Chunky Monkey Protein Ice Cream (44g Protein Ninja Creami)
Chunky Monkey protein ice cream made in the Ninja Creami with banana, dark chocolate chunks, and walnuts. It’s the Ben & Jerry’s classic turned high-protein, creamy banana ice cream loaded with chocolate and crunch. Blend, freeze, spin, done.
Chunky Monkey was my Ben & Jerry’s order every single time. This is that, but it spins up in my Ninja Creami with a full scoop of protein, and somehow it tastes even MORE like banana than the pint from the store. Creamy banana base, dark chocolate chunks, walnuts for the crunch.
Chunky Monkey protein ice cream is a high-protein frozen dessert made by blending banana, milk, protein powder, and pudding mix, freezing it for 24 hours, then spinning it in the Ninja Creami and folding in chocolate and walnuts. The banana is doing double duty here, it brings the flavor and that thick, scoopable texture at the same time, so you don’t need a pile of sugar or heavy cream to get there.
I’ve eaten this side by side with the real Chunky Monkey, and the banana flavor in mine wins. The original tastes a little artificial next to it. Mine spins up thick and creamy, keeps me full, and tastes like the treat I grew up on.
Ingredients You Need
- Banana — the star. It brings the natural sweetness, the real banana flavor, and the creamy texture all at once. Use one that’s ripe and yellow with just a few spots. Too green and it’s bland, too brown and it goes a little fermented.
- Fairlife 2% milk — creamy and high in protein, about 14g per cup. Skim, 1%, or whole all work, and the more fat, the creamier.
- Unsweetened almond milk — thins the base just enough to spin smooth. Oat or coconut milk are great here too.
- Vanilla protein powder — the protein, plus a vanilla backbone that rounds out the banana. PEScience Gourmet Vanilla is my go-to, code BAILEY saves you a bit.
- Sugar-free vanilla pudding mix — my non-negotiable for texture. It’s what keeps this creamy instead of icy.
- Dark chocolate chunks or chips — for that classic Chunky Monkey chocolate. Chunks for big bites, mini chips if you want chocolate in every spoonful.
- Walnuts — chopped, for the crunch. Banana and walnut were made for each other.
How to Make Chunky Monkey Protein Ice Cream
- Add the Fairlife milk, almond milk, protein powder, pudding mix, vanilla extract and salt to your Ninja Creami pint and blend with a frother until smooth. Slice up one banana and drop it in, keeping everything under the max fill line.
- Cover and freeze flat for 24 hours, until it’s solid all the way through.
- Take the pint out, run the outside under hot water for 60 seconds, and make sure the top is level so it doesn’t damage the blade.
- Lock it into the machine and press Lite Ice Cream for the first spin.
- It’ll probably look powdery or crumbly after that first spin, and that’s normal. Add a tablespoon of milk and hit Re-Spin until it’s creamy.
- Dig a well in the center, add your chocolate chunks and walnuts, and press Mix-In. Pile more banana, chocolate, and walnuts on top and dig in.
Tips for the Creamiest Texture
Use a ripe banana, not an overripe one. A yellow banana with a few spots gives you the cleanest banana flavor and the best sweetness. A brown one can taste fermented and take over the whole pint.
Freeze it dead level for the full 24 hours. A tilted pint freezes uneven, and a base that isn’t frozen solid spins up soft and sad instead of thick and creamy.
Don’t fear the re-spin. A crumbly first spin is just the machine breaking everything up. One tablespoon of milk and one more spin, and it comes together into soft serve every time.
Save the chocolate and walnuts for last. Add them with the Mix-In button after the base is creamy and spin ONCE, so they stay in real chunks instead of getting pulverized.
Variations and Mix-Ins
Even higher protein — blend 2 tablespoons of cottage cheese into the base. You won’t taste it, I promise, and it pushes the protein way up while making it extra creamy.
Peanut butter Chunky Monkey — swirl a tablespoon of peanut butter into the base. Banana and peanut butter is a whole vibe.
Chocolate lover — blend in a tablespoon of cocoa powder or use chocolate protein powder for a chocolate-banana base. It loses the yellow color but gains a lot of chocolate.
Coffee Chunky Monkey — a teaspoon of instant espresso powder turns it into a banana mocha.
Dairy-free and vegan — plant-based protein, non-dairy milk, dairy-free chocolate, and you’re set.
How to Store
Smooth the top flat, pop the lid on, and store leftovers right in the Ninja Creami pint. It holds its best texture for about 2 weeks.
When you want round two, it’ll be frozen solid again, so let it sit out for 5 to 10 minutes, run it under hot water, and re-spin with a splash of milk to bring back that fresh-churned texture.
Chunky Monkey Protein Ice Cream FAQ
Can I use frozen bananas? Yes, just thaw them a little first. A rock-solid frozen banana won’t blend evenly and you’ll end up with chunks. Let it soften for a few minutes so it mixes in smooth before you freeze the pint.
Can I use different nuts or leave them out? For sure. Walnuts are the classic, but pecans, almonds, or peanuts all work, and you can skip the nuts completely for a nut-free version. The banana and chocolate carry it either way.
Does it taste like a protein shake? Nope. The banana, chocolate, and walnuts give it real ice cream flavor, and the protein powder hangs out in the background. Start with a vanilla protein you actually like the taste of and you’d never know this was high-protein.
Chunky Monkey Protein Ice Cream (Ninja Creami)
Ingredients
- 1 cup Fairlife skim milk
- ½ cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- 1 scoop sugar-free instant jello powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 1 ½ banana divided and chopped
- 1-2 tbsp chocolate chunks
- 1-2 tbsp walnuts
Instructions
- Add milk, almond milk, protein powder, vanilla pudding mix, vanilla extract and salt to the ninja creami pint container up to the max fill line and mix well with hand held frother. Chop up 1 full banana and add to the pint container.
- Freeze container for 24 hours until frozen solid.
- Remove frozen pint, run under hot water for 60 seconds and install into your machine. It’s important that your pint has a level surface, otherwise it can damage the blade.
- For the first spin, press lite Ice Cream button. Remove the outer bowl lid. If ice cream is still powdery, then add back to machine and press respin button. If it's creamy, move on to mix-ins.
- Check ice cream. The final product should be creamy and have a smooth texture.
- Make a hole in the middle of the ice cream and add chocolate chunks and walnuts. Add back to machine and use Mix-ins button.
- Top with additional chocolate, walnuts and banana pieces and enjoy!
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided is calculated based on industry-standard software and should be used as a general guide only. The information may vary depending on ingredient substitutions, cooking techniques, and individual serving sizes. It is the responsibility of the reader to ensure the accuracy and appropriateness of the nutritional information provided. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalized medical or nutritional advice.
More Ninja Creami Recipes To Try
- Banana Cream Pie Protein Ice Cream
- Biscoff Protein Ice Cream
- Birthday Cake Ice Cream In The Ninja Creami
- Vanilla Base Protein Ice Cream
- Cinnamon Toast Crunch Protein Ice Cream
Made this Chunky Monkey protein ice cream? Leave a star rating and a comment below and tell me how it turned out, I read every one. And tag me on Instagram @basicswithbails or save it on Pinterest with #basicswithbails.
About Bailey
I love to bake, cook, exercise, and document all of the above. Nutrition is not low fat. It is not low calorie. It’s not feeling deprived or being hungry all the time. It’s nourishing your body with real, whole foods so that you are consistently satisfied and energized to live your life to the fullest! Read more…
