Prepare to be AMAZED! This is no ordinary low carb vanilla ice cream recipe. Oh no, my friends, not at all. This low carb vanilla ice cream has magical properties and should not be underestimated! Sure, it looks like regular vanilla ice cream and tastes like regular vanilla ice cream. It even behaves like regular vanilla ice cream. And that, my dear readers, is exactly the point. This ice cream recipe has the truly astonishing property of staying soft and scoopable, even after several days in the freezer. And it’s entirely low carb, egg-free and has no added sugars, which makes it all the more astonishing. If you’ve ever made your own ice cream at home, with or without sugar, you’ll understand what a feat this is. Because homemade ice cream never stays as soft and scoopable as store-bought. Until now.
I’ve had an ice cream maker for about 15 years now, so I’ve made my share of ice cream and this recipe is really a major achievement for me. Homemade ice cream can be wonderful, but in my experience it almost always freezes rock solid after a few hours in the freezer and needs to be left to soften in the fridge for half an hour or so before it can be served. This was the case even back in the day when I made my ice creams with sugar. The first few helpings, served after an hour or so in the freezer, were perfect, but after that it was like trying to chip away at a glacier with a kitchen knife. I also thought that to get the right consistency, ice cream had to be made with a significant amount of egg yolks, and I usually made my ice cream base with 4 to 6 yolks, leaving me with a lot of orphaned egg whites that needed to be used. Although I’ve made some delicious flavours of ice cream, I despaired of ever making one that could stay soft for several days.
This magical stay-soft low carb ice cream recipe came about through some serious experimentation. It all started when I decided to make some Dulce De Leche ice cream (recipe to come at a later date), using my low carb sweetenened condensed milk. Even as that one came out of the ice cream maker, I noted that the consistency was better than any I’d ever made. And then I was completely floored when it stayed soft enough to scoop right out of the freezer, even three days later. And as this particular recipe was entirely egg-free, I knew I’d hit on something really interesting. I just had to figure out exactly what it was.
So I commenced on an unseasonal bout of ice-cream making, trying a little more of this and a little less of that. I tried a chocolate version, which was close but not quite there. Then I decided to go for the all-time classic, vanilla ice cream, to see if I could replicate the qualities in a basic recipe. I got it on the first try, and was so excited that I decided I had to post this recipe first, so you could all benefit from my experience. I will tell you right now that the secret is a good amount of xanthan gum to thicken the base, and a bit of alcohol to help lower the freezing point. If you can’t or don’t tolerate either of those things, then this might not be the recipe for you and I apologize about that.
It is, however, the recipe for me and I suspect I will use this as my base recipe for many ice cream recipes to come. Enjoy!
- 2 cups heavy cream can sub about ½ cup for whole milk
- ½ cup powdered Swerve Sweetener or powdered erythritol
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- 2 cups Low Carb Sweetened Condensed Milk (double recipe)
- ¼ cup vodka
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
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In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine cream and Swerve and bring just to a simmer.
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Remove from heat and quickly whisk in xanthan gum (don't worry if it gets a bit clumpy, it will smooth out when churned). Let cool 10 minutes.
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Transfer cream mixture to a bowl and whisk in Low Carb Sweetened Condensed Milk until smooth. Chill at least 3 hours and up to overnight.
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Stir in vodka and vanilla extract until combined.
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Pour into frozen canister of an ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer's directions (I suggest churning for at least half an hour).
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Transfer to an airtight container, press plastic wrap flush to the surface, and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours.
Serves 8. Each serving has 4.75g of carbs (fiber is negligible).
Gerri says
LC ice cream that’s not rock hard. Be still my heart! You should win an award. Until that happens, hope you’ll accept undying gratitude for this brillance (& your many others). Yum, another use for incredible sweetened condensed milk.
I’ve unsuccessfully added vodka, but clearly not enough & not using your method. Don’t care if there’s snow on the ground, time to make ice cream.
ERIC J EGLE says
has anyone tried monk fruit sweetener with this recipe?
Carolyn says
I am sure it would be fine.
Jeanette says
You amaze me with all your low-carb treats. I just made my first low-carb low-sugar cookies for Super Bowl yesterday because one of the guys was diabetic.
:D says
If I wanted to use regular sweetener, how much regular sweetener would you use?
Carolyn says
Are you talking sugar or a different kind of sweetener?
Lola says
Carolyn, This is amazing and I’m going to make it tomorrow. (I don’t have enough cream right now to get started) LOL
My question. Once the LC sweetened condensed milk is made and sat at room temp. What’s the shelf life? Should I make the same day? Can I place in refridgerator to cut my prep time for future baking? Just curious if I should use same day.
THANKS!
Brian @ A Thought For Food says
I don’t care that it’s cold outside… I just want to grab a spoon and dig into that bowl!
Kiersten @ Oh My Veggies says
I have the same problem when I make homemade ice cream–it gets so, so hard! You are a genius. 🙂
Carolyn says
If you make yours with sugar, just adding the vodka might really help.
Margaret says
I would love it if recipes would, in addition to giving the amount of preferred sweetener in the ingredient list would also add ” to equal X amount of sugar”. We all have our favourite sweeteners and are familiar with the conversion from sugar to what we use. Especially when things call for a combo of a sweetener and some of the stevia products. I find stevia has an objectionable taste and so never use it so haven’t the foggiest notion of how much of another sweetener to use. I find it useful when sharing my own recipes and people seem to appreciate it. Thanks for the awesome recipes! From experience I can imagine the work and expense that they represent.
