This rich and creamy sugar-free vanilla ice cream is a delicious low carb dessert and has just the right amount of sweetness. What’s really unique about this recipe is how it stays soft in the freezer so it scoops just like regular ice cream!
It took me a few months to learn the trick to making sugar-free ice cream without having it turn into a frozen block of ice in the freezer. Thanks to some tips I learned from Carrie Brown after listening to her talk about keto ice cream on the Ketovangelist Kitchen podcast, I feel like I have mastered a good go-to base recipe that works well for me. My recipe uses allulose for the sweetener which is the most important ingredient for ending up with an ice cream that doesn’t completely freeze into an ice cube!
I have also found that heating the cream base on the stove, then thoroughly chilling it in the fridge before churning it is another important step to getting a nice, creamy ice cream. The long chilling time helps reduce ice crystals forming, and using allulose helps keep the custard from freezing after time in the freezer.
Now, it’s possible there may be times when you want ice cream without waiting several hours. I know, I know—it’s crazy talk.
I have included a short cut variation I use with this recipe that takes just 20 minutes. Yes, this means I’m breaking a few of the rules I just outlined above. I don’t heat the cream and skip the chilling. Here’s how I make this work:
- I store the coconut milk in the fridge. I use Simple Truth unsweetened coconut milk which is in a shelf-stable carton so instead of storing this in the pantry, I always keep it in the fridge, even if it’s unopened.
- Process the sweetener in a spice grinder to turn it into a powdered sweetener. This helps the sweetener dissolve into the cold cream without heating. The brand of allulose I use is also very close to a powder consistency.
- Mix everything together well, then pour it into your frozen canister to churn it immediately.
In about 20 minutes, you will have a lovely batch of soft-serve ice cream you can enjoy immediately. The reason the shortcut works is because the ingredients are extremely cold already before you mix them together. I’ve attempted this without pre-chilling the coconut milk and it results in a very icy texture that is not creamy.
So, why not just do the quick version all the time? Following the full steps and chilling overnight does turn out better. If I’m planning to make it a day or two in advance of consuming it, I will use the longer method as is written. Both are delicious and taste just like store-bought ice cream, but without the sugar and stabilizers.
I love this recipe because
- The quick version can be thrown together in about five minutes.
- It’s not super sugary.
- It stays soft in the freezer. Just scoop and serve it without thawing.
- It’s simple and delicious!
- Your carb-eating friends won’t even suspect it’s sugar-free.
This is my go-to ice cream base which I repurpose in my other ice creams including my Keto Maple Walnut Ice Cream, Sugar Free Pumpkin Ice Cream, and others I will post on the website soon! You can really use this as a starting point and add whatever extracts or flavors your heart desires.
The recipe makes approximately 1 quart of ice cream which is 8 servings at 1/2 cup each.
