This (no-churn!!) paleo and keto chocolate ice cream is ridiculously creamy and a breeze to whip up… at just 3g net carbs a scoop!
And psssst….! If you’re looking for more flavors you most definitely want to check out my keto ice cream master recipe.
Paleo & Keto Chocolate Ice Cream
Suuuper Creamy & No-Churn (!!)
With a few simple tricks, this recipe for keto chocolate ice cream will yield ridiculously creamy and luscious results; no churning required!
Plus, this ice cream is also easily customizable to suit all chocolate taste buds: from the milk chocolate lovers to the darkest-of-dark fanatics (ahem, me!).
Oh, and know that you don’t need to whip up a full batch (think ice-cream-for-one!). Simply adjust servings in the drop-down menu to desired amount, and whip up any quantity you want!
The Method
Making this no-churn keto chocolate ice cream is a breeze. Think melting the sweetener and cocoa into (full fat!) coconut milk, whisking in a tad of xanthan gum (which acts as a stabilizer here), and incorporating the cooled mixture into whipped cream.
You see, by whipping up the heavy 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 (particularly if you use erythritol, see below!). 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 Chocolate
Cocoa or cacao? Both work great, just know that quality really matters here. My favorite will forever be the Dutch-processed alkaline cocoa Valrhona, known to be one of (if not the) best cocoas in the world. But feel free to use a raw cacao powder (arguably more nutritional perks here), though keep in mind that your ice cream will be lighter in color and more reddish in hue. Both are well and good, as long as they’re unsweetened.
How dark? Talking dark chocolate versus milk is a sure way to divide a crowd! But know that you can make this keto chocolate ice cream to your taste buds’ desire. So we suggest doing the base with the lower quantity of cocoa (1/2 cup) to yield a milk chocolate ice cream.
And if you like your chocolate dark, simply add in more cocoa (think 1/4-1/3 cup more) after everything is incorporated. A taste-as-you-go sorta thing.
p.s. a lightly sprinkle of flakey sea salt works wonders to cut through the dark chocolate variation!
The Sweetener
Xylitol and allulose are, without a doubt, the best sweeteners for keto ice cream. They help to retain the creamy texture (they work pretty much like inverted sugars!), and allows you to skip the churning if need be in many recipes.
And if using allulose, just keep in mind that it’s about 70% the sweetness of sugar and xylitol (i.e. you’ll have to add 30% more).
Having said that, this no-churn vanilla ice cream is sooo luscious, that you can get away with using erythritol with relatively good results too. Though it most likely will freeze rock-solid, and you’ll have to let it hang out for about 30 minutes to scoop it out.
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! 
No Churn Paleo & Keto Chocolate Ice Cream
Ingredients
For the keto chocolate ice cream
- 1 13.5-ounce can full fat coconut milk *
- 135-150 g xylitol or allulose, to taste (see notes for deets!)
- 50-75 g cocoa powder use the smaller amount for milk chocolate and the larger for dark
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum or 3/4 teaspoon arrowroot flour if paleo**
- 480 g heavy whipping cream or coconut cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons vodka or booze of choice *** optional
Instructions
- See recipe video for tips and tricks!
- Add coconut milk, sweetener, cocoa and salt to a saucepan over medium heat. Mix using an immersion blender or whisk until all the solids from the coconut milk have the dissolved and the mixture is fully blended.
- Sprinkle xanthan gum little by little and blend until fully combined. 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). Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool completely.
- Add heavy whipping cream to a large chilled bowl and whip until soft peaks form. Blend in vanilla extract and the cooled chocolate mixture. (Optional): add in more cocoa, to taste, for a dark chocolate version.
- (Optional): add in your booze of choice. The mixture should be thick but still pourable. And, if for any reason your mixture is too thick (whipped cream too much, used a lot of cocoa...): 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).
- If freezing overnight: take out your ice cream 10-20 minutes prior to serving (depending on your room temp!) and scoop away.
Video
Notes
The Sweetener
Xylitol and allulose are, without a doubt, the best sweeteners for keto ice cream. They help to retain the creamy texture (they work pretty much like inverted sugars!), and allows you to skip the churning if need be in many recipes. And if using allulose, just keep in mind that it’s about 70% the sweetness of sugar and xylitol (i.e. you’ll have to add 30% more). Having said that, this no-churn vanilla ice cream is sooo luscious, that you can get away with using erythritol with relatively good results too. Though it most likely will freeze rock-solid, and you’ll have to let it hang out for about 30 minutes to scoop it out. 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!
*You absolutely NEED to use full fat coconut milk here! As lighter versions are simply diluted in water, and they'll make your ice cream more icy.
**Be sure to measure a very lightly packed 1/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum, as it's an ingredient that's easy to overpack. And if you overdo it, you'll get gummy ice cream.
