This no-churn paleo and keto vanilla ice cream is ridiculously creamy and fragrant. Plus, it won’t freeze rock solid, like your usual homemade low carb ice cream!
Oh, and you can find the older version of the recipe now re-labelled as our keto frozen yogurt.
Paleo & Keto Vanilla Ice Cream 🍦
No-Churn & Suuuper Creamy! ☁
We’ve updated our popular keto vanilla ice cream to make it no-churn, extra creamy and with an added dairy-free and paleo option. It’s modeled around our keto chocolate ice cream, one of the most highly rated recipes on the site!
Plus, it won’t freeze rock solid, like your usual homemade ice cream. Staying extra creamy is the ice cream’s specialty.
And did we mention 2g net carbs per serving?! This is truly a bargain when you think that most low carb store-bought ice creams hover around 4-7g net carbs a scoop.
The Method 🔍
Making this no-churn keto chocolate ice cream is a breeze. Think melting the sweetener into (full fat!) coconut milk, infusing with vanilla, whisking in a tad of xanthan gum or arrowroot flour if paleo (which act as a stabilizers here), and incorporating the cooled mixture into whipped cream.
You see, by whipping up the heavy (or coconut) 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. 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 Vanilla
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).
In terms of brands, we’re huge fans of Nielsen-Massey’s Madagascar vanilla for this keto vanilla ice cream. And for pretty much every baked good, it’s seriously the best stuff.
The Sweetener 🍯
Xylitol is, without a doubt, the best sweetener for keto ice cream. It helps to retain the creamy texture (i.e. just like the alcohol, it prevents it from freezing rock solid), and allows you to skip the churning if need be in many recipes.
Having said that, this no-churn vanilla ice cream is sooo luscious, that you can get away with using erythritol with great results too.
And if using xylitol, make sure to be careful if you have a pup around the house, as it’s highly toxic to the little guys! 🐕
The Recipe Video 📽
With our no-churn methodology, you can whip up any flavor of your choosing! Just note that the ‘coconut mix’ without the cocoa will be slightly thinner.
No Churn Paleo, Low Carb & Keto Vanilla Ice Cream
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****
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.
Notes
Nutrition
Could I swap the xylitol for monk fruit sweetener? Or would it mess with the overall texture?
Xylitol (or allulose) keep it scoop able, so it would alter the texture in that way xo
I love your recipes, well, the ones I have tried so far. I made the ice cream yesterday, very well explained, so easy to do. I chose to make mine Maple Walnut, as it is a favorite of my husband. He said the flavour was just like store bought (which I guess is a compliment, lol) I also made the fudgy brownies, need to add an extra egg next time, as I used powdered swerve, more cakey, but still delish, and great with the ice cream. Can’t wait to try the gnocci!
Thanks again,
Barb
So can the Xantham gum be omitted?
This vanilla ice cream is ridiculously creamy and surprisingly does not taste like coconut at all! I used vanilla bean and extra extract as well as xantham gum. I was NOT going to risk any crystallization or deal with rock hard ice cream! Thank you so much for this recipe! Now Im comfortable making the chocolate version as well!
I agree! So delicious! You can taste the vanilla bean, makes the dish!
This is a wonderful recipe! The ice cream is delicious and creamy. My husband says it reminds him of gelato! It’s definitely a keeper. Thanks so much for all your great recipes!!
Hello! Is it possible to replace xantam gum with gelatin? If so, how much gelatine would you use?
Hi Paola!
I am wondering if I can speed up the cooling process by placing the bowl in the fridge? Will that work? Also, going to use the ice cream machine to churn in the end. Thanks! Hubby just went Keto and really wants ice cream 🙂
I have the same question!
Hello Paola thank you for the awesome recipes! I just bought an ice cream maker and actually want to churn my ice cream. How would I modify the recipe for an ice cream maker? Thank you!!
It says in the recipe to churn for 15mins if using an ice cream maker 🙂
Absolutely delicious vanilla ice cream! This recipe rocks!! Thank you!
So delicious! I make this regularly, and I never was a fan of vanilla ice cream before! I’ve also made it using coconut cream and that worked just as well. Thanks for another great recipe! This is great on top of Pecan pie tarts 😁
Emily how awesome to hear!! A few of you have turned it into coconut ice cream too (!!)
Hi Paola,
I made your ice cream recipe a few times, in different flavours. My whole family was impressed especially my kids who now prefer my keto ice cream over store bought, so thank you.
Had a question about the consistency of the first mixture (coconut milk, sugar and xanthan gum). It seems I never get the same consistency you get. Your’s looks thick and smooth, my remains quite runny. Once I decide to add additional xanthan gum, it helped but it did not look like the one on your video, it really was more like ‘gummy’. Like homemade slime, you make with the kids. In the end, the ice cream was great but was wondering if there is something I’m doing wrong. It may be the brand of coconut milk too. Just not sure.
