Quick and easy Keto Low Carb Chocolate Mason Jar Ice Cream. Have your ice cream and eat it t0o.
Way back in 2012 I made ice cream out of heavy cream. Then somehow I forgot about it and never did it again. This week my newsfeed has been inundated with the 5 minute mason jar ice cream video. After seeing it the first 3 or 4 times, I just knew that I had to make a low carb mason jar ice cream version. I couldn’t believe that a quick and easy, no churn ice cream could taste so amazing. It is rich and creamy and best of all it comes in at just over 2 carbs per serving.
By now you are probably no stranger to the low carb Halo Top ice cream craze. People are rushing out to their grocery stores trying to find new keto ice cream flavors and often times finding empty shelves. The true struggle isn’t in finding it though, it is in not eating the entire pint once you get it home. This Low Carb Chocolate Mason Jar Ice Cream is the solution to that problem. Even if you are all 4 servings, it would still only be 9 grams of carbs. I know I would be willing to splurge 9 carbs of a rich, decadent low carb dessert. How about you?
With just 5 ingredients or less and 5 minutes of your time, you can make an awesome homemade ice cream that won’t break the carb bank. Best of all, you don’t need any fancy equipment to make it happen. Just a wide mouth mason jar with a lid and you are set!
Check out some of my other favorite low carb keto dessert recipes:
- Keto Mini Blueberry Cheesecakes
- Chewy Chocolate Peanut Butter Bacon Cookies
- Flourless Chocolate Peanut Butter Mug Cake
- Paleo Mixed Berry Coconut Creamsicles
- Low Carb Blueberry Muffins
This recipe is a sneak peek into my new book – Craveable Keto – Grab a copy HERE
RECIPES, RECIPES, RECIPES…
Craveable Keto Cookbook has more than 145 recipes, each with a full color photo and nutritional analysis. It is packed with awesome resources to help make your low carb, keto lifestyle easier. Let’s look at some of the recipes shall we?
- Dill Pickle Brined Fish and Chips
- Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
- Reuben Biscuits Sandwiches
- Steak Fajita Bowls
- Chicken Cordon Blue Pizza
- Blueberry Mojito Popsicles
- Italian Parmesan Breadsticks
- Crispy Chicken Thigh and Vegetable Sheet Pan Dinner
- Slow Cooker 5 Spiced Beef
- Asian Chicken Salad
- Bloody Mary Deviled Eggs.
- and so much more…
Low Carb Chocolate Mason Jar Ice Cream
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Prep Time: 8 minutes -
Total Time: 8 minutes
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Yield: 2 cups (4 Servings)
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
Nutritional info does not include optional sugar free chocolate chips
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons granular erythritol (I get it here)
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons sugar free chocolate chips, optional (I use this brand)
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a wide mouth pint sized mason jar. Screw the lid on and shake vigorously for 5 minutes. The liquid in side should double in volume, filling the mason jar.
- Freeze for 3 hours up to 24 hours.
- Scoop and enjoy!
Notes
Per Serving (1/2 cup) – Calories: 206 | Fat:22g | Protein: 1g | Net Carbs: 2.25g
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 cup
Wow, I cannot wait to try this! Do you have any plans for strawberry ice cream or other flavors? Thanks, Kendra!!!
Ok, I made this Friday, after I’d gotten home from work. The only thing I did differently was to add 1/4 tsp. of cinnamon. (I’m crazy about cinnamon with chocolate.) This truly is a score for me … I’ll be making it again and again! I didn’t read the part where due to doubling in size it becomes 4 servings and had the entire recipe over 2 days. I’m making this tonight and plan to pour it into silicone cups before placing it in the freezer. 4 silicone cups with help me with portion control! 🙂 Thanks, Kendra!
Can you make this in an electric ice cream maker?
My daughter has a high food intolerance for dairy. Could you use a can of full fat coconut milk instead of heavy cream?
