Seriously, friends, this keto ice cream recipe is EVERYTHING.
Because it’s easy to make, no churn, sugar-free, AND low carb. PLUS! It’s crazy creamy, tastes just like the real-deal kind, and is stickin’ easy to customize. Think of this low carb ice cream recipe as the base for all your favorite flavors…
Cookie dough, mint, brownies, oh my! Low carb desserts have never tasted this good.
So next time you’re looking for low carb recipes to cool you off on a hot summer day, look no further! Low carb ice cream to the rescue!
Looking for more keto desserts? Check out my avocado ice cream, keto cheesecake, or my peanut butter fat bombs.
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What I Love About This Keto Ice Cream Recipe
Welp, first off, it’s keto ice cream! AND…
- Seriously, and I mean SERIOUSLY creamy!
- Easy to make. Churning ice cream is a total pain — no-churn means you get to toss it in the freezer and forget about it. Yes, please, and thank you.
- 5 ingredients, can you believe it?! With typical low carb ingredients, you’re probably already using on the daily.
- Can we take a beat and discuss how expensive sugar free ice cream is to buy at the store?! Making your own low carb vanilla ice cream is SO.MUCH.CHEAPER.
- 2g of carbs per serving… while traditional ice cream has 16g carbs per serving. And honestly, who eats only 1 serving of ice cream??
Recipe Notes
Just a few simple tips and tricks to make this life-changing (bold, I know, but you’ll agree) ice cream!
Ingredient Notes
Traditional no-churn ice creams combine sweetened condensed milk (which contains a whoppin’ 832g carbs per 14oz can, wowza) and whipped cream…
What we’ll be doing here is essentially making our own LOW CARB sweetened condensed milk and sugar free whipped cream…
Heavy cream. As you can see, this is the main ingredient in our ice cream. We’ll make a reduced and thickened portion (this is the sub for the condensed milk we were just talking about), and a whipped version, ala low carb whipped cream.
Xanthan Gum. Truly, one of my favorite low carb ingredients, even in small amounts, xanthan gum will thicken the heavy cream to the same consistency as the condensed milk.
Erythritol. My fave brands are Lakanto and Swerve. Both can be used as a 1:1 swap with traditional sugar. If you’re using a different brand, know that erythritol is 70% as sweet as traditional sugar. Check out my guide to keto sweeteners for more info.
Sugar alcohols (such as erythritol) have a cooling sensation when consumed, as breaking them down is a heat-absorbing reaction. I’m pointing this out because I find it’s an added bonus in this keto ice cream recipe!
Tools To Make
This keto ice cream comes together with a few basic kitchen accessories:
- A pan to reduce the cream
- 2 Large bowls. For whipping the condensed cream and the heavy cream separately.
- And electric mixer, it’s nearly impossible to make this ice cream without it! Although, some (very strong) people make keto ice cream mason jar by placing the cream in a jar and shaking it until it’s whipped.
- A container for the ice cream. I use a 9″ bread loaf pan.
Cooking Tips
- When reducing the cream, watch carefully! We want to bring it to a SIMMER, and keep it simmering for 30 minutes. If the cream starts to boil, this will spoil it.
- Whipping the heavy cream. We want to get as much air into the cream as possible — you’ll know you’ve hit the optimal point once you achieve soft peaks (any further, and the cream will begin to clump together). To make this even easier, you can place your bowl and beaters in the freezer for 30 minutes before you begin to whip (Alton Brown tip!).
- The condensed cream will have a crystallized layer on top before you whip it, so whipping the cream is important to ensure all our ingredients are well incorporated.
Storing Tips
Stash your keto ice cream in the freezer with an airtight lid on. Before serving, you’ll want to let the ice cream sit on the counter for 30 minutes.
Serving Recommendations
I think you’ll quickly find, that instead of looking for ways to serve this ice cream you’ll be looking for ways to hide it from yourself. But, if you need a little inspo:
Add your favorite (low carb) ice cream toppings.I’m all about sugar free chocolate chips, chopped keto nuts (peanuts are my fave), and maybe a drizzle of some low carb caramel. What about you??
You can 1 up your friends by making ice cream sandwiches! Use keto cookies of choice (keto chocolate chip cookies for the win), and add a scoop of ice cream to the center.
Or, go with the classic-for-a-reason low carb brownies ala mode.
Recipe Variations
Alright, you know everything you need to know about making keto ice cream.
But as I mentioned, this recipe is EASY to customize. So, make your favorite flavor! Here are a few ways we like to jazz it up:
- Add chocolate for a keto chocolate ice cream. Using 1/2 cup cocoa powder will do the trick. Alternatively, you can mix in pieces of keto chocolate or low carb dark chocolate for a chocolate chip ice cream. Or, use keto white chocolate for something totally different.
- Coffee ice cream is easy to make by adding 3 teaspoons of instant coffee to the condensed cream. Think of it as a creamier, less coffee tasting version of dalgona whipped coffee
- We’re all about the fruity ice cream in our house, which is EASY to make with 8 ounces of berries. Simply cook them with the condensed cream, and blend the fruit until it’s smooth. Also, check out my avocado ice cream for another tasty fruit option.
- Cookie dough ice cream is my #1. And it’s easy to make with this recipe — just mix in my cookie dough fat bombs along with the whipped cream. You can also use cookie crumbles for low carb cookies n’ cream
- Turn this ice cream into popsicles by pouring them into a popsicle mold. Or check out my keto popsicles recipe, which requires fewer steps!
