This delectable ice cream pie combines a crisp low carb pie crust with creamy Keto Butter Pecan Ice Cream. It’s an easy no-churn recipe that will have you coming back for more!
I declare that Keto Butter Pecan Ice Cream Pie is THE dessert of the summer. Don’t even try to argue with me. Nothing you say can change my mind, I am utterly convinced.
Why is butter pecan flavor so good? Seriously, it combines all that is good in the world. Toasted pecans with butter, sweetness, and salt – it’s just a magical combination.
It’s the reason recipes like Keto Butter Pecan Cookies and Keto Candied Pecans are so popular. And it’s the reason I have been looking forward to my slice of this keto ice cream pie every evening.
If you love that nutty, salty-sweet flavor, you have to make this dessert as soon as humanly possible! Try it with a drizzle of my keto caramel sauce for truly amazing dessert experience.
Why you will love this keto pie
I created a version of this butter pecan ice cream pie many years ago for the Swerve website. It was so good that the memory of it has stayed with me this whole time.
But keto ingredients have changed so much in the intervening 8 years that I decided to rework the recipe. By using a combination of sweeteners, I got a creamier consistency that didn’t freeze rock hard.
I also used pecan flour for the crust, rather than almond flour. You can use either, but the more pecans the merrier as far as I am concerned. It is keto butter pecan ice cream, after all!
And I decided to make this a no-churn ice cream recipe, so that everyone can enjoy it. To that end, I used a lightened up version of my keto condensed milk as the base, and folded in some whipped cream.
The end result is nothing short of spectacular!
Ingredients you need
- Pecan flour: I borrowed this idea from my Keto Blueberry Jamboree, as everyone raves about that crust. But you can easily use almond flour instead.
- Sweetener: You do need a couple of different sweeteners to make the perfect ice cream pie. The crust requires erythritol to firm up properly, whereas the ice cream filling works best with both erythritol and allulose. See the expert tips section for a more detailed analysis.
- Butter: It wouldn’t be butter pecan without some butter!
- Pecans: It wouldn’t be butter pecan without plenty of pecans!
- Heavy cream: The cream is used to make the condensed milk “base” as well as whipped to give the no-churn ice cream some volume and stability.
- Almond milk: I used some non-dairy milk to make a version of keto condensed milk that wasn’t so heavy on the calories and fat. You can also use hemp milk or any low carb milk here.
- Vanilla extract: Butter pecan ice cream has a vanilla base, so plenty of vanilla extract is in order.
- Xanthan gum: A little low carb thickener helps thicken the ice cream filling as well as reduced iciness.
Step by Step Directions
Step 1: Prepare the crust. In a medium bowl, whisk together the pecan flour, sweetener, and salt. Stir in the butter until the mixture begins to clump together. Press evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a glass or ceramic pie pan.
Step 2: Bake the crust. Bake at 325ºF for about 15 minutes, or until the edges are becoming browned. Remove and let cool completely in the pan, then place in the freezer to chill.
Step 3: Make the condensed milk. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine 3/4 cup of the whipping cream, the almond milk, powdered Swerve, and allulose. Bring to a strong simmer, then reduce the heat and continue to simmer gently for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla extract. Sprinkle the surface with the xanthan gum while whisking vigorously to combine. Let the mixture cool completely.
Step 4: Make the buttered pecans. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Once melted, add the pecans, sweetener, and salt and toss to coat. Cook for 2 minutes or so to lightly toast the pecans. Then remove from heat and let cool completely.
Step 5: Whip the cream. Once both the condensed milk is cool, place the remaining heavy cream in a large bowl and beat until it holds stiff peaks. Carefully fold in the condensed milk until no streaks remain. Stir in the cooled pecans.
Step 6: Freeze. Spread the mixture evenly in the chilled crust and freeze at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.
Expert Tips
You can adjust the sweetness to suit your tastes. If you like your ice cream on the sweeter side, add a little additional sweetener as you whip the cream. You can even add some after you’ve mixed the whipped cream and condensed milk, but it needs to be a powdered or liquid sweetener to avoid any grittiness.
If you can’t find pecan flour and want to use that option, you can grind pecans in a food processor. I find that it’s more coarse and tends to contain more oils than the commercial pecan flour, so I recommend adding less butter. Try 3 tablespoons and adjust as necessary.
