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This Creamy Keto Low Carb Butter Pecan Ice Cream is not only an easy recipe, it tastes incredibly similar to traditional sugar filled butter pecan ice cream! You can make this with to without an ice cream machine!
The Best Sugar Free Keto Ice Cream
When it comes to ice cream one thing is certain, it’s got to be creamy for that perfect mouth feel. With the right combination of flavors, just one spoonful, will linger on your tongue for days, bringing you back again for another taste.
Creating the perfect keto ice cream that can hold up against traditional sugary ice cream is no small feat, but today’s recipe will make you believe in miracles. You can enjoy this luscious ice cream in your low carb life style for little effort in the kitchen and few carbs.
Churn or No Churn Ice Cream
Using an ice cream machine is truly the very best way to create that texture you’ll remember from before your low carb days. If you have a stand mixer, like a KitchenAid, you can get an attachment to make ice cream so you wouldn’t need another separate appliance. I have this one.
If you really want to try this recipe but don’t have an ice cream machine then try whipping the heavy cream in a stand mixer and set aside. Melt the butter and gradually add it to the egg yolks then try blending it in the mixer together then pouring into the loaf pan and freezing. I can’t say this is the best method for a creamy ice cream, but let me know if you do try it.
For the best results I highly recommend using an ice cream machine or attachment.
Nut Free Option
Since the base of the ice cream itself is completely nut free, you can certainly leave out the added pecans to make this nut free. It will still be a BUTTERY CREAMY Maple flavored ice cream and I’m sure you’ll love it.
Try adding other items like sugar free chocolate chips instead of nuts for a bit of texture. Or crumble my low carb vanilla wafers into it or stir in my crumble mixture from my cookies and cream dip!
Tasty Toppings
You obviously don’t need any toppings but if you’re really in the mood for delicious, top this ice cream with more toasted pecans and a little drizzle of Choczero Maple Pecan syrup or Sukrin Fiber Gold Syrup.
If you’re more of a chocolate kind of person, my DIY Sugar Free Magic Shell would be awesome on top of this!
Meal Planning Membership
Our membership is simple. You can subscribe for a month to try it out or you can subscribe for a yearly membership. Each Friday you will get a meal plan that comes to your email. You’ll have that early in order to go food shopping before the meal plan begins on Sunday. You will be able to view and print the meal plan and the shopping list. If you don’t like a meal, simply delete it and swap it with another meal you like. The shopping list will automatically adjust. It’s the best software available out there for a customizable menu plan. Not many other low carb or keto meal plans allow you the option to remove, add, start with a blank menu and create your own if you so wish.
Right now for the New Year we are giving 25% OFF our Meal Plan Membership! Use Code NY2020 at check out!
Keto Low Carb Butter Pecan Ice Cream
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Keto Low Carb Butter Pecan Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1/4 cup Swerve confectioners sweetener
- 1/4 cup liquid Allulose
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tsp maple extract
- 1 tbsp Lakanto sugar free maple syrup or sweetener of choice
- 1 tbsp MCT oil
- 2 tbsp pecans toasted, chopped
Instructions
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Place the butter, heavy cream, Swerve sweetener, allulose and salt in a small sauce pan. Heat over low heat do not boil.
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Whisk egg yolks until light in color. Take a spoonful of the butter cream mixture and stir into the yolks to temper them. Continue with a few more spoonfuls then gradually add in the remaining yolk into the mixture on the stove.
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Continue to stir over low heat until mixture thickens, and coats the back of a spoon, 175 degrees F. Pour into a bowl to cool in the fridge for 30 minutes.
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Remove bowl from the fridge and stir in maple extract and sugar free maple syrup or sweetener of choice and MCT oil.
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Once combined pour mixture into your ice cream machine. Follow manufacturer's instructions. Stir in pecans then spread ice cream into an 9 by 5 loaf pan and freeze for 2-3 hours for soft serve.
Recipe Notes
Brenda's Notes:
- If you don't have Swerve just use any sweetener of choice you prefer.