Carolyn says
You may not find stevia objectionable, when it’s in combination with something like erythritol. That’s why I do both of them, because they enhance each others sweetness without much, if any, aftertaste.
In this particular recipe, since the swerve is cup for cup with sugar, you could easily swap 1/2 cup sugar or equivalent in the cream part. For the sweetened condensed milk, you really don’t have to add any more stevia, but the amount is about 1/4 tsp, which equals about 1/4 cup sugar.
HOpe that helps!
Karlise G says
Does the Swerve give it that weird almost fizzy feeling in your mouth like Splenda does? I like Splenda in small quantities but not in baked goods. Can you taste the vodka? I wonder if you could use flavored vodkas. Hmm.
Carolyn says
I’ve never had any fizzy feeling from Swerve. I do not like Splenda at all. If people notice anything with erythritol, it’s a cooling sensation, but I don’t find that with Swerve at all. No…you can’t taste the vodka once it’s churned and you can use flavoured. I used vanilla!
Batya says
Your mileage may vary — I find that I do get the cooling effect with Swerve, just as more of an aftereffect than simultaneous with the taste. I know what you mean about a fizzy effect from Splenda, and I find that with xylitol and erythritol I don’t get that at all.
Katrina @ In Katrina's Kitchen says
So smooth and creamy! You’re a rock star 🙂
Sommer@ASpicyPerspective says
Girl, you are my hero!
Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking says
Vodka + ice cream?? Yes please. Great recipe, Carolyn.
Fran says
I just joined a while ago. You are a genius. Thank you so much for your continued experimenting and hard work! I was planning on making your sweetened condensed milk with almond milk in place of the whole milk. How well do you think the almond milk would translate into the ice cream? Think it would work ? I’m not sure of freezing points of the different milks. Thanks again.
Russell van Kraayenburg says
Ooh. This looks so good! I love a lady who doesn’t wait for summer to make ice cream!
claire @ the realistic nutritionist says
This looks like simply perfect ice cream! 🙂
RavieNomNoms says
This is so amazing!! Carolyn you are a miracle worker, I am going to have to try this out!
Stacy | Wicked Good Kitchen says
Carolyn, your vanilla ice cream recipe looks totally wicked! I’ve read how syrups and vodka can help ice cream stay soft after freezing and I love how you thought to use your low carb sweetened condensed milk for this along with the vodka for an exceptional soft texture for your vanilla ice cream recipe. BRAVO! xo
Linda says
Amazing. My daughter has been gluten free for 3 years now. It can be a tough diet to follow. I’m giving her your blog address! Following you also. Linda
Lori @ RecipeGirl says
I totally need this in my low-carb life (which is like Monday thru Thurs) 🙂
Tom says
Thanks so much for this recipe. Can’t wait to try. I think it’s funny that you workedso hard on this and other rrecipes and so many people ask if other ingredientscould work iinstead of the ones you labored to perfect. With that in mind, I do have two questions:
1 – Is heavy whipping cream the same as heavy cream? I can’t find just cream any where and people tell me they are the same thing.
2 – Is vodka the best alcohol to use or do you think rum would also work?
Thank you again.
Carolyn says
LOL, Tom, it’s okay. People have their preferences and I just do my best to suggest how to swap them in and out. It may or may not work, I can only guarantee success with the things I’ve tried myself. Whipping cream and heavy cream are the same thing. I use them interchangeably. And you could easily do rum here, although you will get a distinctive rum flavour, which isn’t a bad thing if you like rum!
Loretta says
Non-rock hard low carb ice cream??!! I was actually excited when I read this. 😀
A couple of years ago I tried and tried to get those results… gave up in frustration. Now I see I was not using near enough booze, LOL! Thank you so much for persevering until you got these great results. Can’t wait to try it. I can imagine all kinds of variations already, with bits of this or that added… cherry bits, or chocolate chips, or amaretto flavoring… oh dear. Gotta dust off my self-control, ha ha ha.
Again, thank you for all your creativity and hard work, and for sharing the results with the rest of us.
Gerry @ Foodness Gracious says
Your such a culinary scientist!! I love it…
Judy@lifeonthefoodchain.com says
Good vanilla ice cream is the one thing that has eluded my diabetic husband’s search for the perfect topping to “his” sf-low carb fruit crumble. I think we have a score here. Thank you Carolyn, you’ve done it again. I may have to erect a shrine to you in my kitchen, LOL.
Carol says
Any way to convert this to a chocolate ice cream?
Catherine H. says
As soon as I saw this recipe yesterday, I got to work. I have been searching for the perfect low carb ice cream recipe for five years, so I was pretty eager. This morning, after freezing the churned recipe all night, I tasted it and discovered that it was still extremely goupy, stretchy, and sticky, like cold marshmallow fluff. It does not seem to have set up at all. I re-read the directions, and the only thing I did differently (other than slight changes to cooking/cooling times) was use orange liqueur in place of vodka. Could the liqueur have prevented the ice cream from getting firm? As you can imagine, I’m so disappointed!
Carolyn says
No, I don’t think the orange liqueur would do that (although orange liqueur does contain sugar, which lowers the freezing point too…might make a small difference but not much). But mine did not come out that way at all…it comes out of the ice cream maker like that, but then freezes up. 2 questions…how long did you churn it and what temperature is your freezer? It should set just fine after a few hours and since I’ve made this recipe twice now, I have to think it either didn’t churn long enough OR your freezer is set too high and it’s not freezing properly. You also mentioned changes to cooking/cooling times? How much did you change those by?