More Easy Low Carb Dessert Recipes
Can’t get enough of all this low carb dessert deliciousness?! Me neither! Here are a few more recipes to check out:
- Keto Whipped Cream
- Keto Chia Pudding
- Lemon Fat Bombs
- Sugar Free Chocolate Syrup
- Cream Cheese Fat Bombs
Keto Ice Cream Recipe
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Servings :12 Servings
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time4 hours hrs
Total Time4 hours hrs 15 minutes mins
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Ingredients
Base:
- 3 3/4 Cups Heavy Cream divided
- 1 1/4 Cup Swerve or Lakanto (see sweetener notes below) confectioners
- 2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 Teaspoon Xanthan Gum
Chocolate Ice Cream:
- 1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder dutch process
Fruity:
- 8 Ounces Keto Fruits I love strawberries
Coffee Ice Cream:
- 2 Teaspoons Instant Coffee
Instructions
NOTE: If using any flavor variation, see notes below* for when to add in the ingredients.
Bring heavy cream (1 3/4 cups) to a simmer in a heavy-bottom saucepan. Continue to cook at a simmer for 30 minutes, and watch carefully to maintain a simmer, not a boil -- you'll know you've reached the right temp when small bubbles continue to form around the edges. Whisk occasionally to fully incorporate bubbles with the cream.
Remove cream from heat, and whisk in erythritol (1 1/4 cups), unsalted butter (2 tablespoons), vanilla extract (1 teaspoon), and lastly xanthan gum (1/2 teaspoon). You want to sprinkle the xanthan gum over the top a little at a time so it dissolves without clumping.
Transfer the cream to a large bowl and allow it to come to room temp by placing it in the fridge for an hour.
Once the reduced cream has cooled to room temp, use an electric mixer to whip the cream for 3 minutes - we want to get the cream light and fluffy while incorporating everything.
In a second large bowl, whip the remaining heavy cream (2 cups) with an electric mixer until you've formed soft peaks.
Use a rubber spatula to gently combine the reduced cream and heavy cream. Make sure ingredients are seamlessly incorporated, but be gentle here to help maintain their fluff.
Transfer the mixture to an insulated tub or container and freeze for 4-6 hours. Enjoy!
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Fans Also Made These Healthy Recipes:
Low Carb Ice Cream Bites (3 Ingredients!)
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Lindsey's Tips
- Cocoa Powder. I much prefer dutch process cocoa powder in sweets, as it’s significantly less bitter than regular!
- Lakanto, Swerve, or Erythritol. I stick to Lakanto and Swerve which are a 1:1 swap with traditional sugar. If using a different brand of Erythritol, keep in mind it's 70% as sweet as sugar, so you may need to add more to taste.
- Xanthan Gum is necessary for binding the ingredients of this recipe together, you CAN'T SKIP OR SUB!
- *Flavor Variations:
- Chocolate or coffee ice cream: add cocoa powder/instant coffee to the reduced cream and whisk in when you add the erythritol.
- Fruity ice cream: add berries to heavy cream as you reduce it. You'll want to use an immersion blender to blend the berries until they're smooth.
- Nutritional information is for the vanilla ice cream. Any of the flavor variations will affect the counts:
Nutrition
Calories: 294kcalTotal Carbohydrates: 22gProtein: 2gFat: 30gSodium: 49mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gNet Carbs: 5gSugar Alcohol: 15g
©Little Pine Low Carb. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media/website/blog is strictly prohibited.
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Reader Interactions
Comments
BillBillBill Nice that there’s no sugar, but I’m looking for a completely sweetener free ice cream. Instead of adding some kind of processed sweetener (like that horrible erythritol stuff), how about mixing in some whole blueberries?
Reply
- Lindsey
Hi Bill! You can absolutely do that! If you aren’t watching you carbs, bananas are an awesome way to sweeten up ice cream as well. Hope you enjoy!
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- Sue
What is the serving size?
Reply
- Lindsey
Hello Sue! Nutrition facts is based on 1 serving. Thank you ! 🙂
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- Marisa Gaytan
Which is how much? 1/2 cup or…?
Reply
- Lindsey
Hi Marisa! Serving sizes will vary depending on how much air you whip into the cream. The best way to calculate nutrition is to divide this recipe into 12 servings. Hope you enjoy ?
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- Tess
Wow! Nice! Will make this everyday ??
Reply
- Lindsey
Yay! Right? I hope you enjoy Tess ?
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- Chloe
My favorite low carb dessert! YUMMY ? Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Reply
- Lindsey
You’re welcome Chloe! Happy to have you here ???
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- Kathleen
I really hope all of your readers make this because it’s sooooo delicious!!
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- Lindsey
Yay! Thank you Kathleen ? I’m so glad you love it as much as I do! ?
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- [emailprotected]
This ice cream is awesome! I added powdered vanilla to increase the vanilla intensity – love the stuff! I also missed that I was to use confectioners sugar and used granulated Lakanto- oops! This explains the grainy texture – still delicious but next time I will use confectioners for a creamy texture. Thanks for the great and easy recipes!
Reply
- Lindsey
Yahoo! I’m so happy you liked it Lynne! 🥰
Reply
- [emailprotected]
Hi, many thanks for the ice cream recipe; I’ve missed the stuff terribly!
Reply
- Lindsey
You’re very welcome, Paul! Hope you enjoyed! 😄
Reply
- Mary
In the description it says it is 2 net carbs per serving, but in the nutritional information at the bottom of the recipe it says 5 net carbs. Which is correct?
Reply
- Lindsey Hyland
Hi Mary! I’m not seeing where it says 2 net carbs? (would love to fix that, so lmk!) Check out the nutritional information below the recipe–just keep in mind it’s an estimate. Enjoy!
Reply
