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I say this whenever I share a new chai recipe, but believe it or not, despite me being born and raised in India, I only started enjoying and appreciating chai when I came to Canada. I blame this on my parents who would not allow me to drink chai with the rest of the family at parties. Don’t ask me why, I really don’t know! They would just say that my sister and I are too young!
If you’ve followed the blog for some time, then you know I really enjoy using my Ninja Creami. We’re coming to about a year since I’ve purchased this little gadget, and if you’re on the fence of whether or not to buy it, then be sure to watch my deep dive video on my YouTube channel! I test out almost all of the settings of the Ninja Creami machine and give my honest first impressions!
Not to spoil the video, but I do really enjoy my ice cream maker! When I was enjoying a good Ginger Tea not too long ago, I thought that these flavours would be amazing in ice cream! At this time of year, all things ginger are popular, whether that’s in the form of a Gingerbread Latte or a Gingerbread Eggnog Creme Brûlee!
While all things hot may be desired at this time of year, if you love ice cream, then there’s nothing from stopping you from enjoying it indoors! If you recently got a Ninja Creami and want to make plenty of new ice creams, then I definitely encourage you to make this Indian-style protein ice cream! As I mention in my free motivational guide to explore your potential in the kitchen, Make Cooking Fun!!, having a theme can inspire you to try new creations! If you’ve been loving ice cream and you love tea, then I’ll show you how to fuse the two together! You can certainly put your heart in a bowl with this unique ice cream flavour for a tea and ice cream lover as part of your Live to Cook one-month challenge! Get started for free today by signing up to my newsletter, plus all of my latest recipes will be sent right to your inbox! Let’s get started!
Why You Need to Make This Indian Ginger Chai Ice Cream!
- Cozy chai goodness: I’ve observed that whether you’re in a Western country or in India like where I’m from, drinking a cup of chai is always a homey feeling. Although it’s getting colder at the time of writing this recipe, there’s never a wrong time of year to enjoy your favourite food! What I love about this chai protein ice cream is that you get the warm flavors from the ginger chai all packed into a cold dessert! It really is the best of both worlds!
- Minimal ingredients: It’s most likely you already have all the ingredients on hand! You only need some staples to prepare your ginger chai and to make the Ninja Creami chai base.
- All-natural: A lot of Ninja Creami recipes add dry pudding mixes, artificial sweeteners, and/or gums to bind the ingredients together and to yield a smooth ice cream texture. However, we won’t do that here, and you won’t see any of that stuff is needed! With everything all-natural, I got the ice cream smooth on the first spin!
- Simple to make: The most work we need to do is making the tea. We then mix the prepared chai with a few other ingredients to create the base, then from this point on the Ninja Creami machine does all the magic!
- High in protein: A high protein dessert is always welcome! Protein helps keep you full for longer and contributes to overall health by building and repairing muscles. Depending on the kind of protein powder you use and the blending properties, it can even make your ice cream even smoother and richer. Another high-protein ice cream recipe I have is my Blueberry Cheesecake Protein Ice Creamto keep the ice cream fun going!
What if the Ice Cream Texture is Powdery after the First spin?▼
First off, let me say that if this does happen to you, then this is completely normal! With that being said, due to the full fat milk and sweetened condensed milk, I only needed one spin to achieve the perfect ice cream texture with this recipe. On the other hand, if for whatever reason you do have a powdery texture after the first spin, all you need to do is to re-spin as needed until it is completely smooth! While some recipes recommend to add an additional splash of milk before re-spinning, I find this will make your final product more of the texture of a Wendy’s Frosty and not actual ice cream. We have enough liquid in here already, so just trust the re-spin button’s functionality and you’ll be good to go!
Does the Ninja Creami Pint Really Need to be Frozen for 24 Hours?▼
New Ninja Creami machines come with a recipe book that indicate you need to freeze the bases, with the exception of milk shake bases. With that being said, I do recommend that you “play it safe” and freeze your pint for the full 24 hours so that everything sets properly and evenly. However, if you’re really impatient, then I don’t think that letting the pint freeze for 23 hours instead of 24 will make much of a difference, especially if your freezer is cold enough! The most important thing to keep in mind is that the base is entirely frozen so that you don’t break your machine and that you do indeed achieve ice cream texture.