Hi Maria! I would stick to the recommended amount of xanthin as yes, your ice cream will turn into slime otherwise 🙈 The chocolate ice cream in the video will also be significantly thicker than the vanilla because of the added cocoa powder (I also made it extra dark, so if you followed the lower amount of cocoa it definitely wouldn’t be as thick). I hope this helped!
Hi, i have made both the vanilla and chocolate and absolutely in love with it!
But can i know how do you calculate the macro for carbs at 2g?
Based on my own calculation using the ingredients in my country, Singapore, it easily reaches about 6.7g for 80ml of ice cream. And majority is from Xylitol.
Hi I really want to try and make this ice cream but I really can’t stand any of the artificial sweeteners the after taste just ruins it for me. Is the xylitol an absolutely required ingredient?
For me, Xylitol is really the only sweetener where I don’t taste the aftertaste. I made this ice cream and thought it was delicious!
Absolutely delicious! Served this ice cream to my Mom for her birthday with wonderful keto pecan pie tarts using Paola’s super flakey pie crust. OMG! Eyerolling good! This ice cream is better than anything I’ve purchased from the store.
As xanthan is used here as a thickener, I wonder if one could also use egg yolks instead (like “traditional” vanilla ice cream is made).
Other than that, I’m making this right now and hope it’s gonna turn out just fine. Attempted to make ice cream in the past but always failed due to not having an ice cream maker. Let’s hope for the best!
Hi Desperatio! The thing here is that xanthan gum is used more as a stabilizer than a thickener, which is why you don’t have to churn the ice cream xo!
Thanks for the reply!
I was mistaken, I’m sorry. I still wonder if you could technically use egg yolks and then put it in an ice cream maker and whether it would turn out alright or not. Might try somewhen… In the future… When I have an ice cream maker. 🙃
No prob! Xanthan gum is a multipurpose ingredient and it definitely also thickens up the mix (so you weren’t actually wrong!). And yes, you can definitely do the traditional egg yolk custard method! I use it for the eggnog recipe on the site and I’ve churned that one into eggnog ice cream 😍!
Another Paola hit! Paola you are a culinary hero in my household! Thanks for being you, doing the amazing work you’re doing, and sharing it with the rest of us! I can’t believe I get to eat like this AND reach my health goals!
Paola, thanks for your great website. This is my first time trying on of your recipes. I tried two batches, one with xylitol and one with erythritol. They’ve been in the freezer for at least 8 hours now and somehow, they’re not frozen yet. More like the consistency of a very thick whipped cream. Any idea what could have caused this? I did not add any alcohol except for 5 tbsp of vanilla extract. I did hand whip the heavy cream using a rotary egg beater which took 20 minutes. Could overwhipping be the problem? I’m confused since most other people seem to have the opposite problem of the ice cream freezing rock solid.
Oh Viraj this is a puzzle indeed! What about now that it’s 5+ hours since you posted the comment?! 🙈😂 OK so the ice cream generally freezes solid with erythritol and stays scoopable with xylitol (but still hard!). Let me know, I’m also confused (over whipping etc wouldn’t be a problem as it would (should?!) freeze anyways). All I can think of is the tyour freezer’s temp is a bit lower so it’s taking longer? xo!
Thanks for the response! Yes, your hunch was right! My freezer appears to be broken as it won’t get colder than 21 F currently. I put the ice cream in another freezer that works and it froze properly!
I figured out the problem, my freezer is broken! It’s 15 degrees above where it should be so have to call the technician. Also, if I find the ice cream a bit too creamy, what you do think of replacing either partially or in full either the coconut milk or heavy cream with unsweetened almond milk?
Hey Paolo – love your recipes 🙂
Was wondering if you need coconut milk in the vanila icecream and use heavy cream instead as I found the ice cream had a pronounced coconut flavour and would like a straight vanilla flavour.
Cheers and thanks again for such delicious recipes
Hi Alex! You can use all HWC (just keep in mind that would be a lot of dairy!). Alternatively, what brand did you use? Coconut milk is one of those things that varies in taste A LOT from brand to brand, so you could shop around as the coconut shouldn’t be taking over the vanilla xo!
Paola,
Thanks for the amazing recipes! Your talents are greatly appreciated.
I made the ice cream and am anxiously awaiting the freezing to taste this unicorn dessert that I’ve been chasing for almost a year! But my final mixture was verrryyy watery. I did purchase the full fat coconut milk as instructed but I did not separate the water. Was this my error? Please advise.
Thank you!
Aja
Hi… I am so looking forward to making this! One question please, there is no heavy whipping cream near me, but I notice your recipe card says this: “2 cups heavy whipping cream or chilled coconut cream (see notes)”.
However, I didn’t see anything in the notes re using chilled coconut cream, which I do have btw. So could you please tell me how long to chill it and if I need to do anything special in order to whip it so that’s it’s similar to the whipping cream consistency?
ps… Just have to say I am always blown away by your site and your recipes… it is definitely one of the top paleo/keto/low carb sites on the net. Thank you so much!!
Hi Carol! Thanks for pointing that out, I actually ended up including it right in the instructions:
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.
