This Ninja Creami Cherry Ice Cream is creamy, bright, and made with real cherries, not pudding mix, not gums, nothing you have to look up in the grocery aisle. It's about as simple as Ninja Creami recipes get.
If you love fruit-forward Creami pints, try my blueberry ice cream, strawberry ice cream, and blackberry ice cream next.
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Cherry season is still going strong, which is great, unless you're about to pit a whole pile of cherries for ice cream. I love homemade, but I'm not standing over the sink popping seeds one by one. So I took the shortcut that actually makes sense: a big bag of frozen, pitted cherries from Costco.
They blend up smooth and save a ton of time. One thing I've learned since first posting this: the sweetness varies a lot batch to batch. Some bags are packed with really flavorful cherries, others come out closer to bland. Taste yours before blending, and if they're not sweet enough on their own, a splash of cherry juice or a spoonful of jam fixes it without watering down the texture.
If it's not cherry season, jarred cherries work too, and they're more consistent since you're not relying on how flavorful that particular batch of fresh fruit happened to be.
Jump to:
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients
- How to Make Cherry Ice Cream Using Ninja Creami
- Mix-In & Topping Ideas
- Flavor Variations to Try
- Ninja Creami Tips & Troubleshooting
- Equipment Used
- Recipe FAQs
- More Fruity Ninja Creami Recipes
- Did you try this recipe?
- Recipe Card
- Ninja Creami Cherry Ice Cream (No Pudding Mix)
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- No pitting required, frozen cherries save you the mess
- A creamy, protein-boosted base thanks to cottage cheese
- No pudding mix, no gums, just a short ingredient list
- Easy to fix if your cherries turn out mild, jam or juice does the trick
- Making this for kids? Cherry is usually a hit. For more flavors your kids will actually ask for again, check out 10 Kids-Approved Ninja Creami Recipes.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Cherries: Fresh or frozen, pits removed. Taste one before blending, frozen cherries (especially from Costco) can vary in sweetness batch to batch. If they're bland or tart, jarred cherries in syrup are a more consistent option.
- Half and Half: Adds creaminess without being too heavy. Heavy cream works too.
- Cottage Cheese: Blends smooth and adds a protein boost.
- Vanilla Extract: Rounds out the cherry flavor with a bit of warmth.
- Condensed Milk: Sweetens the ice cream and adds a smooth, rich texture.
- Agave: A natural sweetener that keeps things light. Honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar, stevia, monk fruit, or regular sugar all work too
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Cherry Ice Cream Using Ninja Creami
- In a blender, combine cherries, half and half, cottage cheese, vanilla extract, condensed milk and monk fruit. Pour the blended mixture into a Ninja Creami pint container, making sure it does not exceed the max fill line.
- Place the pint container in the freezer and freeze for at least 18-24 hours.
- Step 3: After freezing, remove the pint container from the freezer and place it into the Ninja Creami machine. Attach the pint holder lid and lock it into place. Select the "Ice Cream" setting and let the Ninja Creami process the mixture. *see notes
- Scoop the cherry ice cream into bowls and top with your favorite toppings!
Mix-In & Topping Ideas
- Mini chocolate chips
- Crushed almonds or pistachios
- Fresh sliced cherries
- Whipped cream
- Toasted coconut
- Caramel or chocolate drizzle
- Crumbled biscotti or graham crackers
Flavor Variations to Try
- Chocolate Cherry – Add cocoa powder or chocolate chunks
- Cherry Almond – Swap vanilla for almond extract
- Cherry Cheesecake – Blend in cream cheese + graham crumbs
- Cherry Coconut – Use coconut milk for a tropical twist
- Cherry Pistachio – Fold in chopped pistachios after spinning
- Spiced Cherry – Cinnamon or nutmeg for cozy vibes
- Cherry Banana Split – Add banana + classic toppings
- Cherry Lychee – Sweet, floral, and super refreshing
Ninja Creami Tips & Troubleshooting
- Crumbly after spinning? Totally normal, hit Respin once.
- Too soft? Freeze 10-15 more minutes and respin.
- Grainy texture? Blend longer before freezing next time.
- Icy result? Make sure you froze a full 18-24 hours and didn't skimp on fat.
- Tastes more creamy than cherry? Your cherries probably weren't sweet or flavorful enough on their own. A splash of cherry juice or a spoonful of cherry jam fixes this without watering down the texture.
Equipment Used
- Ninja CREAMi Deluxe 11-in-1 Ice Cream & Frozen Treat Maker: The star of the show, perfect for creating creamy, smooth ice cream.
- Blender: To blend the cherries, cottage cheese and ingredients into a silky base.
- Ninja Creami Pint Container: The pint container is essential for freezing and churning your cherry ice cream mix.
Recipe FAQs
If you prefer a lighter version, you can use whole milk or any dairy-free alternative such as oat milk, soy milk, coconut milk, but the texture may be less creamy.
Substitute the half and half, cottage cheese, and condensed milk with dairy-free alternatives like almond milk, coconut milk, and coconut cream. Adjust the sweetness as needed.
Absolutely! Frozen fruit is ideal for making sorbets, ice creams, and other frozen treats in the Ninja Creami. Just be sure to cut the fruit into small pieces before freezing to protect the blades.
Yes, it’s recommended to freeze the mixture for 24 hours to ensure it solidifies properly before processing. This ensures the best creamy texture when blending.
More Fruity Ninja Creami Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
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Recipe Card
Ninja Creami Cherry Ice Cream (No Pudding Mix)
Equipment
- 1 Blender
- 1 Ninja Creami Ice Cream Maker
- 1 Ninja Creami Pint Container
Ingredients
- 1 cup Sweet Cherries Fresh or frozen pits removed
- 1 cup Half and Half
- ¼ cup Cottage Cheese
- ½ cup Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 1 tablespoon Monk Fruit You can also use agave honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar, stevia, monk fruit or regular sugar.
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- In a blender, combine cherries, half and half, cottage cheese, vanilla extract, condensed milk and monk fruit. Pour the blended mixture into a Ninja Creami pint container, making sure it does not exceed the max fill line.1 cup Sweet Cherries Fresh or frozen, 1 cup Half and Half, ¼ cup Cottage Cheese, ½ cup Sweetened Condensed Milk, 1 tablespoon Monk Fruit You can also use agave, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Place the pint container in the freezer and freeze for at least 18-24 hours.
- After freezing, remove the pint container from the freezer and place it into the Ninja Creami machine. Attach the pint holder lid and lock it into place. Select the "Ice Cream" setting and let the Ninja Creami process the mixture. *see notes
- Scoop the cherry ice cream into bowls and top with your favorite toppings
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Notes
- Make sure your cherries are nice and sweet. If they’re tart, go with store-bought jarred cherries like maraschinos.
- If your mixture is still crumbly after the first spin, just hit the "Respin" button and keep going until it’s nice and creamy. Adding a tablespoon of cream or milk can help speed things up.
- Normally, if you let it sit out for 5 to 10 minutes after taking it out of the freezer, it usually won't need any spin.
