Expect this (no-churn!) keto ice cream recipe to be ridiculously creamy and absolutely tasty! And whichever flavor you go for, it won’t freeze rock solid like your usual homemade ice cream.
(No-Churn!) Keto Ice Cream
A Master Recipe
From your classic vanilla, to decadent chocolate (and coffee!), to adding fruit, making frozen yogurt, cheesecake and cookies ‘n cream varieties… you’ll find everything in this post to whip up your favorite flavor of keto ice cream!
Did I also mention this low carb ice cream is super easy to whip up?! With a few simple tricks, you’ll get ridiculously creamy results; no churning required!
And yes, pictured are our real life (1g net carb!) keto ice cream cones! Pick a classic ‘sugar’ cone or go extra with the chocolate variety.
The Method
Whipping up the base for our no-churn keto ice cream is a breeze. Think melting the sweetener into (full fat!) coconut milk, whisking in a tad of xanthan gum (which acts as a stabilizer here), and incorporating the cooled mixture into whipped cream.
You see, by whipping up the heavy cream you’re incorporating quite a bit of air. And the addition of xanthan gum helps keep your ice cream creamy smooth.
And if you plan on making a larger batch and letting it hang in your freezer, it’s generally a good idea to incorporate a couple of tablespoons of booze into your ice cream (particularly if you use erythritol, see below!). Remember that high alcoholic beverages do not freeze, so they will help your ice cream stay creamy smooth rather than rock-solid. Just don’t overdo it, or you’ll end up with a slushy.
The Sweetener
Xylitol (not corn-derived to avoid tummy problems!) and allulose are, without a doubt, the best sweeteners for keto ice cream. They help to retain the creamy texture (they work pretty much like inverted sugars!), and allow you to skip the churning if need be in many recipes.
And if using allulose, just keep in mind that it’s about 70% the sweetness of sugar and xylitol (i.e. you’ll have to add 30% more).
Having said that, this ice cream is sooo luscious, that you can get away with using erythritol with relatively good results too. Though it most likely will freeze rock-solid, and you’ll have to let it hang out for about 15-30 minutes to scoop it out.
And if using xylitol, make sure to be careful if you have a pup (or pet)around the house, as it’s highly toxic to the little guys! 
Vanilla (i.e. The Base!)
Our luscious vanilla ice cream is the perfect base to start (and the ideal keto fat bomb to always have on hand!!)! From this base you can swap out the vanilla beans (or extract!), and add in chocolate, coffee, matcha and any dried berry powder (such as raspberry!).
Also note that using a vanilla bean (i.e. pod) and infusing the coconut milk with it is ideal in order to get that natural and complex vanilla flavor. But you can also readily make it with just vanilla extract (up to 1 1/2 tablespoons).
Oh! And feel free to do add ins here! Think our instant ‘oreo cookie crumbs’ (and you can whip up a cookies ‘n cream milkshake too!). Or simply mix in some peppermint extract at the end and fold in chocolate chips (you guessed, mint chocolate chip ice cream!).
Chocolate, Coffee, Matcha…
To whip up flavors that are added in dried form (cocoa, coffee, matcha, turmeric, dried berries…), you’ll simply add them to the coconut milk mixture while cooking.
Cocoa or cacao? Both work great, just know that quality really matters here. My favorite will forever be the Dutch-processed alkaline cocoa Valrhona, known to be one of (if not the) best cocoas in the world. But feel free to use a raw cacao powder (arguably more nutritional perks here), though keep in mind that your ice cream will be lighter in color and more reddish in hue. Both are well and good, as long as they’re unsweetened.
How dark? Talking dark chocolate versus milk is a sure way to divide a crowd! But know that you can make this keto chocolate ice cream to your taste buds’ desire. So I suggest doing the base with the lower quantity of cocoa (1/2 cup) to yield a milk chocolate ice cream. And if you like your chocolate dark, simply add in more cocoa (think 1/4-1/3 cup more) after everything is incorporated. A taste-as-you-go sorta thing.
And for those rocky road lovers amongst us, do whip up a batch of our keto marshmallows and fold them in (so ridiculously good and you’ll be adding in some extra collagen too!).
The Fruity Business
For ice creams using natural fruit, I suggest blending the fruit fresh and folding it at the very end to the vanilla ice cream base. Roughly 225g (8 ounces/about 1 cup) of fruit will do the trick! But do feel free to adjust it down (or up!) to suit your macros and taste buds.
Feel free to check out our strawberry cheesecake ice cream (or mint chocolate chip using avocado!) for further deets.