Carolyn says
You know what? Based on your experience, I am concerned that there is too much xanthan gum in the recipe. Since both the cream base and the condensed milk take xanthan gum, I think 1 tsp would be sufficient for the cream part. I’ve used more and still been successful, but I think if you change things like the alcohol for liqueur (which does contain sugar), it’s going to throw things off.
Catherine H. says
That’s what I was thinking, too–that the liqueur would be more helpful than not in keeping the ice cream soft. In this case, perhaps too helpful. I only used it because I didn’t have vodka and my husband thought it would add a nice citrus flavor. The cooking/cooling differences were small things like accidentally letting the powdered erythritol/cream boil briefly before bringing it down to a simmer, and letting it cool for thirty minutes instead of just ten. I churned it for forty minutes, and it never got firmer. I don’t think my freezer has any problems, so your guess about the xanthan gum seems the likeliest. What would you recommend for fixing it? My first hope was to use the ice cream as a base to which to add more cream, and maybe dilute the xanthan already there and give it a chance to firm up. Do you think that could work? Should I do a regular custard base and mix that with this recipe as it is, and hope the two will balance each other?
Carolyn says
I think the accidental boiling may have affected it a tiny bit too, because cream gets REALLY thick once boiled so it would change the consistency as well. I don’t think cooling for 30 minutes would make any difference at all though.
I think your only chance at fixing it is to dilute it…maybe with whole milk instead of cream to help thin it out. I’d go for at least an additional cup, if not a cup and a half or two cups. I think a custard base isn’t going to help, since the point of a custard base is to be thick and we are trying to thin it out. But it’s all worth a try. And I am sorry about this! It was hard to get this right, but my biggest problem was having it still freeze too hard, not get all gooey like that. My chocolate version was so tasty, but definitely froze too hard to be scoopable.
Sarah G says
I’m assuming this is ok for kid consumption?
Carolyn says
My kids ate it! If you are worried about the alcohol, let me assure you that it adds up to 1/2 tbsp per serving, which isn’t enough to even buzz anyone. 🙂 And I usually serve my kids closer to 1/3 cup, then 1/2 cup, so it’s even less.
Sarah G says
Ok. 🙂
Diana says
If adding the vodka lowers the freezing temperature why wouldn’t you put the eggs back in? Or am I missing something. That’s a good idea though, maybe we could use flavored rum instead..? yum!
Carolyn says
You could do this with an egg-based custard, it’s just nice to have an egg-free recipe that’s easy to make like this. The egg custards take a lot of extra work!
Catherine H. says
Don’t worry–if it helps your other readers avoid my mistakes, it’s all worth it :). Final question: do you think just churning the whole milk into the cream in the ice cream maker would work, or should I cook it all together first, then re-churn it?
Carolyn says
I can’t be certain it will work, but if I were doing this, I think I wouldn’t cook it, but I would whisk the milk into the ice cream until they were mostly combined, and then add it to the ice cream canister.
Carolyn says
And I think I did a lot of experimenting here! You’re the real guinea pig now… 🙂
:D says
How can I substitute regular sugar and regular condensed milk in your recipe?
Carolyn says
Honestly, I wouldn’t use this recipe. Sugar already reduces the freezing point and if you add in my amounts of xanthan gum and alcohol, you may end up with a goopy mess. My best suggestion is to find another vanilla ice cream recipe, one made with sugar, and then add 1/4 tsp of xanthan gum and maybe a tbsp or two of vodka.
kelly @ kellybakes says
You are an ice cream genius! When I first got an ice cream maker way back when, I was discouraged because of the rock-hard freezing problem. I tried to take it in stride and eat as much as I could in one sitting, but after a few batches, the buttons and zipper on my pants didn’t really get along. I have some caramel vodka that I think would be perfect in this. Do you think the low carb sweetened condensed milk could be boiled to make a low carb dulce de leche?
Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen says
I know it’s winter but I’ve been having some serious ice cream craving lately and vanilla is what I go for first!
Lola says
Carolyn, Do I wait to add the vanilla and vodka AFTER it’s chilled 3 hours + (and/or over night)?
Carolyn says
I don’t think it matters. The first time I added it before, the second after.
Buttoni says
Gee, Carolyn, what a feat you’ve accomplished there. I, like you, have experimented and experimented to no avail at trying to achieve a softer ice cream. Must be the condensed milk that is the magic here, because 8 yolks, booze and xanthan gum haven’t dine it for me. Congratulations to you, my friend!
My problem is I just have never been able to eat anything made with condensed milk, so I may be doomed to dealing with harder ice cream at my house. 🙁
Carol says
I followed the recipe exactly (except I steeped 1/2 a vanilla bean in the cream) and thought i would share my results. After a couple of hours in the freezer ice cream was soft, soft-serve consistency, not much different from when I removed it from ice cream maker, after 24 hours it was unscoopably hard. Turned freezer up to slightly warmer setting and after 12 hours ice cream was soft enough to scoop again. Makes me think it might be quite sensitive to freezer temperature variations. Wish I had thought to take the ice cream’s temperature each time! Of course it is all gone now. Next batch!
Carolyn says
Hi Carol…thanks for all of your experimenting! I have some cream that needs using up so I am going to try my hand at it again today or tomorrow, although I might make it chocolate flavour. I can’t quite figure out what’s going on, but obviously it is sensitive to freezer temp as you found. I am glad you found a way to make it work for you.
