Chocolate protein ice cream
5 min · 51 g protein · 349 cals / serving
The protein pint that took over gym feeds: ultra-filtered milk, chocolate protein powder and cocoa, frozen for a day and spun into thick, scoopable ice cream. A whole pint is one serving, and it tastes like a chocolate frozen custard rather than a frozen shake.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups ultra-filtered milk
- 1 heaping scoop whey protein, chocolate, a whey and casein blend is creamiest
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 packet (1 g) stevia, or to taste
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- a pinch salt
- 2 tbsp ultra-filtered milk, for the re-spin
Steps
- Blend the milk, protein powder, cocoa, stevia, xanthan gum, vanilla and salt for 30 seconds, until completely smooth. A blender or a milk frother spreads the xanthan gum evenly; a whisk leaves slimy lumps.
- Let it stand 5 minutes so the foam settles, then pour it into the ice-cream machine's pint container up to the fill line. Lid on, and freeze on a level shelf for 24 hours.
- Spin on the light ice cream setting. The first spin usually comes out dry and powdery, which is normal for a low-sugar base.
- Make a well in the middle, add the 2 tbsp milk and re-spin once or twice, until it is smooth and creamy. Eat it straight away; it does not refreeze well.
Good to know
No ice-cream machine?
Freeze the base in an ice-cube tray instead. Blitz the cubes in a food processor with the extra milk, scraping down often, until it whips into soft-serve, about 3 minutes. It is softer than a machine-spun pint but just as good straight from the bowl.
Why is mine icy or crumbly?
Protein powders absorb very different amounts of liquid, so re-spin with another tablespoon of milk until it turns creamy. A tablespoon of sugar-free instant pudding mix can stand in for the xanthan gum; it thickens the same way and adds flavor. For a softer scoop, use a tablespoon of allulose in place of the stevia; it lowers the freezing point, at a score of about 75 instead of 81. Erythritol does the opposite and sets hard.
Mix-ins?
On a Ninja Creami or similar machine, make a well after the final spin, drop in a crushed thin chocolate cookie or a few chocolate chips, and run the mix-in program. Add them only after the base is creamy, or they turn to dust.
Alternative
Per
- Calories
- 80
- Protein
- (57%)
- 12 g
- Fat
- (24%)
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- (19%)
- 4 g
- of which sugar
- 2 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 101 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 349 kcal goes into the pot and 438 g of ingredients comes out as about 435 g of food: 80 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.