Recipe #4 – Extra Rich Keto Chocolate Ice Cream

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Extra Rich Keto Chocolate Ice Cream

Continuing my series of low-carb ice cream recipes (previous post: 1, 2, 3), here’s one for chocolate with a custard base.

This recipe is adapted from All Day I Dream About Food, with my normal substitutions:

Like the Snickerdoodle, this one’s a bit more work due to the custard base. However, since the chocolate adds a lot of richness by itself, I think next time I’ll try this with a Philly base and see if I like it better.

As in previous recipes, I give two different options for the stabilizers. If you use the ice cream stabilizer mix, it will stay scoopable even when frozen. If you use the alcohol + xanthan gum, it will freeze solid, but return to an ice cream texture if allowed to warm for 10 min. or so before eating.

Hope you enjoy it,


– QD


Extra Rich Keto Chocolate Ice Cream

QD
Rich, low-carb, chocolate ice cream using a custard base
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 8 3/4 cup
Calories 194 kcal

Equipment

  • Ice cream maker

Ingredients
  

  • 50 g dutch processed cocoa powder (e.g. Hershey's special dark)
  • 100 g allulose
  • 3 g ice cream stabilizer (can substitute 0.25 tsp xanthan gum + 30g vodka)
  • 260 g heavy cream
  • 360 g almond milk, divided (240 + 120g)
  • 4 egg yolks (~80g)
  • 85 g unsweetened chocolate, chopped
  • 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
  • 10 drops liquid sucralose

Instructions
 

  • Set up an ice bath in a large bowl and set aside.
  • In a saucepan, whisk together allulose, cocoa powder, and stabilizer. If replacing the stabilizer with vodka + xanthan gum, don’t add them here. Instead add with the vanilla.
  • Add cream and almond milk and heat over medium to medium-low heat until the temperature is 170 °F, stirring frequently to prevent scorching.
  • Using the hot mixture, temper the egg yolks, then return the tempered mixture back to the saucepan and continue heating until ~175 °F and the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
  • Remove from heat and add the chopped chocolate. Let sit for 5 minutes to melt, then whisk until smooth.
  • Strain the thickened mixture through a fine mesh sieve and into a bowl set in an ice bath. This removes lumps and rapidly cools down the mixture to stop further cooking of the eggs.
  • Refrigerate for at least 4 hours and preferably overnight.
  • Whisk in the second portion of almond milk, vanilla, and liquid sucralose (Note: the mixture will be very thick until these ingredients are mixed in), then churn in ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Notes

4.7g net carbs per serving.
Nutrition information calculated by adding up macros of the individual ingredients. Allulose not included in the Total or Net carbs.
To reduce the calorie content, you can replace part of the heavy cream with additional almond milk (1:1 by weight). I’ve gone as low as 110 g heavy cream and it’s still good, though less rich. Even lower might be possible, but I haven’t tried.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.75cupCalories: 194kcalCarbohydrates: 8.2gProtein: 4.9gFat: 21gFiber: 3.5g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was in the comments

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Recipe Development: 23 Batches of Low-Calorie, High-Protein Oat Fiber Muffins

Oat fiber muffins

A few months ago, I decided to try eating more protein to help with building muscle.

To avoid significantly increasing my total calories, I first tried just adding protein powder to my breakfast and lunch shakes. That got me the protein I wanted, but it diluted the flavor of the shakes, which I didn’t like.

Next, I tried searching around for a solid low-calorie, high-protein food. Not finding anything, I decided to make my own (still looking, so please comment if you have any suggestions). I started off with a recipe for oat-fiber bread from The Fruit of Her Hands. The oat-fiber, egg white, and glucomannan combination gave me the bulk and texture I wanted with almost no calories.

INITIAL ADAPTATION

To add protein, I substituted whey protein isolate for 36% of the oat-fiber and dropped the cooking time to 18 min. I also swapped cinnamon and liquid sucralose for the onion and garlic powder to make a slightly sweet instead of savory version.

The resulting muffins tasted decent, but the texture was always either a bit too dry or (if I lowered the cooking time) the top center of the muffin was undercooked.

This is what they look like after cooling down. When they were pulled from the oven, they had the normal muffin shape, but the tops deflated during cooling.

To fix these problems, I tried:

  • Increasing cooking time (went from 14 to 19 min. and the muffins went from underdone in the center to too dry, with no happy medium.
  • Removed water (much drier).

