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Call me crazy, but I don’t eat ice cream very often. Don’t get me wrong – I love it! It’s just that both homemade and store-bought options present issues. At the store, I have yet to find a sugar-free low carb ice cream that actually tastes good, is reasonably priced, and doesn’t contain weird, artificial ingredients.
What about making my own homemade low carb ice cream? Well, believe it or not, this foodie doesn’t own an ice cream maker! I actually lucked out with a kitchen having an unusually large amount of cabinet space, but somehow it’s all packed full. So even though I’ve been eyeing this ice cream machine, I simply refuse to buy another large, single-use kitchen gadget that I have to find a spot for. I can’t, I won’t.
Besides, an ice cream maker isn’t the most practical small appliance to own where I live. Unless you’re one of those people who loves to eat ice cream when you’re already struggling to warm up, Minnesota is way too cold for ice cream for much of the year.
Finally, there’s the freezer space problem. I could buy a tub of ice cream or make it in an ice cream maker, and both ways it would take up way more room in my freezer than I have. Between frozen meats, veggies, fruits, and meals made in advance, there isn’t much free space left in there! And since it takes us, like, forever to get through a tub of ice cream at our house, I just can’t justify giving up the freezer space for it.
All of that being said, summer has (unofficially) begun, if you go by Memorial Day being the start of the summer season. The super hot days are just around the corner, and for most people, that definitely means ice cream. And oh, do the Minnesota summers get hot! We’re not there yet, but I know it’s coming.
So, when I got a major craving for sugar-free ice cream this week, there was only one thing left to do…
Time to create my own sugar-free low carb ice cream recipe! And of course, it had to be a no-churn recipe. (You know, to accommodate for the lack of ice cream maker and all…)
I’m super excited about this no-churn keto ice cream! It only has four common ingredients. Chances are, you have them at your house right now, if you make low carb recipes on a regular basis.
It’s also super low in carbs, with only 2 grams net carbs per serving. At the same time, it tastes unbelievably decadent and rich! If you prefer to lighten it up in calories, you can replace some of the heavy cream with unsweetened coconut milk or almond milk. See the notes at the bottom of the recipe card for details.
As you may know by now, I’m a huge fan of vanilla anything (vanilla mug cake, vanilla birthday cake, or vanilla blueberry pancakes, anyone?). It’s no surprise that my first take on low carb ice cream is simple vanilla.
Don’t worry, I included instructions for adding any mix-ins you like to your sugar-free ice cream. I kept this version simple by just adding the scraped seeds from a vanilla bean, but even that is optional. If you only have vanilla extract, that’s perfectly fine, too.
I can’t wait to experiment with mix-ins and flavor variations in this keto ice cream recipe base. (Yes, I’m pretty sure I’m going to be eating ice cream more often this summer!) I hope you’ll try the original, and then let me know what other flavors you want to see.
Sugar-free Low Carb Ice Cream Recipe (No Churn) – 4 Ingredients:
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| Servings | Prep Time | Cook Time |
| 1/2-cup servings | 5 minutes | 30 minutes |
| Low Carb Ice Cream (No Churn) This sugar-free low carb ice cream recipe is easy to make with just 4 ingredients and 5 minutes prep time! It's delicious keto ice cream you can feel good about.
|
- 3 tbsp Butter
- 4 cups Heavy cream (divided - see notes)
- 3/4 cup Powdered erythritol
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 medium Vanilla bean (optional; seeds scraped)
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add half of the heavy cream (2 cups) and powdered erythritol. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and volume is reduced by half. (This will go faster if you use a larger pan.)
- Pour into a large bowl and allow to cool to room temperature. Stir in the vanilla extract, and seeds from the vanilla bean, if using.
- Meanwhile, beat the remaining 2 cups of heavy cream using a hand mixer for about 2-3 minutes, until stiff peaks form.
- Gently and gradually fold the beaten heavy cream into the sweet mixture in the bowl, about 1/2 cup at a time. (Be careful not to deflate the cream or overmix.)
