Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Freeze: 40 mins
Total: 45 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Yield: 1 pint
Nothing says warm weather like ice cream! Being on a keto diet doesn't mean you have to give up this cold treat.
You may be enjoying store-bought sugar-free ice creams, thinking they're your best option for a keto ice cream. Spoiler alert: the keto ice cream you can make yourself with just a few minutes of prep has fewer carbs. Even better, it won't have the thickeners and binders that packaged ice creams contain.
For sweetener, we've chosen allulose syrup because it doesn't freeze as hard as powdered keto sweeteners will. This shouldn't be substituted unless you plan on eating the ice cream immediately. Allulose syrup is what's used in commercial keto ice creams, and it's part of what prevents them from over-freezing. If it isn't yet at your local grocery, it can be purchased online.
This recipe is for vanilla ice cream, but we've included both keto-friendly toppings and flavor variations so that you have plenty of choices for your ice cream enjoyment. If made with coconut milk instead of whipping cream, it will be vegan in addition to keto.
“The keto ice cream (I made it with cream) was easy, delicious, relatively soft, and easy to scoop. It melts quickly at room temperature, so you’ll want to get it back in the freezer immediately after scooping. It was not overly sweet and would be excellent with a sugar-free or low-carb dessert sauce or syrup.” —Diana Rattray
A Note From Our Recipe Tester
Ingredients
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2 cups heavy whipping cream, or full-fat canned coconut milk
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1/2 cup allulose syrup
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1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
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1/2 teaspoon salt
Steps to Make It
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Gather the ingredients.
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Add the cream, allulose syrup, vanilla and salt to a medium bowl. Whisk briefly to combine.
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Pour mixture into an ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer instructions. Once the ice cream maker turns off, the ice cream will be a soft-serve consistency.
Eat as is, or freeze for one to two hours to firm up more before eating.
Topping Tips
Top your ice cream with any of these low-carb options:
- Chopped nuts
- Whipped coconut cream
- Sugar-free chocolate chips
- Nut butter, such as pistachio, cashew, almond, or peanut butter
- Sugar-free sprinkles
- Sugar-free marshmallows
- Toasted unsweetened coconut
- A chocolate syrup shell made with sugar-free chocolate chips melted with coconut oil
Note that sugar-free Cool Whip isn’t recommended. Though it only has a few grams of carbs per serving, its second ingredient is corn syrup, and this could interrupt ketosis.
Variations
Vanilla is lovely, but ice cream is delicious in all its many flavor options. Try one of these variations to amp up the taste while keeping carbs under control. All flavor additions can be added with other ingredients when mixing.
- Chocolate: 2-3 tablespoons cocoa powder and one teaspoon chocolate extract
- Almond: 1 teaspoon almond extract
- Mint: 1/2 teaspoon mint extract plus 1 tablespoon mint leaves, finely chopped
- Raspberry: 1/4 cup chopped raspberries, fresh or frozen
- Pistachio: 1/2 teaspoon pistachio extract; add 2 tablespoons chopped pistachios at the end of processing
How to Store Keto Ice Cream
Transfer the keto ice cream to a loaf pan or container and cover tightly with a lid or foil. You can prevent exposure to air and crystallization by placing a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the ice cream. For best quality, eat homemade ice cream within 2 weeks.
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 4 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 423 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 43g | 55% |
| Saturated Fat 27g | 137% |
| Cholesterol 134mg | 45% |
| Sodium 360mg | 16% |
| Total Carbohydrate 7g | 3% |
| Dietary Fiber 0g | 1% |
| Total Sugars 4g | |
| Protein 4g | |
| Vitamin C 1mg | 4% |
| Calcium 79mg | 6% |
| Iron 0mg | 1% |
| Potassium 115mg | 2% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