I tried this recipe with full fat organic coconut milk from my local natural market and it turned out AMAZING. Also used cocoa nibs instead of chocolate chips since I too cannot have dairy.
Oh I want to try this! I need to limit my dairy. Did you blend the refrigerated coconut milk since it separates?
I’m definitely going to do this with the kids this weekend. Do you think we could use coffee syrup to change up the flavour (like your linked post?).
I don’t think I’ve tried anything from your site that I haven’t loved. I’d love to do what you do, but I guess I’ll have to settle for eating the food 🙂
Yes, you could definitely play around with different flavorings and it would turn out great
I made 2 jars of it just now. Can’t wait to eat!
Thank you so much for sharing your recipes. This ice cream is a big hit at home with my kids. 3 jars gone in 2 days. Will definitely try other flavours soon. Thank you again !!
So happy your family is enjoying it!
I have question what kind of heavy cream did u use? When I added all the ingred into my cronometer app i got a big difference in carb count. I got per serving 15 total carbs n 52 total carbs for the whole thing, that’s using Walmart brand heavy whipping cream and NO choc chips
Following for reply
I’m using organic hwc. The only item that I know has any carbs is the sugar free chocolate. I am curious about your app and what Kendra has to say.
Heavy whipping cream is not zero carb, ever. It’s between 0.5 and 0.9g per tablespoon. US labelling laws alow it to be labelled as zero as they can round down. Be careful.
Are you subtracting the sugar alcohols from the Swerve sweetener. After subtracting fiber and sugar alcohols, the sweetener is 0 net carbs.
I ran into this situation too! My daughter went grocery shopping for me, and assuming all heavy creams were the same I used what she got without checking the label. When I put the recipe into MyFitnessPal I was shocked at the high carb count! I learned you definitely need to read labels because heavy cream brands have 16 carbs per half pint (e,g, Essential Everyday) and some have 6 (e.g. Organic Valley). Don’t use the per tablespoon or per ounce nutritional values (as usually indicated on labels) because as someone already posted manufacturers can round down to 0 carbs per serving and that’s really not true. So if you’re tracking like I am and don’t want to kid yourself then look at carbs per half-pint or pint!
Sounds like you are counting the sugar alcohols in the erythritol
Wow! I made this yesterday, and yes, I ate the whole thing! I struggle with the pint of Halo Top, stopping at the portion size, so this was a great idea! I added an extra half Tbsp of cocoa for more chocolate goodness. My chips all fell to the bottom during freezing (probably turning it every 30 minutes would distribute them but it was a joyful “gift” at the bottom).
I’m going to experiment with coconut and cinnamon, because I love that I don’t have to drag the ice cream maker out of the pantry to make this. Couldn’t be easier, no unusual ingredients, it was worth the 5 minutes of shaking for the creamy goodness, thanks Kyndra!
This looks awesome! I really miss ice cream since going keto. Would I be able to use stevia instead of Swerve?
I was thinking the same.. can erytrithol be replaced by stevia?
I used erythritol/monk fruit extract and it was perfection. Making some more today to cope with “that time”. 😛
I cant thank you enough for posting this recipe and in a video !!! I was instead of shaking the jar so long could I use a small immersion blender (like I use for bullet proof coffee) to whip it a bit?
I bet that would work also.
Rosemary, I’m just wondering … did you ever try making this with the immersion blender?
Julie, I just made it tonight so I wont know if it works until tomm. I did take it out to stir and it was getting thicker..but
not much choco flavor
I did try the immersion blender, it took less than 30 seconds. I couldn’t tell the difference between the blended vs. shaken versions.
I haven’t tried the shaken version, but I took the one out of the freezer that I made a few days ago with my immersion blender and it was frozen solid.lol, but after leaving it out awhile it was like a frozen milkshake..it was the perfect consistency. I found that it needed more chocolate flavor as it was too lite for me and I didn’t add the chips, but next time I might and will use more cocoa powder. What a wonderful treat to satisfy my ice cream cravings.
