Chocolate Maple Ice Cream (Ninja Creami)

Creamy chocolate maple ice cream made in the Ninja Creami with real cocoa, maple syrup, and no refined sugar. Easy, rich, and smooth.

There’s something especially satisfying about making ice cream at home—especially when it turns out just as creamy and indulgent as anything from the store. This Chocolate Maple Ice Cream is rich, smooth, and deeply chocolatey, with natural sweetness from pure maple syrup instead of refined sugar. It’s the kind of dessert that feels both nostalgic and elevated at the same time.

If you’re a Ninja Creami fan, this recipe is about to become a staple. It uses simple, real ingredients and relies on a few smart tricks—like cream cheese for body and a pinch of salt to amplify the chocolate—to deliver that classic scoop-shop texture. Whether you’re serving it straight from the spin or refreezing it for later, this is homemade ice cream done right.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This Chocolate Maple Ice Cream checks all the boxes for an ideal homemade dessert. First, the texture is ultra-creamy without needing gums or stabilizers. The combination of whole milk, heavy cream, and cream cheese gives it that luscious mouthfeel Ninja Creami recipes are known for.

Second, it’s naturally sweetened with maple syrup, which adds subtle caramel-like depth that pairs beautifully with cocoa powder. You can easily adjust the sweetness to your taste—making it perfect for adults and kids alike. And finally, it’s incredibly easy. Just blend, freeze, spin, and enjoy. No stovetop, no egg tempering, no fuss.

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A Breakdown of the Ingredients

Whole Milk
Whole milk provides the liquid base while keeping the ice cream from becoming overly heavy. It helps balance richness with scoopability.

Heavy Cream
This is where the indulgence comes from. Heavy cream adds fat, which is essential for creamy, smooth ice cream and helps prevent iciness.

Whipped Cream Cheese (or Softened Regular Cream Cheese)
A small amount of cream cheese works wonders in Ninja Creami recipes. It adds body, improves texture, and helps the ice cream spin smoothly without becoming crumbly.

Maple Syrup
Maple syrup sweetens naturally while adding a warm, complex flavor that complements chocolate beautifully. Use 3 tablespoons for mildly sweet or 4 for a richer dessert-style sweetness.

Cocoa Powder (Dutch-Process Preferred)
Cocoa powder delivers the chocolate flavor. Dutch-process cocoa is smoother and less acidic, giving the ice cream a deeper, more classic chocolate taste—but regular cocoa works too.

Vanilla Extract
Vanilla rounds out the chocolate and maple flavors, making everything taste more cohesive and balanced.

Salt
Don’t skip this. Even a small pinch of salt dramatically enhances chocolate flavor and keeps the ice cream from tasting flat.

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How to Make Chocolate Maple Ice Cream (Ninja Creami)

1. Blend Everything
Add all ingredients—whole milk, heavy cream, cream cheese, maple syrup, cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt—to a blender. Blend for 20–30 seconds until completely smooth. Make sure there are no cocoa or cream cheese lumps.

2. Freeze
Pour the mixture into a Ninja Creami pint container. Freeze uncovered for 12–24 hours, or until completely solid. A fully frozen base is essential for proper spinning.

3. Spin
Place the frozen pint into the Ninja Creami and run the Ice Cream mode. This first spin breaks the frozen base into a creamy consistency.

4. Re-Spin if Needed
If the texture looks crumbly or powdery after the first spin, add 1–2 tablespoons of milk and use the Re-Spin function. This almost always results in a perfectly smooth finish.

5. Serve or Refreeze
Enjoy immediately for a soft-serve texture, or flatten the top, replace the lid, and refreeze for a firmer, scoopable ice cream later.

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How to Store This Recipe

If you’re not eating the ice cream right away, smooth the surface flat before refreezing. This helps it re-spin evenly next time. Store the pint tightly sealed in the freezer for up to one week.

When ready to eat again, re-spin using the Ice Cream or Re-Spin setting. If it’s been frozen for several days, adding a tablespoon of milk before spinning can help restore creaminess.

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Tips for Making the Best Ninja Creami Ice Cream

• Blend thoroughly. Cocoa powder and cream cheese need to be fully incorporated to avoid grainy texture.
• Freeze uncovered. This helps excess moisture evaporate and improves texture.
• Use full-fat dairy. Reduced-fat substitutions can lead to icy or crumbly results.
• Adjust sweetness before freezing. Taste the blended base and add more maple syrup if needed.
• Don’t panic if it’s crumbly. This is normal—Re-Spin fixes almost everything.

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FAQs

Can I use regular cream cheese instead of whipped?
Yes. Just make sure it’s softened so it blends smoothly.

Can I make this dairy-free?
You can experiment with full-fat coconut milk and dairy-free cream cheese, but the texture may vary.

Why is my ice cream crumbly after spinning?
This usually means it needs more liquid. Add 1–2 tablespoons of milk and re-spin.

Is Dutch-process cocoa required?
No, but it gives a smoother, richer chocolate flavor. Regular cocoa powder still works well.

Can I double this recipe?
Each Ninja Creami pint should be made separately for best results.