Other observations:

  • The tops of the muffins deflate when they cool. Not a big deal to me, but seemed like a symptom of the texture problem.
  • The batter was extremely thin and bubbled more vigorously than a normal muffin batter. Again, not a problem in-and-of-itself, but it made the recipe more time sensitive and made me think something was not quite right.

Round 1: Finding the right ingredients

At this point, I decided to ask for advice on r/ketorecipes. From that post, I got a number of good suggestions, all in the vein of adding an ingredient that either better retains moisture (allulose, gelatin) or one that would coat the oat-fiber to mitigate drying (oil, egg yolk). From these ideas I tried the following experiments:

  • All: For all experiments, I removed the water from the recipe, as that made the muffins drier and (I hoped) would make it easier to taste the difference made by the substitutions. I also wanted to increase the density of the muffins.
  • Replaced liquid sucralose with 6 tsp. allulose mixed with dry ingredients (suggested by u/NSGod as allulose should retain water and is bulkier)
    • Batter: No change in consistency or taste
    • Deflation: No change
    • Moisture & texture: Perceptibly softer and more moist, but still too dry. Was slightly undercooked in the center of the top.
    • Taste: No change
  • Added two packets of knox gelatin mixed with dry ingredients (suggested by u/Samr1221 to retain water)
    • Batter: Much thicker, similar to a quick-bread batter
    • Deflation: Almost none
    • Moisture & texture: Even softer and more moist than allulose, but still a bit drier than I’d like. Top was less dry than the bottom.
    • Taste: No change
  • Added 1 tbsp. commercial ice cream stabilizer mixed with dry ingredients. Same concept as gelatin, but it’s a mix of different thickeners and moisture absorbers, so I thought it’d be interesting to compare.
    • Batter: Much thicker, similar to a quick-bread batter
    • Deflation: None
    • Moisture & texture: Similar moisture to gelatin, but denser and a bit tougher texture.
    • Taste: No change
  • Added 2 egg yolks (suggested by u/Samr1221 to reduce dry taste, presumably by coating other ingredients)
    • Batter: A little thicker, but closer to the original than the gelatin or ice-cream stabilizer
    • Deflation: Almost none
    • Moisture & texture: Not softer but more moist (in between allulose and gelatin).
    • Taste: Subtle improvement in taste (creamier?), but might be in my imagination.

All-in-all, a big improvement. All five changes increased moisture and reduced deflation. If I had to pick one, I’d go with the gelatin, but I figured it could be even further improved.

Oat fiber muffins from Round 1

Round 2: Further ingredient screening

With these initial results, I went back to r/ketorecipes for more advice. From that post, the main feedback was to try gluten as a replacement for gelatin or oil/butter instead of or in addition to the egg yolk, so I gave those a shot.

  • Added 14 g vital wheat gluten mixed with dry ingredients. Same concept as the gelatin.
    • Batter: Slightly thicker
    • Deflation: Almost none
    • Moisture & texture: In-between allulose and gelatin in moisture, but texture was more bread like. 
    • Taste: A subtle savory taste that I liked.
  • Added 20 g vegetable oil
    • Batter: no change
    • Deflation: Almost none
    • Moisture & texture: In-between allulose and gelatin in moisture, less dry feeling when eating 
    • Taste: no change
  • Added 20 g melted butter
    • Batter: much thicker, seemed like the butter may have solidified (egg whites were cold)
    • Deflation: Almost none
    • Moisture & texture: Much less dry feeling, but the muffins were smaller and too dense. If these had been the same size/texture as the rest, they’d have been great.
    • Taste: no change
Round 2: Butter
Round 2: Vegetable Oil

Round 3: Combining changes

From rounds 1 & 2, I was getting significant improvements from allulose, gelatin, egg yolk, gluten, and vegetable oil, but I thought I could do even better by combining them. I didn’t want to add the additional calories from the oil (15 calories/muffin), so I didn’t include that in the combinations.

  • 6 tsp. allulose + 2 egg yolk + 2 packets gelatin
    • Batter: Slightly thicker, same as just gelatin
    • Deflation: Same as just gelatin
    • Moisture & texture: Slightly moister than just gelatin.
    • Taste: Same subtle creamy texture as when adding egg yolk to the base recipe
  • 2 egg yolk + 2 packets gelatin
    • Batter: Same as above
    • Deflation: Same as above
    • Moisture & texture: Slightly less moist than above, but still moister than just gelatin or egg yolk by themselves.
    • Taste: Same as above

Based on these results, combining the egg yolk and gelatin seemed worthwhile, but I wasn’t getting much milage out of the allulose. Since I get stomach issues when I eat more than 20-30 g of allulose per day, I decided to keep the liquid sucralose.

