Name: Ninja Creami Root Beer Ice Cream
Prep time: 9 min
Total time: 1 d 9 min
Yield: 1
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 12-oz root beer soda (*see note below); 1 packet Dream Whip mix

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Enjoy this easy root beer ice cream made in the Ninja Creami with the classic soda. It tastes just like a root beer float!

You’ll love this 2-ingredient Ninja Creami root beer ice cream. It’s perfectly refreshing, not too sweet, and oh so good!

scoops of Ninja Creami root beer ice cream in a glass dish, with a bottle of IBC root beer in the background.

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If you’ve ever had a root beer float, you know what a delicious treat it can be!

Fizzy, sweet root beer with its distinct flavor, paired with creamy vanilla ice cream? So good!

But did you know that you can make root beer ice cream? It’s easier than you think!

As I’ve been experimenting with countless different flavors of Ninja Creami ice cream, I knew I wanted to try working with soda pop in the Ninja Creami.

In the past, I’ve made no-churn ice creams that use soda, but I hadn’t tried it in the Ninja Creami yet.

The result was this delicious Ninja Creami root beer ice cream, which was ridiculously simple to make and tasted fantastic!

Ninja Creami pint container with root beer ice cream in it, along with an ice cream scoop.

Making Ninja Creami Root Beer Ice Cream Using Soda

We’ve all heard that you shouldn’t freeze soda, especially in cans or bottles, because the expansion can cause the container to burst.

That’s because when soda freezes, the CO2 bubbles are forced out of the liquid as the water crystallizes.

The gas can accumulate in a closed space and cause the container to rupture.

Well, I knew I didn’t want that to happen.

So I took a few measures to ensure there were no soda explosions in my freezer.

First, I used semi-flat root beer.

I simply poured the root beer into a measuring cup, then stirred it often with a spoon, which encouraged the bubbles to surface and pop.

I did this for about 3-5 minutes, or until there were very few noticeable bubbles.

It didn’t taste completely flat, so I knew there was still some gas in it, just not as much.

You’re welcome to let your soda go completely flat if you want.

Next, when I mixed up the ice cream base and transferred it to the Ninja Creami pint container, I made sure to leave a little extra room in the pint for expansion (though the base didn’t expand as much as I thought it might).

I also left the pint lid partially loose, just so it wouldn’t be airtight and trap any gas.

It worked beautifully!

The Dream Whip helps to provide the creamy texture, so it’s not so icy, as well as a hint of vanilla flavor.

I use it in my Ninja Creami frosted lemonade recipe, and it works great!

close-up of Ninja Creami root beer float ice cream in a glass dish, with the remaining pint of ice cream and a bottle of root beer in the background.

How to Make Root Beer Ice Cream in the Ninja Creami

It’s simple to whip up this tasty summer time treat.

Ingredients You’ll Need:

Root Beer
Dream Whip

overhead view of a pint of root beer ice cream made in the Ninja Creami using soda. An ice cream scoop is in the ice cream, swirling it to show how creamy it is.

How to Make it:

(Full printable recipe card is available below)

Flatten the soda. To start, you’ll want to allow your soda to become semi-flat.

Pour it into a container and use a spoon to stir it frequently for a few minutes, allowing the bubbles to surface and pop.

Do this until there aren’t many bubbles surfacing when you continue to stir.

overhead view of a glass measuring cup with semi-flat soda in it.

Add the Dream Whip. Add the dry contents of a packet of Dream Whip to the soda, whisking well to combine.

Pour the mixture into a Ninja Creami pint container.

two photos; one shows dream whip added to root beer, the other shows the mixture combined and poured into a Ninja Creami pint container.

Freeze. Loosely apply lid (I kept mine partially open for additional gas release) to the container and transfer to a level surface of your freezer.

Freeze for at least 24 hours.

Spin. Remove pint from freezer and take off lid. Place pint container into the outer bowl of the Ninja Creami and lock the lid into place.

Place bowl apparatus into the Ninja Creami machine and secure into place.

Press the Lite Ice Cream button and allow the cycle to complete.

two photos; one shows the frozen base for ninja creami root beer ice cream, the other shows the base in the machine, with a finger pointing to the Lite Ice Cream button.

Check consistency. Remove the pint from the machine and check the ice cream’s consistency.

If it appears crumbly, insert it back into the machine and use the Re-spin function to process it again.

If it’s still crumbly after that, add a tablespoon of water and Re-spin once more.

It should be nice and creamy when it’s done!

two photos; one shows crumbly root beer ice cream from the ninja creami; the other shows the same ice cream after a Re-spin, and it's nice and creamy.

Notes and Adaptations:

I have only tested this recipe with regular root beer. I wouldn’t recommend using diet soda, because Dream Whip mix has very little sugar in it and no fat, which could cause your machine to be damaged.
Dream Whip is a dry mix used to make whipped topping. It can be found in the baking aisle of the grocery store. It’s usually sold in boxes of 2 or 4 packets, so you’ll have extra for another batch. 🙂
I used a bottle of root beer, which was 12 oz., or about 1 1/2 cups. This means your pint will not be filled to the max fill line. If you want, you can increase the root beer to 1 3/4 cups, which will still allow a little extra room for expansion during freezing.

close-up view of Ninja Creami root beer ice cream, scoops of which are served in a glass ice cream dish. A bottle of root beer is in the background, along with a spoon.

Recommended Equipment:

Yield: 1 1/2 cups