This keto ice cream recipe is an easy dairy free, sugar free, and low carb frozen dessert that everyone can enjoy, even if you’re not on a keto diet!
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The best keto ice cream recipe
This creamy keto ice cream is absolutely delicious!
Serve in bowls, ice cream cones, or on top of Keto Cheesecake.
Without question, the most popular request I’ve been getting from readers in the past few months has been for more low carb and keto recipes.
You definitely do not need to be on a ketogenic diet, or any special diet at all, to enjoy this homemade and no sugar ice cream.
With just four ingredients, endless customization options to make different flavors, and the same luxurious creaminess of regular dairy ice cream, what’s not to love???
Also try these Keto Peanut Butter Cookies
Vanilla or chocolate keto ice cream
The vanilla keto ice cream recipe is listed below. You can use either pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste. Or scrape out the seeds of one vanilla bean.
To make chocolate ice cream, simply stir in one fourth cup of regular unsweetened cocoa powder along with the other ingredients. That’s it!
You can also recreate your favorite Halo Top, Rebel, or Enlightened ice cream flavors at home. Turn the basic keto ice cream recipe into unlimited new flavors, simply by experimenting with different extracts and add-ins.
Stir in diced strawberries to make strawberry ice cream, pecans and butter extract for butter pecan, half a teaspoon of instant coffee, a handful of shredded coconut, or pure peppermint extract and chopped dark chocolate to get mint chocolate chip.
Readers also love this Chocolate Keto Cake
Sugar free ice cream recipe video
Above, watch the step-by-step keto ice cream recipe video
Keto ice cream ingredients
You need just four ingredients for this recipe: coconut milk, sweetener of choice (such as xylitol or erythritol), pure vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt.
Be sure to look for full fat canned coconut milk, not lite coconut milk or the cartons of coconutmilk beverage sold in the dairy case. I have not tried substituting heavy cream.
Sugar free options that work well for the sweetener include granulated erythritol or xylitol, a low-glycemic and natural sugar alternative with 40% fewer calories that is absorbed more slowly than sugar and doesn’t have the same effect on insulin or blood sugar levels. (Just like chocolate, raisins, and avocados, it should not be fed to dogs.)
If you’re not counting carbs or watching sugar intake, you can absolutely feel free to use your favorite all purpose sweetener, such as sugar, honey, or pure maple syrup.
I have not tried allulose or stevia in this frozen dessert and therefore cannot personally recommend it here. Be sure to report back if you experiment.
The recipe is based on my Avocado Ice Cream and Coconut Ice Cream
How to make keto ice cream
Stir together the milk, sweetener of choice, salt, and pure vanilla extract. If making chocolate ice cream, stir in the cocoa powder too.
If you have an ice cream maker, prepare the machine according to the manual specific to your brand and model. (Some models need to be frozen ahead of time.)
Churn according to manufacturer’s instructions. I have a Cuisinart ice cream machine, which takes around fifteen minutes to make ice cream.
For a no churn version without an ice cream maker, freeze the mixture in ice cube trays, which can be purchased for as little as two dollars at most grocery stores or home stores like Bed Bath Beyond.
Then blend the frozen ice cubes in a Vitamix, or thaw enough to blend in a food processor or a regular blender. I like to scoop it out with an ice cream scoop for an authentic ice cream shape.
The homemade keto ice cream recipe can be vegan, paleo, egg free, dairy free, low carb, sugar free, soy free, and gluten free.
If you are looking for a low fat or fat free frozen dessert recipe, I recommend this creamy Banana Ice Cream or my favorite Lemon Sorbet.
