The famous Dairy Queen Buster Bars get a sugar-free keto makeover! Craving a sweet, frozen treat without derailing your ketogenic diet? Look no further than these keto ice cream bars. This article explores several recipes and variations, offering a delightful way to enjoy a classic dessert while staying true to your low-carb lifestyle.
Recreating the Buster Bar: A Keto-Friendly Copycat
If you haven’t heard of them, don’t feel bad. Neither had I until I decided to make a keto version! The Buster Bar appears to be an ice cream bar with similar flavors. The Buster Bar is an ice cream bar featuring a delectable combination of flavors and textures: a chocolate crust, vanilla ice cream, salted peanuts, and a rich chocolate sauce. This recipe provides a step-by-step guide to creating a keto-friendly version of this iconic treat.
Ingredients for Keto Buster Bars
- Crust: Almond flour, cocoa powder, sweetener (powdered to avoid grittiness), melted butter. For a nut-free option, use sunflower seed flour in place of almond flour.
- Filling: Keto vanilla ice cream (homemade or store-bought), salted peanuts.
- Topping: Heavy cream, chopped chocolate, sweetener, vanilla extract.
Making Keto Buster Bars
Prepare the Crust: In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cocoa powder, sweetener, and salt. Stir in the melted butter until well combined. Press firmly and evenly into the bottom of a 9x9 metal pan. Freeze while preparing the ice cream.
Prepare the Filling: Prepare the ice cream as directed in the recipe. If using store-bought keto ice cream, soften it on the counter for about 15 minutes. Spread the ice cream over the crust. Sprinkle the surface evenly with the salted peanuts. Place in the freezer until firm, at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
Prepare the Topping: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the cream to just a simmer. Add the chopped chocolate and let sit until melted, then whisk to combine. Stir in the sweetener and vanilla extract until smooth. Let cool at least 10 minutes (otherwise it will melt your ice cream!).
Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers
Assemble the Bars: Pour the chocolate sauce over the ice cream. Tilt the pan in all directions to get the chocolate to coat the surface evenly. Return to the freezer for 30 minutes or so, to set the chocolate topping.
Before digging into these, you really do need to let the ice cream freeze properly. That means 4 hours at least, but better yet, overnight. But trust me, these are worth the wait! And the work. My kids loved them so much, I had to fight to keep some for myself. But how can you go wrong with a chocolate crust, vanilla ice cream, salted peanuts and rich chocolate sauce! Ready to enjoy some Keto Buster Bars? The famous Dairy Queen Buster Bars get a sugar-free keto makeover!
Keto Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Bars: A Nostalgic Delight
Inspired by the classic ice cream truck treat, these keto strawberry shortcake ice cream bars offer a grain-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free alternative. With a creamy vanilla coconut-based ice cream and a buttery, crumbly strawberry topping, these bars are a healthy and delicious way to indulge in nostalgia.
Key Ingredients and Tips
- Ice Cream: Use a low-carb and dairy-free option like SO Delicious' No Sugar Added Vanilla Bean Coconut Milk ice cream.
- Topping: Combine freeze-dried strawberries (pulsed in a spice grinder), almond flour, Lakanto's golden monkfruit sweetener, and Evolved coconut butter.
- Glaze: Coconut oil and coconut butter. Remember that coconut oil and coconut butter harden QUICKLY. So when you start glazing your popsicle, you’ll want to get the topping on ASAP.
Making Keto Strawberry Shortcake Bars
Soften ice cream and spoon into popsicle molds.
Once frozen, pop out popsicles by running under warm water and place on a parchment paper-lined tray.
Read also: Keto Calorie Counting: A Detailed Guide
Mix together strawberries, almond flour, monkfruit sweetener, vanilla, and coconut butter until thoroughly combined (texture should resemble wet sand).
Melt together coconut oil and coconut butter.
To coat the popsicles, spoon or drizzle glaze over each popsicle (one at a time). Then, add the topping to each side of the popsicle, by dipping and spooning over.
Keto Caramel Chocolate Nut Ice Cream Bars
These homemade caramel ice cream bars can be flavored with any of your favorite flavors. Coat the ice creams in melted chocolate, keto jams, or roll in a little toasted coconut or nuts.
Key Ingredients
- Cream (thickened, heavy, or whipping cream) or coconut cream, almond milk, coconut milk, or macadamia milk for a dairy-free option.
- Xylitol or allulose as sweeteners (avoid recrystallization).
- Eggs (large, fresh, free-range, and at room temperature).
- Vanilla Protein Powder (Atkins Protein Shake Mix recommended).
- Atkins Caramel Chocolate Nut Rolls (or similar keto-friendly candy bar).
Making Keto Caramel Chocolate Nut Ice Cream Bars
Combine the ice cream ingredients into a large heat-safe bowl.
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Bring a saucepan, half-filled with water, to a gentle simmer. Continue to whisk until the sweetener is no longer grainy (4-7 minutes) and the mixture coats the back of a spoon.
Cut the ice cream into small chunks, work in batches, and pulse in a food processor or blender until smooth.