So you will just want to either use some coconut cream and chill it overnight, or chill a can of full fat coconut milk and scoop out the cream on top. Then you just whip it up (it’s already thick, but you will notice a lighter consistency). xo!
I made the icecream this afternoon with Swerve because being 3 weeks into keto that’s the only keto sweetener I have. I’m taking out of the freezer every 45 minutes and stirring. Before heading off to bed triec a bit of the frozen edges with an one inch square of the suuuper fudgy brownies.
Both are fabulous.
Made these to surprize my husband on his birthday tomorrow.
He loves icecream. Prior to keto we only ate real icecream without all the chemic6,but the sugar was inflammatory.
Three weeks into keto he’s lost 10 pound and most of his belly.
I did read your sweetner tutorial today. Ill be ordering pantry ingredients tomorrow. Thank you for posting such helpful information and wonderful recipes.
You have the very best Keto recipes. Yours have been keepers, after a few misses from other sites. I am not fond of the mozzarella cheese based doughs I stumbled onto at first.
Thank you for sharing your expertise
Nice music in the video, but it would have been helpful to explain what you are doing.
I hope that eventually I’ll get some “ice cream”, have no clue what I’m doing.
I would suggest reading the recipe card 😉
So sorry, I didn’t see the “sub titles” in the video, didn’t realize the top of the video wasn’t on my screen.
I am newly dairy free and am still struggling with substitutions in making recipes dairy free.
is the coconut cream substitute still 480g for this recipe or is it less? How eill this effect the net carb
Hi Rachel! It’s about the same weight/volume ratio (depends a bit on the brand of coconut cream tbh)- but the recipe is not too fuzzy, so just do 480g xo!
hi paola, i just wanted to let u know i’ve been trying out many recipes on your site, both sweet and savory – my favorite is the ricotta gnocchi so far but i attempted this vanilla ice cream as one of the first recipes a couple of months ago. the texture of my heated coconut milk with xylitol however, came nowhere close to what it looked like in the video, it looked all liquid and loose. Only after refrigerating it, did it become jelly like. consequently, the resulting ice cream has a coconut flavor that i can taste ( i know i am not supposed to be able to taste coconut but i still do, does that have something to do with my textural issue?) PS: in the end, the final look and feel of the cream did match what it was supposed to when it came time pouring it out into the tupperware. But the taste still is more coconut than vanilla…any advice for the next time i try this?
I wanted to know where and how you calculated your CHO in this
Recipie. I did the math myself and I found 14 CHO per half cup serving. The amount of xylitol alone counts for 10 grams of net carbs. This is NOT a keto friendly recipie.
Hi Krista! Please do keep in mind that it’s common practice to subtract the sugar alcohols from total carbs as you do fiber (they’re NOT regular carbs!!). I simply suggest you read up on it, because I can assure you that this IS KETO FRIENDLY 😉 xo!
Xylitol is about 80% of real sugar, so unfortunately not really keto friendly, even at one serving. 20% reduction is not enough for me, impacting my blood sugar and insulin…
Dana xylitol isn’t sugar at all! It’s a sugar alcohol 😉
This was fabulous! I’m pretty new to Keto so don’t have a lot of the sweetness yet but on this batch I used a Monk Fruit / Erythritol blend and a little vodka. Still froze pretty hard but the texture when thawed was so creamy. Next batch I’m putting in little single serving containers to freeze, then we’ll just take out the number of servings needed. It should both freeze and thaw quicker. Thanks!
Thats a great idea Jo! And yup, you want to use xylitol or allulose for it to stay ultra scoopable all the way through xo!
What an amazing recipe! I added a few sprigs of lavender along with the vanilla bean in the saucepan, and added a teaspoon of lemon extract into the coconut cream along with the vanilla extract.
New to Keto, my daughter discovered this site and recipe and we did it over the weekend. Great bonding experience buying all the ingredients and making the ice cream. Finally learned how to make icecream. So good, never buying again at stores. We used xylitol and for the whipped cream we added vanilla extract and used brandy instead of vodka. The mixture was placed overnight in the freezer and we got a perfect consistency right out of the freezer (there was no need to let it stand for a few minutes at room temperature). Thank you for this fantastic recipe, can’t wait to make a new batch of ice cream and experiment with new flavors!
Hello, just wondering if your nutritional information posted is for the cersionvwirh HWC or just plain coconut milk. We are new to keto and would like to stay within our carb count. Thank you so much. Looking forward to trying this recipe for my husband.
My coconut mixture wasn’t nearly as thick as in the demo…was I suppose to let it cool via the fridge? It definitely wasn’t as much like a “ball” of thickness like the demo either ☹️ We shall see how it turns out
I used the immersion blender and everything but I’m not sure why it didn’t get as thick
Hi Cindy! It’s stated that the cocoa version will be thicker than the vanilla because you add a bunch of cocoa so it obviously thickens up the mixture more. STILL, there can be BIG variants in different brands of coconut milk and xanthan gum- I don’t see why it wouldn’t work out if you used full-fat though xo!