Keto Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 cups canned coconut milk
- 1/3 cup erythritol, xylitol, or sweetener of choice
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- optional ingredients for desired flavor
Instructions
- Be sure to use full-fat canned coconut milk, not lite or coconutmilk beverage. If desired, you can use the seeds from a vanilla bean instead of the extract. To make the keto ice cream: Stir together the milk, sweetener, salt, and vanilla extract. If you have an ice cream machine, simply churn according to manufacturer’s directions. Or to make it without an ice cream machine, freeze the mixture in ice cube trays, then blend the frozen cubes in a high-speed blender such as a Vitamix OR thaw them enough to then blend in a food processor or regular blender. Eat as-is, or freeze an hour or so for a firmer texture. Due to not having any preservatives or stabilizers, the keto ice cream is best the day it’s made, but you can technically freeze leftovers up to a month and thaw before serving.View Nutrition Facts
Video
Notes
More Healthy Keto Recipes
Keto Cookies (Low Carb, No Sugar)
Keto Muffins, or these Keto Blueberry Muffins
I’m excited to try this recipe because I miss ice cream so much! This comment is for anyone that is here looking for Keto recipes. Xylitol is NOT a great sugar sub for Keto. It negatively impacts ketones and it spikes your blood glucose levels. If you don’t watch Keto Connect on youtube I really recommend checking them out. Here is a video they made comparing the different sweeteners: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYfqvTZWilw. You can fast forward to 8:45 for Xylitol results, they labeled it as a no-go sweetener.
Two comments: first of all, I’ve only discovered your site recently because (a) I. no longer eat refined sugar, and (b) after a year of no ice cream, I bought an ice cream maker and am making maple syrup sweetened ice cream, with varied success, which brings me to my comments/questions: first, this recipe calls for xylitol or erythritol, and as a person with three dogs, may I just mention that dogs can be killed by consuming xylitol. For this reason, I don’t use it, because they adore ice cream, and I can’t resist giving them a little occasionally…and I might forget. This is important!! Second: I keep reading coconut milk ice cream recipes (and others as well) that jump up and down and insist that these recipes makes this amazing, creamy ice cream, and….it doesn’t. I have made ice cream with coconut milk (full-fat) And coconut cream and it is usually icy, if delicious. Not creamy. Same for my one or two forays into making dairy ice cream to see how that would work. All of it is full of ice crystals and while it may be delicious, creamy it is not, although ice cream made with cashews and plant milk does pretty well. My theory is that commercial ice cream is filled with chemicals and stabilizers and the like, and is therefore what we call creamy. All the ice cream I have made with my Cuisinart ice cream maker freezes hard as a rock, and again–while it may be delicious, it is NOT creamy. Is it possible that I’m doing something wrong? I can’t see that I’m doing anything differently from the various vegan and/or dairy recipes I’ve seen. I’ve used both maple sugar and maple syrup for sweetening, as well as occasionally coconut sugar. My most successful ice cream has been made with plant milk and maple syrup. Getting everything as cold as possible before freezing helps, of course, but it is NEVER creamy. Thoughts?
try Katie’s banana ice cream. It is super creamy!
Your post is fairly old but I’m new to Katie’s site. Wondering if you’ve tried allulose as a sweetener for ice cream? It doesn’t freeze rock hard like erythritol. And a 1/4 tsp of xanthan gum might also help with the creaminess.
Those sweeteners will raise your blood sugar, and add to your weight. I’ve been using erythritol, which is low-carb and doesn’t affect your glucose levels. The same with monk fruit. I just found out about allulose, and how it’s supposed to keep ice cream creamy. So I want to try it. It also doesn’t raise blood sugar.
I have made this recipe several times now and my family loves it! Hubby is doing a weightloss program and this is really a treat for him. Freeze in popsicle molds and Kids love it too. I make them chocolate and they taste like fudgesicles. But the last two times its really grainy with the coconut fats in the milk after blending and freezing. The first few times it was perfect.Im pretty sure i used the same kind of coconut milk. Any idea what might be happening?? Thank you
Maybe a climate thing? Sometimes humidity or lack of can do strange things to coconut products!
Hey quick question! If I’m using stevia instead of xylitol would it still be 1/3 cup? Thank you!!
Would it be possible to use almond milk instead of coconut? I did read most of the comments and didn’t see anything about that, but may have missed so apologize if I did.
Thanks!
