Eddie Murphy said it best, “You want some ice cream, you want some ice cream” and he wasn’t wrong especially if you’re following the keto diet and need the best low carb ice cream options in your snack food rotation. Side note: If you have not watched Eddie Murphy, Delirious, on Netflix – grab a pint or better yet, try some of the low carb ice cream recipes below and settle in for the laugh of your life.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my link at no extra cost to you. This post is not medical advice and you should always seek counsel from a physician before beginning any new diet or exercise regime. Even if it includes ice cream (:
Ice cream is personal and I’m not here to tell you what you should or should not like and what you will think is the best low carb ice cream. But, as a new keto ‘dieter’ myself, I was thrilled to find some very good and some ok options for dessert time. And there is no way I’m shifting my eating habits if dessert time is not included.
After reading this post, I hope you will find something new to try that you’ll love. Maybe you’re looking for sugar free ice cream, low carb ice cream treats, low carb ice cream sandwiches or low carb ice cream recipes. If that’s the case – scroll on! You’ll find all of that here.
This post is all about the best low carb ice cream options I have found.
Best Low Carb Ice Cream
1. Treats
Did you know this was a thing? I didn’t and it changes my ice cream game. Real ice cream is high in carbs, mostly from sugar. That doesn’t normally fit within the keto diet or lazy keto diet. Companies caught on to our needs and began creating versions that used plant fibers and sugar alcohol. Why this matters is because plant fibers and sugar alcohols aren’t fully digested and quickly pass through the body. Therefore, they don’t contribute carbs to your daily count.
For any of you newbies out there, here is a quick rundown of how to understand net carbs.
Dietary fiber and sugar alcohol pass through your body as described above. So, since they have a minimal caloric impact, you subtract them from the total carbs listed on an item to calculate your total net carbs And, your total net carbs are what you tally throughout the day to stay within your carb total plan. Net carbs are the item’s total carbs less fiber less sugar alcohol. Easy enough.
{RELATED POST: If you’re new and want to learn how to begin a low carb lifestyle, check out: 3 Quick Steps; Learn The Lazy Keto Diet And Lose Weight This Week}
Continue on to discover which delicious low carb ice cream flavors you can add to an Enlightened Sugar Free Cone.
2. Low Carb Ice Cream
If you do a Google search, as you may have done to land on this post, you’ll see the many, many ice cream options available to you today. Below, I have outlined the 3 I’ve tried and will 100%, absolutely, no questions asked, may even consider a light jog to the store to burn calories, be purchasing all of them again!
- Enlightened: So far, I’ve tried the Red Velvet and the Chocolate Peanut Butter. The Red Velvet was good but for me, a little icy. The Chocolate Peanut Butter was incredible. Enlightened has those yummy sugar free cones for that classic ice cream cone preparation. If portion control is an issue, they make dessert bars. I’ve tried the Chocolate Peanut Butter and Sea Salt Caramel. I can easily recommend both to you! I didn’t know about these until just recently and I found them at my local Whole Foods.
- Halo Top: I think everyone knows about Halo Top. It was the first “diet” ice cream I heard my friends rave about years ago. But, at that time, I was not dieting (I was doing the exact opposite and hence the keto diet for me now) and I didn’t know about their low carb status. They have also been around awhile meaning you’re sure to find many flavors that you’ll enjoy. The quality is decent and they are carried by most name brand grocery stores.
- Rebel: I’ve saved the best for last. I had not heard of this company until very recently and I was not disappointed! Rebel uses classic ingredients like egg yolks and dairy to achieve a creamy texture. The Butter Pecan is my current favorite. They also offer ice cream sandwiches. I have not met a Chocolate Chip Cookies & Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwich that I will not attack. Have you? In my area, Rebel is found at both Walmart and Target.
You know, sometimes we have to take a hit for the team and do our market research. I know! Poor us. What will your test kitchen look like? Ha ha! Leave a comment below and let me know your favorites and what I should try!
3. Keto Ice Cream Recipes
Everyone, I think, has Mason Jars in their home. But do you have the ones with plastic lids? Pro Tip: The plastic lids don’t rust. Grab some for these low carb ice cream recipes. They will help with portioning out the perfect dessert. If you have a ton of jars at home, click here to grab just the lids. They are so worth it!
Copy Cat Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey
4 T Walnuts, Lightly Chopped
3 T Lily’s Chocolate Chips
3 1/4 T of Allulose or other powdered sweetener
2 t Banana Extract
1 C Heavy Whipping Cream
-Place all of these items into 4 mason jars and shake shake shake for 10 minutes until all is well combined and freeze for a minimum of 5 hours. 4 mason jars will tally 3.25 net carbs and 286.25 calories each. Or, in 2 mason jars, 6.5 net carbs and 572.50 calories each.
Birthday Cake Ice Cream
1 Tub Thawed Cool Whip (said like Stewie from Family Guy)
2 T Sugar Free Vanilla Pudding
1/2 t Birthday Cake Extract (if it’s hard to find at your store, click here)
3-6 T Lily’s Chocolate Chips based on your preference
“Enough” Dashes of Colorful Sprinkles
-Mix all of the items in the cool whip tub and re-freeze. The carbs and calories will depend on cool whip vs light cool whip, chocolate chip totals and sprinkles. Are you using a free carb counter app on your phone yet?
Coconut Peanut Butter Ice Cream with Chocolate Chips
1 Can Coconut Milk
1 C Heavy Whipping Cream
1 t Almond Extract
1 T Unsweetened Peanut Butter
1/4 C Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
6 T Lily’s Chocolate Chips
1/4 C Sweetener
-Mix all of the items a blender and freeze overnight. Coconut milk and heave cream are calorie dense so this delicious treat should be used as a 1 scoop situation on top of another keto friendly dessert. The total carbs for the entire portion is 22 and 1871 calories. Get out that calculator as you garnish something yummy with this treat!
Easy Chocolate & Berry Ice Cream
1 Thawed Tub of Sugar Free Cool Whip
2 T Sugar Free Chocolate Pudding Mix
1/4 C Your Favorite Berries
1/2 C Lily’s Chocolate Chips
-Mix all of the items the cool whip tub and freeze a minimum of 3 hours. The carbs and calories will change based on your fruit choice – grab that app!
Whatever You Want Ice Cream
2 C Heavy Whipping Cream
2 T Allulose
1 T Vanilla Extract C
1/2 C Whatever You Want
-Mix all of the items with a hand blender until the mixture thickens and freeze a minimum of 2 hours. Have you thought about adding fun candy to your ice cream? Like sour gummies, peanut butter cups or even something crazy cool like broken pieces of pop tarts? So let your imagination and your tummy run wild!
{RELATED POST: Low Carb Candy Options, check out: 9 Tasty Low Carb Candy Options You Must Have For Your Keto Pantry}
Remember, these low carb ice cream treats are still treats and that means you can’t go hog wild on them. Moderation is the key for treats and focusing the bulk of your eating on nutrient dense foods will make your mind, your waistline and overall health happy.
This post was all about the best low carb ice cream available to you to help you stay on track with your keto or low carb diet while still enjoying some yummy treats!
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