- Again if you don't have the Choczero sweetener that's fine too just use what you like, and add more maple extract, but I do highly recommend trying the Choczero sweetener.
- If you don't have MCT oil you can replace it with vodka. Both of these help to keep the soft texture after freezing.
- Allulose is another new favorite sweetener I've tried and also helps to keep the ice cream softer in texture.
- This recipe was first published in April of 2018 and updated with video in January 2020.
I can’t have milk so can you make this with coconut cream?
I’ve not tried it but I think it could work.
This looks so delicious! I do not have MCT oil, do you think that coconut oil might work as a replacement? I have every other ingredient… 🙂
No coconut oil will harden when cold, MCT oil will not and will keep the texture smooth instead of icy. Try vodka instead.
Would Bourbon work instead of Vodka?
Vodka didn’t work when I’ve tried it in the past. Allulose, swerve, etc… all harden to brick consistency if ice cream is left in the freezer overnight. If you want it semi soft, freeze for 4 hrs and serve or leave out on counter until it softens again.
Um. That sounds amazing if it works lol.
Many keto icecream recipes call for vegetable glycerin instead off mtc oil for the same purpose. I would prefer to use mtc oil but if you have the glycerin…
i will try making this at home. Yummy Ice – cream.
Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Brenda, what is MCT oil?
Medium Chain Triglycerides, a fatty acid with so many health benefits. Here’s more info from Dr.Axe https://draxe.com/mct-oil/
I like to brown my butter before adding the other ingredients. It was the first keto ice cream recipe that I tried and I LOVE it!
I also don’t add maple flavoring, just vanilla. The browned butter adds all the flavor.
What is the serving size of the nutritional guide. 1/2 cup??
right under the title of the recipe, 8 servings @ 1/2 cup
I don’t have an ice cream maker, can I do this in the freezer?
I mentioned the method without using an ice cream machine under the title that say, Churn or No Churn.
Thank you so much, I’m going to order that part for the Kitchenaid!
I can’t have dairy. I plan to use coconut cream in place of the heavy cream. Would butter flavored coconut oil work instead of butter?
I think so though I have not tested that out.
Thanks! I’ll let you know how it turns out.
I just put this in the ice cream maker and the taste before is yummy. I did not see the comments but I added coconut oil but very little. Looking forward to sharing this with my kids.
I wanted to share since I did not use an ice cream maker. I followed the directions and whipped the cream in a standing mixer & then added the saucepan of butter, eggs, etc into the cream S L O W L Y, then I added the pecans. It turned out GREAT. My only advice is to maybe up the amount of MCT oil. I used the correct amount but it’s kind of like chiseling a giant fat bomb. 😉
Thank you for sharing!
The choc zero maple pecan syrup says it’s keto – but it’s made from corn and tapioca solids. Corn is not keto.
Replacement?
Maple flavored syrup from Lakanto sweetened with monk fruit would be a good replacement. https://amzn.to/2IeZaxJ
Everything from ChocZero is keto. The ingredients for the Maple Pecan syrup is Liquid vegetable fiber, natural toasted pecan flavor, natural maple flavor and monk fruit extract. It does not have corn or tapioca solids.
When I put my ingredients into my app it gives me 8 carbs per serving. The only thing I changed was Monk fruit instead of swerve and I used the vodka instead of mct. I’m not sure the change in sugar added 6 carbs per half cup. I even used half the amount of sweetener as well.
I don’t count the carbs from Swerve in my recipes as it is directly excreted through urine and never actually enters bloodstream so it has little effect on blood glucose. Monk sweetener may have carbs that you counted?
I have not read all the comments, sorry if this is a repeat. The nutritional information says it is for one serving but I didn’t see how many servings the whole recipe contains or what the serving size is. Do you have that info?
Right under the title in the recipe card, it shows 8 servings @ 1/2 cup each.
Made this last night. I subbed vodka for MCT oil and I left out the pecans. I also used an ice cream maker. Taste is phenomenal. Texture is DISGUSTING (I’m talking frozen, crumbly, sandy, butter chunks, disgusting.) HELP! What did I do wrong?
