Can something made with peaches possibly be keto friendly? You bet and this homemade peach ice cream proves it. It’s sweet and creamy, and the perfect dessert on a hot summer night.
I know what’s going to happen here. Trust me, I am really good at predicting the future. Here’s what’s going to happen. Someone is going to quickly glance at this recipe for keto peach ice cream and feel that it’s their job to tell me that it’s not keto.
To them I say… sorry, suckers! You are missing out. Because surprisingly, peaches are not that high in carbs, and this keto ice cream recipe is so heavenly and so utterly perfect for summer. It’s like being a kid again, when ripe juicy peaches were gracing every table all summer long.
It’s pure creamy peach heaven and it’s a throwback to simpler times. It’s worth it, believe me.
Are peaches keto-friendly?
You might be surprised to learn that you can incorporate peaches into a healthy keto diet. Per 100g, peaches have only 10g of carbs.
I really do hate the “But that’s not keto!” comments. Because it’s incredibly limiting and incredibly shortsighted. If you follow a specific keto program that stipulates that you avoid certain foods, that’s all well and good. But please remember that the overarching concept of a keto diet is simply one that keeps you in ketosis. That’s it, plain and simple.
Which means that cetain foods that aren’t super low carb can sometimes still be used in small quantities. To add a bit of flavor, perhaps, or to add an air of authenticity.
Compare the same amount of peach to some other fruits and you will see what I mean (keep in mind these are TOTAL carbs, not NET):
Per 100g, peaches have only 10g of carbs.
100g of blueberries have 14g of carbs. And blueberries are often considered acceptable on keto.
100g of strawberries have 8g of carbs.
100g of raspberries have 12g of carbs.
Did I just blow your mind or what?
That said, I am not going to sit down and eat a whole peach. A medium peach has about 14g of carbs and being a diabetic on a keto diet, that isn’t going to do me any favors. It would probably send my blood sugar up and kick me out of ketosis.
But mix a little peach puree in with heavy cream, egg yolks, and other high fat, keto inducing foods, and it’s suddenly a whole new ball game. Each generous serving of this keto peach ice cream has only 6.5 grams of carbs.
How to Make Keto Peach Ice Cream
Use an ice cream maker: This is a churned keto ice cream, so it does require an ice cream maker. If you have the kind that requires you to freezer the canister for 12 hours, don’t forget to do so!
I get asked a lot for ice cream maker recommendations. I have the big compressor model now, which I love because I don’t have to freeze the canister. But I had the basic Cuisinart ice cream maker for years and it worked beautifully.
Use ripe peaches. You will need about 3 medium size peaches that are quite ripe, so that the delicious juicy peach flavor comes through. The flesh should yield a fair bit as you gently squeeze the peach, but it shouldn’t feel mushy. Don’t get rock hard peaches, they simply won’t have enough flavor.
This ice cream has a nice light summery peach flavor. If you want a more intense peach flavor, consider adding a little of this peach flavoring. It’s intense so a little goes a long way!
Macerate the peaches. Macerating fruit helps it release its juices. Normally one would do this with sugar but we don’t use that junk! I used Bocha Sweet and lemon juice. Then you can mash the peaches to a fine pulp, with a few small bits in it for texture.
Make a custard base: This is an old fashioned ice cream recipe using egg yolks, heavy cream, and a little almond milk (use hemp milk for nut-free). The process is similar to creating a custard, wherein you temper the egg yolks with a little hot cream, and then add the yolks back into the pot and cook until thickened slightly.
Use a water bath: You can’t put the hot ice cream base straight into an ice cream maker, even a compressor model, as it won’t freeze properly. It has to chill for at least 3 hours, but you can help speed up the process a bit by putting the custard into a bowl set over an ice bath for 10 minutes.
Two different sweeteners are important: I feel like I am starting to repeat myself a lot here, as I say this in most of my newer ice cream recipes. But a combination of Bocha Sweet (or xylitol, or allulose) and Swerve works best for ice cream that stays scoopable and soft.
