Maple walnut ice cream is one of my all-time favourites. This homemade maple ice cream recipe is keto, sugar-free, and absolutely amazing. It’s no-churn and stays scoopable even after days in the freezer! And at less than 3g total carbs, you can afford to indulge in this creamy low carb treat.
Okay, so I am usually a chocolate girl through and through. It’s a rare day that you can tempt me with anything other than chocolate. But when it comes to ice cream, I have a few other flavors I absolutely adore, and maple walnut ice cream is one of them. Maybe it’s the Canadian in me, I don’t know. But maple flavored treats have a special place in my heart. And when you taste this no churn ice cream, it’s going to have a special place in your heart too.
I feel like I’ve spent the summer perfecting my keto ice cream game. Both churned and no-churn recipes. And I feel like I have found the secret to perfectly scoopable sugar-free ice cream. Here’s the deal:
You have to use two different sweeteners – you can’t just use erythritol. You can use some erythritol sweetener, like Swerve, but you have to also use another sweetener that helps keep the ice cream soft. Such as Bocha Sweet. I hear that xylitol can do the same as well. And allulose may have the same affect too, although I haven’t tried it.
I know some people won’t be happy to hear this because Bocha Sweet isn’t cheap. But it’s worth it, believe me. You know I am a huge fan of Swerve, which is an erythritol based sweetener. But erythritol and ice cream are not a great match, as the ice cream freezes rock hard once it’s been in the freezer longer than a few hours. Using some Bocha Sweet makes a huge difference, but you don’t actually want to use it full strength. Using only Bocha Sweet results in keto ice cream that is TOO soft and goopy – it stays like soft serve the whole time. That’s why the mix of the two sweeteners works so well.
I’ve found that using half Swerve and half Bocha Sweet results in ice cream that stays perfectly soft in the freezer.Check out this video as proof. This was after a full 24 hours in the freezer…and it stayed that way for the whole week until we finished it up.
How To Make Maple Walnut Ice Cream
For a no-churn ice cream like this, you want a thickened cream base. I basically used my sugar-free condensed milk recipe, except that I replaced the vanilla extract with maple extract. And since maple walnut ice cream typically has a darker appearance than vanilla, I used Swerve Brown for one half of the sweetener. If you can’t get Swerve Brown, you can also do regular Swerve with 1 tsp of molasses. The other half of the sweetener was Bocha Sweet.
Once the condensed milk was done, I let it cool and refrigerated it for a few hours. Then I whipped up some more cream, folded the two together, and stirred in some chopped walnuts. Don’t toast the walnuts for this ice cream, as they can get kind of bitter. You could replace the walnuts with pecans, or you could skip them altogether.
Then I simply spread the mixture in an ceramic dish and placed it in the freezer. No churn ice cream takes a long time to freeze so I left it there overnight. And the next day, it was soft and scoopable, straight out of the freezer! It’s some of the best low carb ice cream I have ever made.
Want more amazing keto ice cream? Check out my best Keto Desserts here!
Maple walnut ice cream is one of my all-time favourites. This homemade maple ice cream recipe is keto, sugar-free, and absolutely amazing. It's no-churn and stays scoopable even after days in the freezer!
- 2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream divided
- 1/4 cup Swerve Brown
- 1/4 cup Bocha Sweet
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 1/2 tsp maple extract
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
- 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
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In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring 1 1/4 cups of the whipping cream and the two sweeteners to a simmer. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Watch carefully as you want it to simmer but not continue to boil. There should be little bubbles along the edges the whole time.
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Remove from heat and whisk in the butter and maple extract. Sprinkle the surface with xanthan gum, whisking vigorously to combine. Let the mixture cool to room temperature and then refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.
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In a large bowl, beat the remaining whipping cream until it holds stiff peaks. Fold in the chilled maple/cream until well combined. Stir in the chopped walnuts.
