Keto Strawberry Ice Cream

This keto strawberry ice cream is deliciously creamy and there's not an ice crystal in sight. Yes, it's is really simple to make fruity and flavourful restaurant quality gelato at home! You'd never guess this recipe is low carb and sugar free. Summer, we’re ready for you!

It's June and we're deep in strawberry season. Friends, this makes me very happy. I always get excited when British strawberries hit the shelves - they taste so much sweeter than the imported ones. Plus, it's time for homemade strawberry ice cream!

It's not that I haven't tried to find good sugar free ice cream in the shops. But to be honest, none of them taste great. Many contain artificial ingredients and they are often sweetened with maltitol, which raises blood sugar levels.

As so often, the easiest solution is to make it yourself.

I have made quite a few keto ice cream recipes over the years and learned along the way. The two best ones have made it onto the blog:

This vanilla ice cream is a firm favourite...

...and so is this keto chocolate ice cream!

Both are getting great reviews from readers, so do check them out if you haven't yet.

3 secrets to soft, smooth keto ice cream

One of the issues people have with low carb ice cream is that it sets like a brick if you don't do it right. It goes rock hard and you have to wait forever for it to defrost. Here is how you avoid this and make super smooth and creamy homemade ice cream.

1. Use an ice cream maker.

It's possible to make no churn strawberry ice cream, but it will never be as smooth and it's quite involved. You have to try and break the ice crystals as it freezes by stirring regularly. It's ice cream, but just not AMAZING ice cream.

There's two types of ice cream makers. The ones that require pre-freezing of the mixing canister are really reasonable (we use one like this). If you truly love ice cream, invest in a machine with a compressor like this one - it makes restaurant-quality gelato on demand.

2. Use allulose.

I love erythritol and monk fruit in my cakes and cookies, but for sugar free ice cream it's got to be allulose. Erythritol sets hard when frozen because it has the tendency to re-crystallise. Allulose, on the other hand, behaves just like sugar. Xylitol is another good option.

Allulose is simple to get hold of in the US. In the UK and worldwide it's available via iherb.

3. Add MCT oil.

Another little helper with keeping this keto strawberry ice cream extra smooth is MCT oil. This is a high grade coconut oil that remains liquid even when cold. If you don't have any, regular coconut oil is a good substitution.

Ingredients

I love the classic way of making ice cream - cream and egg yolks. In my opinion, this beats using just cream and add-ons such as sour cream or cream cheese by miles. Let's run through the ingredients:

Strawberries - By roasting the strawberries first you get the best flavour. This way the ice cream is not watery, but rich and scrumptious.

Allulose - As discussed above. If you simply cannot get it, make sure your sweetener of choice is powdered and not granulated.

Heavy whipping cream - That's double cream here in the UK. Coconut cream works as a dairy free alternative - the firm part from a can of coconut milk.

MCT or coconut oil - Makes it creamy and smooth. Another benefit of MCT oil is that it is tasteless. Note - I have read that 2 tablespoon vodka could also be an alternative since it does not freeze.

Almond milk - For a lighter ice cream. I like Plenish almond milk. Whichever brand you use, check that it is made with just almonds and water. Many brands add rice milk.

Vanilla extract and a tiny pinch of salt

Egg yolks - Raw eggs are considered safe to eat in the UK, as long as they carry the "lion stamp" (virtually all eggs produced in the UK do). If you live in a country where salmonella is still a worry, you can pasteurise your eggs at home.

Here's how to do it: Heat water in a saucepan to 60 Celsius / 140 Fahrenheit. Submerge the eggs and leave them in there for 3 minutes. Make sure they've cooled down before you use them in the ice cream recipe!

How to make keto strawberry ice cream

Begin by pre-freezing your ice cream machine canister for at least 2 hours or ideally overnight. Mine yields best results if I freeze it overnight.

Place the strawberries and sweetener in a pan. Bring to the boil, then reduce and simmer for 5 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, then blitz until smooth either using a hand whisk or blender.

If you prefer chunks in your ice cream, don't over-blend the strawberry mixture. Just don't leave them too large or it may clog up the ice cream maker.

Allow to cool whilst you make the ice cream.

Pour the cream, coconut oil / MCT and almond milk into a clean saucepan. Add the vanilla and salt and bring to a low boil. When you see the edges start to bubble, remove from the heat and allow to cool for about 30 minutes. Stir regularly so it doesn’t form a skin.

Once the cream mix is cooled, put the egg yolks in a mixing bowl and beat until pale in colour (about 2 minutes).

Slowly whisk using a hand balloon whisk 1 cup of the cooled cream mix into the beaten eggs. Then pour the egg mix back into your pan. Heat on low and stir regularly for about 8 -10 minutes until it thickens. Do not boil or it will split.