Did you use an ice cream machine? How long did it churn? Did you let the mixture chill in the fridge before adding it to the ice cream machine?
I did use an ice cream machine. I chilled the mixture in the fridge for approximately six hours before churning. I churned twice (40 minutes each time) because the texture looked very odd after the first churn.
I’m so sorry. I’m stumped then I’ve no idea why you had trouble with it. Did you bring the mixture to a boil on the stove?
Yes, but only for about 30 second-not long enough?
DON’T “boil” eggs — you cook them that way. You probably had chunks of cooked egg in your ice cream. Just get it over about 155 degrees. Even that isn’t really necessary unless you’re worried about bacteria.
This turned out amazing! The taste is addictive. I don’t know if I would have self control other than the fact it is so rich. Right out of the ice cream machine it was very smooth and fluffy. This morning after being in the freezer (yes I said morning) it is very hard. So, I’ll try with more mct or vegetable glycerin. Either way a quick sit on the counter and it will soften. Thanks.
I have been keto for two years. I have lost 55 lbs. and feel better than ever, at 60 years old. My one weakness has always been ice cream, which is a no-no on the keto way of eating. I made this yesterday and it is absolutely fabulous!!! It is very filling and you cannot eat a lot of it. I did not have Choczero but used Lakanto Maple Flavored Sugar-Free Syrup. I see myself using this base and adding many different flavors. Thanks, so much for this wonderful recipe.
Kelley
Thanks so much Kelley!
I love this & have made it a couple of times (didn’t use the ChocZero due to ingredients). But today I motioned the pecans & maple flavoring as well. I added blueberry extract & made a syrup using cooked, sweetened, strained blueberries & swirled it in before freezing. Oh my goodness!! It was awesome!!!
Thank you Sara!
Hi Brenda,
Have you ever tired adding peanut butter to this? Thanks! Julie
No but that sounds like a great idea!
If you are keto, you CANNOT add peanut butter.
Not sure where you are getting your information but you can have peanut butter on a keto diet. All nuts are allowed.
Nuts, yes. Peanuts are a legume. It’s a no for strict Keto.
How far ahead can you make and store the mixture before you churn it?
At least 24 hours.
THE BEST ICE CREAM EVER! I had to tell because it’s so delish! Thank you!
Thank you!
I made this and had to post it on my IG I’ve made lots of ice cream but this recipe is honestly “The BEST ONE EVER!!”
Its so creamy I really couldn’t believe it and soft!
I used the 1 tablespoon vodka as a substitute as I didn’t have MCT. Even hubby asked where I bought it and said I should have got more haha!
I’m going to try more if your recipes thanks so much @sugarfreemom!!!!
Thanks so much,
IG: shrinking Sammy
Thank you so much Sammy!
Can you add cocoa? And at what point would you add, after chilled or while on stove?
Hmm sorry I’ve haven’t experimented with it, not sure on how much, don’t want it to change the texture.
If using vodka instead of MTC oil is it the same measurement?
Same amount
Swerve; granulated or confectioners? Thanks.
confectioners is better for this recipe
HI BRENDA,
I LOVE YOUR RECIPES. I MUST SAY WITH THIS ONE I HAVE MADE TWICE AND I’M HAVING DIFFICULTY WITH THE TEXTURE. THE FIRST TIME I PUT MIXTURE IN FRIDGE FOR 30 MINUTES THEN CHURNED FOR 30 MINUTES AND IT CAME OUT VERY WATERY. THE SECOND TIME I PUT THE MIXTURE IN THE FREEZER FOR 40 MINUTES THEN CHURNED FOR 35 MINUTES AND IT STILL CAME OUT JUST AS WATERY? THE TASTE IS OUT OF THIS WORLD BUT MOST OTHER KETO ICE CREAM RECIPES COME OUT OF THE ICE CREAM MAKER READY TO EAT.
ANY SUGGESTIONS??
Jeff
I’m not sure why it’s watery. The only thing I can think of is that you didn’t wait long enough to allow the butter and cream to thicken in the pan. If you took it off the heat before allowing it to thicken that’s probably what the issue is. If you make it again, you could always try adding a 1/2 tsp of xanthan gum while your heating the butter and cream and that will surely thicken it.