Colleen says
I can’t thank you enough! I just finished making your ice cream and even before the final 2 hour freeze, I can tell it’s going to be delicious!! I followed your recipe exactly (people who make changes and them complain crack me up!) and it turned out beautifully after 30 minutes of churning!! I can’t wait to see your future adaptations and to try some of my own (now that I know I can do your basic recipe!) Thank you sooooooo much!!
Carolyn says
So glad it seems to have worked! THis one has given some folks a bit of trouble…I think that perhaps freezer temp does make a difference. But it’s worked 3 times for me now.
Colleen says
I put the ice cream (and my ice cream maker bowl) in the my chest freezer which is very cold. Also, I used this ice cream maker http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-ICE-20-Automatic-2-Quart-Cream/dp/B00000JGRT if that helps anybody else who is wondering about trying the recipe! Can’t wait to see more adaptations – particularly chocolate and/or a nut butter variety!
Carole says
Hi there. The current Food on Friday on Carole’s Chatter is collecting links to posts about ice cream and sorbets – or anything similar like gelato. I do hope you link this in. This is the link . Please do check out some of the other links – there are a lot of good ones already. Have a great week.
Diane says
I just made this Ice cream last night!! I am not sure what I did but the texture was different I may have used to much xanthan Gum It was a little bit chewy or something I only used 1 tablespoon of vodka instant of 1/4cup when in the ice cream machine I ran it for 1 hour and it was still very soft so I poured it into an air tight container and put it into the freezer over night ! The next day it was scoopeble and good but like I said early the texture was chewyish …. If that is even a word LOL.. So again not sure what I did right or wrong !But I will try it again!! Will let everyone know how the second batch works out!!! : )
Valerie says
Is this ok to give to kids, considering there is vodka? What does the vodka do for it? We don’t consume alcohol, would the recipe work with out it?
Carolyn says
Alcohol lowers the freezing point of liquids, helping the ice cream stay soft. You can skip it if you like, but there is very little and I served it to my kids. It’s about a tsp per serving.
Barbara says
When I first make a recipe I follow instructions/ingredients very closely and measure everything. I used Now Healthy Foods Erythritol. Also used SweetLeaf SteviaClear. The double batch Condensed Milk recipe looked to come out perfectly (reduced to 2-cups) and tasted good, but when put in the fridge overnight was VERY gritty when cooled.
When I made the ice cream it called for powdered erythritol, so I ground what I had in a coffee grinder (and measured it after grinding).
The ice cream did not set up well in the churner, I finally froze it and it froze as hard as a brick (and still was very gritty). Does the Sweetened Condensed Milk need to be freshly made and not refrigerated before making the ice cream? Maybe has to even be warm when added to the ice cream mixture?
Does the Condensed milk usually get gritty after it cools? It came out to the correct 2 cups after reducing and tasted great. Thanks for any help/ideas.
Carolyn says
Hi Barbara,
My condensed milk is often refrigerated and never becomes gritty so I think it has to be the brand, since I use Swerve. I just can’t vouch for any of the other brands of erythritol. Powdering your erythritol in a coffee grinder will only go so far. The commercial powdered varieties (again, I used Swerve) are so fine they are almost like dust.
The condensed milk does not have to be warm when added to the cream mixture. Mine wasn’t. Also, not sure what you mean by it did not set up well in the churner? Mine got like the consistency of soft serve, but it was also quite gummy from the xanthan.
From other people’s comments, I’ve come to realize that this recipe (which has now worked perfectly for me 3 or 4 times) is very sensitive to freezer temperature and other small factors. So I am very sorry that it didn’t work as it should have.
Barbara says
Thanks so much for your help. I’m going to buy both types of Swerve, because I love trying your recipes! Do you know how cold your freezer is? I have two and could set them differently. Am I correct that you use the regular Swerve (granulated) in the Condensed Milk and the Powered Swerve in the ice cream? Am I correct that they would measure differently? I am on a quest for ice cream;-) and I know chocolate introduces all kinds of other factors, so am working on the vanilla first. Thanks again.
Carolyn says
I have used both the granulated and the powdered in the condensed milk….i used powdered when I ran out of granulated. Both should work. The powdered in the ice cream itself is best. I honestly don’t know the exact temp of my freezer, and am away from home right now but I can look in a few days!
Lisa says
No problem with the condensed milk (recipe quite ingenious, actually), but this ice cream was a failure for me, too. Also routinely use Swerve (I’ve been buying erythritol, and cooking lowcarb for a decade). Alas, results can be inconsistent, depending upon the application. It’s the standard problem of grittiness (regardless of brand). Pity.
Carolyn says
I don’t find any grittiness with the Swerve. Most other people had issues with the consistency of the ice cream. Did you find that?
Carolyn says
And all of your feedback is appreciated. I have tried this several times and it does seem very sensitive to the temperature of one’s freezer.
Carolyn says
I made the sweetened condensed milk with Swerve and it became VERY grainy when it cooled. I’m nervous about putting it into ice cream. Any way to fix the texture?
Carolyn says
I don’t think there is any way to fix it at this point but I find it strange because I always make mine with Swerve and don’t find it grainy at all.
Brenda says
Barbara, what kind of other factors does chocolate add? I’m a new LC cook thanks in advance.
Shel says
Thanks! Bought an ice cream maker for this and it was worth it. Amazingly, crazy creamy. I keep my freezer cold enough that it did harden up overnight. Which is good, because it slows me down when I think I’ll have just a little more.