For The Cheesecake (And Froyo!) Lovers
Whipping up a cheesecake ice cream or frozen yogurt from our master base is super easy! For cheesecake you’ll simply be swapping half of the heavy cream for cream cheese, and for froyo all of it for full fat (Greek style!) yogurt.
The (No-Bake!) ‘Cookie’ Crumbs
I’m definitely going to suggest you guys take the lazy route (like I did!) and go for our instant ‘graham cracker’ crumbs (i.e. crust), as opposed to making some actual keto graham crackers.
In the end, the cookies will get a big soggy so there’s barely a difference… and arguably ‘the crumbs’, with its toasted almond, are even tastier!
Having said that, I’ve made ice cream sandwiches with the crackers (and chocolate chip cookies!) and they’re ah-mazing! Your choice!
No-Churn Keto Ice Cream (A Master Recipe, 6 Ways!)
Ingredients
For the paleo & keto vanilla ice cream
- 1 vanilla bean (i.e. pod) or more vanilla extract
- 1 13.5-ounce can full fat coconut milk *
- 135-150 g xylitol erythritol, to taste*
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum or 3/4 teaspoon arrowroot flour if paleo&**
- 480 g heavy whipping cream or chilled coconut cream (see notes)*
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract up to 4 or 6 teaspoons if not using a vanilla pod
- 1 tablespoon vodka, brandy or booze of choice omit if using the larger quantity of vanilla extract****
Flavor variants
- 50 g cocoa powder for chocolate ice cream
- 3 tablespoons espresso powder for coffee ice cream
- 225 g fresh berries for fruity ice cream
- 'oreo' cookie crumbs for cookies and cream
- keto marshmallows for rocky road ice cream
Instructions
- See recipe video for guidance!
- Slice open the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds with a sharp knife.
- Add coconut milk, sweetener, vanilla bean with scraped seeds (if using), and salt to a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until all the solids from the coconut milk have the dissolved and the mixture is smooth. If using a vanilla bean, simmer for 15 minutes to infuse the milk.
- Remove the vanilla bean and sprinkle xanthan gum little by little and blend until fully combined. If paleo and using arrowroot, dissolve it first in a tablespoon of cold water (i.e. make a slurry). You will likely have some air bubbles, but be sure to check there are no lumps. Any lumps will be resolved by mixing with an immersion blender (or in an actual blender). Sieve the mixture to a bowl, cover with a layer of cling film (saran wrap) laid directly over the vanilla mixture, and allow the mixture to cool completely. The texture will be thick and jelly-like (don't worry, your ice cream won't have this texture!).
- Add heavy whipping cream or cold coconut cream to a large chilled bowl and whip until soft peaks form. Mix in vanilla extract and the cooled vanilla mixture.
- (Optional): add in your booze of choice (omit if using the larger quantity of vanilla extract). The mixture should be thick but still slightly pourable. And, if for any reason your mixture is too thick, thin it out little by little with more coconut milk. See recipe video for texture reference.
- Transfer ice cream to a sealable container and place in the freezer until frozen (4-6 hours to overnight). And note that you can still use your ice cream machine if you wish (roughly 15 minutes to churn).
- If freezing overnight: take out your ice cream 10-20 minutes prior to serving (depending on your room temp!) and scoop away.
For flavor variants
- If making chocolate (coffee, matcha or using any dried fruit powder), simply add it to the coconut milk while cooking.
- If making ice cream with fresh fruit, puree it and fold it in at the very end.
Hi there! Thanks for this recipe!! OMG! I tried the chocolate version and it’s so yum!! Anyway, would really love to try the mocha version but I need suggestions here or maybe somebody tried it.. can I use espresso shots instead of the powder? If so, How should i go about it? Thanks! 😊
Love this recipe! Have made it countless times, each time a different flavour. Am craving for cookie dough ice cream…do you think it’ll work if I mix your ice cream base with your edible cookie dough fat bombs recipe?
How much raspberry powder do you use?
Hello, I followed the recipe (used whiskey and vanilla beans), but mine came out a little looser than the one in the video. When this happens what do you recommend?
Hello I’m trying out your recipe but mine came out a little looser than what’s displayed in the video. I was trying to make vanilla. What should I do to thicken it?
The taste and texture was amazing but once it froze, it became rock hard. I followed the exact recipe. Did I perhaps do something wrong or is this normal?
Did you use erythitrol as your sweetener? Xo!
Oohhh I did and mine froze icy rock hard..but the recipe says erythitrol is ok, no?
