Love the Bailey’s but not the sugar? Try my easy recipe for Keto Irish Cream Liqueur. Deliciously creamy and fewer than 1g carbs per serving.
Would you believe me if I told you that this sugar free Irish Cream liqueur is better than Bailey’s? I see you rolling your eyes. But hear me out!
I am not actually a fan of the real thing and never have been. I find it overly sweet and cloying. The same goes for many sugary liqueurs.
But I long ago discovered the joy of making my own liqueur, and my sugar free Kahlua is a fan favorite, especially around the holidays. I’ve also tried my hand at making sugar free Frangelico.
This Keto Irish Cream has actually been on my blog since 2014, when I made some Keto Irish Cream Brownies. I decided to give it a little update and I am so glad I did.
It’s delicious and I even enjoyed sipping it plain. And that’s why I think it’s better than the real deal!
Irish Cream Desserts
I wanted to update this homemade Irish Cream recipe because I keep seeing amazing desserts made with Bailey’s – I was feeling a bit left out, to be honest.
There is my keto brownie recipe, of course. But I’ve also spotted any number of gorgeous cakes, cupcakes, and cheesecakes made with the famous liqueur. I also find myself coming back, time and again, to this beautiful Bailey’s Chocolate Mousse from Lemon Tree Dwelling.
I decided that this year, I just had to take part in the Irish Cream baking fun in time for St Paddy’s Day. So I whipped up a delicious batch of this easy Keto Irish Cream and got to work.
I have some cupcakes coming soon! And I may have to try my hand at that mousse after all…
How to make Keto Irish Cream
Irish Cream liqueur consists of a few basic ingredients:
- Heavy cream
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Chocolate syrup
- Vanilla extract and/or almond extract
- Lots of Irish whiskey
Making the condensed milk
To make a keto friendly version, the first step is to make a sugar free condensed milk substitute.
I found I didn’t need to go the full way of making my keto condensed milk recipe. I could simply simmer the cream and the non-dairy milk to reduce it and get the same overall effect.
Use some allulose or BochaSweet
Swerve is my favorite sweetener by far but it does have its drawbacks and one of them is the fact that it can recrystallize in a liquid application such as this.
Replacing half of the Swerve with some allulose or BochaSweet helps keep it from doing this. It also has the added benefit of making the mixture more syrupy, like real Irish Cream liqueur.
Chocolate syrup vs. cocoa powder
If you happen to have any of my sugar free chocolate syrup handy, you could use that. But it’s yet another step to the process if you have to make it from scratch. You could also use a pre-made keto chocolate syrup such as ChocZero.
But I simply added a tablespoon of cocoa powder. You get the same effect and it simplifies the process if you don’t have any keto chocolate syrup handy!
Irish Whiskey
Go grab yourself a bottle of Jamison or other Irish whiskey because it isn’t Irish Cream without it!
Sweeten to taste
Sweetness in a recipe like this is always a matter of taste, so I’ve left it open ended in this keto Irish Cream recipe. I don’t like mine overly sweet but if you taste it and find it lacking, whisk in more powdered or liquid sweetener.
Storage instructions
Because this keto liqueur is made with fresh cream, it should be stored in the refrigerator at all times.
Don’t feel you have to rush to consume it all. Because it the cream is brought to a boil, and because it contains a significant amount of alcohol, it won’t spoil quickly. It should be fine for up to two weeks.
More delicious keto cocktail recipes
- The Best Sugar Free Margaritas
- Sugar Free French 75
- Vanilla Latte Martinis
- Low Carb Sangria
- Keto Lemon Drop Cocktails
- Keto Strawberry Lemonade Whiskey Smash
Keto Irish Cream Liqueur
Ingredients
- 1 cup (238 g) heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup (59 g) unsweetened hemp milk, (or almond milk)
- 1/3 cup (60.67 g) powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1/3 cup (66.67 g) allulose
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) instant coffee
- 2/3 cup (157.33 g) Irish whiskey
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) almond extract, (or sub more vanilla extract)
- Additional sweetener to taste, (powdered works best)
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream, hemp milk, Swerve, allulose, cocoa powder, and instant coffee. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer 20 to 25 minutes, until reduced by about one quarter.
- Remove from heat and whisk in the whiskey, vanilla extract and almond extract. Taste and adjust the sweetness to your liking.
- Let cool completely and then transfer to a glass jar or bottle. Refrigerate until chilled.
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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Why use 2 different sweeteners? Could you use just one of them?
Please read the blog post as I actually answered that already.
