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This Chocolate Ice Cream might look typical but is anything but, made without added sugar, dairy free and with only 3 ingredients!
Creamy dreamy chocolate ice cream….nothing like it! Maybe you’re more of a vanilla lover, but most can’t resist chocolate flavored ice cream. Making a dairy free and sugar free version has been on my mind every since I brought you my Single Serve Low Carb Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. And I fully intended to work on adapting that very recipe as well, but this one just happened first! Using this type of dairy free milk produces the creamiest ice cream and surprisingly all you still taste is chocolate flavor and nothing else!
The reason I chose to try this you ask? I had an impulse buy of ice cream one day at Whole Foods and purchased coconut milk ice cream. Unfortunately it tasted so good I ate more than the 1/4 cup serving and with the sugar sub used in it, I had quite the stomach ache for hours. I knew making it at home would be the best choice as I could use my beloved stevia to sweeten it without side effects.
This is low carb , with fiber and protein in it as well. You may now be looking at the higher fat content in this ice cream or the high Weight Watchers points if you follow that program, and your desire to make this will come to a screeching halt! You must remember the point of this type of ice cream, dairy free for those with lactose issues. If you want to reduce the fat content and still keep it dairy free you could sub half of the coconut milk with unsweetened almond milk. Still delicious in my mind anyway and still low carb and without added sugars.
Notes:
- If you don’t have chocolate liquid stevia you can just use plain or even vanilla. I tried just 1/2 teaspoon and let my children share with me but we all thought it was not sweet enough.
- If you don’t have any liquid stevia you can use packets of stevia. I would suggest 3.
- If you prefer to use coconut sugar I would recommend 2-3 tablespoons.
- Taste as adjust as needed, before pouring in your ice cream machine.
- I can not say if this will be as creamy if you don’t use an ice cream machine, but if you try it please come back and let me know!
UPDATE 5/20/14: I doubled this recipe for guests using the following amounts, I used 4 cups of fresh not canned (either is fine) coconut milk, 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt. 2 teaspoons chocolate stevia and 1 tablespoon of vodka. I added some vodka to keep the ice cream soft when frozen. Next time I will add another tablespoon of vodka as the ice cream was made ahead of time and needed almost an hour to soften enough to scoop. .
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Chocolate Ice Cream {Dairy Free & Low Carb}
Ingredients
- 1 can coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon chocolate stevia
- pinch salt
- optional: cacao nibs
Instructions
-
Mix ingredients in blender.
-
Carefully pour mixture into an ice cream machine and follow manufacturers instructions.
-
Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 8
Is there a way to make this if I have no ice cream machine? My youngest son just turned 1 and he is allergic to all dairy, so this sounds like an amazing option for us.
I think if you don’t use a machine the best bet would be to open the can of coconut milk and keep it in the fridge uncovered overnight to allow the cream to come to the top. Use just the cream of the can and leave the watery milk at the bottom. I would whip that up in my kitchenaid stand mixer for a good 15 minutes until peaks form then add the rest of the ingredients and freeze for a short time. Let me know!
I make this without an ice cream machine. I use my Ninja and first freeze an ice cube tray of milk or almond milk. Then I put 2 cups of the cubes in the Ninja, and chop it up. Then I add the well-chilled coconut milk, cocoa, sweetener of choice, and process with long bursts, about a count of 8, for 4-5 Times, or until as thick as I want. Serve immediately.
If you freeze leftovers, it gets hard, but give it about 30 min to soften. The key is the frozen cubes. I have used chocolate almond milk for that, and its great. You can make fruit flavors, using 2 cups of frozen fruit instead of milk-ice-cubes. We love this simple, low carb ice cream. Play around with it!
How many carbs would you say this ice cream has?
Just reading this link now and I know it’s years later but you can buy a dairy free ice cream called swedish glace. It’s lovely.
I am so happy I found you. I have been trying for months to come up with dairy free. sugar free. gluten free baking recipes that work and taste good.
I have no experience in baking and the Whole Foods cooking instructors think I am nuts when I insist that all sugar has to be eliminated and I can’t use anything with coconut only almond milk as dairy and only stevia as the sugar replacement.