Round 3 combinations

Round 4: Optimizing for taste and convenience

Now that I had the basic ingredients figured out, I did a couple rounds of optimization of quantities. Specifically, I tried to figure out the right amount of gelatin/gluten, water, and seasonings (changes in bold).

  • 2 egg yolk + 4 packets gelatin
    • Very thick batter, less deflated than 2 packets gelatin, soft & moist, but only slightly more than 2 packets
  • 2 egg yolk + 2 packets gelatin + 60 g water
    • Thin batter with some deflation. Much more moist and soft. Huge improvement.
  • 2 egg yolk + 4 packets gelatin + 120 g water
    • Slightly more dense and a bit less “wet” than 2 packets + 60 g water. Very good, but I slightly prefer 2 packets + 60 g water.
    • Texture is near perfect, but taste is a bit bland. Needs more seasoning.
  • 2 egg yolk + 2 packets gelatin + 60 g water + 1.5 tsp. cinnamon + 2 tbsp. vanilla
    • Flavor improved a bit. Still not perfect, but I’m happy with it and don’t want to add more ingredients. 
  • 2 egg yolk + 2 packets gelatin + 90 g water + 1.5 tsp. cinnamon + 2 tbsp. vanilla
    • Slightly thinner batter and more deflation, but moister. I prefer this to the 60 g water.
  • 2 egg yolk + 14 g gluten + 60 g water + 1.5 tsp. cinnamon + 2 tbsp. vanilla
    • Much thinner batter, more bread-like texture, less “dry” taste, and less wet than gelatin. I prefer the gluten to the gelatin, but it’s a little less convenient and adds a slight amount of carbs (0.15 g/muffin or ~0.5 g per meal for me)
  • 0 egg yolk + 2 packets gelatin + 90 g water + 1.5 tsp. cinnamon + 2 tbsp. vanilla
    • A little more wet and less creamy/drying vs. with the egg yolk, but it removes an ingredient.
  • 0 egg yolk + 2 packets gelatin + 80 g water + 10 g apple cider vinegar + 1.5 tsp. cinnamon + 2 tbsp. vanilla 
    • This was an attempt to improve the flavor, but ended up with a very interesting effect.
    • The muffin had holes riddled throughout the structure (gas generated from vinegar reacting rapidly with baking powder).
    • I couldn’t taste the vinegar, but the slight bitter and dry tastes from the oat fiber were completely gone.
  • 2 egg yolk + 2 packets gelatin + 80 g water + 10 g apple cider vinegar + 1.5 tsp. cinnamon + 2 tbsp. vanilla 
    • Indistinguishable from above, so with the apple cider vinegar, the egg yolk no longer has an effect.
  • 2 egg yolk + 2 packets gelatin + 50 g water + 40 g apple cider vinegar + 1.5 tsp. cinnamon + 2 tbsp. vanilla 
    • Slightly denser and chewier than 10 g vinegar. Still no vinegar taste, but I could detect a slight vinegar smell.
  • 2 egg yolk + 14 g gluten + 70 g water + 20 g apple cider vinegar + 1.5 tsp. cinnamon + 2 tbsp. vanilla 
    • Very good taste & texture, but not as large a vinegar effect as with gelatin, probably because the gluten already reduced the bitter and dry tastes.
  • 0 egg yolk + 14 g gluten + 70 g water + 20 g apple cider vinegar + 1.5 tsp. cinnamon + 2 tbsp. vanilla 
    • Slightly more drying than with yolk.

The effect of the apple cider vinegar is extremely interesting, however, I noticed a greater rise in my blood sugar on the days when I ate muffins containing it. That could be a coincidence (it doesn’t contain any carbohydrates), but I need to experiment more before I start using it on a regular basis.