First, my wife loved it! Her favorite, but extremely non-keto, drink, is Bailey’s and butterscotch. Adding some sugar-free butterscotch syrup (meant for coffee) restored harmony in our keto universe.
But second, I was confused by the recipe: It starts by saying condensed milk is one of the ingredients, then proceeds to tell how to make a keto version of condensed milk, but then gives the Irish Cream recipe without any condensed milk.
Having a comfortable and long-standing relationship with confusion, I made both recipes and combined them. As I said, it turned out wonderful but I am wondering if there is some clarification available? I doubt it, but could it be even better?!?
Thank you so much for your efforts and amazing recipes!
The first few ingredients AND instructions are the condensed milk…. So you did double the condensed milk, then.
I am pretty sure I already know the answer but thought I would run it by an expert! I would like to try substituting bourbon for the Irish whiskey and make a bourbon cream. any other changes to the ingredients you might suggest?
Well that sounds delicious! I might leave out the almond extract and just do vanilla to complement the bourbon.
I think I’ve read everything for this recipe, but I’m wondering why hemp milk? Can we use more cream instead? Or another non-milk sub?
I think you can use about any milk or cream..she suggests hemp for those who want zero carbs and fat
I made this today using the exact measurements, ingredients, and process shown in the recipe. I was disappointed that it came out very dark and chocolatey. Wondering if the measurement on the cocoa powder should read 1 teaspoon instead of 1 tablespoon?
No, the measurements are correct (and if you google sugar based Irish cream recipes, you will see that it’s the same). What brand of cocoa powder did you use? Since you are the only person to ever mention this, I have to suspect it’s the cocoa powder or something else you used. The color of mine is exactly as shown in the photos…
Maybe you let it reduce too long? Maybe add some more milk and bring heat back up to bring it to a more pourable consistently
I made this two days ago for the first time. Words cannot express how much I LOVE this recipe. I made it dairy-free by using a heavy cream replacement but otherwise followed the recipe as written. I’m making a double batch today!
I tasted it warm…and was divine…..sadly I’ve been unable to get allulose yet in Canada, so I had to use my Lakanto monk fruit with erythritol. I’m ok with it being a bit thinner than the “real thing”…. This tastes great!
Can we get the allulose shipped here? I made a simple syrup with Lankanto and it crystallized. Did you have that problem with this recipe?
Thank you for what you do! In this recipe, why did you choose allulose as the sweetener vs other alternative sweeteners? Taste?
Just re-read the Tips section and it answered my question. Thanks for all you do!
OMG!! I cannot wait to put some of this in my coffee in the morning. Thank you for another fabulous recipe!!!!
This is delicious! But could I add less alcohol next time?
It’s pretty strong, for me but I do love the flavors.
Making the cupcakes tomorrow and I might not
Put as much Irish cream in the frosting, since
My kids are wanting to eat some.
Would 1/2 Irish creme and half heavy whipping cream
Work in the icing?
Thank you for all you do to help us❤️
Absolutely, do it to taste! It could go bad a touch faster since it’s the alcohol that keeps it good.
If in a batch of Irish creme I used only 1/2 the amount of alcohol (1/3 cup)
How long would it keep in the fridge?
Thank you!
Rebecca
I have always like Bailey’s Irish Cream. I tried this and it’s wonderful and easy to make. My husband likes it too. I’m probably going to have to keep this on hand in the fall and winter months. Thanks for the recipe Carolyn!
Excellent!
I thought irish whiskey was not gluten free or am I mistaken? I’d love to make this but confused if whiskey is ok for gluten free.
All whiskey is gluten free, due to the distillation process. Some (very few) people who are VERY intolerant to gluten still have issues with grain based alcohol.
This is lovely! Perfect sweetness for me just as written.
Glad to hear it! Check in tomorrow, as I have some cupcakes made with it hitting the blog tomorrow morning.
I thought your original recipe was pretty spot on for flavor.
Curious about the omission of the star anise & coconut extract from your original recipe.
Also curious as to why double the amount of sweetener?
Oh how I have missed Bailey’s!!! Thank you for the wonderful recipe, Carolyn!!!
Um – 1 serving equals = 2 TABLESPOONS?? Who drinks 2 tableespoons of Baileys?? lol That’s not even enough to put into a cup of coffee with whipped cream. lol Honestly though 2 carbs for FOUR TBSPs is a great deal and WAY lower than the real stuff.
2 tablespoons is the standard recommendation for any liquor. But you are always free to have more.