Ninja Creami chocolate caramel ice cream
Lower lactose option, nut free
Equipment
- NC300 Ninja Creami machine with 470ml tubs
Ingredients
- 10-15 g Dutch processed cocoa (10g for a more caramel-forward flavour, 15g for a deeper chocolate flavour)
- 60 g boiling water
- 200 g Top 'N Fill caramel or dulce de leche (see notes and body of post) NB: not any old caramel sauce will work here, see notes
- 125 g thickened cream (30-35% fat content) regular or lactose free
- 150 g milk of choice (I used lactose free)
- pinch of fine salt
Instructions
- Measure the Dutch processed cocoa into a medium saucepan. Pour over the boiling water and whisk to combine and remove any clumps.
- Add the remaining ingredients and whisk to combine. Depending on the thickness, some brands of dulce de leche might dissolve into the mixture quite easily. Top 'N Fill caramel takes time to dissolve, so start by crushing up any large chunks with a silicone spatula.
- Place the pot on a low heat and cook for 2-5 minutes or until the caramel/dulce de leche is dissolved. Allow to cool for a few minutes before pouring into your 470ml Ninja Creami tub.
- Place into the freezer with the lid off and allow to freeze for 16-24 hours. Leaving the lid off can help prevent a hump in the centre of your mixture.
- When ready to eat, process using the ice cream function. You might need to use the ice cream function twice to reach your desired consistency.
- I recommend adding chocolate caramel Easter eggs either to a bowl with the scooped ice cream or to the top of the container and mixing in yourself. The mix-in function chops the chocolate into tiny lumps and creates an unpleasant texture.
- Return leftovers to the freezer with the lid on.
Notes
- Top 'N Fill caramel is essentially dulce de leche sold under a brand name in Australia. Caramel sauce or homemade caramel are not suitable replacements and have not been tested. If you are not based in Australia, use one of the dulce de leche brands listed in the body of the post.
- If none of those are available to you, choose a brand with the closest fat and sugar measurements as those listed in the body of the post.
- Thickened cream is also known as heavy cream in the USA. Choose a brand with a lower fat percentage (36%) instead of a higher one.
- Thickened cream is also known as whipping cream in the UK and Canada.
- Sugar and fat are key to success in a Ninja Creami ice cream. Don't use a higher fat cream or a high fat milk here. Cocoa and dulce de leche already contain fat, so adding extra in the form of cream and milk may create an overly fatty or unpleasant texture in your ice cream.
- Same goes with the caramel/dulce de leche - a variety with much more sugar than Top 'N Fill will result in an ice cream that can't set (aka: a milkshake).
- You can make this ice cream lower lactose by using lactose free milk and cream. You could experiment with adding lactase to your dulce de leche, but I think it would be easier just to take a lactase when you eat the ice cream.
- In Australia, Caramello mini eggs are gluten free in 2026. Make sure you check the label if you need them to be gluten free.
- Be sure to read all the labels when catering to a nut allergy. Different brands of dulce de leche or mix-ins may have cross contamination concerns.
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