Kim says
Alcohol-free substitutes – Absolutely LOVE this recipe and am so grateful for the time and experimentation it took to perfect it! I figured that the Vodka was added to make the TEXTURE smooth and creamy… I don’t have the luxury of cooking with ANY alcohol (boo-hoo) and figured I’d try egg yolks instead. Being the extremist that I am, rather than start with ONE egg yolk, (if one is good, 2 is better! NOT) I added two egg yolks and a teaspoon of vanilla beans. FABULOUS flavor, but WAAAAY to eggy… at this point, with so much invested, I couldn’t give up, so I thought that a cup of food-processed strawberries might cut the “egginess”. BINGO… The ice cream was GONE in 2 minutes flat and everyone was begging for more!!!! Thank you so much for the base recipe!!!
Carolyn says
Glad it worked out with your changes!
Kim says
Also, for the record, couldn’t find Swerve in my rural area… I used “Nutresse” instead and it worked beautifully. Although I’m too mentally challenged to figure out the carb content using the “Nutresse”, I feel in my soul that it has a lower carb content than “Blue Bell”, so for me, I’m waaay ahead of the game…. Thanks again, Carolyn….
Shirley Ho says
Hi Carolyn,
Anyway to turn this recipe into chocolate ice-cream too? Can I reduce the amount of vodka? Because I don’t drink alcohol at all and feel like the vodka going straight to my head really fast even with just one TSP of this ice-cream. By the way, I don’t have an ice-cream maker but tried this recipe last night with my Ninja food processor (1500 watts).
Mark says
Are there any new recipes maybe chocolate or strawberry?
Carolyn says
You can use the search box at the top of my blog to search for all of my ice cream recipes. Thanks!
Jessie says
Thank you for this, I can’t stand eggs or anything made with them, including french vanilla ice cream! I made this and like someone else mentioned, it had a very thick, chewy texture. I used plain eurythritol (never heard of Swerve), and followed the recipe exactly. After chilling but before churning, it was solid and gooey, halfway between custard and a can of regular condensed milk – no, I know, it was the texture of soft, triple cream Brie. My thought was “way too much xanthan gum”. I was also concerned about the 2 cups of cream (vs half cream, half milk in traditional recipes) but went with it. I also thought it was too sweet. I thought it might be too thick for my machine, but it did manage to churn for the full 20 minute program at which point, it was not frozen in the least. I just put it in the freezer along with about a third of the recipe that had not fit in the machine. Both of these had the exact same scoopability when frozen, but had that too thick, chewy texture. Even as it warmed up on our pecan pie, it never melted but was like eating spoonfuls of Brie. The flavor was delicious, the vodka not detectable at all, and it had no grittiness but it did have the characteristic “cool-water” mouthfeel of eurythritol. For my next try (I WILL be working with this recipe as I too have been plagued with rock-hard sugar-free ice cream attempts), here is what I will change: will make the “condensed milk” per that recipe but in the actual ice cream recipe, will change the two cups of heavy cream to 1 C cream, 1 C milk, leave out the 1/2 C eurythritol completely (I prefer less sweet and the condensed milk is already so sweet), and reduce the xanthan gum to 1/4 tsp. I’ll try to remember to update my outcome with these changes.
Brenda says
Somebody help! Whew! My low carb sweetened condensed milk is so so sweet it blows the top of my head off. Did I do something wrong? Cooked too long or too fast? It did more than simmer a bit. I’m new at this. I shudder at the thought of adding another 1/2 C to the ice cream itself. Do I need to add it? Pleasantly sweet is excellent, but I’m afraid this will ruin my batch. Freezing? Will it freeze harder? Should I freeze in cupcake papers?
Help! How long can I wait for an answer? LOL
Brenda says
I forgot to mark notify me. So I resubmitted. Sorry.
Carolyn says
I responded, hope you see it!
Carolyn says
I don’t know if you did something wrong but the sweetened condensed milk is not usually that sweet. So something got messed up. I would make up the ice cream mixture without any additional sweetener and then taste it and see what you think. It won’t affect the freezing process.
Brenda says
Thanks so much for the response. That’s what I did and I was so concerned about this problem that I then forgot the Xanthan gum (heavy sign) and decided to add blueberries. It’s purple, and gooy. And in the freezer. Will let you know. This cooking stuff is harder than one would think. You’re my hero (ine)
Brenda says
Yay!!! It worked beautifully even with my mistakes and addition of blueberries! I was doubtful of the sweetness, the artificial sugar aftertaste, & whether I had ruined it by allowing the sweetened cream to boil a bit. At two hours in the freezer I was still skeptical. It was still very gooy in the Center but was a bit hopeful because it was freezing around the edge. After 4 hours in the freezer, it was scoopable, creamy, not grainy at all and no aftertaste. Perfect after dinner dessert! I’m so excited! Thank you Carolyn! The only difficult part was standing at the stove for an hour and a half to stir. I wonder if those little stirrer thingies that you can set in the pot really work. Alas, I think it would have overflowed if left unattended. I must get better at simmering. LOL thanks again
Carolyn says
So glad it worked out!
Brenda says
Even my husband liked it. He’s a carb freak and eats minimal sf items. He did say it was very sweet. It far more positive assessment than the first vanilla IC I made. It was rather bland and extremely hard. Impossible to scoop. Couldn’t resist a 2nd bowl late last night. Ouch all those fat calories from the cream. It was firm frozen within 6 hrs but still scoopable. Last questions:
1. any idea what the nutrition numbers are for the fat content and protein per 1/2 cup serving? I know cream is 50 calories per 2 tablespoons. Ouch! You did list the carb count at almost 4.75 mg.