This happened to me too. I think it was because I could not get my coconut cream to whip properly. Might have been the brand …
Mine had the opposite problem! Followed each step and now mine won’t freeze!
Like all the other recipes on this blog, this ice cream recipe is a treasure!! Don’t bother making this with erythritol- it freezes rock hard like she says. I splurged and bought allulose and the texture is creamy and divine!!! When using real vanilla bean the price per batch does end up being high (about $12) but it’s worth every penny. I just won’t be sharing and giving this away like I would a big batch of cookies.
I’ve made this sooo many times now! It is my go to standard Easy to make new variations. Our favorite is browned butter pecan (Just melt browned butter into the heated mixture and stir pecans in at the end) and chocolate with raspberries stirred in. Heavenly! Thanks for sharing this tresure!
I just made a batch of mint chocolate chip with this recipe… I used a tablespoon of creme de menthe, and a quarter teaspoon of creme de menthe oil (that I use for making hard candy at Christmas…) and some dark chocolate chips (about 1/2 – 2/3 cups – didn’t measure) It turned out amazing!
This taste just like the National store brand that says it is low carb. only this recipe has 5 fewer net carbs. The only change I made was I substituted 1 tablespoon gelatin desolved in 2 tbs. Water then microwaved for 10 seconds and added to the warm mixture in place of the xanthan gum. AMAZING!
This ice cream is so unbelievably good!
The second time I made this, I added 3 tbsp of whisky for a little actual scotch flavour, and about a 1/4c of the cinnamon sugar I had leftover from your making cinnamon knots last week (with extra cinnamon to cut the sweetener). This makes for a really amazing, mildly boozy horchata-flavoured ice cream.
Next step: I would love to make some churros-and-horchata ice cream sandwiches, but I haven’t made your churros yet. Any thoughts on if your baked or fried churros (piped as a bun instead of a stick or donut) would hold up to the challenge?
Thanks a million for your keto recipes – you’re a genius and I am so grateful. Everything works beautifully, and you keep such high standards for the right texture! I grew up on Cantonese cuisine, so can totally appreciate all kinds of food textures (slimy, slippery, rubbery, wet-crispy, dry-crispy, you name it) – but I definitely like foods to feel the way they are supposed to feel, and keto recipes or premade foods (like ice creams!) often seem to throw texture considerations out the window.
What can I do to up the protein content? Would chocolate protein powder work
Equal parts instead of the coco powder?
Hi there – and thank you! 💞
What changes would you make if you DID want to use your Ice Cream maker?
No changes needed! Just churn right after mixing xo!
By far the absolute best ice cream recipe I have ever tried! Made chocolate, strawberry and vanilla so far. Absolutely fabulous.
Hi!
For the coffee-flavored ice cream, when you say ‘espresso powder’, do you mean instant coffee?
Because I’m worried that the coffee granules I used did not completely dissolve (by any means) in the coconut milk mixture, and a lot of the particles are still there even after multiple sieving attempts
Thank you!
Hi Diana! You can click through any of the links in recipe cards to see what exact products I use (nothing is sponsored, I only recommend what I use and love!). Espresso powder is simply more concentrated than instant coffee (both work the charm!) xo!
How many scoops are one serving?
Made the Vanilla and OMG!!! It is sooooo delicious!! Since I’ve been on the Keto diet, I’ve been searching for an ice cream that tastes half way decent. This recipe goes WAY BEYOND tasting decent….IT’S AMAZING!! So, I’m trying it again and trying to figure out a way to come close to Blue Bell’s “Bride’s Cake” almond flavored ice cream with Amaretto flavored cream cheese (minus the bits of white cake, I suppose). Any ideas on how I might achieve this?…
Almond extract
This is SOOOO good! I’m making our second batch… it’s hard to have just a half cup…. but man, this is crazy good!
Hey folks!
Did someone try to make this with melted unsweetened chocolate?
Best,
Melanie
Hi! I’ve made this w 4oz of the guittard Oban Choco chips and it turned out really yummy!! The chocolate did end up being a little grainy and appears more like milk chocolate ice cream vs super dark like with cocoa powder but the texture was fine while eating! I just melted the chocolate w the coconut milk and sweetener.
Hi I made this tonight. I used extra vanilla extract because the store was out of bean. I doubled my recipe and double checked all ingredients for accuracy with serving size. But the finished product – while it had a perfect texture, tasted like I’d put coconut extract in it. 😭 What can I do differently?
Oh no Lainie!! The coconut flavor from the milk shouldn’t be evident (most peeps can’t even taste it!)- did you use another brand by any chance? Sometimes these ingredients (even within the same brand) can vary somewhat… or maybe you’re very sensitive to the coconut? xo!
