Super Creamy Keto Chocolate Ice Cream
Whether you’re looking for sugar-free ice cream to go with your keto-approved birthday cake, or just looking for something sweet after dinner, this super creamy keto chocolate ice cream has you covered!
Every weekend, we enjoy a family movie night at the house. We rotate weeks on who gets to choose the movie, dinner, and dessert.
My choice for dessert is ALWAYS this chocolate ice cream recipe! And, don’t forget the keto-friendly whipped cream!
I’ve been making keto-friendly ice cream since the very beginning of our keto journey back in early 2018, and people often look at me strangely when I mention that I make homemade ice cream nearly every weekend.
But the truth is, homemade ice cream is easy to make, way cheaper than buying Halo Top or Rebel ice cream from the store (although we will do that in a pinch), and you can’t beat the taste of homemade ice cream. It’s simply superior to store-bought.
Related: Keto Diet for Beginners: 8 Keto Comfort Food Swaps
Ok, and my family really loves ice cream!
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The Ice Cream Maker
The recipe requires an ice cream maker, and if you don’t have one yet, let me recommend one.
This Cuisinart 1.5 Quart Ice Cream Maker is the way to go!
No need to mess with rock salt. This ice-cream maker comes with a freezer bowl that is super easy to use, and even easier to clean. And after 2 1/2 years of making ice cream nearly every weekend, I can say it’s extremely durable.
For this recipe, I decided to make a video to demonstrate not only how to make a custard-based ice cream but to also show how to do a few basic kitchen skills.
Related: Keto 101 – Keto Pantry Staples
Sometimes I take for granted that not everyone knows how to manually separate the egg yolk from the egg whites. Heck, until a few years ago, I had no clue how to do that.
The other thing, which again may seem like a small thing to most, is how to finely chop an unsweetened bar of chocolate. I’ll give you a hint. Using a knife is the most painful process.
My favorite accessory to go along with the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker is this Ice Cream Storage Container. They aren’t the same brand, but you’d think they were made for each other. This storage container is the perfect size for the amount of ice-cream the Cuisinart makes!
The Ingredients for Keto Chocolate Ice Cream
2 cups heavy cream – If you are looking for a dairy free or vegan option, you can use full-fat coconut cream instead.
1 cup unsweetened almond milk – cashew milk, coconut milk, or other milk alternatives will work here too.
1/2 cup Allulose (or other low-carb sweetener) – this is THE BEST low-carb sweetener for ice cream that stays scoopable for days in the freezer. If you choose another low-carb sweetener such as Monk Fruit or Swerve, the ice cream will be harder to scoop after a day or two.
1/3 cup cocoa powder – looking for an even darker chocolate? Try black cocoa!
4 egg yolks – it’s been proven that custard-based ice cream using egg yolks make the creamiest ice cream!
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped – this is totally optional! You can also use a teaspoon of espresso powder in place of more chocolate
1/2 tsp liquid stevia – I like to use the chocolate stevia drops 😉
How to Make Super Creamy Keto Chocolate Ice Cream
Before you begin, create an ice bath using 2 large bowls.
In a saucepan, over medium heat, bring the heavy cream, almond milk, cocoa powder, and granulated sweetener to 175 degrees F, whisking as needed.
While the ice cream liquid base is heating up, divide the eggs and put your yolks into a medium-sized bowl.
Once the sweetened milk has reached 175 degrees, remove it from the heat, and pour 1 cup into a measuring cup.
SLOWLY pour 1 cup of the hot sweetened milk mixture over the egg yolks while whisking the egg yolks vigorously. This will temper the eggs, slowly cooking them, without scrambling them. Once done, you should have a liquid mixture of egg yolks and sweetened milk.
Now reverse that process and pour the egg/milk mixture back into the saucepan, while whisking the liquid in the pan.
Return the saucepan to the burner, and continue heating over medium heat until the temperature reaches 180 degrees F.
Remove from heat and add chopped chocolate and let sit 1 minute to melt, then whisk to combine.
Pour the hot ice cream mixture into the ice bath bowl. Let the ice cream cool for 10 minutes in the ice bath, then remove the top bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and put into the refrigerator for 3+ hours.
Once the ice-cream mixture is cooled, remove it from the refrigerator and whisk in the remaining ingredients, and churn following your ice cream maker’s instructions.
You can enjoy it straight from the ice cream maker as soft-serve ice cream or put it in an ice-cream container and freeze for at least 3 hours to harden it.
Check out the below video to see how to make a custard-based chocolate ice cream along with my two mini-tutorials!
**UPDATE**
At the time I made the above video, I was still using Swerve brand sweetener for EVERYTHING.