2. if I added DaVinci sf flavouring will that change the freezability since it would add liquid?
3. what about dry sf jello sprinkled in? Or cookie chunks?
4. Can the vodka listed as 2T in other recipes be increased to 1/4 cup without ruining the entire batch? (Sorry for all the questions but I’m new at this.)
Thanks, Brenda.
Carolyn says
I think all of your subs and changes would be fine, although the more vodka would make it even softer. I don’t have time to run the nutritional counts on this but you can put the ingredients into myfitnesspal and it should give you the info.
Carolyn says
I have one of those “little stirrer thingies” you set in the pot. I tried using it for this and found there were two problems. One, the stirrer only stirs the bottom of the pot. This recipe tends to form a crust on the top which prevents evaporation. I had to manually stir the top every five minutes for the first half hour or so anyway. Two, the stirrers are battery operated and my batteries ran out before the milk was reduced by half.
Carolyn says
Btw, the Carolyn above with the stirrer is not the blog’s author, just another reader.
Brenda says
Thank you, Carolyn. I’ll say my $$$$. One last update on my batch. FYI. It did ultimately freeze pretty hard but was manageable in little bits at a time. Tasted very good in any case. BTW, it was pretty gooey after 30 minutes in the machine. I use the IC bowl for the kitchen aid pro 600
Sheryl says
THANK YOU! Finally finally finally found a sugar-free ice cream recipe that is made for someone like me. Type 2 for the past 2 years; struggling to stay with low-carb eating—but when I do eat right, my glucose and cholesterol and weight fall right into line. Unfortunately, can’t stand the taste of eggs so right there, any recipe with a significant portion of egg is not for me, and low-carb recipes are often dependent on eggs. Here, you’ve created ice cream that is NOT eggally-dependent, and which DOES use dairy, which I am able to enjoy since I am not following paleo. Now if you would only move into my neighborhood and set up a home-chef business :- )
Ashbags says
I make a lot of ice-cream too and came across your website looking for low-carb ideas. The reason why this recipe stays soft is because you put vodka in it. We always put a couple of caps of a suitable alcohol into our ice-cream so that we can dish it up. For instance, in chocolate icecream we usually put a bit of coffee liqueur. Alcohol has a higher freezing temperature than the other ingredients which is why it helps. Happy ice-cream eating!
Seagal says
Phooey! Went back & forth copying the recipe and going to the condensed milk site, looking forward to making this wonderful recipe.
Bummer, I don’t have an ice cream maker:( Guess I didn’t read the instructions very well. Tempted to try it in freezer bowls anyway.
Carolyn says
Give it a try. I know many people who make ice cream without a maker, you just have to prepared to stir a lot during the freezing process.
Brenda says
There instructions on YouTube showing how to make ice cream with bags of salt.
jessica says
Hello Carolyn,
I am loving your blog. However, I am not eating heavy cream, I am on a low fat, low carb, no sugar diet. Can I use a replacement for the heavy cream? Fat free greek yogurt, fat free quark, cottage cheese, just milk, gelatin, or even maybe egg whites? Do you think it would work?
Thank you so much!
Thank you so much!
Carolyn says
Hi Jessica…you may certainly try but you will find that it freezes very hard. I am on a low carb, high fat diet, so those are the recipes I create.
jessica says
Hello Carolyn,
Also can you please maybe post a protein powder ice cream recipe?
Thank you so much!
Joey says
don’t vodka and rum both have gluten in them?
Carolyn says
No, actually. Most hard alcohol is gluten-free by virtue of the distillation process. http://celiacdisease.about.com/od/glutenfreefoodshoppin1/f/Is-Vodka-Gluten-Free.htm
But rum is not made with grains, it’s based on sugar cane. And although some vodkas are grain-based, there are some that are based on other things like potatoes. There are even some that are specially certified gluten-free.
Brenda says
What about using Malibu coconut rum instead of vodka. It would flavor and prevent from freezing too hard?
Michelle Dickman says
I’m in the middle of making this right now. Just finished step 3.
I have a vanilla bean I would love to use, am I too late to add it?
BTW, you are the most amazing foodie I have ever followed. I’ve sent your site to everyone I could think of… Thank you for giving we diabetics a safe way to have something sweet.
Carolyn says
When you use vanilla beans, you typically put them in to steep with the hot milk and cream.
Carolyn says
PS – Thank you for the lovely words!
Debbie says
When making the low carb sweetened condensed milk, can we make large batches of it to use in future recipes? And what is the shelf life? In the refrigerator or can we freeze some?
Carolyn says
No, I wouldn’t make large batches. It can refrigerated for about a week and doesn’t freeze well
Trisha T. says
Holy moly! Living in Florida where the temps have been in the 100s, I have been dying for a great low carb ice cream. I thought that the egg custard type would have been great, but waaay too rich and hard as a rock. This one is AMAZING! I did substitute unsweetened vanilla almond milk for the whole milk hoping that it wouldn’t ruin it. I didn’t! Creamy deliciousness. My eternal gratitude…you rock!
jo says
Oh, this was a delicious finish to tonight’s Christmas Eve dinner tonight! Accompanied with the caramel sauce: divine! Of course, d@*m it, in the midst of company and dinner and such things, I forgot to add the vodka before churning, so I’m going to be to be microwaving it for 30 seconds for the several servings. But really yummy!
tiffany says
I just made this and it is super good!