Can Ginger Chai Protein Ice Cream be Made Dairy-Free?▼
I suppose you could, but I can’t guarantee you’ll get the same texture and flavour. For the chai itself, you can use a creamy plant-based milk such as coconut milk or soy milk as your replacement for the cow’s milk here. To replace the sweetened condensed milk, you can opt for dairy-free coconut-based sweetened condensed milk. If you do try this recipe dairy-free, be sure to share what combination of ingredients works best so others can learn too!
Additional Tips for the Creamiest Chai Protein Ice Cream
- Using full-fat milk will get you the best creamiest ice cream. However, if you want to use lower fat milk, you can still achieve a delicious treat by re-spinning the creami multiple times.
- Feel comfortable with experimenting with the re-spin function on the Ninja Creami machine in case the final product does not turn out as creamy of a texture as you are hoping for. The texture after the first spin if my recipe is followed exactly may appear crumbly, but just try and scoop it out to experience the magic.
- The chai’s flavour profile can be adjusted to highlight more of the sweet cardamom or the sharp ginger flavour but adjusting the amounts, or incorporating ground cardamom or ginger as well.
- If desired, feel free to mix-in the cashews or dried fruit instead of garnishing on top. To do this, after you’ve spun the Ninja Creami for your base to reach the desired texture, then remove the container from the machine and make a hole in the centre. Add in the chopped cashews, then return the container to the Ninja Creami machine and select the “Mix-in” feature. The Ninja Creami will distribute the cashews or dried fruit of your choice throughout the ice cream without crushing the topping.
- If you don’t want to make an entire pint, you can use the recipe card to reduce the amount of ice cream base. The Ninja Creami will still spin less liquid under the “max fill” line perfectly fine! That being said, if you’re using the Ninja Creami deluxe ice cream maker, you can use the recipe card to scale the recipe by 1.5 times, or make the same amount as outlined but not fill your pint up all the way.
- To store the ice cream in the freezer long term, make sure you have used an airtight container in the freezer. Furthermore, be sure to cover the ice cream with plastic wrap, with the wrap pressed firmly against the surface of ice cream. Covering with plastic wrap isn’t entirely necessary, but it will benefit you in keeping the ice cream fresher for longer because it will prevent ice crystals from forming.
Equipment Needed
- Ninja Creami ice cream maker
- Extra Ninja Creami pints
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Whisk
- Saucepan
- Wooden spoon
- Ramekins
- Ice cream scoop
- Mortar and pestle
Ingredients for Indian Chai Protein Ice Cream
All ingredients and their quantities can be found in the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD by scrolling to the bottom of this post or by pressing the “Jump to Recipe” button. You can save the recipe for later and scale it based on how many pints of this ice cream you want to make. By default, this recipe will make one pint in the regular Ninja Creami machine. You’ll need to multiply the recipe by a factor of 1.5 for the deluxe model.
For the Ginger Chai
- Whole milk: The traditional choice when making chai, but using full fat dairy milk will give the creamiest final product.
- Water: To boil the tea leaves.
- Ginger: You want some fresh ginger root, light mash them and add the mashed pieces to prepare the tea.
- Loose tea leaves: Black tea to make the chai. If you don’t have loose black tea leaves, alternatively you can use 2 black tea bags.
- Maple syrup: This is my favourite sweetener - can you tell I’m Canadian? I really like the smooth flavour from a good maple syrup. If you don’t want to use maple syrup or don’t have it,honey or table sugar would also work well!
- Green cardamom pods: Whole spices impart a slightly more potent flavour, but otherwise, you can substitute with ground green cardamom. I love using green cardamom in my Indian desserts recipes!
For the Ginger Chai Protein Ice Cream
- Vanilla protein powder: Vanilla will give a bit of sweetness and not overpower the flavour of the ginger chai.