No but you can use this recipe instead 🙂 https://lett-trim.today/2018/08/06/almond-milk-ice-cream-recipe/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
New to Keto here, but it’s working well & id like to avoid derailing. Where can I find the nutrition info on this? The way I prepped it (&added 100%cocoa powder), MyFitness Pal is registering 1/6 of the recipe as over 26 carbs. Obviously I’m doing something wrong. Is granular swerve a bad choice of sweetener after all?
Hello dolly! I added cinnamon! Fantastic!
The Atkins Diet is an amazing weight loss diet plan that helps you lose weight without counting calories. You can lose as much as 10 to 30 pounds in the first month on atkins diet meal plan of meat, fish, eggs, cheese, good carbs and good fats!
Katie, you’ve done it again! 😀
Years ago, for 6 weeks, I had to go gluten & dairy free to reduce brain inflammation. I was distraught over the condition, but also over the drastic dietary changes I needed to make. I stumbled upon your website & it was so awesome! Not only was every recipe dairy free, you also always tried to make allowances for people trying to avoid gluten or sugar. Your cashew ice cream & black bean brownies helped get me through! Lol
Now, my husband and I are trying the Keto lifestyle, which has allowed us to lose a combined weight of about 75lbs, and my husband is no longer diabetic! Things are going well, so my mother-in-law has decided to try it, but she doesn’t do well with dairy, so she’s had some difficulty finding recipes. Tonight I decided to check your website, & sure enough, you have a whole section with Keto-friendly recipes!
I refer gluten/dairy-free/vegetarian/vegan friends to your website constantly. Now I can refer my Keto friends here too. 🙂
Thanks for trying to help so many, and cater to a variety of dietary restrictions!!
<3
Thank you so much, this really means so much to us!! 🙂
Jason (media relations), and Katie!
Just made this and topped it with fresh berries! Delicious!
Can you use almond milk instead of coconut? I prefer almond milk to coconut(although It is nice to find a recipe with coconut milk as my brother is allergic to almonds.)
Can I use almond milk instead of coconut? I much prefer almond milk to coconut milk ( although it is nice to find a recipe that uses coconut milk as my brother is allergic to almonds )
Use this recipe instead: https://lett-trim.today/2018/08/06/almond-milk-ice-cream-recipe/%3C/a%3E 🙂
Ummm…I love this! So good. I was wondering what brand of coconut milk you used. There is no fiber in my coconut milk and I am guessing that it is not coming from the vanilla and sweetener. ? Thank you so much. Delicious!
Good question! I just plugged this recipe into the Verywell Fit calorie calculator online (formerly Calorie Count) because your question made me curious as well, and it shows coconut milk as being the source of the fiber. So maybe they are basing it off fresh coconut milk? Coconut, itself, has a lot of fiber, so if you blend it to make your own homemade coconut milk, I guess that would probably be what they’re getting it from. Jason
Bummer! Thanks for looking into it.
DO you use the fat at the top of the can, or poke a hole and just use the milk? I just put a can in the blender with the milk and top, hard fat/oil layer on top and it’s not blending. Should I heat it slightly? Guessing I should not strain it off as I want the fat content for the ice cream. Just read through all the comments and don’t see anything about this. Please advise. I have a can of Trader Joes 100% coconut milk. Thanks!
Eliza- I have struggled with Trader Joe’s coconut milk before. It’s grainy and separates… use simple truth or something other than the Trader Joe’s brand!!
I’m all set. I heated the mixture slightly on the stove top. All incorporated. (The interior of my house is below 70 degrees. LOL!)
Made this last night in our Cuisinart ice cream maker, and it came out incredible! We used Lakanto Monkfruit sweetener instead of Xylitol (we’ve read that it spikes sugar a little bit), and served it with some keto chocolate sunflower butter brownie cookies that we baked alongside the ice cream. SOOO GOOD!!
Question: How much cocoa (or cacao) powder would you recommend adding to the recipe for chocolate ice cream?
Hi! I would just use this one 🙂 https://lett-trim.today/2015/08/03/vegan-chocolate-ice-cream/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E