Sweetener Options
Because Swerve Sweetener changed the formula of their main sweeteners, the sweetener choices can be a little confusing. So I will do my best to lay it all out as clearly as possible.
Keep in mind that any amount of allulose in the crust will keep it from crisping up properly. So the new Swerve Granular is not a great option in the crust. The old version, which is still for sale on Amazon, works perfectly, as does their new erythritol/monk fruit blend. You can also use other erythritol brands such as Lakanto.
For any keto ice cream, you want some allulose (or BochaSweet) to keep it softer. So you can use any of the Swerve formulas, along with any brand of allulose. You can make the ice cream entirely with allulose but I find that it stays very soft and melts far too quickly.
Confused? Leave me a comment and I will try to clarify even more!
Frequently Asked Questions
Butter pecan features chopped pecans cooked in butter, sugar, and salt. It is a popular flavor of ice cream, cakes, and cookies. It’s easy to make keto friendly by replacing the sugar with a low carb sweetener.
It’s surprisingly easy to make ice cream without a machine. Folding whipped cream into a thick base like condensed milk creates volume, similar to the churning process. It can have a fluffier, less creamy texture so it’s not quite the same. But it’s easy and still delicious! Check out my best tips for making No Churn Keto Ice Cream.
Conventional butter pecan ice cream has a high sugar content and is not keto friendly. However, this recipe for Keto Butter Pecan Ice Cream Pie has 4g of carbs and 2.2g of fiber per serving. If you just want the ice cream without the crust, check out the recipe notes!
More popular keto ice cream recipes
Keto Ice Cream Pie Recipe
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 1/2 cups (148.5 g) pecan flour, (or almond flour)
- 1/4 cup (45.5 g) Swerve Granular, (old Swerve formula!)
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) salt
- 1/4 cup (59.15 ml) butter, melted
Butter Pecan Ice Cream
- 1 ¾ cups (414.03 ml) heavy whipping cream, divided
- 3/4 cup (177.44 ml) unsweetened almond milk, or any low carb milk
- 1/3 cup (63.6 g) Swerve Confectioners, (either the old or new formulas)
- 1/3 cup (66.67 g) Allulose, (or BochaSweet)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) xanthan gum
- 1 tbsp (1.01 tbsp) butter
- 3/4 cup (81.75 g) chopped pecans
- 1 tbsp (1.01 tbsp) Swerve Granular
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) salt
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the pecan flour, sweetener, and salt. Stir in the butter until the mixture begins to clump together.
- Press evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a glass or ceramic pie pan. If the pan is deep dish, only go about 3/4 of the way up.
- Bake about 15 minutes, or until the edges are becoming browned. Remove and let cool completely in the pan, then place in the freezer.
Butter Pecan Ice Cream
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine 3/4 cup of the whipping cream, the almond milk, powdered Swerve, and allulose. Bring to a strong simmer, then reduce the heat and continue to simmer gently for 30 minutes.
- Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla extract. Sprinkle the surface with the xanthan gum while whisking vigorously to combine. Let the mixture cool completely.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Once melted, add the pecans, sweetener, and salt and toss to coat. Cook for 2 minutes or so to lightly toast the pecans. Then remove from heat and let cool completely.
- Once both the condensed milk is cool, place the remaining heavy cream in a large bowl and beat until it holds stiff peaks. Carefully fold in the condensed milk until no streaks remain. Stir in the cooled pecans.
- Spread the mixture evenly in the chilled crust and freeze at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
Free Bonus: Secrets to Keto Baking!
Sign up for your favorite recipes delivered straight to your inbox plus get our FREE bonus: Secrets to Keto Baking!
Can you explain “Old Swerve formula” and New Swerve formula”.
Sure… Swerve now contains some allulose, as of about 4 years ago. In my professional opinion, they ruined a good thing. It’s not that allulose is bad, it’s just that it bakes very differently than erythritol. So cookies don’t crisp up and cakes get too brown. The trouble with a blend like this is that we have no idea HOW MUCH allulose it contains so we can’t adjust accordingly.
The old Swerve was just erythritol and oligosaccharides and it baked in a predictable way. The new formula does not.