Best Nut Butters for Ninja Creami

Why Nut Butters Work So Well in the Creami

Nut butters are one of the best ingredients you can add to Ninja Creami ice cream. The high fat content (typically 45-65% fat by weight) acts as a natural stabilizer that prevents ice crystals and creates an incredibly smooth, scoopable texture. The oils in nut butter lower the freezing point slightly, which means your ice cream comes out softer and more spoonable straight from the freezer.

Beyond texture, nut butters bring depth of flavor that's hard to replicate with extracts or flavorings. The roasted, toasted notes add complexity to any base. We tested a range of nut butters, spreads, and butter alternatives to find the ones that work best in frozen desserts.

Peanut Butters

Creamy Peanut Butter

Peanut butter is the undisputed champion of Creami nut butter flavors. The bold, roasted flavor comes through clearly even when frozen, which isn't true of all nut butters. It blends smoothly into any base without clumping or separating, and the fat content is high enough to produce that coveted soft-serve texture.

You can use either natural or commercial peanut butter. Natural (ingredients: peanuts, salt) has a more intense peanut flavor and pairs beautifully with chocolate and banana. Commercial brands like Jif are smoother, sweeter, and blend more easily. Both work. Use 2-3 tablespoons per pint for a strong peanut butter flavor, or 1 tablespoon for a subtle background nuttiness.

Jif Natural Creamy Peanut ButterBold roasted flavor, blends smoothly into any base
View on Amazon →

Reese's Peanut Butter Spread

If you want that unmistakable Reese's peanut butter cup flavor in your Creami ice cream, this is the shortcut. Reese's makes a smooth peanut butter spread that tastes exactly like the filling inside their cups. It's sweeter and more processed than natural peanut butter, with a distinctive chocolate-adjacent flavor that's immediately recognizable.

Use 3-4 tablespoons per pint and reduce your sugar by half since the spread is already sweetened. It pairs perfectly with a chocolate base for a homemade Reese's ice cream that's better than anything you can buy. Also works brilliantly as a swirl: warm it until pourable, drizzle into the base before freezing, and drag a knife through for ribbons.

Reese's Smooth Peanut Butter SpreadThat unmistakable Reese's cup flavor in a spreadable jar
View on Amazon →

Other Nut Butters

Almond Butter

Almond butter is the refined cousin of peanut butter. It's milder, nuttier, and slightly more elegant in flavor. It doesn't have the same bold punch as peanut butter, which makes it better for recipes where you want the nut flavor to complement rather than dominate. Almond butter and chocolate is a classic combination that works exceptionally well in the Creami.

Use creamy almond butter, not chunky. The smooth texture blends more evenly into the base. Justin's Classic is our go-to because it's consistently smooth and has a clean roasted flavor without added oils or sugar. Use the same 2-3 tablespoons per pint ratio as peanut butter.

Justin's Classic Almond ButterMild, nutty flavor that pairs perfectly with chocolate
View on Amazon →

Cashew Butter

Cashew butter is the sleeper pick for Creami ice cream. It has the smoothest, most neutral flavor of any nut butter, which makes it an incredible secret ingredient. When you add 2 tablespoons of cashew butter to a vanilla or caramel base, the ice cream becomes noticeably creamier and richer without tasting like nuts at all. It's essentially a natural stabilizer that happens to taste good.

This makes cashew butter perfect for recipes where you want improved texture without adding a specific nut flavor. Vanilla, caramel, coffee, and cookie bases all benefit from a tablespoon of cashew butter stirred in.

Sweet Spreads

Biscoff Cookie Butter

Technically not a nut butter (it's made from speculoos cookies), but Biscoff Cookie Butter has earned its place on this list. The warm, caramelized, cinnamon-spice flavor is unlike anything else you can add to ice cream. It's sweet enough that you may want to reduce other sweeteners in your recipe by half.

Biscoff ice cream made in the Creami is genuinely one of the best flavors we've tested. The cookie butter blends completely smooth, adds a gorgeous tan color, and the flavor is addictive. Use 3-4 tablespoons per pint for a bold Biscoff flavor. For swirls, warm it until pourable and drizzle it into the base before freezing.

Lotus Biscoff Cookie ButterWarm caramelized spice flavor, incredible in the Creami
View on Amazon →

Marshmallow Fluff

Marshmallow Fluff isn't a nut butter either, but it's a spread that transforms Creami ice cream in ways most people don't expect. Adding 2-3 tablespoons of Fluff to any base creates a lighter, airier texture with a subtle marshmallow sweetness. The sugars in Fluff also help lower the freezing point, producing softer, more scoopable results.

The classic Fluffernutter combination (peanut butter + marshmallow) is a natural Creami recipe: peanut butter base with Fluff swirled in. But Fluff also works in chocolate (s'mores ice cream), strawberry (strawberry marshmallow), and vanilla (toasted marshmallow). For the best swirls, warm the Fluff slightly and layer it into the base before freezing. The Creami blade creates beautiful white streaks throughout the ice cream.

Marshmallow Fluff SpreadCreates lighter, airier texture with marshmallow sweetness
View on Amazon →

Nutella (Hazelnut Spread)

Chocolate-hazelnut is a crowd favorite for a reason. Nutella adds both chocolate flavor and fat in one ingredient, making it an efficient addition to any base. The key thing to know is that Nutella is very sweet (it's mostly sugar), so you need to reduce or eliminate added sugar in your recipe to compensate. Otherwise you'll end up with ice cream that's cloyingly sweet.

Use 3-4 tablespoons per pint. It blends easily because the texture is already smooth and soft. For a more intense hazelnut flavor with less sweetness, look for dark chocolate hazelnut spreads from brands like Justin's or Nocciolata.

Tips for All Nut Butters and Spreads

• Warm for 10-15 seconds in the microwave: This makes any nut butter pourable and much easier to whisk into your base. Cold nut butter clumps and doesn't incorporate evenly.
• For ribbons and swirls: Warm the nut butter until it's thin enough to drizzle. Pour half your base into the pint, drizzle the nut butter in a zigzag, drag a knife through it, then add the remaining base and repeat. The Creami blade will create beautiful swirls.
• For frozen chunks: Freeze small dollops of nut butter on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Once solid, drop them into the base before the 24-hour freeze. They'll survive processing and give you pockets of concentrated nut butter throughout.
• Natural vs commercial: Natural nut butters separate (oil on top). Stir them thoroughly before measuring. Commercial brands (Jif, Skippy) are pre-emulsified and easier to work with but have added oils and sugar.
• Fluffernutter combo: For the ultimate nostalgic ice cream, use 2 tablespoons of peanut butter in the base and swirl in 2 tablespoons of Marshmallow Fluff before freezing.

Explore Our Collections

Looking for more recipes that pair perfectly with nut butters? Browse our curated collections:

📚Protein Ice Cream Recipes for Ninja CreamiHigh-protein Ninja Creami recipes that taste like real ice cream. Cottage cheese bases, protein powder add-ins, and macro-friendly frozen treats — all tested with step-by-step instructions. 📚Ice Cream Recipes for Ninja CreamiClassic and creative ice cream recipes made with your Ninja Creami. Rich, creamy bases with endless flavor combinations — all tested with step-by-step instructions and pro tips.