- Transfer the mixture to a freezer container (like a 9x5" loaf pan) and smooth the top with a spatula. (If you want to add mix-ins, gently stir them in at this step, and also sprinkle some on top.) Line the surface with a piece of parchment or wax paper to keep ice crystals from forming.
- Freeze for 5-6 hours, until firm. For a smoother, creamier texture, stir the ice cream a few times throughout the freezing process, then return to the freezer. (Ice cream will get hard in the freezer after longer periods. Let it soften slightly on the counter for a few minutes before serving, and use a wet ice cream scoop to serve.)
Net carbs per serving (1/2 cup): 2g
*If you'd like to lighten up the ice cream a bit, you can replace some of the heavy cream in step 1 with coconut milk or almond milk instead (it may take longer to reduce). However, you don't want to replace any of the cream in step 4.
You'll love my low carb cookbook & meal plans!
- LOW CARB MEAL PLANNING STARTER KIT: 7-day low carb meal plan, printable templates, shopping list, recipes, and more!
- 30 DINNERS IN 30 MINUTES COOKBOOK: 30 easy low carb recipes, all under 30 minutes to make and 10 ingredients or less!
Want to use a different sweetener? Check the natural low carb sweeteners guide & conversion chart!
Want more low carb, gluten-free, summery desserts? Try these:
Sharon says
I would love to try this but I have a grandson that has an allergy to dairy products. Do you have any recipes that are dairy free. Thanks
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi Sharon, The recipe may also work with coconut cream (the super thick kind), though I haven’t tried it. Let me know how it goes if you do!
I also have dairy-free recipes here.
Destiny says
Can you use 3/4 cup stevia instead?
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi Destiny, Yes, you can use stevia, but it’s more concentrated so you’d need a lot less. The amount depends on the brand and form you’re using (liquid or powder). I have a sweetener conversion chart here.
Paula says
I am unable to get the recipe, help I am really excited to try this.
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi Paula, The full recipe is on the recipe card at the bottom of the post. What issues are you having with it?
Kay says
Do I have to use sweetener/sugars? I don’t eat either as a rule.
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi Kay, There is a natural sweetener in this recipe, but no sugar at all. I don’t think that any ice cream that isn’t sweet would taste good.
Rayann says
Added some fruit (strawberries and peaches). Makes for a nice variation.
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
That sounds delicious, Rayann!
Nicki says
I added a dash of instant coffee and my chocolate doughnut seasoning (no sugar/carbs/calories) from Complete Nutrition and it is SOOO GOOD!!!!!!
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Thank you, Nicki! Those add-ins sound amazing!
Annamaria Parrish says
I have tried several ice cream recipes. All of them freeze like a rock and leaving them on the counter is not helpful either. I am going to give this a go but I wanted to know if I could add fresh fruit, blueberries and strawberries that are in season. I also love butter pecan ice cream, and I wouldn’t be opposed to a chocolate fudge topping or chocolate ice cream.
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Sorry you haven’t had luck with other recipes – I hope this one works for you. I can’t offer specific advice since I’m not sure which other recipes you’ve tried, but if they are intended to be no churn recipes, could it be possible that your freezer temperature is too cold? There should be a temperature dial in there and typically somewhere in the middle works best.
Otherwise, I’ve heard that an ice cream maker leads to a better texture than no churn ice cream (even with no churn recipes), so that could be an option to try if nothing else works for you. I haven’t been convinced to get one yet, though.
You can definitely add fresh fruit to this recipe. I’d recommend very small pieces, since chewing too much wouldn’t be ideal once the fruit is ice cold. Thank you for the feedback on other flavors you’d like to see. I’ll add those to my list!
Leila says
What if you were to use a puréed sweet fruit in the ice cream for flavor and for sweetness? Not swirled in but completely mixed in.
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi Leila, I haven’t tried that with this recipe. Let me know if you do! I do have a recipe for 3-ingredient instant raspberry ice cream that uses frozen raspberries directly pureed in.