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Transfer the mixture to an airtight container and freeze until firm, about 5 hours.
renata ferrari says
Hi, can I change this bocha swerve for another sweetner? It is impossible to find it in Brazil…
Carolyn says
As I say the post, you can try xylitol. You can also use more Swerve/erythritol, it will just freeze a lot harder.
Christy says
I used xylitol and it worked perfectly. Best Ice cream ever!
Anna says
I just tried this with tagatose and it was amazing! I roasted the walnuts briefly and I added two egg yolks to the first step. Since I wasn’t using xanthan gum, I added a 1 tsp of rum and some salt. There were a few ice crystals in the final result , but the flavour was wonderful! Really enjoyed this, thank you 🙂
Dee says
Aloha Carolyn! Would I be able to substitute the Swerve brown with Lakanto Brown? I know they are both Erythritol but I know how some recipes can even be brand specific to have the best results. Thank you!
Carolyn says
That should be fine.
Kathy says
I used Allulose and Sukrin gold.
Maureen Jaeckel says
What does the Xanthan gum do?
Carolyn says
Xanthan gum thickens things and reduces the iciness in ice cream.
ROSE Victoria DARMANIN says
I have Krisda and Sugarlike. Can substitute one of them without making the ice cream crystalize?
Carolyn says
I am sorry, I honestly can’t tell you. I have no idea what those sugar substitutes are.
Tory says
Carolyn, I’d love to know your suggestion for a good maple extract. I’d love to use it more, but have been disappointed with so many! Used to use Green Mountain Natural, but cannot find it anymore 🙁
Thanks for any ideas!
Linda says
Good maple extract is so hard to find. The best one I’ve tried is Cook’s. It smells exactly like maple syrup. It tastes good, too, as long as you don’t put too much in. So, I start with a small amount and gradually add it, tasting as I go, until I’ve got a good balance. If you overdo, it has a weird, kind of bitter, aftertaste.
Tory says
Thank you!
Linda says
I love Cook’s Maple. But recently I bought some Boyajian. It’s super strong. It almost smells like burnt maple syrup if you sniff the opened bottle. But I added a tiny bit of the Boyajian to the milder tasting Cook’s and I got a super maple flavor in the no-sugar maple syrup I was making, especially after it sat in the fridge overnight. Anyway, thought I’d share in case anyone wants to try something a bit different.
Carolyn says
I am currently using Frontier and it works well. https://amzn.to/2LeElQf
Tory says
Ordered some… Thank you!
Sky says
I make a lot of ice cream and really dislike using Swerve. Every darn time the stuff re-crystallizes and leaves my ice cream not only hard as a rock, but gritty like sand. I just ordered some Bocha Sweet and am anxious to give it a go!! Thank you so much for this. Being the ice cream fiend I am I am hoping for lots of possibilities…….Jack Daniels ice cream anyone? 🙂
Carolyn says
Okay so I never have an issue with the Swerve recrystallizing in my ice cream, although I do have issues with the rock hardness! I suspect your Swerve is getting over-cooked…it seems to recrystallize more the more it gets heated. One trick is to add the Swerve after you’ve cooked the custard for your ice cream. In this case, you could add the swerve AFTER the rest of the condensed milk is done.
Barbara says
You used GLYCERIN in the past to keep ice cream soft . So I bought a bottle of it. Can I use it in this recipe ?
Carolyn says
You can try but I think that unless you use a lot of it, it doesn’t help as much as I would wish. And using a lot of it concerns me because I think it raises blood sugar a bit. That’s why in previous recipes, I only used about 2 tbsp.
barbara says
Thank you Carolyn.
Tory says
Thank you for the suggestion, Linda!
Kathy says
Bocha Sweet has sometimes been called Pumpkin Xylitol. Do you know if this sweetener is safe for dogs? I know that xylitol, extracted through a similar method from birch trees, is very dangerous and toxic to dogs, but I can’t find any reference to pumpkin pentose (the type of sugar extracted from kabocha pumpkins to make Bocha Sweet) being safe for dogs or should be avoided. Do you have any information about that? I’ve written the company but have not received a response. Thank you for any guidance you can provide…and your recipe looks delicious, by the way!
