There are a handful of recipes on this website that I make over and over and over again, and this keto ice cream recipe is one of them. It’s silky smooth and ultra-rich, and it stays scoopable in the freezer for weeks on end. I haven’t changed anything about the recipe in over a decade, which tells you just how reliable it is!
I make a batch every few weeks so that I have it on hand when I want it. It’s absolutely sublime with some Keto Caramel Sauce or Keto Chocolate Sauce drizzled over it.
★★★★★
“Best ice cream EVER. Have made it numerous times and it turns out perfect and delicious. Thanks, Carolyn!” – Anna
Recipe Highlights
Easy to make: This keto ice cream recipe takes just a handful of ingredients and very little effort. The hardest part is waiting for it to set up in the freezer!
Egg-free: Unlike many ice cream recipes, this requires no eggs. Which means no fussing with a thermometer or risking food-borne illnesses from raw eggs.
Rich and creamy: The texture is phenomenal, so smooth and creamy. And it doesn’t freeze rock solid so you can scoop it without having to let it sit on the counter first.
Classic vanilla flavor: Between the keto condensed milk and the added extract, it has a sweet vanilla flavor.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Sugar Free Condensed Milk: You will need to make my recipe for keto condensed milk prior to making this ice cream. It serves as the egg-free base and contributes to the creamy, scoopable quality.
- Heavy cream: If you want to lighten the ice cream a little, you can replace half of the cream with nut milk or other low carb milk. It does tend to make it freeze a little harder.
- Additional sweetener: Using a powdered sweetener avoids any grittiness in the ice cream. See the Sweetener Options section for more details.
- Vodka: This is optional, but it does help reduce iciness. And it only amounts to about 1/2 teaspoon per serving.
- Pantry staples: Vanilla extract and salt.
How to Make Keto Vanilla Ice Cream
- Prepare the condensed milk: Make this in advance of getting started and let cool to room temperature.
- Add the remaining ingredients: Whisk in the heavy cream, powdered sweetener, vodka, vanilla extract, and salt.
- Taste test: Taste the mixture and adjust sweetener to taste.
- Refrigerate: For most ice cream makers, you will need to chill the mixture prior to churning.
- Churn: Pour the mixture into the canister of an ice cream maker and churn until it reaches desired consistency.
- Freeze: Transfer to an airtight container and place in the freezer.
Carolyn’s Tips for Success
Most home ice cream makers require you to freeze the canister for at least 12 hours prior to churning, so don’t forget! I now have one of the big compressor models that doesn’t require this. But both kinds work well.
I recommend churning the ice cream until it reaches a firm soft-serve consistency. This makes it easier to get out of the ice cream maker and into a freezer safe container. Then you can transfer it to the freezer to keep firming up.
Don’t forget the salt! It helps the texture of the ice cream because it prevents the formation of large ice crystals and keeps it from freezing too hard. But a little salt also brings out the natural sweetness and flavor of the other ingredients.
Sweetener Options
The ratio of sweeteners in the condensed milk is important to the consistency. Too much erythritol and it freezes harder. Too much allulose and it becomes so soft that it can take a long time to firm up properly. It also melts faster when out of the freezer.
If you can’t access allulose, try using xylitol. Just remember that it is toxic to dogs so keep it away from your pets.
Of course you are free to use whatever sweetener or combination of sweeteners you prefer, but I want you to be aware of how it may affect your results!
Frequently Asked Questions
More Popular Keto Ice Cream Recipes
Keto Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 recipe Sugar-Free Condensed Milk
- 1 1/2 cups (354.88 ml) heavy cream, (can replace half of the cream with nut milk, coconut milk, etc.)
- 3 tbsp (45.65 g) powdered sweetener
- 1 1/2 tbsp (22.5 ml) vodka, (optional, helps reduce iciness)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp salt
Instructions
- Make the sweetened condensed milk according to the directions and let cool to room temperature.
- Whisk in the heavy cream, powdered sweetener, vodka, vanilla extract, and salt.
- Taste the mixture and adjust sweetener to taste. **You can use additional allulose here but because it's granular, you will need to whisk for a while to dissolve it properly.
- Chill the mixture at least one hour and up to overnight, then pour into the canister of an ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer's directions.
- Once it reaches soft-serve consistency, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.