Kim says
Can I use Splenda?
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi Kim, I haven’t tried this with Splenda, but think it would probably work the same way. Let me know how it goes if you try it.
Jennifer Johnson says
I tried this and it tastes delicious. However when I put the ingredients into My Fitness Pal to track my carbs, I get a much higher number for grams of carbs per serving. The calorie count was about the same though. Any ideas?
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi Jennifer, The difference is probably the powdered erythritol. These carbs are not absorbed and do not need to be counted in net carbs, but they are usually included as “normal carbs” in MFP. Hope that helps.
Alice says
Is it possible to use non-diary whipped topping (something like cool whip but of liquid consistency) instead of heavy cream in this recipe?
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi Alice, I haven’t tried anything like that. It might work as long as you get it to thicken like the recipe indicates. Let me know how it goes if you try it!
SusieQ says
I’m going to try this but freeze half of it in ice cube trays to run it through my dessert bullet. It’d be easy to add frozen fruit with it this way, too. And I’m going to add some plain unsweetened protein powder as well (to kind of replicate Halo Top ice cream). I love HT (vanilla, chocolate, and mint are the best of their flavors, though I add crushed sugar-free chips since there’s barely any in theirs) but the inconsistent weight/fill of their containers is disappointing for the price. Poor quality control. Very excited to try this no churn recipe!!
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
What a great idea! Thank you for sharing!
Samantha Trafton says
Does it really simmer for 30-45 minutes?
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi Samantha, Yes. I usually do it while making something else in the kitchen, like dinner. It takes a while for it to thicken and reduce enough – you’re essentially making sweetened condensed milk in step 1.
Karla says
Do you think this could be made in an ice cream maker? Would I need to add ingredients or do something different?
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi Karla, I don’t have one so haven’t tried it, but I think you can. I don’t think anything would be different. You might even end up with an even better texture that way. Let me know how it goes if you try it!
Alice says
I made this using 30% whipping cream with blueberries and it was delicious!
My cream didn’t get whipped into stiff peaks but it still turned out great.
Guess this is a very forgiving recipe…thanks so much for this great recipe 🙂
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Thank you, Alice! I’m glad it worked out for you. Blueberries sound delicious to add.
Max says
You will run out of money if you use 3/4th cup of stevia extract.
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Absolutely! It would also taste terrible – that is way too much stevia, which is very concentrated. 🙂
Fran says
Can you add sf chocolate chips?
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi Fran, Absolutely! You can add that as a mix-in in step 5.
NikkiO says
What are the macros for the entire recipe? Thank you, I can’t wait! 🙂
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi Nikki, The nutrition info per serving is listed on the recipe card for convenience. If you need info for some other amount, you can multiply it out or use an online recipe calculator. Enjoy the ice cream!
Srinath says
Melting butter would yield ghee. Could I just use ghee? Also, what would adding cacao butter do to this recipe – make it a solid block even in the fridge and render it unscoopable?
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi Srinath, Melted butter and ghee are not the same – ghee has the milk solids removed. I haven’t tried this recipe with ghee or cacao butter, so can’t guarantee the results. Please let me know how it goes if you decide to try something different!
Kenny says
I added a half of a banana cream muscle milk which is also low in net carbs. It made a decent tasting banana milk shake.
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
That’s a great idea, Kenny! Might have to try it myself!
Cassie says
I’m thinking of adding in some arrowroot powder to keep this from freezing so hard (because we LOVE it, just takes too long to scoop out!) What step would I do this in?
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Hi Cassie, What a fantastic idea! I need to try that. I would recommend making a slurry with a couple teaspoons of arrowroot powder and just a little more cream, then add that in step 2 together with the vanilla extract. Proceed the same way as written with the rest of the recipe. If you try it, I’d love to know how it went and if it helped make the ice cream easier to scoop!
Susan says
I ran across your recipe a couple days ago. I just made it. I look forward to trying it out this weekend.
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
Thanks for trying out my recipe, Susan! I hope you like it!