I did find your recommended chocolate chips, Lily’s at whole foods, but tried another chocolate ice cream recipe because yours calls for coconut milk and theirs used only almond milk. I wasn’t very happy with how it turned out. Is there any way to use almond milk and make the ice cream more creamy and not so hard after it freezes. Theirs called for a lot of egg yolks, 6 and regular sugar, I used white stevia powder. I can’t wait to try your brownie recipe with the black beans. One BIG problem, I have been to 7 stores and the 8″ x 8″ x 2″ glass baking dish is no longer available . You can only buy them used on line or at a thrift shop. I am still trying to locate one . Anchor has gone to making a 8″x8″x2 1/2″ glass baking dish and they call it a one quart cassarole. I tried this with another brown recipe and they came out like thin chocolate pancakes?? No good so I returned it to Target. Still looking!
Thank you for all your hard work to help all of us that need to eat sugar free, gluten free and dairy free. Peace, Love and Joy to you and your beautiful family.
William
Hi Brenda,
I am just checking back for your reply. I tried your brownie recipe with the black beans, but I had to use a baking pan and they did not rise. They are one inch high. I would sure appreciate any help you can give this novice baker. Thank you.
HI William, sorry for the delay in replying back. As far as the ice cream and making it creamy, almond milk is not going to produce the creamiest ice creams. Another option for dairy free you might try rice milk or goats milk if you are not allergic. Adding some vodka thought helps to make keep the ice cream softer after being frozen. If you tried another brownie recipe and they turned out like pancakes it was more likely because it didn’t have enough baking powder to make it rise. I really don’t think the size of the pan matters, it’s all in the recipe and you haven’t tried my recipe yet but you could make this in any pan you have available. If you have a 9 by 13 sized pan just double the recipe.
Hi Brenda, thank you so much for your time and reply.
I am determined to make a sugar free, dairy free, gluten free chocolate ice cream. I will try the rice milk in place of the almond milk. Can you please advise how I add the vodka. Do I add it to the mixture I am heating on the stove of rice milk, semi sweet chocolates(sweetened with stevia only) and cocoa powder? This would burn off the alcohol and maybe then that would ‘t work?
I did try your brownie recipe using my 8″x8″2″ baking pan and not a glass baking dish as called for in your recipe. The taste was good, but they did not rise much came out
only about 1″ in height? It sounds to me like you feel it would make no difference between a metal baking pan or a glass baking dish, you do not have to make any adjustments for baking temp or baking time? Should I just double the amount of baking powder in your recipe and try again. I just don’t know what I am doing wrong.
I thank you so much for being able to make contact with you. It seems like when you are trying to go sugar free, diary free, gluten free and can not use coconut, no one wants wants to talk to me.
Thanks again, I eagerly await your response.
My best wishes to you and your wonderful family,
William
HI William, if you are making ice cream with eggs and cooking on the stove I would add the vodka after you’ve done that then add to your ice cream machine. As far as the brownie recipe, when I’ve made them although I never measured but mine weren’t that high I don’t recall. Why not just double the recipe for thicker brownies instead of adding more baking powder, try that and let me know.
Thanks Brenda!
I will do and let you know the results.
Have a GREAT HOLIDAY. Many hanks.
Best Wishes,
William
hi;this website is greattttt sugar is having a weird effect on me as well as putting on weight and im lactose intolerant I made the choc.ice cream and it was a failure how many ounces of coconut milk do I use and where is the recipe for those candies on the upper left corner of the homepage.thankyou
The can is about 15 ounces. The recipe of the candy in the corner of my website is the copycat Ferrero Rocher which you can search for with the search bar.
Will almond milk work the same
I am allergic to coconut milk and dairy. I am not allergic to protein whey (medical grade) as they take out all the enzymes that you can be allergic to and leave an isolate for the protein. So I make the ice cream with 1 packet of protein, 8 oz. water, a handful of frozen fruit land a handful of ice. My favorite is peach. I also like chocolate with a couple of tablespoons of Walden Farms sugar-free Caramel dip and PB2 (powdered peanut butter) in it. Also, if I add 1/8 cup eggbeaters it tastes more like home-churned icecream and is really creamy!
just made this. it is excellent. a real treat. my ice cream make is a breville with compressor. so it was wonderful frozen soft serve in 20 minutes. thanks!