A little vodka helps too. You can skip this but it helps reduce iciness. And since peaches have a high liquid content, anything that helps reduce iciness is a good thing!
So creamy and delicious, and so reminiscent of summers gone by, this peach ice cream recipe is truly an amazing keto treat!
How to store homemade peach ice cream
Keto ice cream like this can be stored for several months. The best way to keep it fresh and without any freezer burn is in an airtight container. Sometimes I simply use tupperware with a tight fitting lid. I also have a good pyrex container glass container with a nice tight fitting lid on it.
But I also have two sizes of these Tavolo ice cream tubs. The large size is like a regular quart ice cream container. Then there are little individual sized ones, if you want to store your ice cream with built in portion control.
Other keto summer recipes you might like
Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries
No Churn Neapolitan Ice Cream Cake
Keto Peach Ice Cream
Equipment
Ingredients
- 400 grams ripe peaches, peeled and sliced about 2 ½ to 3 medium peaches
- ⅓ cup Bocha Sweet (or xylitol)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup unsweetened almond or hemp milk
- ⅓ cup Swerve Sweetener
- 4 large egg yolks
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon glucomannan powder (or xanthan gum)
- 2 tbsp vodka (optional, helps reduce iciness)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Set the sliced peaches in a bowl and toss with the Bocha Sweet and the lemon juice. Let sit 30 minutes to macerate and release their juices, then mash up with a potato masher or large fork. They should be well mashed but a few small bits and pieces are okay.
- Set a medium bowl over an ice bath and set aside.
- In a large saucepan over medium low heat, combine the cream, almond milk, and Swerve. Bring to just a simmer, stirring frequently to dissolve the sweetener.
- In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the salt until smooth. Slowly pour about ½ cup of the hot cream into the yolks to temper, whisking continuously. Then slowly pour the egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan, whisking continuously.
- Continue to cook, whisking continuously, until the mixture reaches 170F on an instant read thermometor, and/or thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat and quickly pour into the bowl over the prepared ice bath.
- Let cool 10 minutes, then whisk in the mashed peach puree. Whisk in the glucomannan. Refrigerate at least 3 hours and up to overnight.
- Whisk in the vodka and vanilla extract and pour the mixture into the canister of an ice cream maker. Churn according to the manufacturer's directions. Once churned, transfer to an airtight container and freeze another hour or two, until firm enough to scoop.
Mari says
I went to the flavoring site you recommended and there were many ‘peach’ flavors. Which one do you suggest?
Thanks!!
Mari
Carolyn says
Honestly, not really sure. As long as it’s keto-friendly, any should be good.
Julia says
Can you substitute peaches with apricots? If so how much apricots would you use? THANK YOU
Jerri says
Any reason this wouldn’t work with strawberries? (or any low carb fruit for that matter?)
Jerri says
So just now read someone else’s comment that strawberries work great. Love your recipes.. Own all your books!
Summer Palmberg says
I’ve been Keto for 7 Years and I just have to say that I agree with the author of this recipe. There are so many variables on if you can eat peaches or anything that’s considered a carb. For instance, I fast daily and eat one meal a day. I’m way beyond fat adapted and having a peach here and there will not hurt me. Put into perspective, if the ratio of carbs is low enough compared to your other macros, then you will be ok. Just don’t eat carbs every day, you’ll see that you can tell when you’ve overdone it. If you have, just throw in a longer fast period. Find what works for you. My hubby and I switch it up every once in a while and have a complete carb dinner. We might even do a month of carnivore 2x a year.
If you want to see who I am, check me out on Instagram. Summerof_1975 I have a free work out plan there as well.
Kathy French says
Carolyn,
I am allergic to fresh peaches, most stone fruit actually, can I make this with canned peaches/
Carolyn says
Canned peaches usually come in a very sugary syrup…
Mimi says
After successfully making your fabulous vanilla ice cream I was so surprised to see a peach version! We had a banner year for peaches this year and I canned quite a bit of jam using splenda (I know but I’m not diabetic, just want less sugar). Could I use some of that jam in place of macerating peaches?