Carolyn says
If you look at the FAQs on their website, they clearly state that it is not toxic to pets.
Kathy says
Thank you, good to know!
Debbie says
Can I use my ice cream machine to churn this yummy dessert?
Jimanne says
Hi Carolyn, Change your Chill Time from 5 minutes to 5 hours.
Can’t wait to make this.
My niece and I trade off making dinners from your new keto cookbook.
We had the bolognese tonight. OH MY GOSH !!! So good!
Your flatbread recipe is our new fav on the nights my hubby orders his non-keto pizza.
Thank you so much for your diligence and for not producing mediocre recipes.
Carolyn says
Thanks!
Beverly says
Amount of Sugar Substitute?
Shouldn’t this be more?
I checked the back of a can of Sweetened Condensed Milk for the grams of sugar and see that there are 10 servings of 22 grams of sugar per can. This is 220 grams of sugar. I then checked for how many grams of sugar in 1 TBSP., which is 12.5 grams. To calculate the amount of sugar substitute which would equal that amount of sugar, I divided 220 by 12.5 which is 17.6 TBSP.
Therefore to make the sweetened condensed milk part of this recipe (to equal 1 can) I calculate that one would need to add 1/2 cup + 2.4 tsp. Swerve and the same amount of Bocha Sweet (or Xylitol) .
I have started your recipe as given and the base is cooling, but I am curious if it will be sweet enough.
Carolyn says
Hi Beverly. I don’t know about you but the longer I have been on keto, the less sweet I need things. This is the amount I typically put in any ice cream recipe, and yes, it’s often far less than you would for regular ice cream. But to me and my husband, this was plenty sweet. That said, if you whip up your cream and mix them together and find it’s not sweet enough, you can add more liquid or powdered sweetener. Because this has no eggs, you can taste it as you go. Did you taste the condensed milk base yet? I think you will find it plenty sweet!
Beverly says
Carolyn, So sorry I doubted you. Never again! This ice cream is AMAZING. I don’t say this lightly either. (I am retired from being a Pastry Chef at a fine dining restaurant.)
The sweetness is right on. The texture is perfect– even after freezing overnight, unlike other sugar free ice cream recipes that I have tried. I used Sukrin Gold because I was out of the Swerve Brown Sugar and Xylitol because I wanted to be sure the ice cream did not get too hard.
Thank you for all your tweeking to get a perfect recipe. You did it 🙂
Carolyn says
How dare you doubt me! 🙂 Haha, kidding. I know, it’s hard to believe to be honest. I am just thrilled at this discovery.
Kathy says
I just made this using Allulose and Sukrin gold and it is perfect!
Carolyn says
Perfect!
Chris Denny says
I just ordered the sweetener to make this. I have a small ice cream maker and was wondering if I could use it to make this. If so, what would I change in the instructions. Thanks so much!
Carolyn says
Hi Chris. If you want to churn the ice cream, just don’t whip the cream in the second stage. Whisk it straight into the condensed milk mixture (after it has chilled) and then pour it into you ice cream maker.
Chris says
Thank you!
Debbie says
Oops. Found my answer!!
Newell Jones says
Carolyn; Thank you for your website. I can confirm that substituting 1/2 erythritol and 1/2 xylitol for the sweetners listed in the recipe yields a great tasting ice cream that is firm, yet scoopable. It was a major hit with my grandchildren.
Carolyn says
That’s so good to know, thanks!!!
HOLLY says
This looks amazing! Will try when I buy bocha sweet. I’m curious though, have you experimented using gelatin in ice cream to keep it from freezing rock hard? Danielle from AAG does this for her fudge pops recipe. Wondering if it would work in ice cream. Thanks!
Carolyn says
I’ve used gelatin in ice cream bars before (check out my mocha latte ice cream bars). It keeps them from dripping but it won’t keep ice cream from freezing rock solid.
Marilyn Chiaramonte says
Carolyn,
I love your recipes and have made many of them. Thank you for all the work you do to make such great foods (especially the desserts!).