That is exactly what I did and it work well. Love the flavor of this recipe. I used Vodka for the MCT and Lakanto Maple Flavored Syrup for the ChocZero.
I’m willing to try to experiment with other flavor for this wonderful ice cream base.
Amazing! I candied the pecans on the stovetop in a little swerve/water/butter/maple/vanilla and then toasted in oven, and then cooled them before adding to ice cream mixture and it was amazing. Wonderful recipe and sugar free. Wow. Thank you.
OH, MY, GOSH!! This ice cream is so incredibly decadent! It taste even better than a full sugar version and I am not easily swayed! Pretty sure my eyes roll back in my head while eating it. I did not have the choczero so I used Walden Farms pancake syrup and an extra 1/2 tsp of maple flavor. I also made candied pecans (butter and swerve granulated) and put them in this recipe. The whole thing is just amazing! I highly recommend trying this recipe! Bravo!
Thanks so much Tara! Did you have any tips for those that mentioned in the comments, having an issue with the texture?
Oh my GOODNESS, this was soooo delicious! I made it exactly like your recipe and its perfect! I think i may even like it better than the regular kind. Now ive got to check out what other recipes youve got. Thank you!
I just made this and it was AMAZING. I plan to use the base recipe (minus the flavorings) to make other flavor ice creams in the future. This is the best, easiest recipe I have found. Thank you so much!!
Hey Brenda, i made this once. But that didn’t taste good. Your recipe seems right to me.i will make it again in your way. Hope this time its taste will be good.thanks for sharing this article. Keep posting like this.good wishes.. 🙂
I received an ice cream maker as a gift for Christmas and this recipe was my first try and WOW oh WOW! I have never tasted butter pecan ice cream so delicious before in my life! Thank you thank you thank you for sharing this recipe! I didn’t have the mct oil but did have some mct oil powder vanilla flavored on hand. Also didn’t have the chocZero but used a tbsp of Jamaican rum cream and lakanto maple syrup instead. Just WOW again, I keep thinking that this can’t be low carb!!?!?!?!?!? But it is and I’m in heaven! ?
Hi!
Just thinking of what I have in my cabinet already. Can beef gelatin be used instead of MCT oil, to serve the same purpose? Cannot use vodka as some family members do not consume alcohol. Thanks!
That might work instead of MCT oil or vodka, let me know.
I’ve used beef gelatin and it works until everything is frozen solid. I bought MCT oil hoping that would be the magic ingredient, and I just took it out of the freezer from last night and it’s a brick of ice. I need an ice pick. So I don’t see any difference versus without MCT oil. I also tried vodka on one occasion and I could taste it (we don’t drink much), so I wasn’t interested in making it with vodka again.
What could I be doing wrong??? Thanks.
I am coming up with 16g carb per serving.
I do not count Swerve (erythritol) in my recipes as it does not effect blood sugar.
Thank you for this recipe. I followed it precisely, and used my ice cream maker – churned for well over an hour, but it did not thicken up; it stayed liquid. I now have it in the freezer, but, based on my past experience, shouldn’t it be like a creamy soft serve after churning? wonder what I did wrong. Before churning,I did let it chill in the frig for an hour because it still felt warm after 30 minutes.
You churned it for over an hour? Could it be your machine? Mine was ready after just 10 minutes of churning.
What an appetizing post! I’m craving for ice cream these days but I’m restricting myself not to eat it as I have gestational diabetes and I’m keeping my blood glucose at a normal level. However, since this is sugar-free, maybe I can try this at home.
I just made this and it’s yummy. I used half Swerve and half stevia and vodka instead of mct oil. I also added cake batter flavoring and no nuts. Very tasty and firmed up nicely but it was gritty…. Not sure why. I used an ice cream maker. I didn’t use choczero but stevia…. Maybe that was it. I guess next time I can try liquid stevia to see if that helps. Great recipe though thanks!!!
Try confection not granular unless you cook on stove top to desolate.