- Sweetened condensed milk: This adds extra richness and additional sweetness to the ice cream. It may seem like there’s a lot of sweetener going on here, but freezing mutes flavours. Therefore, to ensure you’ve got the right amount of sweetness for ice cream, a little extra is better than a little less! If you’re really ambitious, you can definitely make your own sweetened condensed milk, plus my recipe is lactose-free! If you don’t have sweetened condensed milk and don’t want to make it, while there is no direct substitute, you can get similar richness by using heavy cream and add your preferred sweetener. It may not be an exact substitute, but the heavy cream will give you the richness you’re looking for to achieve a classic ice cream texture.
- Vanilla extract: Always key to add some extra aroma to the tea.
- Salt: As mentioned previously, a pinch of salt enhances the flavors.
- Cashews: Chopped cashews for garnish. Feel free to use Pistachios are my favourite! They really bring a classic kheer together for garnish, so I’ll be roughly chopping them for garnish after I’ve scooped out my ice cream. If you want to distribute the pistachios throughout, you can use them as a mix-in. Alternatively, you can garnish with other dried fruits such as raisins, or other nuts like Pistachios , almonds, or peanuts.
How to Make Indian Ginger Chai Protein Ice Cream in the Ninja Creami
For the Ginger Chai
In a saucepan, bring the smashed ginger and water to a boil. Let it simmer for 4-5 minutes until the water has a yellowish tinge.
Add the tea leaves and boil for 2-3 minutes.
Add the lightly smashed cardamom pods and maple syrup. Stir to combine.
Slowly pour in the whole milk and let the mixture simmer just until steaming. Do not let it boil over.
For the Ginger Chai Protein Ice Cream
Once it’s hot, remove the saucepan from the heat and strain the tea mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl.
In a large bowl, combine the ginger tea, condensed milk, vanilla extract, and vanilla protein powder. Whisk well to fully blend.
Pour the mixture into your Ninja Creami container and freeze for at least 24 hours until fully solid.
Once frozen, process the mixture using the “Ice Cream” setting on your Ninja Creami machine. If needed, use the “Re-Spin” function to get the perfect texture.
Scoop out your Ginger Tea Vanilla Creami into a bowl and enjoy as a refreshing dessert. Optionally, garnish with a sprinkle of cashew nuts for added texture.
Enjoy!
Variations
- Flavour: To make your ice cream chocolatey, you can add some cocoa powder to the ice cream base. To incorporate my Rose Chai recipe in your creami, you can add a touch of rose water. To make a Turmeric Chai version of ice cream, then add a bit of ground turmeric. For a Dirty Chai twist, you can add in a shot of espresso!
- Spices: If you want more of a Masala Chai experience, then you could add in whole black peppercorn, cloves, and a cinnamon stick to the chai when you add the green cardamom pods.
- Mix-ins: If you want some sweetness and a little bit of chocolate, you can mix-in some chocolate chips. For a unique rose twist, edible rose petals would be a really fun mix-in! For mix-ins, spin the ice cream in the Ninja Creami to the desired texture. Then, with a spoon, create a hole in the centre and add in the mix-in, then select the “Mix-in” setting when you add the base to back to the Ninja Creami machine.
- Garnish: You could top with some coconut flakes, candied pecans, or even whipped cream! For bonus points, I recommend my homemade whipped cream! Some sauces that would complement your ice cream for topping would be a Cafe Mocha Sauce, Caramel Sauce, or even Pumpkin Sauce!
Freezing Instructions
There’s no worry if you can’t finish the entire pint! Just like you would a pint of ice cream from the store, simply put it back in the freezer! When you want to eat it again, you could take it directly from the freezer and eat it from the pint as is! It should be scoop-able and ready to eat since you’ve already spun the ice cream! If you do find it too solid, then one spin on the “Ice Cream” setting will be good for you to dig in! I recommend that you cover the ice-cream surface with plastic wrap, making sure to press down any air to make the ice cream stay fresh for even longer.
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