Taste-testing the best low carb ice cream on the market. Which of these keto ice cream brands make the cut? This updated review includes some wonderful new products you may want to try. Plus some delicious homemade low carb ice cream recipes.
If you’re like me, you are always on the lookout for new low carb and keto products. Sometimes they’re food, sometimes they’re beverages, sometimes they’re kitchen gadgets that make the low carb lifestyle a little easier. And then you like to share with the low carb community at large, telling them about your new findings so they can reap the benefits. I’ve had a ball doing this lately, keeping my eyes peeled for anything that might make a good low carb or keto treat. I do have somewhat exacting standards, so not everything makes the cut.
And now that summer is here, I am all about the ice cream. I make plenty of it myself but I am delighted to see more low carb and sugar-free products hitting the market. I’ve tasted a lot of them…do they really live up to snuff? Read on and find out!
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*Please note that some of these products have been sent to me for review, although the majority I paid for myself.
Bacon’s Heir Pork Clouds: I ordered these on a whim one day and fell quickly in love. I love the single serving packs and I love the flavours. It’s pork rinds gone gourmet, and without any questionable ingredients or additives. They do fry them in olive oil and I wish they chose to do it in the traditional lard. But they are so good, it’s easy for me to look past this. Watch out, though. The Habanero flavour is really, really hot!
The same company does “pork dust” too, pre-ground pork rinds for low carb breading and other uses. It’s pretty easy to crush pork rinds, but it might be nice to have a bag of this handy.
Wallaby Full Fat Organic Greek Yogurt: Finally! I reviewed Wallaby 2% Greek yogurt a few years ago and at that time, I asked if they had any plans for a full fat version. Not any time soon was the answer. I suppose I was just relieved that there was an organic brand that was not completely fat free. But just the other day, I saw this at my local Whole Foods and I think I squealed in excitement. It’s really good, really creamy and rich. And you want to know what’s in it? Organic milk and cream. And live active cultures. Just what true Greek yogurt should be.
Elli Quark Cheese: For some reason, I kept seeing the ads for this product on Facebook. Then I spied it at Whole Foods and decided to give it a try. If you check out their website, you will see that they have a ton of amazing flavours and they are all sweetened with erythritol and stevia (yay!). The plain was fine and was great with some fresh berries, but I give the flavoured varieties a big thumbs up. It was like having flavoured yogurt again, although I am sure they will cringe at my description. I honestly don’t truly understand the distinction between quark and greek yogurt at all and they taste quite similar. My only wish is that it wasn’t fat free as I am a girl who likes her dairy fat. But at 6 g net carbs for the whole cup, it’s definitely a great snack find.
Sahale Parmesan Cheese & Herb Almond Snacks: I’ve long been eyeing this brand of nut snacks because they always look so good. Alas, most of the varieties are quite sweet and not appropriate for a diabetic or low carb diet. So I was very excited when I saw this kind and thought they’d be a perfect on-the-go snack. And it really was delicious. BUT…and that’s a big BUT…I was surprised to see that the second and third ingredients were tapioca syrup and organic cane sugar. The total net carb count is still just 5 g but I have to wonder why a savoury nut snack needs the sugar. Perhaps to make it stick together a bit but I am pretty sure I could make my own version sans sugar. So although I really liked these, I recommend with caution. Good in a pinch but could be made a little more low carb and healthy.
Zipsicles: Have you seen these things? They are the answer to every mum’s desire to give her kids healthier ice pops and yogurt squeezers. And they’d be great for low carb treats for the adult too, although I haven’t really used them this way. I saw them a while ago and ordered a big pack last summer. I’ve been using them ever since to make my own low sugar yogurt squeezers to send in with my kids to school. They are a bit tricky to fill, so you need a good funnel with a mouth that fits into the opening. Or you can do what I do, and use pastry piping bags with a large opening decorating tip.
Low Carb Ice Cream Review:
I’ve been taste-testing a number of low carb ice creams and frozen desserts lately. I love making my own ice cream but sometimes you need dessert in a pinch and making a custard, chilling it and then churning it is just not practical. But not all low carb ice cream is created equal. There are some clear winners and losers in this battle for the low carb audience.