***Booze is totally optional, it just keeps your ice cream from freezing rock solid. This ice cream is super creamy though, so 10-15 minutes at room temp make it ultra scoopable once again.
Please note that nutrition facts were estimated per 1/2 cup serving. This recipe yields approximately 5 cups.Nutrition
This is fantastic and super easy to make! Thank you for posting.
Question (and you may have posted this already), what coconut cream do you suggest using in place of the whipping cream?
I generally use native forest (or just refrigerate the can in the fridge overnight and scoop out the cream on top!) xo
Hi I absolutely love your ice cream recipes!! Tried a few flavour and love all!
One question, if I want to do matcha ice cream instead of chocolate, do u think I can replace the cocoa powder with matcha powder instead ? And if is it the exact amount of replacement?
Delicious! I accidentally bought the wrong cream – normal whipping instead of heavy* but it still turned out amazingly.
*buying cream in Poland has been a journey of discovery lol
The ice cream is very delicious. Great recipe. However both my husband and I had pretty significant allergic reactions from it, even just consuming 1-2 table spoons. My heart was pounding heavily for about 18 hours. I use all the ingredients listed except xylitol. So maybe people can be allergic to it, not just dogs. Please make your readers aware of it. Thank you.
My husband LOVES this ice cream, and he isn’t even keto. It made such a huge batch that it’ll take me time to work my way through it. This website, more than any other keto cooking website, has made keto sustainable long-term for me. Kudos!
Ok I am about to cry
I just had one serving of this and my food tracking app says it has 22g of carbs!!!! What is going on?!!!HELP!!!
Don’t cry! Sounds like you’re counting in the sugar alcohols as regular carbs xo!
GOOD. GRIEF. This is unbelievable! It is sooooo Chocolatey and silky smooth. It’s a big hit in my house, even with non low carb peeps! If you’re hesistating, then stop doing that and just make it! You won’t regret it! Delicious!
This is a wonderful recipe, and I’ve now made it several times…..never thought I would get tired of chocolate, but I’d really like to try other flavors if I knew how to do that. Any advice would be welcome!
This is so good! Very Chocolate! My husband LOVED it. Getting ready to make a second batch. I also plan on trying your vanilla.
Was wondering if you’d thought of making a coffee ice cream?
Thanks for the recipe!
This mixture is amazing before it is even frozen. So yummy! One issue I had is that it is rock hard. Even after sitting on The counter for 30 mins, it won’t soften. My first batch was this way and I threw it out. I had the same results with my second batch, even after adding 2 T mct oil to help with consistency. Any suggestions? Thanks!
Don’t throw it away Brande! You used erythritol right? Some brands crystalize and just take longer to scoop. Use xylitol (the preferred sweetener recommended for this recipe) and you won’t have any issues 😉 xo
Yes, I used erythritol, I will give that a try. Thank you Paola!
Don’t toss out. Next time let it thaw out all the way until it’s pourable and use molds that you use for fat bombs or candy and pour mixture in and freeze. That way it’ll still freeze solid but it’s now in cute little bite-sized pieces of yummy ice cream bombs.
I totally agree – it’s incredible even before it’s hardened into ice cream! I actually chose not to freeze it – I let the chocolate mixture cool for about an hour, then use a little less (1 1/2 cups) cream, whip to hard peaks and then fold in the chocolate, chill in the fridge for a few hours and eat it as a mousse or pudding – or you can eat it warm. It’s incredible either way.
Now if I could just figure out how to make it in butterscotch flavor….
Hello, thank you for amazing ice cream! I am dairy-free… Can I substitute whipped cream with coconut cream? Thank you!
Hello, thank you for amazing ice cream! I am dairy free – can I substitute whipped cream with coconut cream? Thank you!
Hi Kristiana! Definitely, search for the vanilla version which already has been tested with all dairy free xo!
Cannot wait to try this recipe!! Looks amazing. Question though: If I wanted to make a coffee flavoured ice cream, how would you go about doing that? Would you use instant coffee in place of the cocoa powder or brewed coffee at some point? I Love all things coffee flavoured but not sure how I would get the best results.
Thank you Paola for all of your amazing recipes!!
Hi Aly! It’s my pleasure thank yoU! Add instant coffee or espresso powder instead of the chocolate (not as much, just add it to taste). I wouldn’t do brewed coffee as you would be introducing water = iciness xo!
Hi there,
Please forgive me I did not go through all the comments to see if someone has asked this question.
After prep can I churn this in my ice cream maker?
No worries at all Nikki! And yeah definitely! I did it once and took about 15 minutes to churn xo!
