The quest for the perfect keto ice cream is a journey to find a treat that mirrors the creamy, sweet, and rich experience of traditional ice cream, without the sugar overload. The mere concept of "keto ice cream" might seem like an oxymoron, akin to a "low-fat Big Mac" or "carb-free pasta". After all, ice cream fundamentally relies on milk, sugar, and cream. But can the essence of ice cream be captured without sugar, perhaps through ultra-filtered milk, protein concentrates, or monk fruit? This review dives deep into the world of keto ice cream, focusing on bars, to discover if these low-carb alternatives can truly satisfy your sweet cravings.
The Allure of Keto Ice Cream Bars
In the realm of keto ice cream, bars emerge as the superior choice. Keto-fied ice cream in pop form tends to maintain its structure better and boasts a creamier texture, unlike some pints of keto ice cream.
Top Keto Ice Cream Bar Picks
Halo Top Sea Salt Caramel Ice Cream Pop
The Halo Top Sea Salt Caramel ice cream pop offers a smooth texture (for keto ice cream) and a delightful salted caramel taste. It doesn't scream "keto," which is a plus. This bar can trick you into thinking it's just like any other ice cream bar.
Keto Fudgesicle
This is like a big ol’ keto Fudgesicle and it’s damn delightful. Like a real-deal Fudgsicle, there’s something wonderful about this dark chocolate ice cream bar’s delicious sameness. It’s a single texture and flavor through and through; it’s cool, soft (for keto ice cream), chocolatey, and delicious. There’s no outer edge of chocolate to crumble off and fall onto the floor (a problem with keto ice cream bars).
Rebel Mint Chip Ice Cream
This is a damn fine mint-flavored ice cream, in spite of it being keto. This ice cream comes fully studded with little chips of dark chocolate, so you get a nice bit of crunchy texture in addition to the somewhat smooth, protein-rich ice cream. While it’s clearly not good ol’ fashioned non-keto ice cream, it’s still sweet and creamy enough to get by. The creamy texture is impressive, especially considering the low-carb base. The little chunks of dark chocolate are a smart move, too-these little gems do well to make you forget that you’re watching your carbs at all.
Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers
Enlightened Ice Cream Cake
Enlightened just has the smooth-and-creamy ice cream texture we’re looking for. This ice cream cake-flavored pint is sweet without being saccharine, and it has a classic vanilla-chocolate swirl flavor combination. I really love the ingredients listed, too: butter, cream, egg yolks, dutched cocoa, vanilla, and chocolate liquor. Those just read like good ice cream ingredients. It lacks sweetness, but I kind of like the understated flavor.
What to Look For in Keto Ice Cream
Creaminess and Texture
The best keto ice cream should mimic actual ice cream. Good ice cream should be creamy, fatty, and rich, so we were looking for that heavenly texture and flavor. The texture should be smooth and creamy, avoiding the rock-solid consistency that plagues some keto ice creams.
Ingredients Matter
Look for ice cream made with real cream and not milk protein concentrate. It will taste much better and will be higher in fat. Some keto ice cream brands use high fat cream as a base. There isn’t one company that uses skim milk only, but rather certain flavors they sell have skim milk in them. Remember that skim milk by itself isn’t keto friendly - one cup has about 12g of net carbs.
Sweeteners
If you’re on the keto diet because of blood sugar spikes or you have a an overall sugar imbalance, watch out for the sweeteners.
Calorie Awareness
Naturally, ice cream made with mostly cream will not be low calorie and if you eat too much of it, you may stall your weight loss goals.
Read also: Keto Calorie Counting: A Detailed Guide
Other Keto Ice Cream Brands to Consider
Rebel Creamery
When it comes to the taste, Rebel Creamery has it all figured out. It’s not too sweet, but filling and creamy at the same time. The biggest downfall is the consistency. This keto ice cream brand sells both pints and bars and offers a solid variety of flavors.
Halo Top
You’ll always find something to satisfy your cravings with the keto Halo Top ice cream. In comparison to other keto ice creams, they’re really low in calories, but not so much when it comes to the carb count. Their taste is delicious and measures up to that of non keto ice cream for sure. While they have the best ice cream bars, they also carry pints as well.
Mammoth Creamery
Our favorite ice cream, hands down, is one from the Mammoth Creamery. Everything from taste and texture to ingredients is just perfect.
DIY Keto Ice Cream Recipes
In case you decided that after all, you’d actually rather make your keto ice cream at home, here are a few of our best recipes.
Keto Chocolate Ice Cream
Made with only 5 ingredients, this are the easiest keto friendly ice cream to make at home. It’s delicious, creamy and contains less than 5g net carbs per serving.
Read also: Magnesium Supplements for Keto
Mason Jar Ice Cream
It’s a legitimate way to make tasty ice cream in no time. Plus, it only has 3g of net carbs per serving!
Keto Ice Cream Bars
Ready for a summer party? Your guests will love these and I promise, they won’t even know these are keto. Grab your popsicle molds, a few ingredients and enjoy them at 4g of net carbs per bar.
Almond Milk Ice Cream
Need something keto friendly, but also dairy free? Not an issue. This ice cream is made with unsweetened almond milk and coconut milk.