With the Maple Walnut Ice Cream recipe, am I missing something. In the blog you say to use your condensed milk recipe, but in the recipe, it calls for heavy cream and condensed milk is not mentioned. Do you use the heavy cream and condensed milk interchangeably (altho’ I wonder about the milk whipping up like cream does)? I can’t wait to make this one.
Carolyn says
I think you are misunderstanding. Yes, I use my condensed milk but in this recipe I actually walk you through making it because you sub maple extract in for the vanilla. It gets very confusing in a recipe to write “Use condensed milk but sub maple extract”…so I am actually telling you exactly HOW to make the condensed milk in this recipe.
Marilyn Chiaramonte says
Thanks for the prompt reply, Carolyn. I’m afraid I must really be dense because I am still misunderstanding. Nowhere in the printable recipe does it mention condensed milk; it just says 2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided. That’s why I asked if you used the milk interchangeably with the cream. I read the whole blog and I understand how to make the condensed milk and that you use it in the recipe, but since it is not listed as an ingredient, I’m not sure who to proceed. Thoroughly confused is an understatement! Help!
Carolyn says
If you just follow the recipe step by step, you will be fine. The first part of it is having you make the “condensed milk” (which for keto is actually made from heavy whipping cream). But instead of vanilla, you are using maple extract. Once that is cool, you take the rest of the heavy whipping cream, whip it all up, and fold the two together).
Condensed milk is not listed as an ingredient because I am telling you in this recipe how to make it first.
Seriously, just follow the recipe. From start to finish. Do not go looking for the other condensed milk…it’s already built into the recipe here.
Mike says
Can one churn no-churn ice cream? And thank you for commenting on how erythritol freezes hard. I’ve been wondering why my ice cream is just not as enjoyable after a few days in the freezer. Cant wait to try Bochasweet.
Carolyn says
You can churn this. What you want to do is not whip the cream in the second part but simply add it to the thickened condensed maple cream. Whisk them together and then churn!
Claire says
Hello! I started Keto / Low Carb about 5 weeks ago and, to my husband’s “delight” – haha, I made an immediate investment into every. single. thing. I might ever need because I love to bake and cook so much. So I pretty much have every type of sweetener BUT… do not have Bocha Sweet. When I look at the ingredients it reads 1 tsp = 3 carbs (and not enough fiber to deduct anything). So 12 tsp = 1/4 cup = 36 carbs. If you divide that by 8 servings that is 4.5 carbs / serving just for the Bocha Sweet….?
Just trying to figure out what I am missing here with the net carb count since I am pretty new to this. It looks AMAZING.
Thank you!!
Carolyn says
And just like erythritol (Swerve), it has no impact on blood sugar so should’t be counted at all.
Claire says
Ah, ok. Didn’t see any sugar alcohols listed so I wasn’t sure.
Thanks!
Debbie Archibald says
I made this ice cream last night and it is wonderful! It was soft this morning and delicious! Could you use the Bocha Sweet in any of your ice cream recipes so they will stay soft too? Thanks for all of your had work you do to create these wonderful recipes!
Carolyn says
That’s what I think should happen!
Debbie says
Thank you, I will try on your Strawberry ice cream
Carolyn says
I think it would help the consistency of that one a lot.
MCF says
OMG Carolyn!
I was skeptical, the first and last time I purchased Swerve White, I couldn’t stand the cooling effect, so I switched to Xylitol for all of my sweets. When I saw the PICTURE of this recipe, it beckoned me. But, to avoid the Swerve, I looked into other brown sugar alternatives, and the Swerve was the only one available with acceptable nutritional info and reviews for me. I shrugged, ordered the Swerve Brown and made this last night, exactly as written, to a “T,” including the Bocha. I just got home from work and tried it.
WOWWWWW! So rich and creamy and dense – like the silky texture of the best gelato! And the flavor…. zero cooling effect. Zero aftertaste at all! Dreamy, with the perfect kiss of sweetness. This is actually better than any commercially made ice cream I’ve had. Am I really that talented??? Haha, no. It’s you. You are a genius. THANK YOU FOR SHARING!
