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Picture this: you’re 10 years old, playing outside on a hot summer day and you realize how thirsty you are. You go inside and open the fridge door to see if your mom bought any special drinks at the grocery store and what do you see? Kool-Aid. You know it’s going to be a good day.
Maybe it’s just me (but I hope not), but Kool-Aid was the ultimate summer drink when I was growing up. Alex and I took that inspiration and made blue raspberry lemonade ice cream with Kool-Aid drink powder!
Blue raspberry lemonade wasn’t a typical flavor you could get in the Kool-Aid Bursts or Jammers, but they did sell the drink powder. Having a giant jug of blue raspberry lemonade Kool-Aid ready to go in the fridge was the best thing to my 10-year old self.
This Ninja Creami ice cream recipe surely doesn’t disappoint when it comes to recreating that childhood happiness!
We were able to find a Kool-Aid drink mix packet at our local grocery store in the drinks aisle. The best part: it was only $0.39! Talk about ice cream on a budget! There were other flavor available too, so feel free to grab as many different flavors as you want and try them all.
How much of the packet you put into the ice cream mixture depends on how strong you like your ice cream flavor. Personally, I love when my ice cream has a strong flavor and makes me go “whoa”, so I added the whole packet.
But, it is completely up to personal preference when choosing how much to mix-in!
So to bring back some childhood memories, grab a Kool-Aid packet, a Ninja Creami pint, and get spinning!
To Make Dairy-Free Blue Raspberry Lemonade Ice Cream, Use the Following:
- 1 tbsp vegan cream cheese for 1 tbsp cream cheese
- 1 cup oat milk for 1 cup whole milk
- 3/4 cup cream of coconut for 3/4 cup heavy cream
First Time Using the Ninja Creami or Looking for Tips?
While the Ninja Creami is a machine with only 7 (or 11) buttons, it can still be intimidating! Here are a few tips and tricks Alex and I have picked up since beginning our ice cream journey with the Ninja Creami!
- How strong is the blue raspberry lemonade flavor? If you like strong flavors, I’d go with the whole packet. It can come out a tad bit sour almost, but if you’re into that, you’ll love this. If you’re looking to tone down the flavor, feel free to use 1/2 – 3/4 of the packet in the ice cream mixture!
- Where can I find a Kool-Aid drink mix packet? It can most likely be found at your local grocery store in the drinks aisle! However, you could potentially purchase it from Amazon or an online retailer if there are none available in your area.
- If I put the pint back into the freezer, do I need to mix the ice cream up again before enjoying? Surprisingly, no! When using the typical base ingredients (whole milk, heavy cream), re-spinning is probably best to get the ice cream back to its original creamy consistency after freezing. However, we have found when using oat milk and cream of coconut, our first spin leaves the ice cream very creamy (almost like a soft-serve texture). After putting it in the freezer for 24 hours after this original spin, the ice cream is the perfect texture to enjoy without re-spinning! My suggestion is see how the texture is without a re-spin, and re-spin only as necessary!
- What button should I use to spin my ice cream? This all depends on the consistency you’re going for! Each button operates the machine at varying speeds. For thicker concoctions (like ice cream), the ice cream button is best. However, if using eggs in the recipe (like a gelato), use the gelato button! The sorbet button is best used with fruit mixtures. For example, if mixing a can of pineapples in heavy syrup, use the sorbet button to make a delicious fruity creation! Overall, it’s something you can experiment with to find your personal preference for your ice cream consistency!
Looking for More Ninja Creami Recipes?
If you’re on the hunt for more Ninja Creami recipes, be sure to grab one of our recipe e-books, Top 25 Ninja Creami Recipes ($2.99), or the great value of over 50 recipes in Ninja Creami Cookbook: Ice Cream & Gelato Edition! Each includes favorites such as cake batter gelato, red velvet ice cream, Shirley Temple ice cream, and many more!
If you’re like us and are running out of ice cream storage containers, grab a two-pack of Ninja Creami pints to keep your freezer full with all of your ice cream creations!
Or if you don’t have a Ninja Creami and are on the fence about getting one, check out my honest review!
Do You Want to Make Your Own Ninja Creami Cookbook?
If you want to make your own version of a Ninja Creami cookbook, check out our Ninja Creami Recipe Page Template! Besides the fun design, it has space to write the spin setting, number of servings, ingredients, directions, and notes (everything a Creami recipe needs)!
Ninja Creami Blue Raspberry Lemonade Ice Cream
Description
Blue raspberry lemonade uses a Kool-Aid drink packet to make a flavorful and delicious ice cream perfect for fighting off that summer heat. Plus, the ice cream's color is so neat!
To make this recipe in the Ninja Creami Deluxe, multiply all ingredients by 1.5
Note: 1 serving = 1 pint
Ingredients
Instructions
Place 1 tbsp cream cheese in a medium bowl and microwave for 5-10 seconds. If the cream cheese was in the fridge, these 5-10 seconds in the microwave will help soften it up to mix well with the other ingredients.
Combine cream cheese with 1/3 cup granulated sugar. Whisk until the ingredients are mixed together.
Whisk in 1 packet of blue raspberry lemonade Kool-Aid drink mix.
Slowly whisk in 1 cup whole milk and 3/4 cup heavy cream.
Pour the mixture into a Ninja Creami pint container, ensuring it does not go over the max fill line.
Freeze the pint for 24 hours, making sure it is placed on a flat surface in the freezer.
After 24 hours, remove the pint from the freezer, and plug in your Ninja Creami machine! Time for the magic.
Remove the lid from the pint and grab the Ninja Creami outer bowl. Place the pint securely into the outer bowl and cover with the lid. Once the lid is on, place the outer bowl into the machine, twisting to the right until it locks into place. Press the "Ice Cream" button and (try to) wait patiently for the creamy treat coming your way.
Once the process is finished, press and hold the button on the left side of the Creami to twist the bowl to the left and remove it from the machine. Twist the lid off of the outer bowl and remove the pint.
Now your blue raspberry lemonade ice cream is ready to enjoy!
Note
If you don't like following recipes, don't worry - you can customize it however you want! We personally use oat milk and coconut cream to avoid most of the dairy, and it's some of the best ice cream we've ever had.
If you liked this recipe, check out our recipe for orange creamsicle ice cream here.