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No Carb Ice Cream? Keto Friendly Recipes
If you’re looking for no carb ice cream made with real heavy cream, you’re out of luck. It’s simply impossible as heavy cream naturally contains sugars.
Even homemade “sugar-free” keto-friendly ice cream made from pure, fatty, heavy whipping cream has some carbs (6 grams per cup). Therefore, there is no such thing as no-carb ice cream.
But what about no-carb ice creams made with cream substitutes and artificial sweeteners?
Why you would want to eat that processed garbage is beyond any of us, but the answer is still, nope–all low-carb, so called keto friendly store bought ice creams have more than 10 grams of carbs per serving.
Does this mean you can’t have very low-carb ice cream on a “no-carb” diet?
That depends on your dietary goals, discipline, and carb tolerance, but for most of us, that answer is a resounding YES.
In this article, we’ll explore the pros and cons of low-carb ice cream. We’ll also offer a delicious and easy recipe to ensure that when and if you do consume ice cream, it’s the most nutritious and lowest-carb variety possible.
Table of Contents
Can I Have Low-Carb Ice Cream on a No-Carb Diet?
If you’re practicing a no carb, or zero carb diet, the best you can do ice cream-wise is a homemade heavy cream ice cream with no added sugar. Of course, even this will have some carbohydrates from the heavy cream.
We’ll provide two of Dr. Kiltz’s personal recipes below. The first is the original recipe with a very small amount of added sugar. And the second recipe with zero added sugar for the purists.
Home-made ice cream made from heavy cream and eggs with little to no added sugar is incredibly nutritious. So much so that you can enjoy these ice creams guilt-free and even for breakfast! Of course, it can be quite calorically dense, so if you are trying to lose weight, it may be a good idea to have no more than once or twice a week.
If you’re on an ultra-strict no carb diet of only zero-carb foods, you’d have to consider this a treat/cheat.
Boost Your Fat Intake on Keto and Carnivore
If you feel like you have room in your macro intake for a few animal-based carbs and you also tolerate dairy well, Dr. Kiltz’s simple recipes are delicious, nutritious, and guilt-free treats.
For many keto and carnivore dieters, Kiltz’s homemade keto ice cream may also help you achieve your desired keto macro percentages by dramatically boosting your fat intake.
Remember that on keto and carnivore, you’re aiming to get 70-80% of your calories from fat and only 20-30% from protein.
Keto Ice Cream with A1 vs. A2 Dairy
If you think you’re dairy intolerant, you may be eating the wrong kind of dairy.
Dairy comes in two main varieties differentiated by the presence of a protein called casein. Unfortunately, most of our dairy products are made with dairy that contains casein. These are known as A1 dairy products.
When you digest A1 dairy the proteins break down into beta-casomorphin 7. This molecule has been linked to cardiovascular, autoimmune diseases, and inflammation.
The good news is that A2 dairy (casein-free) is becoming more widely available. Studies show that A2 dairy results in far fewer digestive issues.
You can get A2 dairy from A2-certified cows, or from buffalo, goat, sheep, and camel products.
Original Kiltz’s Keto Ice Cream Recipe (Treat Version w/ Sugar)
The original Kiltz’s keto ice cream recipe calls for only a small amount of sugar or alternative sweeteners like honey or maple syrup.
This recipe makes four servings and contributes only 6.5 grams of carbs per serving while also boosting fat intake by 44.1 grams per serving. For most people following a well-formulated keto diet this trade-off is beneficial.
Ingredients
Makes 1 pint (4 servings)
- 1 Pint of high-quality heavy cream (preferably grass-fed, local, and/or organic)
- 1 egg or 5 egg yolks (pasture-raised is best). Egg yolks will give it a richer, more custardy texture. Egg yolks are also the portion of eggs that have the most nutrients.
- 1-2 TBSP of granulated pure cane sugar. You can also substitute sugar for honey, maple syrup, or alternative sweetener). Cane sugar contributes 13 grams of carbs per tablespoon. This comes out to as little as 3 grams per serving (¼ pint)
- 1 Vanilla Bean (or vanilla paste/extract)
- Optional: Salt to taste – start with 1-3 pinches (1/16 to 1/4 tsp) of sea/Himalayan salt
Kiltz’s Original Keto Ice Cream Nutrition
Instructions
- combine egg (or egg yolks), salt, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Whisk together
- Whisk heavy cream into the egg mixture
- Pour mixture into an ice cream maker and follow instructions specific to your ice cream maker
Follow Along With Dr. Kiltz’s How To Video
Guilt-Free Every Day (No Sugar) Kiltz’s Keto “Iced Cream” Recipe
For this guilt-free keto “iced cream” recipe, Dr. Kiltz eliminated any added sweeteners. Yet it’s still surprisingly sweet, especially when you’ve become accustomed to keto or carnivore eating.
Ingredients
- 1 Pint of high-quality heavy cream, best from grass-fed, pastured, and/or local sources
- 1 egg or 5 egg yolks (pasture-raised is best).
- optional: 1 Vanilla Bean (or vanilla extract)
- optional: salt to taste – start with 1-3 pinches (1/16 to 1/4 tsp) of sea/Himalayan salt
Kiltz’s Guilt-Free (No Sugar) Keto Ice Cream Nutrition
Instructions
- combine egg, salt, vanilla in a large bowl and whisk thoroughly
- combine and whisk heavy cream with egg mixture
- pour mixture into your ice cream maker and follow the specific instructions of your ice cream maker
Follow Along with Dr. Kiltz as He Makes His Guilt Free Keto Ice Cream
No Carb Ice Cream: The Bottom Line
The hard truth is that there’s no such thing as “no-carb ice cream.” If you find something claiming to be ZERO CARB ice cream, you’re being scammed.
The good news is there is such a thing as “no added sugar” ice cream, and it is DELICIOUS!
If you’re strictly consuming only zero-carb foods, then you’ll want to avoid even low-carb keto-friendly ice cream, but unless you’re suffering greatly from even minor amounts of carbohydrates, a high-fat keto-friendly iced cream is a nourishing and delicious treat that all of us deserve.
Kiltz’s fatty homemade iced cream may also be just the food to keep you in the ideal high-fat, moderate-protein, and low-carb ratios that keep keto sustainable and healthy.