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Close your eyes and imagine you’re a young child again with your parents at the grocery store around Christmastime. Besides all of the overwhelmingly elaborate Christmas-themed decorations, what is it you tug your mom’s sleeve and ask if you can have?
Christmas treats.
At least, that’s what I did.
My eyes would always find the Christmas tree cookies, the candy canes, and the Little Debbie tree cakes. Zebra cakes were my favorite Little Debbie treat, and what way to make them better than to turn that exact flavor into cute little Christmas trees? My kid heart was sold, and the tree cakes were something I tried to grab every year.
When Walmart came out with a Little Debbie tree cake ice cream recipe, I knew I had to try it! Combining two of my favorite treats in one seemed like a fantastic idea.
It was so delicious, I decided I needed a good Ninja Creami recipe to make a copycat version that tasted just as amazing! So read on if you want to make a new Christmas ice cream recipe that brings back a bit of childhood spirit!
At heart, I am a lover of all things seasonal, but a special kind of “must-have monster” emerges once the clock strikes midnight on Thanksgiving. I go into a grocery store and decide that I need all of the Christmas-themed items, because it’s a special time of year and there’s only a short month where I actually get to have them!
That’s part of the reason this Ninja Creami Little Debbie tree cake ice cream recipe is one of my new favorites! It tastes (and looks) like a Christmas classic and it’s going to be on repeat every year from here on out.
So if you’re a Little Debbie fan or just wanting to try something new, grab a Ninja Creami pint and get spinning!
To Make Dairy-Free Little Debbie Tree Cake 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!
- Do I use the tree cakes as a mix-in or put them in the base before freezing? To get the best flavor throughout the ice cream, I recommend putting the tree cakes into the base before it’s frozen! I used a food processor to make tiny pieces that were safe for the machine to spin after being frozen. However, using them as a mix-in would also taste delicious, but be careful to not have large frozen chunks that may damage the Creami blade!
- Is there a way to make this recipe gluten-free? Unfortunately, the Little Debbie Christmas tree cakes that are sold are not gluten-free. Upon Googling, I did find some recipes to make your own tree cakes! So if you feel like making two recipes for one ice cream pint, there should be a way to make this ice cream gluten-free!
- 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 Little Debbie Christmas Tree Ice Cream
Description
This copycat Little Debbie Christmas tree cake ice cream tastes like all of your favorite treats combined into one ice cream! The sweet cakes mixed into a delicious vanilla base make sure this flavor is on repeat!
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 tsp vanilla extract and 1/3 cup granulated sugar. Whisk until the ingredients are mixed together.
Use a food processor to process 1 1/2 Little Debbie tree cakes into extremely small pieces.
It doesn't have to be a powder, but make sure the pieces are only a little larger than crumbs!
Whisk the Little Debbie tree cake pieces into the cream cheese/extract/sugar mixture.
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, ensuring 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.
(Optional) Top off your ice cream with a few extra cake pieces for added flavor, or mix in some red/green sprinkles for extra color!
Now your Little Debbie Christmas tree 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 our white chocolate peppermint ice cream here.