While the ice cream is blending make the caramel sauce.
Spoon into popsicle molds.
Coat in extra warm caramel sauce and coat in the melted chocolate if you are using it.
General Tips for Keto Ice Cream Bars
- Softening Ice Cream: If your ice cream is too firm, leave it on the bench until it is soft enough to chop. Place pieces of the ice cream into a blender and blend to break any ice crystals formed.
- Sweeteners: The best sweeteners for keto ice cream are xylitol and allulose. Please note that xylitol is toxic to dogs and should be used and consumed with caution when around our four-legged family members.
- Protein Powder: Flavored collagen can replace protein powder.
- Variations: Mint Keto Ice Cream - add mint extract flavor and color if you want. I always start with about half a teaspoon then increase.
Keto Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Ice Cream Bars
These low carb, THM and Keto chocolate covered peanut butter ice cream bars look quite frankly AMAZING! Summer is here, and summer means ice cream - and what better vehicle for ice cream than a convenient keto ice cream bar that you can pull out of your freezer when you’ve just come inside from a nice warm run?
Key ingredients
- Cocoa butter in the chocolate coating adds stability to the coconut oil (so it doesn’t melt so fast at room temperature) while making it more of a milk chocolate darkness.
- The volume of sugar alcohols help keep these Keto chocolate covered peanut butter ice cream bars from freezing so hard.
- The vegetable glycerin keeps the ice cream creamier and less icy after freezing.
Recipe
- Blend the ice cream ingredients together for 30 seconds, adding the xanthan gum last, right before blending so it doesn’t clump.
- Churn the ice cream mixture in a 1 ½ - qt. ice cream churn according to manufacturer’s directions.
- Spread the finished ice cream into a foil-lined 9”x13” pan, cover, and freeze.
- Melt all the ingredients together in the microwave or in a double boiler, stirring frequently so the chocolate doesn’t burn.
- Let the melted mixture cool a bit before dipping your ice cream bars so it doesn’t melt the ice cream.
- Take the ice cream bars out of their pan (the foil helps with this) and dip them in the chocolate mixture one at a time, dipping on one side, flipping to dip on the other side, then flipping again to catch the top with an extra coat.
Keto Brownie Ice Cream Bars
These keto ice cream bars are the ultimate low-carb treat. They look and taste like the real thing, but they don’t come with copious amounts of sugar or weird artificial aftertaste. Oh, and it’s a fabulous excuse to make my keto brownies, too.
Key ingredients
- Almond flour. Blanched almond flour is preferred, but you can also use almond meal.
- Chocolate. Any chocolate bar with a cocoa content above 70% is generally keto-friendly. You can also use sugar free chocolate chips.
Recipe
- Combine the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, microwave the butter and chocolate until melted. Mix to combine, then fold in the eggs and vanilla.
- Pour the batter into the two lined pans. Spread into a thin layer.
- Bake the brownies for 12-14 minutes.
- Spread the softened keto ice cream onto the brownie.
- Add the top brownie layer. Gently press down, then transfer it to the freezer.
Chocolate Covered Cottage Cheese Ice Cream Bars
These chocolate covered cottage cheese ice cream bars are low sugar, low carb, high protein and keto-friendly. The bars taste like homemade Klondike bars. These healthier ice cream bars make for a cool and refreshing treat.
Key ingredients
- Sugar-free sweetener: Use sugar free sweetened coconut condensed milk. It helps this ice cream have a more creamy consistency and sweetens the ice cream.
- Frozen Whipped Topping: The whipped topping is used to help with the texture and flavor of the ice cream, so it doesn’t taste like cottage cheese. You can also use homemade whipped cream.
- Low Carb chocolate chips: Chocolate chips are melted down for dipping and coating the chocolate bars.
Recipe
- Line an 8-inch square pan with plastic wrap, leaving overhang on the sides.
- In a blender, combine cottage cheese and sweetener. Blend until completely smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender as needed.
- Pour the mixture into a mixing bowl then gently fold in the whipped topping until evenly combined.
- Pour the mixture into the lined pan and smooth the top. Freeze for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, or until solid.
- Once frozen, lift the mixture out using the plastic wrap overhang and cut into 4 equal squares. Return to the freezer while you melt the chocolate.
- Line a small baking tray with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Add chocolate chips to a medium microwave safe bowl. Heat in 30 second increments, stirring in between with a silicone spatula, until completely melted and smooth. Let cool slightly.
- Working quickly, dip each frozen square into the melted chocolate, letting any excess drip off. Place dipped bars on a parchment paper-lined baking tray and return to the freezer until the chocolate hardens (about 15-20 minutes).
Where to Buy Keto Ice Cream Bars
You can buy keto ice cream bars at Costco, Coles, Woolworths, Walmart, and so many other places. To be honest these sugar free keto ice cream bars right here are the BEST keto ice cream bars I have tried. Make them and compare yourself. They work out cheaper and taste so much better. Plus you can flavor them just how you like it and control what goes into them.