Swerve is an erythritol-based sweetener. And while I still use it in a lot of baking dishes, it is known to recrystallize once cooled. For this reason, it’s NOT great for ice cream, because the ice cream gets really hard in the freezer.
Related: Keto 101 – Keto Baking Essentials
The absolute BEST low-carb sweetener for ice cream is Allulose. 
Allulose is more expensive than erythritol, so I only use it in ice cream where it really makes a difference.
More Sugar-Free Ice Cream Recipes from Healthy Ambitions
Keto Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream, Dairy Free
Super Creamy Keto Chocolate Ice Cream
This keto chocolate ice cream recipe uses a custard base making it incredibly rich and creamy!
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 cup Allulose (or other low-carb sweetener)
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp vodka (optional, and only needed to keep ice cream soft if you do not use Allulose)
- 1/2 tsp liquid stevia
Instructions
- Create an ice bath with two bowls. Ice water in the bottom bowl with the second bowl sitting on top. Set aside for later.
- In a saucepan, over medium heat, bring the heavy cream, almond milk, cocoa powder, and granulated sweetener to 175 degrees F, whisking as needed.
- While the ice cream liquid base is heating up, divide the eggs and put your yolks into a medium-sized bowl.
- Once the sweetened milk has reached 175 degrees, remove it from the heat, and pour 1 cup into a measuring cup.
- SLOWLY pour 1 cup of the hot sweetened milk mixture over the egg yolks while whisking the egg yolks vigorously. This will temper the eggs, slowly cooking them, without scrambling them. Once done, you should have a liquid mixture of egg yolks and sweetened milk.
- Now reverse that process and pour the egg/milk mixture back into the saucepan, while whisking the liquid in the pan.
- Return the saucepan to the burner, and continue heating over medium heat until the temperature reaches 180 degrees F.
- Remove from heat and add chopped chocolate and let sit 1 minute to melt, then whisk to combine.
- Pour the hot ice cream mixture into the ice bath bowl. Let the ice cream cool for 10 minutes in the ice bath, then remove the top bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and put into the refrigerator for 3+ hours.
- Once the ice-cream mixture is cooled, remove it from the refrigerator and whisk in the remaining ingredients, and churn following your ice-cream maker’s instructions.
- You can enjoy it straight from the ice-cream maker as a soft-serve ice-cream or put it in an ice-cream container and freeze for at least 3 hours to harden it.
Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 293Total Fat: 28gCarbohydrates: 6.5gNet Carbohydrates: 4gFiber: 2.5gProtein: 4g
When do you add the vodka?
Thanks!
Right before churning 🙂 But if you use Allulose for the sweetener, you don’t need the vodka.
Hey Cathy! Made the chocolate ice cream. I didn’t have a full 2 cups of whipping cream so I used 1 14.5 oz can of Thai House whole fat coconut cream and the same amount of heavy whipping cream! Plus I got a tip from a baker friend to add some instant coffee to recipes using special dark chocolate to get rid of any bitter taste that might come with using that chocolate. It really works. I used 1 tsp. I and my husband were so pleased at how good the ice cream is! Woot! Trying your recipe for the Butter Pecan next. Cant wait!
That sounds amazing and so happy you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for sharing your tweaks!
How much is 1 serving?
1/2 cup of ice cream 🙂
Do you have a recipe for strawberry ice cream and Rocky road my favorite.
I am actively working on a strawberry ice cream as we speak. I don’t like icy bits of fruit in my ice cream, so I’m going for flavor. Hope to have a good recipe soon! I need to add Rocky Road to the list!
In the ingredients it says to use heavy cream, but then in the instructions it says coconut milk. Just wondering which is correct.
Thanks
Thanks for letting me know! I’ve changed the instructions to show heavy cream, however, you can sub canned coconut milk (full-fat) for a dairy-free option.
@Cathy Dean, Thanks!
Please I made ice cream on keto after putting it in the freezer it was hard does the vodka keep it softer i gas to keep it out for 1/2 hour or more before we could eat it please give me some hints thank you very much
Hey Rose Ann! What type of sweetener did you use? I’ve never had Allulose harden up too much. If you use something like Swerve or anything Erythritol-based, vodka can help a bit. If you don’t have pets in the house, another option is Xylitol. It can be toxic to animals (not humans), which is why I don’t use it myself. But I’ve heard Xylitol is great for keeping ice cream scoopable too.
@Cathy Dean, thank you I used swerve icing sugar I do have animals that’s for replying
@Cathy Dean, could you use coconut milk or macadamia milk for ice cream instead of almond milk
I haven’t tried those yet, but they should work just fine 🙂 I do know cashew milk also works well!
@Cathy Dean, thank you very much have a great day