This looks beautiful and delicious yet so simple. I have included it in my top 20 Low Carb & Sugar Free Ice Cream roundup. http://www.ditchthecarbs.com/2015/07/17/best-low-carb-sugar-free-ice-cream/ Have a great day. Libby.
Thank you!
Do you think that it would be possible to use honey instead of stevia?
Just made this ice cream and it was wonderful! I added a few drops of vanilla extract also. It was so easy and I’ll definitely be making this again!
I have no vodka, would rum work?
It will work but it may intrude on the flavor of the ice cream whereas vodka won’t.
Hi Brenda,
Just a question about cacao nibs. I kept seeing them in recipes so I bought a bag from Thrive markets. I thought I would give them a taste, and yuck. They were hard and gross:) It felt like I was eating a walnut shell. What am I missing? What exactly do they add to recipes?
Yes they are a bitter, but they add some crunch and while not sweet I suppose give you the idea you are eating some chocolate chips. They have no sugar so they are low in carbs, it’s an acquired taste though. If you can’t find sugar free chocolate chips like Lily’s Sweets then these are a good sub.
Hi!
This is the first low carb ice cream I’ve ever tried to do. I have a professional ice cream machine and I usually do “normal” ice cream for others. This time I trued your recipe for doubled amount and the consistency was great in the end but I added 2 tbs of rum as I didn’t have vodka and it is far too much. It’s quite awful. The vodka isn’t still adding a liquoring flavor? In case it is eaten immediately I guess there is no need to add it right? I must say that I would prefer a bit more sweetness. Could I add erythritol or something?
Thank you for everything you do!
The vodka adds no noticeable flavor to the ice cream. I think you could skip it if you are eaten it immediately. yes you could also add 1/2 cup Swerve I’d use the confectioners style, it’s finer.
Swerve does contain erythritol? I live in Europe so I bought pure erythritol. Would this be fine?
Thank you
Oh sorry yes Swerve is a brand for the Erythritol I like to use.
If I may add one suggestion — I think the ice cream would freeze more quickly if it were specified to use well chilled coconut milk. I’ve had a hankering for chocolate ice cream lately, and will be making this soon, as soon as I can get a can of coconut milk.
Would it be possible to use coconut cream rather than milk to make without an ice cream machine?
I’m still not sure you will get a thick consistency, but if you try it let me know.
Thank you! My ice cream is churning as I type 🙂 I used Swerve and added some instant coffee to my mix. I will let you know how my cocomocha latte ice cream turns out. I can’t thank you enough for being here in my time of need 😉
Brenda,
Have been searching (it seems in vain) forever, for a rich and CREAMY ice cream recipe that contains No artificial sugars, no regular “sucrose” sugar, or any other “natural” sugar that contains fructose, or one that causes an insulin spike……….for sweetness, my sweetener of choice is stevia and/or erythritol…..the desired recipe does not necessarily need to be dairy free, but my #1 choice would be coconut milk….
Anyway, came across this recipe and my question (and my desired primary goal for a sugar-free ice cream): is the ice cream still creamy after storage in one’s freezer ?
Your comments/suggestions would be appreciated..
Thanks!
robrob
I can’t say for sure as once I made this it was eaten pretty quickly by my family. You might prefer this vanilla bean recipe instead as I know it will stay perfect in the freezer. https://www.sugarfreemom.com/recipes/sugar-free-vanilla-bean-ice-cream-low-carb-low-cal-egg-free/
Hi Brenda! I am having a lot of fun trying your recipes. I have collected all of the special ingredients. They are all new to me! I tried this recipe and had and issue with the coconut milk becoming solid again. Like, in small round pieces. I may have used coconut cream instead of coconut milk Could that have been the issue?Should I shake the coconut milk before using?
I’m glad you’re making my recipes, thank you! Yes using just the coconut cream might have been the issue. The whole can of coconut milk has coconut water at the bottom and helps incorporate the solid pieces from the cream, so using just coconut cream might not have been enough water in it to truly combine it enough. I’ve also just used fresh, coconut milk, from a carton in the refrigerated section and it was perfect.
Hi,
I see your comment on milkshakes, but what about my question above on your chocolate brownie recipe. What changes do I make as I have to use a 8x8x2 baking pan not a glass dish. My brownies did not rise when using the baking dish?
Thank you so much for your help. William