I had the weird graininess problem too. Mine happened when I mixed the cream and the condensed milk and refrigerated overnight, when I put it in the mixer it had crunchy little chunks at that point. It didn’t effect the flavor at all, just the texture.
Wendywoman says
I’m sober so vodka is not an option, even in small amounts. Is there any other substitution I can make that would render similar results?
Carolyn says
No, not really. But it will still be great ice cream, it may just be a little more icy when it’s been frozen for a while. One thing to do is to divvy it up into single serving containers right after it’s made, so that you only need to let that little bit thaw every time.
Toria says
I’ve heard, but not yet tried, that using food grade glycerin instead of the alcohol works to keep the ice cream softer. Thanks Carolyn for your recipes!!
Ginny says
Hi can I use glucomannan instead of xanthan gum?
Carolyn says
I honestly have no idea. I don’t know how it behaves but I don’t think it has the same anti-icing properties as xanthan.
Teresa says
Tried this today, it was AMAZING!!!!!!
Thank You sooooo much!
Lugenia says
Could I add protein powder to this? If so, when & Will it turn out right? Thanks
Carolyn says
I really don’t know, I’ve never added it to my ice cream. I’d probably whisk it in just before churning.
Dawn H says
Could one use a vitamix if they don’t have an ice cream maker? Say on the smoothie setting?
Carolyn says
Does it freeze things? I don’t own a vitamin but you need it to be freezing along with the churning.
Sue says
I just made this vanilla ice cream, exactly as in the recipe, and though the vanilla flavor is delicious, I think the person who made the comment about the texture being marshmallow-like was right. It just isn’t like ice cream. I’m wondering if cutting back on the low carb condensed milk, say to a 1/2 cup (1/2 of one recipe) and using more heavy cream in it’s place would do the trick. It’s just way too rich and sweet, and extremely expensive.
Lore says
I just got my new ice cream maker today and while the compressor needs some time to get the bubbles out of the system I searched for recipes.
Vanilla? Great, I just love it and the promise of a scoopable ice cream? That’s just brilliant. Just made the condensed milk and combined it with the cream, now it dan cool down until tomorrow to be churned. And I have to buy a bottle of Vodka as I think my usual tipple Gin will not do here 🙂
Thanks for the recipe, I’ll tell tomorrow how it turned out – the still warm ice cream base is delicious.
Carolyn says
Gin would be…interesting! 😉
Jocelyn says
I just made this and it was absolutely delicious. One question though; I see this makes 8 servings but when I enter the ingredients into MyFitness Pal, I’m getting a total carb count of 11 grams per serving. I didn’t count the swerve but all the milk/heavy cream (including the double serving of condensed milk recipe) added up. I can see being off a few grams due to brand used but just wondering how you came up with the 4g per serving. Don’t get me wrong…I’m not complaining. It was worth every bit and I’ll be making this one again for sure. :). Thanks so much for the recipe.
Carolyn says
Keep in mind that My Fitness Pal is not always accurate. When I first wrote this recipe, I was using MasterCook, a software that uses the USDA database of nutritional information. Now that I have a Mac, I use MacGourmet (they don’t make Mastercook for macs) and I just redid it and came to 6.25 g per serving. And it ALSO pulls from the USDA database. So seems to me that MFP is off here. Also…I said 8 serving but that’s a lot of Ice Cream. Macgourmet tells me that it’s 440 calories per serving…which is super rich, so this could easily be 10 servings. Hope that helps!
Metqa says
I want to make some anti-inflammatory foods and I saw a recipe for golden milk ice cream but it’s not low sugar. So I want to try to make your recipe with Turmeric and ginger. I’m trying to imagine how to get the flavors in, I guess I could steep the the spices with the cream and strain it out before the mixing and the churning. Anyway, I’ll let you know how it turns out, as I’ve never made ice cream before and all I’ve got is a “machine” where you put the tub in the freezer and then hand churn it. Wish me luck.
Maria H. says
***Sorry, this is super long, but you might want to read/share this before even attempting to make this ice cream***
Okay, I think I’m ready to write my review now.
Keep in mind at all times while reading this, that I am Greek, I love to cook/bake everything from “scratch”, since that is how I was taught when I was a teen. I’ve been cooking almost everyday for the last 30 years.
I made this ice cream 2 weeks ago. I had made the “sweetened condensed milk” a couple of days before, so it was ready, in the fridge, waiting to become vanilla ice cream. I spent days reading the reviews, learning from other mistakes, vowing to not be “that person”. You know, “that person who follows the recipe to the t, but still ends up with marshmallow, weird tasting, strange consistency, indescribable texture, but good tasting ice cream.
Carolyn, I am that person…
So, I’ve spent the last 10 days trying to figure out this enigma…because that’s just what I do. I really needed to understand this mishap. I’ve got to say, though I really just wanted to blame Carolyn (it would have been easier),but I knew there was a bigger/minor issue here since Carolyn, you have yet to fail me when it comes to delicious recipes.
So, I think I figured it out. I really think I know the culprit to this mishap.
It has to be the cream!
Let me explain. I spent days trying to figure out the difference between Heavy Cream and Heavy Whipping Cream. Guess what? Everyone says there is no difference, and they are partially right. As far as fat content etc they are the same. But just to be sure, my failed vanilla ice cream was made with heavy whipping cream, my following failed vanilla ice cream was made with heavy cream.
