No ice cream maker? No problem! Try this simple method for making homemade keto ice cream without a machine. It’s easy to enjoy your favourite summertime indulgence. Plus 10 delicious recipes!

Collage of keto no churn ice cream recipes

I’ve had an ice cream maker for over 20 years and I absolutely love making homemade ice cream. I have lost count of the number of keto ice cream recipes I have made over the past 10 years.

But ice cream makers can be large and cumbersome, and take up valuable counter space. And you often need to freeze the bowl for at least 12 hours before you can churn.

No churn ice cream to the rescue! It is relatively new on the foodie scene but it’s become a popular way to enjoy your favorite summer treat.

And you’ll be happy to hear that it’s easy to make no churn keto ice cream.

Close up shot of an ice cream scoop full of keto no-churn coffee ice cream

What is no-churn ice cream?

Conventional ice cream is typically made by constant churning during the freezing process. This beats air into the mixture to lighten it as it solidifies, so it isn’t a dense, solid block of frozen cream and milk.

No-churn ice cream gets around this process by folding whipped cream into a thickened base. It’s quite brilliant when you think about it, as whipping air into heavy cream results in a similar light and fluffy consistency.

This isn’t a new concept, since Italian semifreddo has used this same technique for ages. One might even say that semifreddo is the original no-churn ice cream.

And it’s easy to make sugar-free keto ice cream this way too!

Keto no churn maple walnut ice cream in an old fashioned ice cream dish

How to make keto no churn ice cream

Time needed: 8 hours and 40 minutes

There are plenty of delicious and fun ways to make no churn keto ice cream. I have developed quite a few recipes and the although the details change, the basic formula stays the same. It’s really quite simple:

Pick the right sweeteners
The sweeteners you use are the difference between ice cream that stays scoopable in the freezer and one that become rock hard. I always recommend a combination of Swerve Sweetener and either allulose or BochaSweet. You can read more about that in my Tutorial on Keto Sweeteners.
Choose a thick base
By thick, I mean something that’s quite a bit thicker than heavy whipping cream or milk. This gives the ice cream some structure and make it less icy. I have listed your best options below.
Whip the heavy cream
Whipping the heavy cream to stiff peaks replaces the churning process and makes the ice cream lighter. It also gives it more structure.
Fold the two together
Use a large silicone spatula and fold the whipped cream into the thicker base until no streaks remain.
Stir in any mix-ins
Now’s your chance to add chocolate chips, nuts, or swirls of keto caramel sauce.
Freeze until firm
Transfer to an airtight container and freeze until firm. You need a bit of patience here because keto no churn ice cream takes at least 8 hours to firm up properly.

No churn ice cream base

I have a wonderful sugar-free condensed milk recipe, and it makes delicious no churn ice cream. But you are by no means limited to that. Try any one of these options:

Softened cream cheese
Sour cream
Double cream (for you lucky folks in Europe!)
Ricotta
Mascarpone
Coconut cream
Nut butter
Sugar Free Lemon Curd
Keto Chocolate Fudge Sauce

A spoon dipping into a jar of keto condensed milk

All of these work perfectly in no churn keto ice cream recipes. You can also make a custard base by heating egg yolks, as I did in this keto semifreddo recipe.

Flavors for no churn ice cream

This is where the fun begins, my keto friends. You can have so much fun with no churn ice cream flavors.

Add in some chopped keto peanut butter cups! How about a ribbon of keto caramel sauce or some fresh berries? I’ve even crushed up my keto thin mints and swirled them in before freezing. My kids love that one!

And be sure to check out all of these delicious keto recipes for no churn ice cream below. Let your imagination run wild…