Based on all these experiments my final set of changes from the original recipe are:

  • Add 2 packets of gelatin or 14 g gluten
  • Reduce water from 180 to 90 g
  • Increase cinnamon by 50% and vanilla by 33%
  • Add 2 whole eggs & reduce egg whites by 60 g (equivalent to adding 2 egg yolks)

Final Recipe

Low-Calorie, High-Protein Oat Fiber Muffin

QD
A low-calorie, shelf-stable oat-fiber muffin. I use it as a protein supplement.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Total Time 28 minutes
Servings 12 muffins
Calories 48.8 kcal

Ingredients
  

Base

  • 72 g oat fiber
  • 40 g whey protein isolate
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp glucomannan
  • 1.5 tsp baking powder
  • 2 packets knox gelatin (or 14 g vital wheat gluten)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 264 g egg whites
  • 90 g water

Sweet Flavoring

Savory Flavoring

  • 1.5 tsp garlic powder
  • 1.5 tsp onion powder
  • 0.5 tsp chili powder (optional)
  • 7.5 g nutritional yeast (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 °F.
  • Whisk together wet and dry ingredients in separate bowls, then combine and mix until fully incorporated.
  • Transfer to parchment-lined muffin pans (8-12 muffins) and bake for 18 min.
  • Cool completely before eating. Can be stored in a sealed container for at least 4 days (haven’t tried longer).

Notes

Net carbohydrates: 0.4 g/muffin
Nutritional information calculated per muffin for a 12 muffin batch with gelatin by adding up macros of the individual ingredients.

Nutrition

Serving: 1muffinCalories: 48.8kcalCarbohydrates: 5.8gProtein: 6.5gFat: 0.75gFiber: 5.4g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was in the comments

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Recipe #3 – Keto Snickerdoodle Custard Ice Cream

Keto Snickerdoodle Ice Cream

Continuing my series of low-carb ice cream recipes (first two here and here), here’s one for Snickerdoodle with a custard base. I can’t find a record of what I adapted this from, so if anyone recognizes it, please let me know and I’ll add an attribution.

This one’s a custard base, so it’s a bit more work than the Chai Tea (Philly base). That said, it’s only an extra 5-10 min. and the creaminess off the egg yolk is totally worth it if that’s what you’re in the mood for. 

In the recipe below, I give two different options for the stabilizers. If you use the ice cream stabilizer mix, it will stay scoopable even when frozen. If you use the alcohol + xanthan gum, it will freeze solid, but return to an ice cream texture if allowed to warm for 10 min. or so before eating.

Hope you enjoy it,


– QD

Keto Snickerdoodle Frozen Custard Ice Cream

QD
Snickerdoodle ice cream using a custard base
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 6 3/4 cup
Calories 228 kcal

Equipment

  • Ice cream maker

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • Set up an ice bath in a large bowl and set aside.
  • In a saucepan, whisk together allulose, cinnamon, salt, and stabilizer. If replacing the stabilizer with vodka + xanthan gum, don’t add them here. Instead add with the vanilla.
  • Add cream and almond milk and heat over medium to medium-low heat until the temperature is 170 °F, stirring frequently to prevent scorching.
  • Using the hot mixture, temper the egg yolks, then return the tempered mixture back to the saucepan and continue heating until ~175 °F and the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. 
  • Strain the thickened mixture through a fine mesh sieve and into a bowl set in an ice bath. This removes lumps and rapidly cools down the mixture to stop further cooking of the eggs.
  • Refrigerate for at least 4 hours and preferably overnight, then freeze in an ice cream maker according to its instructions

Notes

Nutrition information calculated by adding up macros of the individual ingredients. Allulose not included in the Total or Net carbs.
To reduce the calorie content, you can replace part of the heavy cream with additional almond milk (1:1 by weight). I’ve gone as low as 160 g heavy cream and it’s still good, though less rich. Even lower might be possible, but I haven’t tried.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.75cupCalories: 228kcalCarbohydrates: 2.3gProtein: 3.3gFat: 26gFiber: 0.1g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was in the comments

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Recipe #2 – Quick, Customizable Keto Frozen Yogurt

Keto Frozen Yogurt

My last recipe for Keto Chai Tea Ice Cream got requests for more ice cream recipes on Reddit. Since people are interested, I thought I’d put up the rest of my ice cream recipes. They’re in various states of development, so with each recipe, I’ll note what I plan to do to improve and then update once I’ve tried.

This next recipe is for frozen yogurt. It’s adapted from a recipe in Genius Desserts, with allulose swapped for sugar and vodka added to reduce the freezing point and improve texture.

What I like about this recipe is that it’s extremely simple and customizable. You just mix a quart of yogurt with sweetener, your favorite flavorings, and some alcohol, freeze and you’re done.

For yogurt, Two Good brand is my favorite for taste and texture, but any low-carb yogurt will work.

