This keto ice cream recipe has a rich vanilla flavor and a super smooth, creamy consistency. It’s easy to make and stays soft and scoopable in the freezer. It’s the sugar-free ice cream of your dreams!
Well it’s about time I updated this recipe for keto ice cream. It’s one of my all-time favorites and it always gets rave reviews.
Don’t panic, though. I didn’t change the recipe itself, since it’s absolute perfection as it is (she says humbly). I’ve been making this delicious low carb vanilla ice cream recipe the exact same way for over 10 years now. And 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 drizzled over it.
But I truly want everyone to get the best out of my recipes. With that in mind, I have updated the helpful information and added tips in this article. Because you deserve to have the creamiest, dreamiest sugar free vanilla ice cream in your freezer too!
Why you will love this recipe
Prepare to be AMAZED! This is no ordinary keto ice cream recipe. Oh no, my friends, not at all.
This ice cream has magical properties and should not be underestimated. Sure, it looks like regular vanilla ice cream and tastes like regular vanilla ice cream. It even behaves like regular vanilla ice cream.
And that, my dear readers, is exactly the point. It has the truly astonishing property of staying soft and scoopable, even after several days in the freezer. And it’s entirely egg-free and has no added sugars, which makes it all the more astonishing.
If you’ve ever made your own sugar-free ice cream at home, you know that this is no small feat!
Why it works
The magic of this stay-soft keto ice cream comes down to a few little tricks.
The first is using my keto condensed milk as the ice cream base, which contains a mix of both allulose and erythritol. These sweeteners have a symbiotic relationship, with each one making up for what the other lacks. If you’ve ever made ice cream with just erythritol, you know how rock hard it gets in the freezer. I’ve tried doing just allulose but then it never firms up at all and stays like soft serve. Together, they are perfect.
The condensed milk also contains a little bit of xanthan gum. Xanthan is often in commercial ice creams because it inhibits recrystallization, so the ice cream doesn’t get icy.
This sugar free ice cream recipe also contains a touch of alcohol. This raises the freezing point of liquids so it also reduces iciness. It is not enough to affect even a child (yes, I do feed my kids this ice cream), as it amounts to about half a teaspoon per serving. That said, the choice to include it is up to you.
Reader Reviews
“Best ice cream EVER. Have made it numerous times and it turns out perfect and delicious. Thanks, Carolyn!” — Anna
“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.” — Becky
“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.” — NK
Ingredients needed
- Sugar Free Condensed Milk: You will need to make my recipe for sugar free condensed milk prior to making this ice cream.
- 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.
- Additional sweetener: Using a powdered sweetener avoids any grittiness in the ice cream.
- Vodka: This is optional, but it does help reduce iciness from occurring. Don’t worry, it only amounts to about 1/2 teaspoon per serving
- Pantry staples: Vanilla extract and salt.
Step-by-step directions
1. Prepare the condensed milk: Make the sugar-free condensed milk according to the directions and let cool to room temperature.
2. Add the remaining ingredients: Whisk in the heavy cream, powdered sweetener, vodka, vanilla extract, and salt.
3. Taste test: Taste the mixture and adjust sweetener to taste. You can use additional Bocha Sweet or allulose here but because it’s granular, you will need to whisk for a while to dissolve it properly.
4. Refrigerate and churn: 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.
5. Freeze: Transfer to an airtight container and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.
Tips for Success
I highly recommend churning this in a proper ice cream maker like this Cuisinart model. I had one for years and it always worked well for me (I now have a larger compressor-style model). Don’t forget to freeze the canister for at least 12 hours before you churn!
The ratio of sweeteners is very important. Too much erythritol and it is less scoopable. Too much allulose and it becomes so soft, it takes days to firm up properly. It also melts very quickly 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.
No ice cream maker?
Don’t want to purchase yet another piece of kitchen equipment? You can still make this recipe. While churned recipes have better texture, I also have plenty of experience with no churn keto ice cream. It’s a relatively simple adaptation.
To make this keto ice cream without an ice cream maker:
- Make the condensed milk as directed. Let cool to room temp and then whisk in the vodka and salt.
- Whip the heavy cream with the powdered sweetener and vanilla extract until it holds stiff peaks.
- Pour in the condensed milk and fold these two together until no streaks remain.
- Transfer to a container and freeze at least 6 hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
This keto vanilla ice cream recipe has 2.4g of carbs and 0g of fiber per serving. That comes to 2.4g net carbs per serving.
Once your ice cream has set, store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Unfortunately, I have not had much luck making this with ingredients like coconut milk or coconut cream. It always freezes harder and has a more icy texture. So I do not have a good dairy-free equivalent.
More delicious low carb ice cream recipes!
- Keto Strawberry Ice Cream
- No Churn Coffee Ice Cream
- Keto Chocolate Ice Cream
- Maple Walnut Ice Cream
- Jamoca Almond Fudge Ice Cream
Keto 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 Swerve Sweetener
- 1 1/2 tbsp (22.5 ml) vodka, (optional, helps reduce iciness)
- 1/2 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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Hi.I absolutely love your OGERA and posts!Tried this for the first time I think I over whisked the cream bit because it started getting solid which resulted in a super delicious but over rich ice cream.Please tell me how to fix it?