Arctic Zero: I don’t love giving negative reviews but I did not think this was a very good ice cream alternative. I picked up two flavours at Whole Foods, the Chocolate Peanut Butter and the Hint of Mint. They tasted like….nothing. There was barely any flavour to them and my son nailed it when he said they tasted like watered down hot chocolate. It’s not that surprising, when you look at the ingredients. It’s not really ice cream at all, there’s no cream or milk (there is whey protein concentrate), and it’s fat free. In this case, it also seemed to equal flavour free. Even at 5g net carbs, it just isn’t worth it to me. Some people seem to really like it, but I am not a fan. Neither were my kids.
Halo Top Creamery: This well known brand has recently expanded their line to include a whole bunch of new flavors, including a number of dairy-free frozen treats. I still quite like Halo Top but their formula seems to have changed and the carb count is a little higher now. It used to come out to 4g net carbs per serving and now it’s more like 6g to 8g, depending on the flavor. And all those wonderful exciting new flavors like salted caramel and cookie dough? Full of things like corn syrup and gluten. Corn syrup! Seriously.
I still buy these for my kids sometimes but as a someone trying to adhere more strictly to the keto diet, I give Halo Top a pass most of the time. If you are desperate, stick to the basic flavors like chocolate or vanilla and eat a small portion.
Enlightened: Low sugar and low fat, this ice cream brand has plenty of interesting flavors and it’s actually pretty good. My kids really liked it but similar to Halo Top, it has some iffy ingredients, including cane sugar and gluten. And being low fat, it isn’t as satisfying as a keto ice cream really should be. Besides, I am a little concerned about how they arrive at their net carb count, because some of the fiber comes from soluble corn fiber. Corn again! But also the fact that it’s soluble fiber suggests that it could affect blood glucose levels.
Again I suggest sticking to the basic flavors that don’t contain gluten and keeping your portions on the small side.
So Delicious No Sugar Added Dairy-Free Frozen Desserts: If you’re dairy-free, don’t despair. There’s actually a really great low carb dairy-free alternative out there for you too. Normally I am leery when I see “No Sugar Added” as it usually means there is plenty of sucralose which I don’t like. But this is sweetened with vegetable glycerin, chicory root and erythritol. Thus far, I’ve tried the chocolate ice cream, which is deliciously dark with a hint of coconut, and the chocolate covered mini vanilla bars. I give both a big thumbs up. They do contain carrageenan, which I know many people try to avoid, so just a heads up there.
Be sure to try these great low carb ice cream recipes
Low Carb Death By Chocolate Ice Cream
Low Carb Butter Pecan Ice Cream Pie
Low Carb Salted Caramel Ice Cream
Low Carb Peanut Butter Fudge Ripple Ice Cream
Easy Chocolate Mason Jar Ice Cream
Low Carb Pumpkin Spice Latte Ice Cream
Low Carb Blueberry Pie Ice Cream
Low Carb Raspberry Mascarpone Ice Cream
Low Carb Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Bars
Michelle Dickman says
I LOVE the soDelicious sugar free icecream. Chocolate is my favorite, but the mint chip is pretty awesome too. I was able to have some of the bars while on vacation in Arizona and I thought I diedand gone to low carb icecream heaven. They, sadly, don’t carry them in my area and I’ve even tried to special order.
Jessica says
FYI, your silicone mold link is incorrect.
This is a great post. I can’t wait to try this stuff out!
Carolyn says
Oh, thanks for the heads up!
Ashley says
I’m with you on the Arctic Zero. Flavored frozen water is what it tastes like. I’ve tried to like it, my hubby has tried to like it, but BLECK! Do love SoDelicious, though! And while I don’t have to avoid carbs/sugar, I do have to avoid soy and love that they have soy free frozen treats I can enjoy! Going to try to find Halo Top today on my lunch hour. No promises there will be any left for my husband, though, if it’s that’s good 😀
Becca says
I love Halo Top, hope to see those new flavors in stores soon because they look amazing! I also need to try to find that quark!
