Why is the ice cream powdery?

This is probably the most common issue with Ninja Creami recipes.

If your ice cream looks like this...don't panic! It's COMPLETELY normal and happens all of the time. It's super easy to fix it so that it becomes nice and creamy!

If your ice cream looks super dry, like powder or sand, add a tablespoon or two of liquid. You can use milk, cream, water, juice, protein shake...just about ANY liquid. Put the lid back on and put it back in the Ninja Creami and hit the respin button. You might have to do this a couple of times depending on what your base ingredients are, freezer temp, or the desired consistency.

If your ice cream looks more like little balls of ice cream and less like sand, there's usually no need to add any additional liquid, but you do need to respin it. So, put the lid back on, put it in the machine, and push the respin button. You may have to do this a couple of times to make it creamy.

Why is the ice cream soupy or very soft?

Check the temperature of your freezer. It should be between 9 and -7 degrees Fahrenheit. Use an external refrigerator thermometer to check the temperature.
If you did not use a stabilizer/thickener, use one. Cream cheese, instant pudding mix, guar gum, xanthan gum, cottage cheese, banana, yogurt all work. See full list of stabilizers here.
If you did not freeze for 24 hours, put it back in the freezer and freeze for 24 hours.
If you thawed, microwaved, put in hot water, let sit out…don’t. Process it right out of the freezer. The machine is made to process frozen solid mixtures (assuming the mixture has the appropriate ingredients.)
If you added liquid when respinning, add less liquid next time.

How to prevent ice crystals in the ice cream

If you didn't add a stabilizer to the ice cream, you need to. Without the stabilizer, ice crystals can form in the ice cream. See a full list of stabilizers here.
Make sure you are freezing the ice cream long enough. The recommended time is 24 hours. If you don't freeze it long enough, the ice cream can be very icy once processed.
If you are getting a lot of ice around the inside of the container that ends up getting mixed in with the processed ice cream, you can try to melt that ice ring before processing.
- Run warm water on the outside of the container.
- Let the ice cream thaw for a few minutes before processing.
- Put the ice cream in the microwave for a few seconds to melt the ice ring, before processing.
- Use a spatula or use a butter knife (without serrations) to gently scrape the outer ring of the ice cream after processing and before using the mix-ins or respin cycle.
Low-fat/sugar recipes tend to be icier than those with more fat and sugar. Adjust your recipe to increase the fat or sugar to create a creamier and less icy ice cream.