Video
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.
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Could you add say a banana or orange extract to this to make different flavors. My favorite ice cream is banana pudding, not something you can find in store only at some speciality ice cream places and of course it’s not sugar free. If so how much extract would you add.
Thanks for all your amazing work and recipes!
Absolutely! Try a teaspoon and taste it… there are no eggs so no worry about tasting your mixture.
Best ice cream EVER. Have made it numerous times and it turns out perfect and delicious. Thanks, Carolyn!
Once again, you’ve hit the mark. I used your adaptation to make your Browned Butter ice cream and the result was exactly as you said. Thanks for continuing to work on Keto everything.
You can use this no-churn recipe and try adding some chocolate: https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/low-carb-no-churn-coffee-ice-cream/
Can instant coffee be added to this recipe to make it coffee ice cream?
You want this recipe: https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/low-carb-no-churn-coffee-ice-cream/
I failed to read through the entire recipe and missed the “freeze for 4 hours” part and we started eating it from the ice cream machine when it was like frozen custard and MAN was it good!! The sweetened condensed milk provides that thick, custardy feel to it… it’s really tasty! I added strawberries this time.. will do chocolate chips another time.
So glad you enjoyed!
I used Allulose not Boca. My freezer is set on 0
Allulose usually makes it even softer so I think it has to be your freezer… Mine never freezes rock hard (unless I use coconut milk. For some reason I can’t get coconut milk to make good ice cream).
I commented yesterday on how delicious it is but after being in the freezer all night it’s frozen hard. I followed the recipe exactly. Do you have any suggestions?
Did you use the exact same sweeteners as I used? The other possibility is that your freezer temp is set a bit low.
I have tried several vanilla ice cream recipes and haven’t been pleased. This one is delicious. The salted caramel recipe was also delicious. I can’t wait to try all the other flavors that she has created.
Thank you!
I have never used an ice cream maker. I bought one with a compressor (Breville) to make your recipes. Do I still have to freeze it for 4 hours when it comes out of the maker? I was hoping I wouldn’t have to with one that had a compressor. Thank you!
When it comes out of the ice cream maker, it has to be soft enough to scrape off the churning paddle. So it won’t be full ice cream consistency. You will still need to freeze for at least a bit.
Can the swerve be replaced with powdered Lakanto monk fruit?
Thank you!
Yes… but please know that Lakanto is mostly erythritol. The “monk fruit sweetener” is a bit of a marketing gimmick!
what does 1 recipe of condensed milk mean? sorry im not an expert at these things.
It means you need to make that first, just click the link, and then you proceed with the rest of the recipe.
I just made this ice cream and it is divine. The first step in the process (creating the sugar free condensed milk) was the game changer. I added buttered pecans to my first batch while in the ice cream maker and had to forcefully remove myself from the container to allow the ice cream to properly freeze! My tasting spoon kept dipping back into the container.
Another tweak to the recipe — added 1/4 cup of allulose instead of 3 tbsp of powdered Swerve. Other than that (and the pecans) the recipe was great as written. Thank you so much for sharing it.
Wonderful!
This was my first ever ice cream made at home! Truly delicious and soft. Texture is amazing – even straight from the machine although it melted really quickly (but we were all so excited by this new machine that we wanted to eat it straight away)! Definitely should have put it back in the chiller for maybe an hour (you said to do so, and we ignored that part!).
Served it with your keto caramel sauce which was heaven…hubs made an affogato which he said was brilliant with this treat!
Only thing to note is that it tasted VERY rich. My ice-cream crazy family all suggested a serving is more like a quarter cup…assume that is b/c of the condensed milk? But not taking any stars away b/c we were pigs and no one has had any ice cream since I started keto!
It is incredibly rich because it’s mostly cream. Try replacing some of the additional cream with almond milk.
Delicious! I did use the option to balance the cream with 3/4 cup macadamia milk and might even try 1 cup next time. Stayed perfectly scoopable. Have also made it with the addition of 3 TB key lime juice, some lime zest and light rum in place of the vodka (even though you don’t taste the alcohol). Fun to play around! 🙂
This is suuuuper creamy and delicious! I can’t believe how easy this came together and how the flavor and texture rivals that of big brands.
Next time I’ll sub out some of the cream for almond milk, as a personal preference.