Carolyn says
Hooray so glad to hear it! Often when you combine two sweeteners, they cancel out each other’s aftertastes
Brenda Cash says
Hello, my name is Brenda and I am officially addicted to this ice cream. I didn’t even think I missed ice cream, but this is the bomb! I’m getting ready to make it for the fourth time, it’s my special bedtime treat. Using a tip from My Montana Kitchen. I make the milk in half the time. Using a frying pan instead of a saucepan let’s it reduce faster. Thanks again for my “addiction”😊
Johanna B. says
I have made this twice now, and it’s so good! The second time around I used Rum extract and pecans instead of the maple and walnut. I’ve also made your Death by Chocolate and it’s just as amazing! For that one, I added 1 tbsp of espresso powder which gives the chocolate flavor an extra depth. Thank you for your wonderful recipes!
Carolyn says
YOu’re welcome!
Jan P says
Carolyn,
How were you able to obtain the Bocha Sweet? I placed an order over a month ago, said it was 2 weeks back order, but now I cannot get a response from the company.
It sounds really good in theory!
This ice cream recipe sounds delicious! I love maple everything, so I want to try it. I also like the idea of it not being hard as rock, so I am hoping the Bocha Sweet actually materializes!
Thank you for all of your wonderful recipes!
JanP says
Just want to give you a follow up to my previous comment…I did receive the Bocha Sweet. It is so popular that the company cannot keep up with the demand! So, for those of you trying to get this, please have patience as it is worth it! Good stuff!
Layla Khabiri says
Hi Carolyn,
I think I got impatient when waiting for the condensed milk to thicken and added wayyyy to much xanthan gum. At least that’s what I think caused my issue. My condensed milk turned completely solid in the fridge and the “sugar” seemed to crystallize. It tasted DELICIOUS, but I’m wondering if I can still use it– for this ice cream or anything else— in its current state. Is there something I can do to fix it? add more cream? Should I just make another batch and just eat this one with a spoon? I wouldn’t mind that 😉 but was hoping for your advice.
Thanks for reading and for this delicious recipe!
Layla
Carolyn says
Warm it gently in a saucepan and add some cream. If it’s not coming together, pop it in a blender and see if you can get it to smooth out.
Layla Khabiri says
Thank you very much!
Katrina Benjamin says
Hi there! Thanks for the great recipe. For this step: “In a large bowl, beat the remaining whipping cream until it holds stiff peaks.” Should I make it exactly as I would make whipped cream? That means I make the bowl and my hand mixer cold, then whip the cream until it tastes like whipped cream. I want to do it right! Thanks in advance.
Carolyn says
Yep, exactly like that!
Lorraine Gagnon says
You mentioned a price of about $15 for the Bocha Sweet. I assume this is in US $ ?
I live in Canada and Amazon.da sells it for $25 for the 1lb bag. This is terribly expensive. I read that xylitol had side effects so I’m a bit leery of trying it.
Carolyn says
Yes, it’s pricy. But you only use a little at time if you combine with other sweeteners. It’s not great in every application so I only use it for ice cream and sauces like caramel. A pound bag lasts me over a month and I bake and cook WAY more than anyone else I know!
claudia says
I just made this, it came out amazing! Thank you!
Shirley says
OMG – just put this into the freezer for dessert tonight and “sampled” it. It is sooo good! Wish my dad was still with us, this was his favourite ice cream flavour. Thank you Carolyn🍨👍
Carolyn says
That touches my heart, thank you for sharing.
heather says
This recipe is so good! I love maple ice cream! Perfect to satisfy the sweet tooth.
Kim says
Looks delicious! I need to try this sweetener!
Julie Blanner says
What a great combination for ice cream! I love that it is keto as well makes me not feel as guilty when I eat it.
Kristyn says
This sounds so good right now!! These AZ temps are starting to get warm & all we eat is ice cream! Thanks for sharing!
