Homemade Ice Cream with Blackberries

It’s a known fact how good berries are for you. They’re full of antioxidants and phytochemicals as well as vitamins, minerals and fiber. I am constantly trying to get my kids to enjoy more berries when they want something sweet in their day. 

Berries are all natural, unprocessed and keto friendly so your blood sugar levels won’t spike enjoying a small serving of berries on your ketogenic diet. When I want to curb my sweet tooth I opt for berries with my sugar free whipped cream on top!

Not to mention that berries, like blackberries, fresh raspberries and blueberries are fabulously lower in carbs then many other fresh fruit options, so they are perfect to include a few times a week on a low carb and/or keto diet.

One of the keys to enjoying more berries is always having them on hand. I always have frozen berries in my freezer, especially when they aren’t in season where I live.

We use them for smoothies and baked goods to make for my family because they stay fresh in the freezer for up to 6 months! Most grocery stores carry organic berries and though more expensive than non organic, at least I know they aren’t sprayed with pesticides. 

Gelato versus Regular Ice Cream

So you might be wondering what the difference is from gelato to traditional ice cream? 

Typically it’s the ratio of milk and cream and usually no egg yolks are used when making gelato. It’s churned more slowly and produces a nice soft serve texture.

I like not having to cook anything likes eggs yolks for a creamy texture for a keto ice cream recipe, so gelato is my summer favorite during ice cream season!

In this recipe you can use fresh or frozen blackberries. The fresh season for blackberries is typically August through September, so now is the time to get them fresh in the market.

Frozen Berries versus Fresh Fruit

More than 90% of the berries grown are flash frozen within hours of being picked at the peak of ripeness, locking in maximum nutrition, taste and color.  The good news is that the peak of ripeness is right NOW, but you can get them anytime of year in the freezer section of your local market!

Anytime is a good time for low-carb ice cream! My kids loved this sugar-free ice cream recipe and I love how easy it is! 

Enjoy for a special occasion or anytime in the summer for a fun backyard party and awesome healthy snack for the kids and their friends! If you don’t have an ice cream maker, then you could simply mix this up in your blender and pour into a popsicle mold instead. 

Can I use another Low Carb Sweetener?

You can use any sweetener you like because there are no eggs or cooking in this recipe, you could simply add a small amount of your preferred sweetener then taste and adjust as needed.  

But be careful because not all work well in this recipe and will hinder your results for a smooth, creamy dessert.

Monk fruit extract comes from the monk fruit, luo han guo, a cousin of the cucumber and melon that’s native to China and Thailand. Monk fruit is rarely used fresh but more often is dried and used as a sweetener. It is 300% sweeter than sugar, but is calorie-free and does not raise blood sugar levels. 

It is sold as a pure liquid concentrate and also can be found as erythritol blends to swap cup for cup with sugar. I love the Lakanto brand Monk fruit.

Sugar alcohols are often used for reducing sugar intake in no sugar-added ice cream made at ice cream parlours. Often they contain artificial sweeteners.

Artificial sweeteners and brands like Aspartame, Splenda, Sweet-n-Low, Equal, Saccharine, Dextrose, Sucralose, etc contain carbs even if they say they are calorie free. They cause your blood sugar to spike and raise your insulin. Steer clear and don’t be fooled by these misleading sweeteners.

Xylitol is a sugar alcohol that occurs naturally in some plants. Though it looks and tastes like sugar, it has 40% fewer calories. It can slightly raise blood sugar or insulin, but not nearly as much as white sugar would do.

It can cause digestive issues in some people. Dog owners beware, that if your dog were to accidentally ingest xylitol, it could be fatal. It measures cup for cup like sugar and is fairly easy to bake with. I have a dog so you won’t see any recipes of mine using xylitol.

Stevia comes from the stevia plant, typically grown in Paraguay. Its leaves are boiled down to produce the liquid form on the market today.

Stevia leaves are also dried and sold as pure concentrated extract with no added fillers. A calorie-free option, it is 300 times sweeter than sugar and does not cause digestive issues, does not raise blood sugar or spike insulin. 

The type of stevia I use the most in my recipes is the liquid form from the brand Sweetleaf. depending on the extraction process used, some brands may be sweeter or more bitter than others. 

 Allulose occurs naturally in only a few foods, such as wheat, raisins, and figs. The body isn’t able to metabolize allulose. Instead, nearly all of it passes into the urine without being absorbed, thereby contributing negligible carbs and calories.  

It works wonderfully in ice creams to keep the texture smooth and soft rather than hard after freezing.

Sweetness levels in Sugar Free Natural Sweeteners

• Stevia is 300 times sweeter than white sugar
• Monk fruit is 300 times sweeter than white sugar
• Erythritol is 70% as sweet as white sugar.
• Allulose is 70% as sweet as white sugar.
• Xylitol is just as sweet as white sugar. 

How to Reduce Aftertaste

I’ve learned over all these years of perfecting my sweet sugar free recipes, that in order to reduce an aftertaste effect, using two kinds of sugar free sweeteners helps balance each other better avoiding any aftertastes.

Often in my recipes you will find the bulk  I use to replace sugar, is using erythritol and to avoid that cooling effect, I only use a small amount, but to bring up the sweetness I add liquid stevia. 

It works well to cancel out any aftertaste of either sweetener and get the right sweetness level for my low carb and keto desserts. 

