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
This vanilla ice cream is fabulous. I made it exactly per the recipe. It does not have a coconut flavor to it. However, it freezes ROCK SOLID and does not soften like traditional ice cream. Even after being out in a 75 degree room for 30 mins, still a solid block. I’m confused because the recipe says it won’t freeze solid, yet mine did. I love this recipe and want to make it again, but eating it is almost torturous because you can only scrape little bits at a time that have softened.
Helena what sweetener did you use love?! If you use allulose or xylitol it remains scoopable because they work as inverse sugars! If you used Erythritol it will most likely freeze solid.
You can read more about some of my latest keto ice cream discoveries in this post https://www.gnom-gnom.com/keto-ice-cream-recipe/
I’ll make sure to add some of the newer notes to this post too though xo!!
Question,
Working out of the cupboard, I have cans of coconut cream, not coconut milk. Do I have to go to the store? I don’t want to go to the store!
Recipe seems to work, texture is good, etc…
It tastes like coconut though. I went heavy on the vanilla extract too (6 tsp). It just tastes like vanilla coconut ice cream. Not necessarily bad but it’s not vanilla.
I just tried replacing half the salt with baking soda and it worked to minimize the taste of coconut. It did not taste like baking soda was in there either.
Thanks for the tip!!
Hi Paola,
Sorry if you’ve already answered this but can you use granulated stevia? My husband is not suppose to have xylitol or erythritol due to liver disease. Any advice would be appreciated. We love this recipe so much!
We have been making this since last year and love it better than regular store bought. That being said we just found out that we can’t use xylitol or erythritol due to liver disease. Can we use stevia instead or do you have any suggestions? Thank you
Hi! If the serving size is one scoop, what does that come out to roughly in terms of say a measuring cup? Thanks!
I have just made this and can’t wait to see how it turns out to enjoy after my dinner tonight – what a treat!
I love every recipies i have tried. Ty for all these great recipies cinnamon buns are amazing.
SO I have tried many recipes on here and I love most of them. I’m sure I will love this one as well once I change sugars. I did it with Swerve this time and made half of the recipe just to try it out . Up until about hour 6 it was scoopable and similar to frozen whipped cream. ( I used 3 tsp of extract and also a little extra xanthan gum). Now, it’s rock hard and has crystals and when it melts it’s still a bit icy in texture. The flavour is good, so I’m excited to try with xylitol or allulose :-).
Thanks for all of the amazing recipes…. I’m trying donuts next
What if you don’t like coconut…
why not keep the entire recipe in standard measurement? 480 grams of Heavy whipping cream, how many cups?
This recipe isn’t entirely clear. Am I using powdered sweetener or granulated? Am I mixing the coconut milk over the stove until it’s thick, or just until it’s all blended together?
Please help, not sure what I’m doing wrong. I made this recipe four times. The first two times it came out pretty good, however, the last two times the final mixture looked like curdled milk. Any suggestions?
When I hear “curdled milk” used to describe a recipe with heavy cream, I immediately point to over-whipping. When heavy cream is whipped too much, the fat coagulates and suspends, creating butter. In the future, whip the heavy cream mixture to stiff peaks and fold other ingredients into it.
Am I allowed to use stevia.
made this. its so great. I used a bit of Rum in it as the alcohol, and it is a great texture even after being in freezer for a week. Just let it stay out for a little bit before scooping it up. I chopped a bit of sugarfree chocolate and a tablespoon of half melted peanutbutter..poured it over. I am in heaven. I started with this vanilla version, and its a perfect basic recipe. Amazing. I will be trying your other flavours next. You make living with Keto doable ,even super enjoyable. Thank you!!!
Wow! I made the chocolate cake (one layer only) and this ice cream yesterday. Topped the cake with chocolate butter cream frosting—-it was absolutely fantastic! Has to be the best keto dessert I’ve had to date.
I added in 1 tbsp of Grand Marnier and although I didn’t really taste it, it surely allowed us to scoop the ice cream without having to wait to thaw.
All of your recipes are winners!!! Thanks alot.
Hello! This recipe looks great! Just a couple questions, 1) how would allulose work here? I’ve read it does most thinks pretty well, curious how it is with freezing. Has anyone tried? Also has anyone else tried the dairy free one with just coconut milk? How has it turned out. Thanks!!
I made this and my entire family loved it and couldn’t believe this was low carb ice cream! Came out perfect the first time around and it was my first time making keto dessert! Love your recipes
Help! I accidentally added the vanilla extract to the milk mixture. I didn’t want to throw it all out so I’ve let it cool but it is not jelling up as you describe. Everything else was exact to the recipe. Will mine thicken up and be useable? If not, is there anything I can do with it? Thank you!