At the first sign of bubbles, remove from the heat. Allow to cool for 5 minutes then whisk in the cooled strawberry mix using a hand balloon whisk. Pour into a bowl, cover with cling film and allow to cool for about an hour at room temperature. Then, transfer to the fridge and chill for at least 2-4 hours (or overnight).

Churn as per the manufacturer’s instructions on your ice cream maker. Mine took about 35 minutes. For a soft serve you can enjoy the ice cream straight away.

To make it scoop-able, pour the ice cream mixture into a loaf pan, cover with cling film and freeze for 2 hours, or until fully set.

No churn ice cream

If you don't have an ice cream maker and still want to give this keto strawberry ice cream recipe a go, I suggest that you whip the heavy cream until it's firm but not yet stiff peaks. Then, combine it with the other ingredients at the end. That way you get more air and lightness into the mix.

Also, take it out of the freezer every ½ hour to 1 hour and stir to break up the ice crystals.

We enjoyed this ice cream without toppings, but you could add some melted sugar free chocolate such as Lily's or 90% Lindt.

More keto strawberry recipes

Keto Strawberry Muffins - You wont believe how delicious these are. Thank me later.

Low carb Keto Strawberry Mousse - This mousse is light and airy like a cloud. Dairy free!

Sugar Free Strawberry Cheesecake - This gluten free cake goes down well with the entire family, whether they are low carb or not! At 4.8g net carbs per slice it's keto-friendly, too.

Sugar Free Strawberry Jam - Don't miss this classic jam recipe. It's SO SIMPLE!

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Keto Strawberry Ice Cream

Katrin Nürnberger

from Sugar Free Londoner

I'm sharing all my secrets on how to make extra creamy, soft and smooth keto strawberry ice cream! This is a recipe for the ice cream maker, but I've included instructions for a no churn ice cream as well. 4.7g net carbs per serving.

5 from 9 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate

Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Cooling Time 5 hrs

Total Time 5 hrs 35 mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine British

Servings 8

Calories 324 kcal

Note: The servings slider only changes the first amount in each line and not any subsequent amounts. Please make your own calculations where necessary. ***As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Equipment

• ice cream maker

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 3 cups strawberries 360g, quartered
• ▢ ½ cup / 100 g allulose
• ▢ 2 cups / 480 ml double / heavy cream
• ▢ 3 tablespoon MCT oil or coconut oil
• ▢ 1 cup / 240 ml almond milk unsweetened
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ pinch of salt
• ▢ 6 egg yolks large, room temperature

Instructions

 

• Pre-freeze your ice cream maker canister for at least 2 hours or ideally overnight.
• Place the strawberries and sweetener in a pan. Bring to the boil, then reduce and simmer for 5 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, then blitz until smooth either using a hand whisk or blender. Allow to cool whilst you make the ice cream.
• Pour the cream, coconut oil / MCT and almond milk into a clean saucepan. Add the vanilla and salt and bring to a low boil. When you see the edges start to bubble, remove from the heat and allow to cool for about 30 minutes. Stir regularly so it doesn’t form a skin.
• Once the cream mix is cooled, put the egg yolks in a mixing bowl and beat until pale in colour (about 2 minutes).
• Slowly whisk 1 cup of the cooled down cream mix into the beaten eggs using a hand balloon whisk. Then pour the egg mix back into your pan. Heat on low and stir regularly for about 8 - 10 minutes until it thickens. Do not boil or it will split. At the first sign of bubbles, remove from the heat.
• Allow to cool for 5 minutes then whisk in the cooled strawberry mix. Pour into a bowl, cover with cling film and allow to cool for about an hour at room temperature. Then, transfer to the fridge and chill for at least 2-4 hours (or overnight).
• Churn as per the manufacturer’s instructions on your ice cream maker. Mine took about 35 minutes. For a soft serve you can enjoy straight away.
• For a scoop-able ice cream, pour into a loaf pan, cover with cling film and freeze for 2 hours, or until fully set.

Notes

4.7g net carbs per serving.

Makes 8 servings of a generous ½ cup. This is 1 extra large scoop or 2 small scoops, depending on the size of your ice cream scooper. 

If you like strawberry bits in your ice cream, don't puree until completely smooth. Just don't make them too large or they may end up clogging the ice cream maker. 

Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. 

Allulose is easy to get hold of in the US. In some countries (like the UK!) it's trickier. Normally, you can buy it via iherb.com or luckyvitamin.com. If you just can't source it, use powdered xylitol or erythritol instead. 

Nutrition

Serving: 150gCalories: 324kcalTotal Carbohydrates: 5.7gProtein: 3.6gFat: 31.8gSaturated Fat: 20.9gFiber: 1gSugar: 3.9g

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