Easy Keto Ice Cream (No-Churn)
This no-churn keto ice cream is a whipped cream-cheese base sweetened with allulose that freezes soft enough to scoop, at about 2 g net carbs per serving and roughly 15 minutes of active prep before it sets in the freezer for at least 4 hours. No ice cream maker is required, though the base also works in one if you have it.
Most store-bought "keto" ice creams run 4 to 7 g net carbs per small serving once you account for sugar alcohols that aren't fully absorbed the way the label implies, and a pint rarely stretches past two real portions. This version uses only heavy cream, cream cheese, and allulose, so the carb count is predictable and the ingredient list is short enough to keep on hand. It also solves the classic homemade problem — a keto ice cream that freezes into a scoop-proof brick — with one sweetener swap and an optional splash of alcohol.
Why does no-churn keto ice cream work?
Whipping air into cold heavy cream and folding it into a sweetened cream cheese base does the same job an ice cream maker's paddle does — it suspends air bubbles that keep the frozen dessert light instead of dense. Cream cheese also adds body and a slight tang that stands in for the milk solids a traditional custard base would normally supply.
What ingredients do you need?
- 2 cups (475 ml) cold heavy whipping cream — whips to stiff peaks and supplies almost all of the fat and richness.
- 4 oz (113 g) full-fat cream cheese, softened — gives the base structure and a scoopable, not icy, texture.
- 2/3 cup (128 g) allulose — sweetens without the rock-hard freeze of erythritol; a 1:1 allulose-erythritol blend also works if that's what you have.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract — for the base flavor.
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt — balances the sweetness.
- 1 tablespoon vodka or MCT oil, optional — the scoopability trick explained below.
Heavy cream, cream cheese, and allulose are all standard entries on a keto food list; if you swap sweeteners, run the total through the net-carb calculator to confirm your version still lands near 2 g net carbs per serving.
How do you make keto ice cream without a machine?
Beat cream cheese, allulose, vanilla, and salt into a smooth base, fold in cream whipped to stiff peaks, then freeze the mixture in a covered pan for at least 4 hours. No stand mixer, ice cream maker, or cooking is required — just a mixing bowl and a whisk or hand mixer.
No-churn method (freezer only)
- Beat the base. Beat the softened cream cheese, allulose, vanilla, and salt until completely smooth with no lumps.
- Whip the cream. In a separate bowl, whip the cold heavy cream to stiff peaks.
- Fold together. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese base in three additions, keeping as much air in as possible.
- Add the scoop trick. Stir in the vodka or MCT oil if using.
- Freeze. Pour into a loaf pan, cover, and freeze at least 4 hours or until firm.
- Scoop and serve. Let the pan sit at room temperature 5 to 10 minutes before scooping.
Ice-cream-maker method
Chill the same base for 30 minutes, then churn it in an ice cream maker per the manufacturer's instructions — usually 20 to 25 minutes, until it reaches soft-serve consistency. Transfer to a container and freeze another 2 hours to firm up before scooping.
How do you keep keto ice cream scoopable, not rock hard?
The two things that make homemade keto ice cream freeze into an unscoopable block are erythritol and too little fat, so swap to allulose and add a splash of vodka or MCT oil. Erythritol recrystallizes as it freezes, which is why erythritol-sweetened ice cream often turns gritty and hard, while allulose stays smoother because it doesn't crystallize the same way.
- Pick a freeze-friendly sweetener. Allulose, or an allulose-heavy blend, keeps the texture soft; straight erythritol is the most common cause of a too-hard freeze.
- Add a splash of alcohol or MCT oil. A tablespoon of vodka or MCT oil slightly lowers the freezing point so the base never sets fully solid — the alcohol itself doesn't add meaningful carbs or flavor at that volume.
- Store shallow and temper before scooping. A shallow, airtight container freezes more evenly than a deep one, and 5 to 10 minutes at room temperature before scooping softens the top layer without melting the rest.
What flavor variations can you make?
- Chocolate: whisk 3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder into the cream cheese base before folding in the whipped cream. If you'd rather skip the freezer entirely, our keto chocolate mousse uses a similar whipped base with no churning or freezing at all.
- Strawberry: fold in 1/2 cup of mashed fresh strawberries mixed with a tablespoon of allulose after step 3.
- Mint: add 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract in place of half the vanilla, plus a few drops of green food coloring if you want the classic look.
For a warm dessert instead of a frozen one, our keto mug cake is ready in 90 seconds, and the full keto dessert recipes roundup has more low-carb sweets if you're planning a whole dessert table.
Nutrition facts per serving
One batch makes about 4 cups — 8 servings of roughly 1/2 cup each. Values are calculated from the ingredient amounts above using standard USDA figures for heavy cream and cream cheese; allulose is excluded from the carbohydrate count because the body doesn't absorb or metabolize it the way it does sugar.1
| Nutrient | Per serving (about 1/2 cup) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 260 kcal |
| Fat | 27 g |
| Protein | 2 g |
| Total carbs | 2 g |
| Fiber | 0 g |
| Net carbs | 2 g |
If you're building this into a full day of eating, our macros guide walks through setting your daily fat, protein, and net-carb targets so a 260-calorie dessert fits cleanly into the rest of your meals. For the complete list of every recipe on the site organized by dish type, browse the keto recipes by-type hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need an ice cream maker for keto ice cream?
Why is homemade keto ice cream so hard to scoop?
Can you use erythritol instead of allulose?
How many net carbs are in this keto ice cream?
Can you make keto ice cream dairy-free?
How long does homemade keto ice cream last in the freezer?
Works cited
Article history
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