Can you replace the coconut milk with heavy cream? Would you change this recipe in any other way?
Love the ice cream! Perfect keto treat. Great flavor! Thanks!
My pleasure Deborah! xo!
Can’t wait to try this BUT how much vanilla extract do you use, if you are NOT using vanila bean? Thanks!
I would like to use monk fruit as a sweetener- how will this affect the ice cream? Any grittiness?
Most “Monkfruit” sweeteners are mostly erythiol. It will be fine.
I would love to try this, but have to limit saturated fat to 20 grams a day, and am wheat-free. Any suggestions on how to make a great lower fat version? Thanks! I hope to try some of your recipes more in the future.
Dear Paola: I’ve never been an ice-cream lover (too cold for my teeth, too sugary for my taste, I liked the cake better than ice cream at birthday parties…(I’m from a time before mixes, so at my Nana’s and her daughter’s houses, cake recipes were handed down the generations, made from scratch, and delicious beyond mere ice cream). But… the two main ingredients in this recipe, vanilla bean and whipping cream are so compelling to me that I’m trapped! Just have to try it, I love great vanilla ice cream.
Thanks to you, now I can make my own. At our house, “bought” ice cream will be a thing of the past.
Wow! Wow! WOW! I made it exactly the way laid it out. Perfect, light, soft, creamy! I added 1/3 cup of cocoa to make chocolate. Thank you for this recipe. And THANK YOU for explaining all the little details like adding booze, and xanthan gum and why!
It looks amazing!
I cannot have sweeteners of any kind though, is the powdered sweetener essential to the recipe working out, or may I just leave it out?
Many Thanks
I just made the chocolate version today and just now had a taste and it was amazing. Will definitely make more, but maybe try the other flavours (Canadian spelling). I added a tablespoon of Vodka as suggested to keep it from freezing rock solid and it worked great. Maybe the next flavour will be coffee with some Baileys. Yes I know its full of sugar, so will have to adjust the sweetener. I’ll take the chance. 🙂
My ice cream did not come out well unfortunately. Too many air bubbles. What a shame. I wish the video showed how Paola got the chocolate custard so smooth after beating it with the immersion blender.
Hello! I made your ice – cream with all coconut milk/cream. I did add 2 eggs. I didn’t cook it at all… I always make ice-cream at the last minute!!!!! Is there a reason that it should be cooked?
You cook the eggs to create a custard. They thicken upon cooking. Also, you can replace eggs with corn starch to reduce the eggy flavor, though this makes it not-so-keto (just an ice cream making trick I know). 6 yolks = 1/4 cup of cornstarch; 3 yolks = 1/8 cup (or 2 Tablespoons) ; and 1 yolk = 2 teaspoons of cornstarch — just in case anyone wanted to know this.
Hi Sara, Thanks for the info about replacing eggs with corn starch, I’ve never heard of that before. My question does the same rule apply in reverse, can you replace corn starch with eggs?
Is the xantham gum necessary?
It’s helping to keep the ice cream soft and scoopable.
I didn’t find it soft and scoopable at all. It was hard as a rock. I even added the suggested Vodka (a whole oz the second time I made it) but still had to let it sit out for the freezer for 10 or 15 min & even then not very soft. BUT it makes up for it in the taste. AMAZING. Problem is that I want to just sit and eat it all. Scoopable or not, I will make it again and again for the taste if nothing else.
I am wondering if you used erythritol instead of xylitol. I did that my first batch and the same thing happened to me.
Hi Kassandra, did the ice cream taste like Vodka the second time you made it adding in more Vodka? And do you know if I can use cheap Vodka? I don’t have any ‘Booze’, wondering if I can the cheap brands?
Looking forward to making ice cream!!!! Thanks for your time!
Hi Sara, Thanks for the info about replacing eggs with corn starch, I’ve never heard of that before. My question does the same rule apply in reverse, can you replace corn starch with eggs?
Why did you add the eggs? I don’t see that in the recipe.
She made an ice cream custard recipe, not my recipe :-S
Allulose in this ice cream is a game-changer! I made the vanilla version a while back using erythritol, and while it was scoopable after 6 hours, it was rock-hard the next day and just a pain to deal with. I made this again two days ago with allulose, and O-M-G, it didn’t freeze solid and it remains scoopable AND creamy two days later! Allulose is ridiculously pricey given the amount one has to use in a recipe to achieve proper sweetness, but it’s so worth it for the occasional keto ice cream treat.