Shawn Anderson says
I have been so sad as I just bought a pint last week of the birthday cake flavor. I am so excited to see that this in moderation will be okay!!
Kissa says
Thank you so much for posting these! I will definitely check out the Halo brand. Low carb ice cream is great but like you said, it’s not always convenient to break out the ice cream maker, make custard, etc. Sometimes you just want the instant gratification and I’m happy that some good alternatives now exist! I’ve been trying out the Enlightened bars lately and some of them are really excellent. The Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl is a thing of beauty and at 5 net carbs (after subtracting erythritol and fiber) I’m sold on these as an occasional treat. Just thought I’d share. 🙂
LimoBarbie says
Breyers carb smart is the BEST low carb ice cream going. The chocolate is hard to find, but the vanilla is great–creamy with good flavor and perfect to mix with diet Orange or A&W diet root beer. It’s also good underneath chopped strawberries or blueberries. You should try it, it kicks the crap out of anything else on the market.
Carolyn says
I have tried it but I don’t like to eat sucralose. So it’s not on my list, I find things like that unappealing and I can taste the chemicals.
Suzy Padilla says
I agree with Limobarbie about Breyers vanilla My favorite is the ice cream topped with Smucker sugar free Carmel topping, a swirl of Redi Whip and some Walnut nut topping on top. Heaven pure heaven!!!
Annannas says
I saw an ad for the carb smart Breyers so I looked it up. I’m looking for things with no sugar (and the ingredient list is too long, complicated and chemical laden) so it doesn’t work for me. If you’re interested, the ingredient list is:
Skim Milk, Water. Cream, Sorbitol, Polydextrose, Whey
Contains 2% or Less of each of the Following:
Glycerin, Natural Flavor, Propylene Glycol Monoesters, Cellulose Gel, Mono And Diglycerides, Cellulose Gum, Guar Gum, Carob Bean Gum, Acesulfame Potassium, Sucralose (Splenda Brand), Carrageenan, Sugar
By contrast, Halo Top ingredients look pretty good but it lacks real creaminess which is, after all, part of the wonder of ice-cream. So, while the flavor is pretty good, if a bit on the heavy milky side, the texture is very disappointing. Here’s the ingredient list for Halo Top vanilla:
Milk and cream, eggs, erythritol, prebiotic fiber, milk protein concentrate, organic cane sugar, vegetable glycerin, vanilla extract, vanilla beans, sea salt, organic carob gum, organic guar gum, organic stevia.
I’ve not tried the carb-smart Breyer’s but I do like the regular Breyer’s ice-cream. In part, because they have better ingredients than other, big brand ice-creams that you can get in most grocery stores. Bottom line for me: if I’m going to be conservative of sugar and calories, I’ll take Halo Top and feel good about the ingredients. If not, I’ll cover my peepers and eat the real stuff. (If I’m gonna’ eat junk, I want the good junk.)
Rebecca LaBeth says
Unfortunately I can’t get HaloTop in my area AT ALL!!! Sad face! So I’ve resorted to Arctic Zero. The Cookie Dough and Vanilla Maple are not all that bad. Is it really ice cream? No. But it’s a good substitute. 🙂
Carolyn says
I believe Halo Top will start moving into new areas soon. Try the So Delicious products too, if you can find them!
Mary says
Does Halo Top or So Delicious contain corn? They sound worth trying but I have a corn allergy which makes buying pre-made products difficult. 🙁
Carolyn says
You can check out their ingredients on their websites. Here’s the direct link for the chocolate halo top. http://www.halotop.com/flavors/#chocolate
Laura says
Thank you for the reviews! I feel the need to go to whole foods now…. Another great ice cream is Clemmys…. It has malitol though, so I only eat a little at a time. Their chocolate peanut butter is awesome! Here is a link if you want to check it out. http://www.clemmysicecream.com/pints/chocolate
Carolyn says
Sadly, maltitol spikes my blood sugar. This is a no-go for me.