Can I use Psyllium husk? Xanthan gum is so expensive 🙁
Hi Paul! Unfortunately you need xantham gum, just keep in mind that the little package goes a LONG way (so in my experience less expensive than psyllium)
I was wondering if you could substitute pectin for xanthan! I could not find xanthan anywhere and i happen to have pectin in my house. I really am dying to try this ice cream!
Unfortunately that won’t work too well Kristina, but you could try arrowroot instead? Otherwise xanthan is quite common (even at Walmart!) in the gluten free flour section. Hope this helps xo!
Wow! I made this last night and it is absolutely amazing! Way better than any low carb ice cream I’ve tasted. I am just curious what the serving size is for the nutritional facts you posted (so I dont overindulge!)
Farewell, Halo Top! There’s a new ice cream in town! Oh my, SO good and two scoops is just enough! One thing though, after adding vodka and freezing overnight, I only had one small area of ice cream that was scoopable, the rest of it crystallised and refused to be scooped even after twenty minutes! Could that be because I needed to blend the mixture for longer after adding the vodka? xxx
This recipe is so good! I made it without adding the vanilla bean or vanilla extract so it’s coconut flavor instead of vanilla! It came out so yummy.
That’s an awesome idea thank you for sharing it Faith! xo!
Hello,
I am a bit confused how you got 4carbs with using xylitol as a sweeter, there is about 100g of carbs in 2/3 of a cup?
Thanks!
Hi Megan! Just keep in mind that sugar alcohols aren’t regular carbs and it’s common practice to subtract them as you do fiber (obviously still not free-reign to overindulge!) xo
Well, it is soooo delicious! However, I used 3/4 cup cocoa and the color is still lighter than milk chocolate. Suggestions? Would have been a 5 star if not for that.
Hi Diane! Awesome to hear! And regarding the color, it’ll just be the type of cocoa (or cacao?) that you used. The color varies a lot from brand to brand, so if you want it darker you’ll want to procure something like Valrhona or Ghirardelli xo!
I made this today and it is one of the best ice creams I have ever had.. my family is digging into it.. thank you so much for the recipe Paola.. I used homemade thick coconut milk and the texture is awesome
This is an EPIC recipe on a few different levels… First, the chocolate mixture, as someone in the comments mentioned, makes an amazing pudding. Served that way, I would add some mint extract to hide the cooling xylitol effect. As an ice cream, it is the best chocolate ice cream I’ve ever eaten, low carb or not. And I’ve been a near nightly ice cream eater my whole life. The texture is beautiful, kind of like ice cream whipped with marshmallows. Not sticky, just very thick, smooth, and mousse like. I will be making some for a friend of mine who also follows the keto diet. Thank you so much for this recipe. I have zero interest in finishing my Halo Top in the freezer now. lol
Stephanie this is so wonderful to hear thank you! So happy to hear you enjoyed it so much! 🙂
Hey there, I’m curious how many days I’ll be able to keep this in the freezer? It’s going to be much easier for me to make the full batch but a lot harder to eat just one serve if I don’t know it can be salvaged! Love your work x
Hi Anna! So happy you’re enjoying the recipes! I’ve kept the ice cream (made with xylitol, this is important!) for 1 month in the freezer and it was still scoopable all the way through. If you make it with erythritol it will likely form crystals overtime. I hope this helps! xo
Wonderful, thank you! Now to find a good brand of xylitol in Australia! New favourite website right here 😀
Hey there, I’m curious how many days I’ll be able to keep this in the freezer? It’s going to Ben much easier for me to make the full batch but a lot harder to eat just one serve if I don’t know it can be salvaged! Love you work x
Hi can you please tell me how many calories per serving?
Hi Judy! It’s in the nutrition facts in the recipe card xo!
Any ideas on not using xylitol.. stevia???
Xylitol works as an inverted sugar to keep your ice cream super smooth even weeks after making it. Stevia could result in icy ice cream and I honestly never recommend it mixed with chocolate (super bitter aftertaste) xo!
I made this today and just finished licking the bowl I had my portion from, it was so good! Amazing texture and taste, I’m thrilled to find I can have a low carb treat from time to time! Thanks so much for this, I can’t wait to try the vanilla one next!
LOL! That’s so awesome to hear Caroline! Hope you love that one too! ps. check out the new frozen yogurt too! 😉
Hi!
I was wondering if you could sub out the coconut milk for something else possibly, if so please let me know!
Thank you so much, I love your all the recipes you post!
Hi Nikki! If it’s a taste thing, you really can’t taste it. Otherwise you could do more HWC (just keep in mind that it would be A LOT of heavy cream). xo and so happy to hear your enjoying the recipes 🙂
Has anyone tried this with an Ice Cream Maker? Do you think it would work well with one?
Hi Brandi! Definitely! It will take roughly 15 minutes to churn xo!