Unlike the Keto Chai Tea Ice Cream, this one does freeze solid and you need to let it warm up before eating if you want a good texture. Next time I make it, I’m going to try swapping ice cream stabilizer for vodka to see if I can reduce the freezing point.


– QD

Keto Frozen Yogurt

QD
Super-simple low-carb frozen yogurt
Prep Time 2 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 22 minutes
Servings 6 3/4 cup
Calories 80 kcal

Equipment

  • Ice cream maker

Ingredients
  

  • 900 g full-fat yogurt I use Two Good brand, but pick your favorite
  • 30 g vodka
  • 2 tsp. vanilla or any other flavoring you like (I really liked crystallized lemon)
  • 200 g allulose (or other sweetener)
  • 0.25 tsp. salt

Instructions
 

  • Mix all ingredients until fully incorporated.
  • Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Note: This step is optional with vanilla or if the flavor is already incorporated in the yogurt. It was necessary when I used solid flavorings, like crystallized lemon.
  • Freeze in ice cream maker per manufacturers instructions.

Notes

Nutrition calculated by adding up macros of the individual ingredients. Allulose not included in the Total or Net carbs.
This recipe is really flexible. You can swap in your favorite full fat yogurt with whatever flavoring you like. Vanilla can be omitted or replaced with other flavors (I particularly liked adding crystalized lemon).

Nutrition

Serving: 0.75cupCalories: 80kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 12gFat: 2g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was in the comments

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Recipe of the Week #1: Chai Tea Ice Cream

Keto Chai Tea Ice Cream

In addition to self-tracking, I also like to cook. I thought it would be fun and hopefully of interest to people to post some of my favorite recipes. All are low-carb, often modified from regular recipes I’ve found.

I’ve recently gotten into making homemade ice-cream. This first recipe is my favorite so far. I adapted it from the book Hello My Name is Ice Cream: The Art and Science of the Scoop. I used the author’s recipe for cream cheese ice cream, combined with her procedure for infusing a Philadelphia base with tea, and swapped allulose for sugar. The cream cheese and stabilizer give it a fantastic texture. It doesn’t freeze solid and remains scoopable (one of the biggest challenges in keto ice cream).

I used Chai Tea from Oaktown Spice Shop, which is near my house, but you can use whatever tea you’d like. The ice cream takes on the same flavor as that tea with milk, cream, and allulose added. 

You can also tune the calories up or down by swapping almond milk for heavy cream, with the expected affect on taste and texture.


– QD


Keto Chai Tea Ice Cream

QD
Low-carb, keto friendly Chai Tea ice cream
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Dessert
Servings 8 3/4 cup servings
Calories 180 kcal

Equipment

  • Ice cream maker

Ingredients
  

  • 200 g allulose
  • 3 g ice-cream stabilizer
  • 400 g almond milk
  • 380 g heavy cream
  • 20 g cream cheese
  • 10 g chai tea blend , I use a custom blend from Oaktown Spice Shop, which is near my house. It's fantastic, but you can substitute another tea that's cheaper or more readily available.

Instructions
 

  • Whisk together allulose and stabilizer in a small bowl. Set aside.
  • Add almond milk, heavy cream to a saucepan and heat over medium heat until boiling. Whisk occasionally to prevent scorching.
  • Add allulose mixture, reduce heat to a low simmer, cook for 2 min., then whisk in cream cheese until melted and homogeneous.
  • Remove pot from the heat, add tea, and steep for at least 30 min.
  • Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl, cover, and cool in a refrigerator for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
  • Churn in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturers instructions.

Notes

Allulose is not included in the carbohydrate total.
Possible substitutions & modifications:
  • Chai tea can be replaced with whatever tea you like. The ice cream takes on the same flavor as that tea with milk, cream, and allulose added
  • The ice cream stabilizer can be replaced with xantham gum, glucomannan, or other stabilizers, but the ice cream will not stay as soft in the freezer and texture won’t be as smooth. Still tastes good, though.
  • Ice cream stabilizer can be reduced by up to 50% and still get a good texture.
  • Cream cheese can be replaced by milk powder, but you might have to increase the amount of stabilizer to compensate.
  • You can tune the calories by swapping more almond milk for heavy cream, with the expected affect on taste and texture.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.75cupCalories: 180kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 2gFat: 19g
Keyword Chai, Ice cream, Keto, Low-carb, Tea
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was in the comments

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