How do I make this just plain churn vanilla ice cream? I don’t want a buttery flavor. I know not to add the butter then, but anything else I should omit? Thank you, I’m having a hard time finding keto vanilla ice cream CHURN methods. I want to use my ice cream maker. I also don’t want a recipe with tons of eggs, that’s actually custard ice cream, not just ice cream. Thank you so much
I made this yesterday and had some issues. First, it makes a very small amount. That’s ok. Second, I used my ice cream freezer and it never increased in volume. Third, it took forever for it to start freezing. Double the time it takes to make my 6 quarts peach ice cream with regular ingredients. Fourth, the taste was so rich a person could only eat a spoonful.
My suggestion – it needs milk added to get the volume in a ice cream freezer and tone down the richness. The flavor was very good – just too rich.
While I have to limit carbs and fat, I don’t do keto for several other health reasons. Making for a co-worker looking for a special treat. I will adjust your recipe and see what happens. Always fun trying new recipes.
Just made this and it is so delicious and creamy! Wow! I did use Lankato maple syrup and vodka as subs for the choczero and MCT because that’s what I had on hand. I also candied the pecans with swerve and vanilla as another commenter suggested. The only problem is that I wish I made a double batch. Haha! Thank you for this recipe!! ?
Okay, it’s been churning for over 20 mins and not getting thicker. I used Vodka instead of MCT and more Swerve instead of the other ChocZero. Other directions followed to a tee. .
What could be the issue? Should I have waited until the end to add Vodka??
Please help. I’m so disappointed.
Could it be a problem with your ice cream machine? Was the bowl frozen?
I just started keto 2 weeks ago and needed to make something for my husband for his birthday and Father’s Day. OMG this is AMAZING! Thank you so much for the recipe!
I love the taste of this ice cream but mine is not the same creamy color as yours. It was until I added the maple syrup and flavor. After that it was sort of a mocha color?
What brand of sugar free maple syrup did you use?
ChocZero stated on the amazon link that the liquid vegetable fiber is made from corn and tapioca.
You could replace it with sugar free maple syrup.
OMG….this is sinfully good! I used whiskey instead of vodka and added a tsp of sugar free caramel flavoring with the maple. Very rich and satisfying! 5 stars!
Debra
I was wondering if anyone had used whisky – which depending on the brand I think would taste great in this recipe. Now I see you’ve tried I will attempt as well 🙋
I just made a plain vanilla version using 1 can coconut milk and about 2 cups heavy whipping cream. The recipe I used calls for 4 Tbsp of beef glycerin, but someone in the comments section recommended using Allulose sweetener instead of Stevia or other sweetener. Since I couldn’t find beef glycerine but found Allulose at my local grocery store, I tried it. Let me tell you the ice cream is creamy and smooth after 18 hours in the freezer… and it ‘s delicious. I can’t wait to try this Butter Pecan recipe with the vanilla base using Allulose sweetener.
Can you use MCT in the powder form or does it have to be liquid?
I’ve not tried the powder form, may need to mix it with a liquid before adding to this, not sure if it will be clumpy.
Can i substitute coconut milk/ cream in the can for HWC or WC and use the rest if the butter pecan ice cream as is?
I think it would work ok, but can’t guarantee as I’ve not tried it myself. If you do, please let me know how the texture was.
I made this exactly as posted and put in mini glass canning jars. 4 hours later, wonderful icecream with no machine or blender. This was awesome!
Really?? So no churning? I might have to try it! Thanks!
WOW! Going to have to keep HWC and pecan on hand at all times! Favorite recipe ever!
My hubby and I are looking over your ice cream recipes and getting excited. It is hard to find much of a selection of low carb, sf ice cream in the stores! One question- We are planning to buy an ice cream maker and wonder what size ice cream maker do you recommend for your recipes?
I only have a large bowl attachment for my Kitchenaid that I use to make ice cream.
That would be nice, but right now we can’t invest in Kitchen aid – a future goal. Thanks for your response.