Taylor says
This ice cream looks incredible! Love the maple and walnut flavors!
pjams says
I am wondering can I substitute Monk fruit sweetener for Bocha sweet in the ice cream recipe? And will using Monk fruit sweetener produce a hard ice cream?
Carolyn says
If by “monk fruit sweetener” you mean Lakanto, then no. It’s mostly erythritol.
Kris says
I tried making this with Allulose and it froze hard as a rock, had to keep putting it in the microwave for 15 second bursts to get it out of the container. Will try again with Botchasweet when it arrives. Still tastes good.
Carolyn says
That’s very interesting. Many people who use allulose don’t have that issue at all. Sorry! I don’t really use it because it upsets my stomach.
Barbara says
I made this with converted amounts (because I live in the netherlands) but it turned out waaaay too sweet for me and my family. I used half erythritol 1:1 and half xilitol, each sweetner 0,25 cup converted to grams as if it was sugar. I used close to 600ml of cream in total. I guess the conversion didn’t go so well! Although the ice cream was very scoopable after 7 hours in a very cold freezer, it was so sweet we didn’t want more than one scoop. This morning I unfreezed and added another 300ml whipped cream to it: perfect taste! I hope this also turns out well scoopable tonight!
Carolyn says
Not sure what went wrong either, but 1/2 cup of erythritol/xylitol is very low on the sweetened scale (this is about as sweet as 1/2 cup sugar and most ice cream of this quantity would take 1 to 1 1/2 cups sugar!).
Any chance your erythritol or xylitol were also sweetened with something else?
Barbara says
The erythritol is also sweetened with stevia to get to the sweetness of sugar per weight, but that could not be it, I think. My guess is that my conversion to grams went wrong. But I want to tell you, after sweetening by taste this icecream is a total winner with my family! Every month or so we come together at my mothers and stepfathers house for dinner. They make their famous juicy marinated chicken and I bring with me low carb dessert. For the first time, after one bite, my daughter (4) looked at me with some surprise, gave me thumbs up and said she really liked it. My stepfather, who is on a strict CICO diet (I know, I know) took seconds! My brother, who prouds himself by always being able to tell if something has sweetners or sugar (he is a sugarburner), asked incredulously if there really was NO sugar in there, took seconds, thirds and even fourths, repeatedly saying “yummy” and eventually calling a bite an “explosion of taste”. Ok, maybe that was a bit overstated but he meant it. He took the leftovers home. The flavours I made were banane/vanilla (half a ripe banana in about 2 cups of icecream) and coffee/chocolate/vanilla (one spoon of each unsweetened powder in about 2 cups of icecream). Together with the caramelly flavour of the condensed cream it is soooo good! So, thank you for this recipe! Also from my family!
Lenita says
Wow, wow, wow.
This is delicious!! I made the base then finished in an ice cream maker. The ice cream stayed scoopable in the freezer.
I sometimes hesitate to try keto recipes because of the cost of the ingredients, but every recipe I’ve made from you has been fantastic!!
Thank you for your hard work!
Carolyn says
I’m so glad, Lenita! It’s one of our favourites too.
Christy says
I make this ice cream all the time. It’s my go to. I have used the xylitol instead of bochasweet because of the cost. I did adapt the recipe to a keto peppermint ice cream (with sugar free peppermints and all), but I used only xylitol. That amount of xylitol really upsets my stomach, so that I can only eat a few spoonfuls as a serving. Have you had anyone say that Bochasweet does the same? I’ll fork out the big bucks for it to try it out.
Carolyn says
It’s very hard to say, since I usually use Bocha Sweet only mixed with Swerve in most recipes. On Amazon, I have seen reviews that BS upsets some stomachs, but other people say that they have no issue with it. It’s a very individual thing, I think.
Leslie Whitney says
is it possible to adapt this to a churn style?
Carolyn says
Sure, just don’t whip the second batch of cream and simply whisk it in as a liquid, then churn. Then stir in the walnuts after churning.