If it happens again, thin it out with some almond milk before churning.
Ok. Something didnt work for me.
I know you said to use 2 different kinds of sugar. I only had powdered Swerve. So I used just that. Could I have used coconut palm sugar granulated? Maybe I could grind the coconut palm sugar to a finer consistency? I didnt use the vodka either. It’s hard as a rock…
I’m desperately trying to find a keto ice cream that isnt a rock.
Side note: straight out the machine was a creamy dream! But frozen …alas no.
Hi Michelle. You’ve already addressed your own question. Without one of the other sweeteners, it’s going to be very hard in the freezer. And coconut palm sugar is not going to help (it’s also not low carb).
Thank you for the recipe. It was delicious. However question for you, the feedback from the family was that it was too sweet. Any way I could reduce the sweetness?
Help,
I made this ice cream recently as written except I had no Bocha Sweetener and used 1/2 cup of Swerve for the Condensed milk. The Ice cream came out hard and really not creamy. I did not quite beat the heavy cream to a whip cream texture, may that have caused my issues?
Thanks
Please read the blog post, I am quite clear on why BochaSweet will make your ice cream a better consistency.
You are my go to for keto/low carb recipes! This was amazing, but almost too rich! Any suggestions for swapping out some of the heavy cream for almond milk? Figured I can do some trial and error but hate to waste the bocasweet as it is pretty pricey!
You can do about 1/2 of the sweetened condensed milk with almond milk. It takes a bit longer to simmer and isn’t quite as thick but it works.
I’m so excited! I’m waiting for the sweetened condensed milk to cool. This will be my second go at keto ice cream. The first one – not your recipe – had a full quarter cup of MCT oil, and the texture was horrible. It left a greasy residue in the mouth.
SO! I only have tequila in the house and will probably try it. Fingers crossed!
Ann
hi. can i use mct oil instead of vodka
I guess you can try. No idea if it’s a good replacement.
What would the measurement of the condensed milk be if I were to use canned evaporated milk or evaporated coconut milk, rather than making my own? Thank you!
It’s about 1 cup. But you will need to add sweetener to it!
Thank you for your speedy reply!
how much is “1 recipe Sugar-Free Condensed Milk”?
Hi Squid. Please click the link in the recipe. You make what is written… that is “1 recipe”.
2nd time making this ice cream, my husband’s LOVES it! He also adds the candied pecan or the peanut butter cookies.
Yummy!
if I already mixed the condensed milk with the cream and other ingredients but don’t have an ice cream maker handy, is there any other way of turning it into ice cream? I didn’t see the directions for the freezer version until after I’d already combined
I am really not sure what to say here. I don’t quite know how to rescue this except to suggest that you beat even more cream and mix it in.
I haven’t had a chance to try this yet, but I just wanted to point out in step 2 you wrote “chill” and I put it in the freezer, which I don’t think we were supposed to do ????♀️
No, you weren’t supposed to put it in the freezer. “Chill” in recipes always means the refrigerator.
Oh. My. Goodness! First off…that homemade condensed milk is the Bomb! I was skeptical because I think regular condensed milk is way too sweet. This is perfect!
And the ice cream. Wow! I found a Cuisinart at our local Goodwill for $10 and it works great. The first ice cream I made was a full sugar one (mint choc chip) for my son. It was meh. The second ice cream was this one and it is unbelievable! I just put it in the freezer and now must find something to do for a few hours before I can grab a scoop.
Thank you so very very much for all your hard work and experimenting!
Thank you so much, Mimi!
Hi Carolyn! Quick question…
My hubby can not eat uncooked cream, but if it is even allowed to come to a brief boil it does not bother his stomach at all. I SOOO want to make this, is there a way to make this and cook all of the cream? We love ALL of your recipes and I’m dying to make your ice cream!
Catherine
This was the first low carb ice cream recipe I made. It was so good that I branched out, and I’m making all kinds of low carb ice creams now. What I’m finding is that pretty much any ice cream recipe will work, if you sub in a mix of Swerve and BochaSweet for the sugars. I’m having tons of fun going through the book “Hello, My Name is Ice Cream,” and making low carb versions of the recipes in that book. If you’re into ice cream, especially the science of ice cream, that is one amazing book.
What I’m having trouble with is I’m trying to switch to allulose instead of BochaSweet, because of price. It seems that allulose must have a lower freeze point even than BochaSweet, because every ice cream I have made with it so far is way too soft. I’ve found that 1/2 Swerve and 1/2 BochaSweet makes a texture that’s very close to regular ice cream in most recipes, but 1/2 allulose and 1/2 Swerve is a gloopy mess right out of the ice cream freezer, then has a very dense texture after it’s been in the freezer. The question is, have you ever gotten a good ice cream texture with a combination of Swerve/allulose? Or should I just go back to BochaSweet.
I’m sorry, I don’t use allulose much as it gives me severe stomach issues.
Did you make your own condensed milk, if so how did you make it. I don’t have a ice-cream maker. Got enough gadgets lol?
Please click the link in the recipe that says “sugar-free condensed milk” as that will tell you exactly how (yes, it’s homemade).