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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Is there a substitution for the vodka? I don’t do alcohol. I know you can do it without, I was just wondering if there was another option to help with the iciness.
No sub, just skip it.
I don’t really like soft ice cream, I like it firmer, what should I do in that case?
It isn’t soft as in soft serve… it’s just scoopable out of the freezer.
I have made various ice cream recipes with regular sugar and cream but this one is by far the BEST and it’s Keto-friendly ! Thank you! The texture is perfect. I made it with BochaSweet mixed with Erythritol (“Now Foods” brand). I made my favorite peppermint with Keto-friendly chocolate chips and 2 Tablespoons of the ice cream is quite satisfying and enough for me to satisfy my ice cream craving.
I’m wondering about making this in my Ninja Creami, I just got it and haven’t used it yet. I will make this soon either way!!
OOOh I have one of those too but haven’t used it. If you use it, can you update on here how you did it?
Excellent creamy vanilla ice cream! Worth the time to make the sugar free condensed milk. I used Allulose instead of BochaSweet and it turned out perfect!
I also used salted butter vs unsalted and it was delicious.
In the ice cream recipe I did use the 1 1/2 tbsp vodka in my recipe.
I made it without and ice cream maker. I also used my Kitchen Aid counter top mixer with the whisk attachment to whip the heavy cream with the powdered Swerve Sweetener and made sure my heavy cream was at room temperature. This ice cream turned out perfect. It did not get frozen like a rock but easy to scoop right out of the freezer! LOVE THIS ICE CREAM!!!
Thank you for post acknowledging that this works with the kitchen aid mixer as that is what I have and don’t want to have to buy an ice cream maker.
Would this work adding some Peppermint extract and some Keto chocolate chips? I really miss my chocolate mint ice cream!
Absolutely!
I wonder if I could do this in my blender? Have you tried? I know you can make an ice cream in the Vitamix. May have to try it if you have not
I do not have a Vitamix.
Carolyn, maybe Santa will bring you a Vitamix. They are the best!!
What ice cream maker do you recommend?
The cuisinart ones have always worked well for me!
You advise cuisinart as a good ice cream maker in your opinion. Which cuisinart ice cream maker, do you suggest?? I’ve just googled and found them on Amazon. So many different choices, I’m so CONFUSED!! LOL Look forward to your help 😉
The basic 1.5 quart or 2 quart is fine. I had one for a very long time and it was always reliable. I upgraded to a compressor model simply so I don’t have to freeze the canister. This is the basic one I am referring to: https://amzn.to/3hOYhzK
Thank you !!
@ Carolyn, could you give a link to the compressor one you own NOW? Thank you! Looking forward to making this and many versions!
This is great ice cream! I made some of your caramel sauce and when I took the ice cream out of the ice cream maker I put in some layers of the caramel with some sprinkling of buttered pecans. It lasted about 5 days and was wonderful and stayed scoopable the whole time. So creamy. I have made it twice…and now have another batch in the refrigerator to churn in the ice cream maker in the morning!
Thank you for your great recipes ????????
Love your additions!
How do you make condensed milk?
It’s linked right in the recipe here. It will take you to the condensed milk recipe.
What is your favorite sugar free sprinkles?
Caroline at one time I received an email with ice cream recipes and I saw that you highlighted some sugar free sprinkles that are sold on Amazon can you tell me what brand that you use
Was it these? https://amzn.to/3INX195
Thank you! I didn’t see your reply and I asked a second time,sorry. I tell everyone about you, your an amazing cook and author and you inspire me with your recipes! Keto can be challenging when it comes to baking, alot to learn but we are lucky to have you as our teacher.
Thanks so much!
I made this ice cream and it is good, but different. It is not as cold as regular ice cream. It’s creamy and rich. If I try it again, I will use half almond milk, as all the cream upset my tummy.
I had never made Keto ice cream before. I received my churn yesterday, washed the bowl and placed in the big freezer. I made the recipe to the tee (Bocha Sweet costs an arm and a leg, lol), and placed the mix in the fridge to make after church today. After churning, I put it in the freezer in an air tight container. Well, I just tried some. It was really creamy and good, but different. It does not seem to be as cold as regular ice cream for some reason. But, I did enjoy it and it is really filling. I will be trying out some of the other ice cream recipes you have posted on your site. I am sure my grand kids will use the machine to make some regular ice cream soon.
I am guessing I could make a double batch of this recipe, since my churn is 2 quarts?
It should be just as cold as regular ice cream… maybe you needed to leave it longer.
How much does it this make? I looked through everything and saw a serving size is a half a cup but it didn’t say how many servings there were, unless I overlooked it somewhere. My machine is 1.5 quarts so I’m just trying to guage how much this makes to make sure it will work with my machine.
Thank you
Right at the top of every recipe, it states the number of servings.
I’m just curious as to why you add vodka? Could you sub other spirits as well?
Sorry, I read the preceding article where you explain the use of the alcohol. So would other spirits have the same effect like whiskey or rum? Thanks so much!
Yes but they have stronger flavors so you may taste them a bit.