Ann Gardner says
Carolyn, I love your blog. I am a low carb gal and loved this post. I wondered if you ever have tried these? http://www.fatboyicecream.com/dlites/
They are legit! I have turned so many people on to active d’lites. I am with you that I don’t really like the ice cream with fake sugar, so these are kind of the perfect balance.
Carolyn says
I will have to keep my eye out for them.
Aimee says
Great post! And just perfect for the week we’ve been having here in Portland too…I love that you mentioned Eastside Distilling, their products are fantastic. They make a great Holiday Spiced Liqueur & if you haven’t do so yet, I highly recommend taking the tour+tasting once they start doing them again, it’s really fun to learn about how they make all of the products.
Carolyn says
I would love the tour!
Karen Jo says
Set a tour day up in September Carolyn 😉
Carolyn says
I will…with my husband, he would love it!
mellissa @ ibreatheimhungry says
Ooooh – lots of yummy things I haven’t tried yet! Looks like it’s time to head to Whole Foods and stock up!!!
Alice says
Thank you! I am an ice cream person … and miss that the most. I haven’t tried these so I appreciate your info. I need to try making my own too. The pork skins sound great. The ones I get are so salty …. and sometimes that bothers me a little. Definitely going in search of the whiskey! Hopefully they will have it here in TX!
AliceJoy
Barbara says
Love the So Delicious ice cream ! Will look out for the Halo one. Can never have too much ice cream on a hot summer day ! 😉
judy says
I agree…Arctic Zero is awful. I tried a few flavors and ended up throwing them all out. I just bought an ice cream maker and I was thrilled with the ‘easy’ recipe that I used. A trick to make it scoopable after putting it in the freezer is to put it in the microwave for 15 to 30 seconds. Worked great!
Katie says
Your earlier mention of Halo Top turned me on to it. It is available in Texas in the DFW area, at any rate. Sprouts Market carries it. It is definitely very tasty and the lemon one is especially good (I say this as an avowed chocoholic!). I’ve been lurking on your blog for a few years now and I just wanted to thank you, Carolyn, for your recipes and your blog. You and Maria Emmerich are my two go-tos when I’m trying to do the low-carb and/or keto thing and keep it as natural as possible. I have no particular dietary reason (such as diabetes or celiac disease) to do low-carb, other than I’ve been reading about it for years and have come to believe that it is probably best for health. I can eat a muffin or dessert (usually from one of yours or Maria’s recipes) and not feel as though I’ve “cheated” (I do try to avoid that language, but years of conditioning to believe some foods are “sinful” and others “guilt-free” are hard to shake!). I also appreciate that when I step on the scale, I haven’t gained! I’ve found keto/low-carb difficult as a weight loss tool, to be honest, but it seems to really work well as a maintenance diet. Since I am within 10 pounds of my goal weight, I really have to restrict calories in general to see any loss. Probably, I would have to restrict fat as well (and low carb, low fat is miserable!). At any rate, I love checking out your blog and do so on at least a weekly basis! I’m so glad you update constantly! Just wanted to drop you a line to show my appreciation! Keep on keepin’ on! 🙂
Carolyn says
Thanks so much, Katie. I hope you figure out a good way to get to your goal weight. I think every metabolism is a little different and needs slightly different things. But you’re right, I do believe that low carb is just simply a healthier way to live.
Cat says
Hi Carolyn
I wanted to let your California viewers know that Halotop is carried at Fresh and Easy stores, Ralphs and some Whole Foods. I too love Halotop and was saddened to see our Sprouts discontinue Halotop only to replace it with Arctic Zero…which is awful! Maybe your reviews will help bring it back into our stores. After reading your review, I’m gonna have to try the So Delicious brand of ice cream treats. Love your recipes and what you do for the low carb community!!! Thank-you
Erinn says
Glad to see I’m not the only one who found Arctic Zero repulsive.
Carolyn says
Yup, totally not worth the $$$!
Sara says
Love love love your review posts – so glad you’re doing more! You always have me learning about some nifty new product that I end up loving. I haven’t seen any of the Quark yogurt around here – might have to request it at my Whole Foods.