Carolyn says
I would imagine so!
Hawkechik says
My husband was diagnosed diabetic this past spring. He adores ice cream and any frozen dessert but besides being horribly expensive it seems that most if not all commercial “no sugar added” ice creams have maltodextrin. As you know, this is not a diabetic friendly ingredient. So I bought an ice cream freezer and started trying to make sugar free ice cream myself. They tasted fine, as long as you remembered to take the ice cream out of the freezer about an hour before you actually wanted it because they were all as hard as a rock. Except for this one, this one is AWESOME! Wrong time of year for fresh local peaches, but it seems that thawed frozen works just as well. Substituting thawed frozen strawberries also works well, in fact he likes that even better. Thank you SO MUCH for this recipe.
Carolyn says
So glad you like it and that he gets to eat a few treats! I have more ice cream recipes and as long as you use half Swerve and half Bocha Sweet, they are all lovely and scoopable.
SAustin says
This recipe is perfection. I’ve made this ice cream twice already and planning a 3rd time. I know you have another vanilla ice cream recipe but I love the custard base and resulting rich taste of this one. Can you tell me how I’d adapt this recipe to plain vanilla?
Carolyn says
Just leave out the peaches and replace with another cup of cream or cream/almond milk combo.
SAustin says
Thank you! Trying this TODAY!!!
Cindy says
Hello! I was wondering if I could replace the almond milk with heavy cream? Would the proportions be the same? I want to make this for my hubby because he loves ice cream and I keep drooling over this recipe!
Carolyn says
Yes, that’s fine. It just will be heavier and more filling, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing…
Nanabella says
I forget… if I am sensitive to almond and coconut milks, can I just use the same extra amount of HWC?❤️
Debbie Taurozzi says
I absolutely love desserts and baking so when I started my keto lifestyle, this was one thing I missed tremendously. Thank you for showing me the way back to baking ng on keto!!! Can not wait to make this peach ice cream…..do you have a peach cobbler recipe you could share?
Thanks ????
Carolyn says
You’re so welcome!
Linda says
Hi Carolyn,
I’m making this today (yay!) and just curious why you’ve switched from using xanthan to glucomannan in your ice cream recipes? I know you are constantly refining your processes so I’d just wondered if you’d discovered something better about the latter’s performance or on blood sugar.
Thanks!,
Linda
Nanabella says
She explained to a previous comment, that xanthan gum has a tendency towards a bit of a slimy texture, and glucomannon only thickens, without the slimey texture…
Katie says
Perfect for summer and for still staying on track! Thanks for sharing!
Anna says
Sign me up! I could eat a big bowl of this right now!
Stephanie says
I made this when it was triple digits the other day and it turned out perfectly!
Katerina @ diethood .com says
I can’t wait to try this!! It’s faaaantastic!!!
Sara Welch says
What a delicious recipe! Can’t wait to give this a try; looks amazing and healthy too!
Dee Gee says
Once again, Absolutely terrific tasting! Will make again and again I’m sure. My diabetic dad loves peaches.
Carolyn says
Thank you!
raymond starego says
Can I add or substitute torani poeach syrup?
raymond starego says
peach syrup
Carolyn says
Sure, I don’t see why not.
Anna says
One reason to reconsider Torani Peach Syrup (delicious though it may be) is to consider the carbs.
The sugared version has 17 g carbs per oz and the sugar-free Torani is sweetened with Sucralose/Splenda brand. So . . . neither version plays friendly with blood insulin and the regular version might also spike blood glucose. Just want to make sure to calculate the carbs the syrup adds to the recipe to see if that works with your plan. (Nutrition facts for the sugar free Torani Peach Syrup are here https://shop.torani.com/Sugar-Free-Peach-Syrup/p/TOR-372558&c=Torani@SugarFreeSyrups).
Sarah says
I made this today. I subbed 1/3 cup Gentle sweet on the peaches and 1/3 cup Gentle sweet in the heavy cream. And I used 1 Tbls glycerin in place of the vodka. It turned out so smooth and creamy! It’s a hit with the family!