For those having trouble with it not thickening: Mine wasn’t but I had already done all of the steps so didn’t go the stand mixer route like you mentioned. I ended up using a hand mixer to whip some air into the finished/cooled mix until it was slightly thicker (like the ripples kept their shape while the mixer was on) and put it in a container in the freezer. I took it out every few hours to stir then left it overnight. This morning, it’s still soft enough to scoop. And PS: I used half swerve and half allulose.
This ice cream is so delicious!! My husband says it’s the best he’s ever had in his life. Thank you for the recipe!!
Hello! What can I use to substitute the liquid stevia? I don’t have liquid sweeteners. Thanks!
If you have confectioners erythritol that would work too.
That’s looks yummy and healthy as well. Thanks for the nice post
I’m getting ready to make this, but I’m questioning the swerve and allulose. Unless I missed it, you only used Swerve in your video. Do I use both?
Right, in the video I had not tried the allulose yet. I made it several times since the video was made, combining the two sweeteners which worked better for a softer texture.
This is AMAZING!!! I was missing my butter pecan ice cream since going keto and although I found some decent but expensive alternatives at the store, I was hoping to find one I could make myslef that would be more cost-effective and taste better. This exceeded my expectations! I used all allulose for the sweetener and used vodka in place of the MCT oil, which has kept it soft and scoopable even after being in the freezer for a day. It tastes so rich and creamy I had trouble convincing my honey that it is indeed keto! I doubt that this will last until the end of the week, it is so good I can’t stay away from it!
Thank you so much!
Followed your recipe exactly. Flavor was great but an oily paraffin like film coated my mouth. My other two family members had the same experience. Wondering if the allulose liquid could cause this. I am going to try substituting Maple sugar for the allulose. Could not find anyone else with same problem in comments.
I went through all the ?s and Ans to see if anyone else had this happen. I made the Butter Pecan ice cream yesterday using the old recipe you posted a year or so ago. I used 1/2 c xlyitol instead of Swerve (don’t like Swerve after taste) and I used 1 tsp each of maple flavor and carmel , 1 T MCT oil powder Hazelnut flavor but everything else according to your recipe. I put in fridge for cooling but could not take out after 30 minutes (probably more like an hr or so) the butter had come to the top so I poured the whole bowl through a flour sifter and threw the butter away. Put it in the ice cream machine and churned it for well over 1/2 hr and put it out into several smaller bowls and froze it. This morning I tried it and it was soft but firm and delicious! My question is what should I have done differently about the butter? I cooked and stirred for at least 30-40 minutes on stove until back of spoon was coated . What did I do wrong?
Can you use powdered allulose or just liquid?
I haven’t tried the powdered so can’t say you will get the same smooth texture.
Hi Brenda, I just tried your recipe in my Cuisinart ice cream maker, omitting the pecans and adding vanilla extract with the maple, and it was phenomenal. There’s just something I’d like to point out: The total volume of the ingredients, with the bulk of the liquid being the 2 cups (16oz/1 pint) of heavy cream, was exactly 2 cups/4 half-cup servings after it was removed from the ice cream maker. This does not equal the 8 half-cup servings/2 pints of ice cream you state in your recipe. It’s not a problem, but just may be a calculation error. The nutrition content comes to exactly 550cal per half-cup serving with 2,200cal in the whole batch. It just may help some people calculate how much to make:)
I make this ice cream for my family on a biweekly basis! They absolutely love it! I leave out the maple extract and syrup and add 1 tsp. peppermint extract and in the last few minutes while churning I add 1/2 C. melted Lilly’s chocolate chips with 1 tsp. coconut oil to help them melt. It turns out tasting as good if not better then Baskin Robins. My daughter also loves when I add 1-2 tsps. of spirulina to the sugar in the beginning because it gives it that beautiful green she knows and loves in her mint chip ice cream. Thank you for all the great healthy recipes!
This ice cream is simply the best ice cream I’ve ever made!!
So easy and beyond delicious! This is the second time I’m making it and I used gin as I didn’t have any vodka and I used monk fruit/erythritol blend that I powdered myself . So versatile and the taste is out of this world! Making a double batch as I write this lol Thank you so much for this recipe!!!