And so glad to have another vote of confidence for SoDelicious ice cream. It’s beyond tasty – love their butter pecan. Makes an excellent vanilla ice cream float, too (with a nifty stevia-only sweetened root beer I found)!
Pug says
I’m always so jealous of the range of low carb foods you can get in the USA! Next time I visit I’m bringing an extra suitcase just to cram full of FOOD. Might have to leave the ice cream over there though 😉
Carolyn says
I know, it’s tough. Even the Canadians just north of the border can’t get what we can.
Pattyg says
Love the So Delicious treats! Just ordeted the Zipsicicle molds this week. Have you posted before about what to fill them with?
Carolyn says
Patty, I haven’t posted about them before. But I do just make a big smoothie for my kids (often contains higher carb fruits, it’s not for me!), and fill it with that. But I’ve seen some awesome ideas, including sweetened coffee. I need to try that one!
Cat Latuszek says
I lovelovelove the So Delicious sugar free ice cream in mint chocolate chip. You can’t taste the coconut at all and the texture is incredibly close to regular ice cream. Mint chocolate chip is my fave flavour so that’s an added bonus. 😉 Soooo good. I’ve tried the chocolate and thought it was ok but the coconut flavour was a little strong for my taste – although after the first couple bites I didn’t notice it at all and it became a good creamy chocolate ice cream. Plan on trying the vanilla bean when I’m next at home since I can’t seem to find it up here.
Barbara Petrini says
Hi Carolyn. I was just about to order the pork rinds and I’m just curious to know your feelings on Olive oil. I of course know that it’s not good for high heat frying, but are there other issues?
Patti says
Thanks for your reviews and info about the products. I’ve already ordered the cherry whiskey and their marionberry whiskey, too (in time for Father’s Day)! Wegman’s and Whole Foods in my area carry the Halo ice cream, so I’ll need to get there to try it. Thanks again for sharing your info!
Carolyn says
I want to try the Marionberry too!
Patti says
Both the cherry and marionberry whiskeys are wonderfully smooth. Thanks for writing about them. I only wish they were available locally (had to order them in the mail).
Susan says
Quark is a huge thing in Germany. So cool that it’s finally made it’s way here!
Vicky says
I haven’t tried Halo Top yet, but I had to put chocolate syrup, peanut butter and whipped cream all over my Artic Zero to make it feel like ice cream.
Two brands I love though are Carb Smart (chocolate!) and Enlightened (salted caramel bar!). They are both so creamy and flavorful.
Denise says
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for the heads up on the So Delicious coconut ice cream. It’s the only one available in Canada and i found the chocolate and vanilla at my local Loblaws. Its really good and makes summer bearable!
Ashlee says
Another low carb Ice cream I found at my local WholeFoods is called Clemmy’s. My favorite is their coffee but I also love the chocolate chip and vanilla flavored. I’ve never seen Halo Top but I will be keeping an eye out for it! Thanks!
Brynn says
The Strawberry Arctic Zero is really good! All the others I agree with the “no flavor” comments.
KarenJo says
Halo all the way! My freezer is small and a family of one so hard for me to make my own ice cream. I have only found the basic flavors but will hunt them down this summer for sure!
Maria says
Arctic Zero. The brand is very accurate on temperature: arctic cold; and taste: zero. I may have to find the strawberry as some one commented that it was good, unlike the other flavors. I have to google where to find Halo Top locally, other than Whole Foods.
Carolyn says
🙂 I think you left the same comment on my FB page and it made me laugh!
Mindy says
Update for those looking for Halo Top: Kroger sells it! I’ve seen the chocolate, mint chip, lemon cake, strawberry and vanilla bean. You can also order them online in a variety pack directly from Halo (for most areas).
Kurt Weina says
I guess I am the only one that can’t stand Halo Top “ice cream”. I find it just, not creamy. If only it were low carb AND high fat, it might be good. The way it is, it is only low carb, very little fat. Fat is what makes Ice Cream so delectable!
Carolyn says
True but Halo Top is the best commercial version I’ve tried.
gjeanieg says
Any opinion on the new Breyers Delights ice cream? They are definitely trying to tap into the Halo Top market.