Yes that too failed. They were not identical in taste or texture, but it still qualified as marshmallow, weird tasting, strange consistency, indescribable texture, but good tasting ice cream.
I went through my ingredients again. One by one. I compared them to the ingredient listed in the recipe. Identical. Almost identical. Everything is identical except for the cream. Without knowing exactly what type of cream Carolyn used I still think I finally figured it out.
I think anyways, I’ve been working on this for a couple of weeks, in between trying to create a perfect low carb lemon sorbet lol, so I may have over-thought this and I might be losing my mind here, but I really think its the cream.
Heavy Cream vs Heavy Whipping Cream
#1 difference that no one really tells you between HC and HWC is that heavy whipping cream contains a stabilizer that changes its texture when heated. When making a custard base ice cream with eggs, there’s really no difference between the two. In fact (through extensive online research) some chefs that replace HC for HWC in custard base recipes, just add another egg yolk.
Since this is not a custard base recipe, the cream can throw the texture off. Right? If only it was that simple. Because the difference is too minuet to cause such a huge difference in results between those (including you Carolyn) who ended up with a perfectly all around delicious ice cream vs “the rest of us” lol besides, I tried both HC and HWC!
Which leads me to the more serious culprit…
Heavy Whipping Cream vs Ultra Pasteurized Heavy Whipping Cream/Heavy Cream vs Ultra Pasteurized Heavy Cream.
Up until 24 hours ago I had a conspiracy theory regarding organic, whole food, all natural, non pasteurized, absolutely no antibiotics, no synthetic hormones, no toxic pesticides no GMO, no anything milk/cream from cows that are loved and petted at least twice a day.
I am ashamed to say, boy was I wrong… I’ll take the “cow petting” shift any day of the week.
Ultra Pasteurized Heavy Cream, and Ultra Pasteurized Heavy Whipping Cream contain:
polysorbate 80 (a bitter-tasting emulsifier which was once thought to cure baldness (1980’s) if massaged into the scalp), Carrageenan (which is seaweed), cellulose (which is processed wood pulp), and sodium citrate (another bitter chemical), oh I almost forgot, it also contains Milk.
Organic Heavy Cream and Heavy Whipping Cream, found mostly only at farms, and organic whole food stores, contain:
Milk and Gellan Gum.
In case you are wondering, because I was wondering. What’s in the Organic Pasteurized Milk? I really tried hard to disprove my own theory.
Organic Pasteurized Milk contains:
Organic Non-Homogenized Grade A Milk
Sorry for this long message but I just had to make certain things clear.
1. This recipe is perfect
2. I don’t think wood pulp taste good.
3. After reading all the ingredients in my inferior UP HC & UP HWC, I decided to rub the failed ice creams on my ultra stubborn, pasteurized thick, heavy, creamed head. Maybe tomorrow my hair will be thicker…
4. The temperature of the freezer only matters when trying to freeze emulsifiers 🙂
5. Some of you are thinking “no duh”, bare with me here, I’m still a novice, BUT I know I’m not the only one who cheated with the cream. Now some of you might be to ashamed to admit it, but I bet my ice creams looked like yours lol
I probably should mention that I made the ice cream a third time. It is pure perfection, and yes I used Organic Heavy Cream.
That’s all I’ve got to say about this recipe, I’m going to treat myself to some ice cream 🙂
Catherine H. says
Fantastic comment; thanks for the giggle.
Carolyn D says
Thanks for taking the time to share your research! How can I get your recipe for perfect low carb lemon sorbet?
Beth says
I just finished my first batch of this ice cream, and I’m not sure what I did wrong, but it turned out far too sweet! How can I fix this? Would it work to add some milk and rechurn it?
*I just realised the likely reason it is too sweet: I used lactose free milk, which is substantially sweeter than normal milk.
Carolyn says
Ah, that would probably do it!
Beth says
What would you recommend to reduce the sweetness? Could I add more cream or milk (or a mix of the two) and re-churn it?
Carolyn says
I can’t see why not!
Francis Roy says
Your ice cream recipe suggests Swerve Sweetener or powdered erythritol. I don’t know either of these products. Is it purely for the sweetness, or does it have some necessary chemical property to make this recipe work? Would any sweetener work, such as Stevia extract or perhaps Splenda?
Carolyn says
Any sweetener should work.
Francis Roy says
Thank you.
Christy says
Is vodka necessary or can it be left out or substituted?
Carolyn says
It can be left out but it will be icier.
Lisa Bell says
1000s of comments, here’s one more. THANK YOU! I can enjoy using my ice cream maker again I can’t wait to make pistachio ice cream.
Ronalyn Hurley says
Perfect is right!!! I made the condensed milk mixture and ice cream mixture yesterday and froze it in my Cuisinart this morning. I’m thankful you persevered when trying to make this ice cream because it is fabulous. Thank you.
Mandi says
Question… I would like to make this recipe but have a recovering alcoholic in my home. Is there anything I can use in place of the vodka?
Thanks in advance
Carolyn says
Feel free to skip it! It helps with iciness but if you can’t have it, don’t use it.
Chérie says
I can’t have alcohol, will this work and still be creamy and yummy without it? I’d like to ask, why does it have Vodka in it? Many people don’t drink alcohol. Ty!!
Carolyn says
Alcohol makes sugar free ice cream less icy and hard. You can skip it but your ice cream will freeze very hard.
Erin says
I was so excited to try this…I followed the recipe exactly…it turned out amazing! Thank you so much!
Carolyn says
Happy to hear it!