This homemade Coconut Chip Ice Cream is the perfect low carb treat to cool down with on a hot summer day. It’s ultra-creamy and the combination of coconut and chocolate is irresistible!
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If you are lucky enough to have ever visited a Grater's ice cream shop, then you how delicious their ice cream is. Graeter's Ice Cream has the best texture that just makes it irresistible.
Of all their flavors, the coconut chip is my favorite. It is hands down the best ice cream I’ve ever had. And trust me when I say that I've had my fair share of ice cream 🙂
In the past, when I've wanted keto ice cream I've either purchased something or made no-churn ice cream. The options at my local stores aren't great and leave me feeling bloated and icky and no-churn ice cream is good, but the texture isn't quite the same as real ice cream.
So with this dilemma in mind, I decided to purchase my first real ice cream maker and give making homemade churned keto ice cream a shot. The end result was absolutely fantastic and so satisfying.
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Ingredients and substitutions:
- Heavy Cream - This is super important as it is what gives this ice cream it's amazing texture. I have seen recipes that use full fat coconut milk instead but I haven't tested it myself so I can't speak to how that would work.
- Cashew Milk - Any low carb milk substitute would work fine but I found the best texture when using cashew milk.
- Powdered sweetener - I can't recommend enough that you use confectioners or powdered sweetener. I used Lakanto Monk Fruit Sweetener, but I am sure that Swerve would work well too.
You can get Lakanto on Amazon or directly from the Lakanto website. Right now you can get 10% off with the code "THISMOMSMENU" when you order from the Lakanto Website!
- Vanilla and Coconut Extract - These are readily available at most grocery stores. But be aware that the strength can vary quite a bit by brand. So you may want to add half of the amount called for, then taste before adding any more. (I used Watkins Extracts)
- Unsweetened Coconut Flakes - When you are buying these, be sure that you get an unsweetened variety. Also, if you aren't a fan of flaked coconut you can leave this out altogether.
- Low Carb Chocolate Chips - I used Lily's Chocolate Chips but most sugar free chocolate chips that you like should work well.
- Butter - The butter is melted with the chocolate in order to form chocolate bark. It helps to keep the chocolate a little softer in the ice cream so that it's not rock hard once frozen.
Choosing the Best Ice Cream Maker
There are two basic types of ice cream makers. First, you have the old-fashioned kind that requires ice and rock salt to freeze the ice cream base and turn it into ice cream.
The benefit to these types of ice cream makers is that they are more affordable and they generally can make more ice cream at once. Also, they don't require as much planning ahead as the other variety. The downside is obviously that you need lots of ice and salt in addition to the regular ice cream base.
The second type of ice cream maker comes with an aluminum bucket that is pre-frozen before making ice cream. Once frozen the ice cream is then churned right inside this bucket.
The benefit here is that they don't require any extra supplies, while the cons are that they do require some pre-planning as the aluminum base needs to freeze for about 9-12 hours between ice cream batches. On top of this, you can expect to pay a pretty steep price if you want to make more than about 2 quarts of ice cream at a time.
I went with the second type and chose the Cuisinart ICE-30BC (affiliate). It has been so easy to use and the ice cream is ready in under 30 minutes. This particular model will hold about 2 quarts and as of now costs around $65 on Amazon.
With that said, any ice cream maker will work fine for this recipe, just be sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions for setting up the machine.
How do you store leftover homemade keto ice cream?
Store any ice cream that you aren't going to eat immediately in a freezer-safe container with a tight seal. It will easily keep for up to six months, but I doubt that it will last that long without being eaten 😉
When homemade ice cream is frozen it tends to get pretty hard. This is the case almost across the board in both regular and keto or sugar-free ice creams. While it is a minor inconvenience, it's not a huge problem.
Just allow ice cream that has been frozen to sit at room temp for about 10 minutes before eating. To make things super simple (and to help with portion control) I like to store it in single-serving portions (one serving of this ice cream is 1 cup because the standard ½ cup serving is for the birds!) That way I can thaw out just what I am going to eat.
I like to use Ziploc Twist and Loc containers (affiliate). The lid is very secure so I don't have to worry about leaks and they are freezer safe.
FAQ's
Traditional ice cream usually blends heavy cream with milk to achieve the perfect consistency. For keto or low-carb dieters, milk is generally too high in carbs for regular consumption.
For keto ice creams I like to use a blend of heavy cream and a milk alternative such as unsweetened coconut, almond, or cashew milk. I've made this particular recipe with both cashew milk, and Califia Farms toasted coconut almond milk.
The coconut milk obviously added a great flavor that went really well with this ice cream, but the cashew milk had a much better texture which made it the winner in my opinion.
Unfortunately, yes 😟 But luckily, this ice cream easily fits into a keto diet with just 4 net carbs per each 1 cup serving!
Yes, you can, but the result will not be quite the same. Melting the chocolate and mixing it with butter prevents the chips from getting really hard when they are frozen. If the chips are super hard, then they don't melt much while you are eating the ice cream and you won't taste the chocolate as much.
Be sure to check out these other great keto-friendly ice cream recipes:
- No-Churn Mint Chip Ice Cream
- Keto Pumpkin Ice Cream
- Perfect Low Carb Vanilla Ice Cream from All Day I Dream About Food (Be sure to check out her genius tip for keeping ice cream scoopable straight from the freezer!)
- Sugar Free Peppermint Ice Cream
- Low Carb Butter Pecan Ice Cream from Sugar-Free Mom
- Low Carb Chocolate Mason Jar Ice Cream from Peace, Love, and Low Carb
📖 Recipe
Keto Coconut Chip Ice Cream
Equipment
- Ice Cream Maker
- Parchment Paper
- Microwave (Optional)
- Mixing Bowls
- Measuring Cups
- Whisk
- Rubber Spatula
- Freezer Safe Storage Container
Ingredients
- ½ cup Low Carb Chocolate Chips
- ½ tablespoon Butter
- 2 ¼ cups Cashew Milk or other low carb milk alternative
- 2 ¼ cups Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1 cup Powdered Sugar Substitute or to taste
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- ½ tablespoon Coconut Extract
- ¾ cup Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
Instructions
- In a small microwave safe bowl combine the butter and chocolate chips. Microwave for 30 second intervals stirring after each interval until the chocolate is completely melted.
- Spread the melted chocolate mixture into a thin layer on a piece of parchment paper and place in the freezer.
- In a large bowl, combine the milk, cream, sweetener, vanilla, and coconut extract. Whisk until the sweetener has dissolved.
- Prepare your ice cream maker according to the manufacturers instructions.
- Add the milk and cream mixture to the bowl of the ice cream maker according to the instructions. Churn for 20 minutes.
- While the ice cream is churning, remove the chocolate from the freezer and break or slice into pieces. They don't have to be uniform and you can make them as big or small as you would like. Return them to the fridge or freezer until ready to use.
- Once the ice cream has churned for 20 minutes, slow add in the coconut flakes and the chocolate pieces. Allow it to churn for an additional 5-10 minutes.
- At this point the ice cream should be the consistency of soft serve. You can eat it immediately, or transfer it to a freezer safe storage container and freeze until it has become more solid.
- Note - If you let it freeze completely solid, then you will need to allow it to thaw at room temp for 10-15 minutes before scooping.
Be sure to read the entire post for tips, tricks, and help troubleshooting.
The nutrition information listed here is only an estimate and is simply provided as a courtesy. It nor any other information within this post should constitute medical or nutritional advice. Be sure to read all packaging and ingredient labels for potential allergens. Optional ingredients are not included unless otherwise specified.
Nutrition
