces and fruit water the treat down, and spreads don't mix well. Frozen fruit and hard shell toppings work better.
18 combinations to try
Each is a base, an optional extract (1 tsp, in place of the vanilla extract in the base) and a mix-in. They suit ice cream and gelato bases, including dairy-free and lite ones.
| Flavour | Base | Extract | Mix-in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chocolate chip cookie dough | Vanilla | Vanilla, as in the recipe | 60 ml edible cookie dough chunks and 1 tbsp mini chocolate chips |
| Rocky road | Chocolate | None | 2 tbsp chopped almonds, 2 tbsp mini chocolate chips and 1 tbsp marshmallow topping |
| Cookies and cream | Vanilla | Vanilla, as in the recipe | 3 broken chocolate sandwich biscuits |
| Mint chocolate chip | Vanilla, without the vanilla | 1 tsp mint extract (green colouring optional) | 60 ml mini chocolate chips |
| Maple walnut | Vanilla, without the vanilla | 1 tsp maple extract | 60 ml chopped walnuts |
| Death by chocolate | Chocolate | None | 2 tbsp mini chocolate chips and 2 tbsp brownie chunks |
| Pistachio | Vanilla, without the vanilla | 1 tsp almond extract (green colouring optional) | 60 ml shelled, chopped pistachios |
| Sweet and salty snack mix | Vanilla | Vanilla, as in the recipe | 1 tbsp mini pretzels, 1 tbsp broken crisps and 1 tbsp broken chocolate sweets |
| Root beer float | Vanilla, without the vanilla | 1 tsp root beer extract | None |
| Raspberry chip | Vanilla, without the vanilla | 1 tsp raspberry extract | 60 ml mini chocolate chips |
| Peppermint stick | Vanilla, without the vanilla | 1 tsp peppermint extract (red colouring optional) | 60 ml candy cane pieces |
| Rum raisin | Vanilla, without the vanilla | 1 tsp rum extract | 60 ml raisins soaked in hot water |
| Sundae cone | Vanilla | Vanilla, as in the recipe | 1 tbsp chocolate shell topping, 2 tbsp chopped peanuts and 2 tbsp sugar cone pieces |
| Coconut chocolate almond bar | Vanilla, without the vanilla | 1 tsp coconut extract | 3 tbsp chopped almonds and 1 tbsp chocolate shell syrup |
| Caramel chocolate nut cluster | Vanilla | Vanilla, as in the recipe | 60 ml broken chocolate-covered caramels and 2 tbsp chopped cashews |
| Chocolate toffee crunch | Chocolate | None | 60 ml broken chocolate toffee bar |
| S'mores | Chocolate | None | 3 tbsp crushed digestive biscuits and 1 tbsp marshmallow topping |
| Chocolate peanut butter cup | Chocolate | None | 60 ml broken mini peanut butter cups |
Recipes to try
Ideas in this guide draw on SharkNinja's Ninja CREAMi recipe inspiration guide. It is written in our own words, so check the guide that came with your machine for the official advice.