Don’t worry! The reason you add the extract at the end is because the alcohol evaporates with heat so you lose some vanilla kick. If you added the xabthan gum and it’s not too solid don’t sweat it (keep in mind the chocolate will be super thick because of the added cocoa, vanilla for me is more jelly like after chilling). Different brands can give you diff results, but just keep going xo!
Hi paola! Thanks for the recipe again. It was a good base for me to work with. Mine came out really kinda icy and abit like wet sand texture, bits breaking off and it was hard and not creamy. I suppose it was cos i tried my own variation. I replaced the coconut milk with 400g of cream cheese instead and tried to make ice cream out of that, think my ratio was wrong? I added xanthan gum and xylitol and followed everything else u stated! How can i improve it? Ps: can i use allulose instead of xylitol?
Cream cheese(a soft, fresh cultured cheese) does not freeze in the same way as coconut milk(the strained-off liquid from blending coconut meat and coconut water). They are not a similar substance. It’s like trying to replace cow’s milk with butter or margarin in this recipe…This substitute will not work unless something like a tablespoon of cream cheese is added for a cheesecake-like flavor.
Amazing!!!! I used the bullet to powder the xylitol before, this was amazing! Everyone who has tried it loves it and actually prefers this to the sugar one! I tried with powdered monk fruit and it didn’t work, stick to the xylitol. I also tried it in the ice cream maker to see what would happen and it worked better without the churn! Now I’m trying to figure out how to make flavor variations with this as the base?
So awesome to hear! Search the site for the chocolate and coffee variations to get started! 😉
Hi Paula,
Can U use Sukrin Gold?. Also does the sweetener has to be powder? If so can I use Sukrin powder.
I will be making the chocolate ice-cream.
Which immersion whisk do you use?
Love your recipes. Especially bread and bagles.
Thanks.
I made it twice. First like the recipe and it was a little icy. A second time I used egg yolks 3 to be exact and also 59-50 mix of heavy whipping cream and coconut milk with erythriol as the sweentner both times. I loved it with the way it came our perfect the second way as I’m strictly keto. My husband has ulcerative colitis and said it was the best homemade ice cream ever.
When did pad the egg yolks exactly?
what did you do with the yolks? Did you make a custard? Would love to try your version as I only use erythritol and I know it would crystallize over time…
Silky, creamy, delicious, and my husband said, “Oh, this is really good ice cream” – so tomorrow I’ll make chocolate so he doesn’t eat all of mine! I was surprised how much ice cream this recipe yielded, not that I’m complaining😁. I threw in a few Lilly’s chocolate chips at serving but I think I’ll make some sugar-free hot fudge sauce for it. The idea is tempting.
Thank you Paola! Great recipe 👌
I’ve been wanting to make the vanilla and chocolate ice cream for a while, and tomorrow’s the day. I have a quart of heavy cream that needs to be used soon. I’ming to use vanilla bean paste to get some seeds without spending $8 for one vanilla bean (I know they’re cheaper at Trader Joe’s but that’s 40 miles from here).
Should I use the 6 tsp. ? If so I’ll delete the vodka. The weather’s getting warm now so ice cream is on my mind!
Hi Paola, crossing my fingers and hoping you can help me to figure out a tweak to the recipe. I’d like to make cheesecake ice cream. But 2 issues.. 1) i don’t think i can use a can of coconut milk in the first part of the recipe anymore because it would overwhelm the delicate cheesecake flavor, can i use less or can i replace with full cream? 2) i have no idea how to adjust the ratios of the recipe to do this. I know with the chocolate and the espresso you just add powder to the first part, but with cream cheese it’s gonna be significantly more liquid involved. can you give me some guidance? thank you!!
Where do you find xanthan gum ? Supper Markets?
Bob’s Red Mill is a brand. Check the baking aisle. Most major chain grocery stores carry that line.
I’ve made ice cream with coconut cream before, and it always comes out grainy instead of smooth like it would wit cream. Do you have any other suggestions for ice cream made without dairy? Ice cream is one of my favorite foods, but i’m Trying to be dairy free!!
Find coconut cream without added preservatives and stabilizers. Also, maybe use full-fat coconut milk and separate the cream from the liquid? Soaked cashews, blended, would also work in some vegan ice creams but I’m not sure how it would work in this recipe.
Your work makes me so happy. I love the keto lifestyle and love it even more knowing I can still enjoy certain treats. Thank for all your hard work.
Do you have a recipe book for all your deserts?
Hi, made this yesterday morning and had some last night, amazing flavour, tastes creamy, but I found that it didn’t seem as cold as ice cream gets and there was icy particles. I followed recipe, had all ingredients.
What sweetener did you use Danielle?
I used xylitol.
I just made this and it was so good, all your recipes always turn out perfect for me. Thank you so much.