Can I Make ice cream without an ice cream maker (no churn)?

Yes, you can make this recipe no-churn. There are two options. Replace the whole milk with heavy cream. Use a mixer and combine all the ingredients except the chocolate chips. Beat until the cream comes to the stiff peak stage. Gently fold the chocolate chips into the ice cream mixture. Add the ice cream base to a loaf pan or other suitable container. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for about 8 hours. The second option is to use the keep the whole milk as used in the original recipe. Combine all ingredients except the chocolate chips. Add the mixture to a suitable container and place in the freezer. Stir the ice cream mixture every 30 to 45 minutes over the next 4 hours. Once the ice cream has set, you can gently mix in the chocolate chips, cover it with plastic wrap and continue freezing until the desired consistency is reached.

Do I have to cook this ice cream recipe?

This recipe is made Philadelphia-style, meaning no eggs. So the base does not need to be cooked.

What Happens If My Ice Cream Freezes Rock-Hard?

Truly, the only downside to homemade sugar-free ice cream is that no matter what you do, I've found the ice cream will freeze rock hard. (Although, I have no problem eating rock-solid ice cream, lol.) Sugar is actually a very important component of ice cream. Besides adding sweetness, sugar keeps ice cream soft by lowering the freezing point of the ice cream. So by removing the sugar, your ice cream will freeze rock solid. Possibly you could add enough alcohol to keep this from happening, but I don't care for how alcohol interferes with the flavor. With that in mind, I tend to make my sugar-free ice cream in small batches so that we can polish it off in one sitting. After freezing, you can let the ice cream sit out on the counter for about 5 minutes or so, and it should soften enough for scooping, but the texture will still not be the same as it was straight out of the ice cream maker.

What sugar free sweeteners are best for ice cream?

You can use any cup for cup sugar replacement in this recipe. Personally, I think Splenda tastes the best but also has the worst rap when it comes to healthiness. I have tried Swerve, Stevia, Stevia Erythritol mx, and Monk Fruit Sweetener With Allulose. Swerve with Erythritol is what I generally use in this recipe; Swerve has a slight cooling effect that doesn't work with everything, but you don't even notice it with this sugar free mint chip ice cream recipe.

What Does Gelatin Do For Sugar Free Ice Cream?

Gelatin helps make smooth, creamy, and fluffy ice cream without too much added fat or calories. Other options would be to add eggs (but then you would need to cook the base), cream cheese, or use all heavy cream. All heavy cream in ice cream is not my favorite. I am not crazy about the oily mouthfeel of ice cream made completely of heavy cream.

What Does Vegetable Glycerine Do For Sugar Free Ice Cream?

Vegetable glycerin is a sugar alcohol produced from plant matter. It helps give ice cream a creamy texture and to stay scoopable instead of icy when frozen. It also helps to keep the ice cream from sticking to the container of the frozen bowl. (If you have ever tried to make low-fat, sugar-free ice cream in the Cuisinart ice cream maker, you know what I am talking about here.) 3/4 of a tablespoon of vegetable glycerine will add 45 calories and 11 carbs to the entire batch of ice cream. This is my preferred vegetable glycerin .

Can I Use Plant-Based Milks In This Recipe?

You can use coconut milk, although it will impart a slight coconutty flavor. If you are looking to decrease the calorie count with something like unsweetened almond milk, you could replace the whole milk with almond milk. You still need some fat for the recipe to turn out, so you will need to keep the heavy whipping cream. The only exception to this would be if you were using something like the Ninja Creami. I have recently bought the Ninja Creami Deluxe (Kohl's) ( Amazon link ) specifically to make ice cream with plant-based milks and protein drinks. The Ninja Creami is really awesome for this.

Can I Make This Recipe In The Ninja Creami?

Yes, as mentioned above, you can make this in the Nija Creami. You can make the recipe as is or replace the heavy cream with a low-calorie plant-based milk. (Like almond or cashew.) I would still make the recipe with a bit of dairy milk; it just gives a more ice cream-like result. I usually use 2% Fairlife milk for this. (Fairlife milk has lower sugar and carbs per serving.) Instead of gelatin, I use 1/2 teaspoon of guar gum in the Ninja Creami recipes.

Low Carb Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Name: Low Carb Sugaar Free Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: PT-479830H10M52S
Total time: PT-479830H10M52S
Ingredients: 3/4 cup Fairlife whole milk (has fewer carbs than regular whole milk but you could use half n half or heavy cream if desired); 1.5 cups heavy cream; 2/3 cup Swerve or other cup for cup sweetener (possibly a bit more if you like your ice cream sweeter); pinch salt (don’t skip); 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract; 3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract; 3/4 cup chopped mini semisweet chocolate chips or other sugar free chocolate; 3/4 tbsp Knox unflavored gelatin; *Optional: smidge green food coloring (add a tiny bit at a time until desired shade reached); *optional 3/4 tbsp of vegetable glycerin

Description

Low Carb Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream is a perfect low carb and sugar-free treat. This Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Recipe is easy to make and will hit the spot when you’re craving something sweet and creamy but need to stay on your low carb eating plan!

Ingredients

Units Scale

3/4 cup Fairlife whole milk (has fewer carbs than regular whole milk but you could use half n half or heavy cream if desired)
1.5 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup Swerve or other cup for cup sweetener (possibly a bit more if you like your ice cream sweeter)
pinch salt (don’t skip)
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
3/4 cup chopped mini semisweet chocolate chips or other sugar free chocolate
3/4 tbsp Knox unflavored gelatin
*Optional: smidge green food coloring (add a tiny bit at a time until desired shade reached)
*optional 3/4 tbsp of vegetable glycerin

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Instructions

Set aside 1/4 cup of the whole milk. Sprinkle gelatin over the 1/4 cup of milk, set aside for a few minutes.
In a large bowl, stir together the 1/2 cup milk, cream, sweetener, salt, vanilla, peppermint extract until the sugar has dissolved.
Add the gelatin/milk mixture to the ice cream mixture. Blend til thoroughly combined.
If desired, mix in a bit of food coloring until the optimal color has been acheived.
Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker, and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Once the ice cream is almost to the desired consistency, add the chocolate chips.
Serve immediately as soft serve or add to a freezer container and freeze for about 30 minutes to an hour. (The ice cream in these photos was in the freezer for about 30 minutes.)
If you find your ice cream has frozen too hard to scoop, let it sit on the counter for 5 to 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe
Calories: 307
Fat: 28
Carbohydrates: 16
Fiber: 6
Protein: 6