Low Carb Ice Cream Recipes

Sugar Free Chocolate Ice Cream

No Churn Sugar Free Vanilla Ice Cream

Keto Butter Pecan Ice Cream

Dairy Free Chocolate Sorbet

Best Sugar-Free Blackberry Gelato 

Print

Low Carb Blackberry Gelato

Course Dessert

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Calories 129kcal

Author Brenda Bennett | Sugar-Free Mom

Ingredients

• 8 ounces blackberries fresh or frozen
• 12 ounces unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk
• 8 ounces heavy cream
• 4 ounces Monk Fruit Allulose sweetener
• 1/2 tsp berry liquid stevia
• 1 tbsp MCT oil or vodka or Allulose
• pinch of salt

Instructions

• Place the fresh blackberries (if frozen, thaw them first then add) to a high powered blender and blend until smooth. (Optional: Strain the mixture in a fine mesh strainer to remove seeds. )
• Place blackberry juice and rest of the ingredients into a food processor and blend together until combined. Taste and adjust sweetener if needed.
• Pour mixture into an ice cream machine on low speed and follow manufacturer's instructions. Mine was soft serve texture after 30 minutes.
• Enjoy immediately or place into a loaf pan and freeze for 2-3 hours until hardened.
• If serving from freezer, allow to sit for 10 minutes on counter before serving.

Video

Notes

Net Carbs: 2g

Brenda’s Notes:

• You can find frozen blackberries at Whole Foods. Look for brands like Stahlbush Island Farms, Scenic Fruit or Willamette Valley Fruit Co.
• If you don’t have berry stevia, no worries, you can use any sweetener you prefer. Use 1/2 cup of your favorite sweetener than taste and adjust as needed.
• The MCT oil helps keep the gelato nice and soft even after being frozen overnight. If you don’t have MCT oil replace it with vodka.
• This recipe was first published in August 2016 and updated with video in July 2019.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 129kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 11mg | Potassium: 67mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 475IU | Vitamin C: 6.1mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 0.2mg

The post Easy Creamy Low Carb Keto Blackberry Gelato Recipe appeared first on Sugar-Free Mom.

What’s an ingredient you always have on hand in the summer? Is it lettuce, onions, fresh herbs and strawberries perhaps? If so, you’re half way there to making this meal today and in minutes!

Driscoll’s Strawberries are a staple in my kitchen all year long but especially in the summer. Not only do we just enjoy them as a snack, my kids and I love them in smoothies and desserts like my no bake strawberry mousse pie.

But have you tried fresh strawberries in a savory dish? The combo of sweet and savory has been around forever. If you’ve never tried something savory using strawberries, let this meal be your first introduction and one I hope you will add to your menu rotation, especially in the summer months!

You really can’t get any fresher than these Driscoll’s strawberries! They are the finest berries and are always the sweetest ones I’ve found in any market. All the fresh ingredients used in this strawberry salsa are simple ingredients you probably all ready have at home, making this a quick meal you can whip up in no time at all.

Having some frozen cooked shrimp in your freezer is also a great time saver when it comes to summer meals. Just thaw by rinsing the shrimp in a colander then sitting them under cold running water in a bowl. Just about 10 minutes will do it and they will be perfect to chop and combine with the rest of the meal.

You could use raw shrimp for this recipe, but then some cooking would be required. Since the strawberry salsa is best served chilled, I would suggest waiting until the shrimp is cooled a bit before adding to your salsa and lettuce wraps. Although some of you may certainly enjoy the cold strawberries combined with the heat from hot cooked shrimp!

I think it’s easier to chop the shrimp for eating in lettuce wraps, but you could certainly keep them whole, just remove those tails!

You could combine the strawberries salsa and the shrimp like this picture above in one dish and serve as a salad without lettuce cups if you prefer to keep it a bit neater. But sometimes the sloppiest of meals are the most fun!

Enjoy with or without jalapeno, but either way the flavors of savory and sweet are making music with each bite you sink your teeth into!

Cool, Refreshing and Easy recipes like this make for the best kind of summer meals!

For more fantastic berry recipes check out Driscolls.com! Enter for a chance to win the Sweetest Berry Sweepstakes!

Print

Low Carb Strawberry Salsa Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 4 lettuce cups

Calories 156kcal

Author Brenda Bennett | Sugar Free Mom

Ingredients

• 1 pound cooked shrimp tails removed
• 1 pound 16 ounces Driscoll's Strawberries
• 1/2 cup red onion diced
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley or cilantro divided
• 4 limes divided
• 1/2 tsp salt divided
• optional: 1 jalapeno seeded, chopped
• Boston or Bibb lettuce leaves

Instructions

• Chop shrimp and place in a bowl.
• Juice 2 limes and toss in bowl with shrimp.
• Sprinkle 1/4 cup chopped parsley and 1/4 tsp salt over shrimp and toss. Set aside.
• Rinse and remove stems from strawberries.
• Chop and place in a bowl with red onion, remaining 1/4 cup parsley, juice of 2 limes and 1/4 tsp salt.
• Add in optional jalapeno of desired.
• Gently toss together.
• Combine shrimp and strawberry salsa together in a bowl or keep separate until ready to serve lettuce wraps.
• In each lettuce wrap serving place 1 cup chopped shrimp and 1 cup strawberry salsa.
• Top with more parsley and squirt of lime if desired.

Notes

Net Carbs: 7.9g

Nutrition

Serving: 1lettuce cup | Calories: 156kcal | Carbohydrates: 9.9g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 2.3g | Cholesterol: 155mg | Sodium: 654mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4.6g

Disclaimer: This post has been sponsored by Driscoll’s with whom I am honored to be in partnership with. All opinions are 100 % my own and always will be. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep this website running!

The post Low Carb Strawberry Salsa Shrimp Lettuce Wraps appeared first on Sugar-Free Mom.