My granulated erythritol did not dissolve so it was grainy. Any ideas? Wanna try a jar with freeze dried strawberry powder. Thanks x
You can always use powdered erythritol or grind the granulated in a spice grinder. Hope this helps
This looks really good. Thanks for the video also. It sure has made things a whole lot easier.
Thank you! Enjoy!
I made this yesterday, they wanted vanilla so I left out the cocoa and added an extra tsp of vanilla. The thing is, I had to leave it out for over 1/2 hour in order to spoon it out and even then, the middle was frozen and all around the sides was melted. Is this normal?
I would just suggest not leaving it in the freezer quite as long. I think “”real”” I ce cream uses a lot of things to keep it from getting so solid. I just check this every 45 minutes or so (and I only make a half-recipe at a time) so I eat it when it has gotten just frozen enough.
I’ve heard adding a small amount of MCT oil to the mixture can help with it getting so hard. I’ve heard of using plain vodka too.
If anyone tries the vodka option let me know how you modified the recipe and how it turned out.
Not this recipe specifically (since I’m going to try it tonight!), but in other machine-based ice cream recipes, a splash of vodka–I did about 1 shot’s worth–does help keep it softer. My kids didn’t say anything about it tasting funny (they were unaware that it had vodka) and it’s such a small amount it isn’t a problem. I used ghetto vodka, too, so a higher-shelf brand would probably be even less noticeable!
Great recipe! I love how easy this is. I usually set a timer and stir it well every hour just to keep it from freezing solid. You can also add a small amount of egg yolk to keep it smooth. I might buy an ice cream maker just to try making a bunch of different kinds!
@Delaney: What kind of parent spikes their kids’ ice cream with vodka? You do realize that freezing doesn’t remove the alcohol content like cooking it does, right? Umm, please don’t give your children alcohol. Not even hidden in ice cream.
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@SJ – I came back just to comment on this because it bugged me. Vanilla has *almost* the same alcohol content as vodka. Actually homemade vanilla is made by soaking vanilla beans IN vodka. 1 tsp of vodka is going to be the equivalent alcohol content of just over the same amount of vanilla so don’t be so judgy – if you make this recipe and use real vanilla (or other real extract) you too are adding booze to your creation,
Like the others my calculations says 1/2 cup is 10 grams of carbs. What did you use to get it to 2.2g ?
As I stated in response earlier, are you subtracting the sugar alcohols from the Swerve. The sweetener is zero net carbs.
Can I just leave out the chocolate and will it taste like vanilla? Don’t like chocolate ice cream at all.
Yes, it will
This was wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing. I never knew 5 minutes was so long, but I’ll have amazing arms by the end of summer 😉
Hey, thanks Rosemary and Trisha, for the feedback on using the immersion blender! I’d like to try a little coconut too, but was wondering if it all might settle at the bottom. Perhaps it wouldn’t if the jar was shaken periodically. Also, laying the jar on it’s side in between shaking might help. Anyway, I won’t do the silicone cups again–the frozen ice cream did not pop out as I’d hoped it would. Still, I felt the chocolate was sufficient, especially when the cinnamon was added. Thanks again for a great recipe, Kendra!
Julie, I liked the idea of the silicone cups for portion control. Did you partially immerse the individual cups in warm water to help them release? Or, how about pouring the mixture into four 1/2 cup mason jars? I’m going to try these two methods :). Thanks for the idea.
No Margaret, I didn’t even think to run some water over the silicone cups … duh! Anyway, I love this recipe. I added instant coffee crystals as Van suggested and loved it! This is just my personal opinion, but I think the ice cream is best eaten after it has frozen for several hours … it doesn’t get rock hard and is sooooo creamy! 🙂 Oh, and I am using my immersion blender and see no difference is the finished product, either. However, when grandkids are visiting we’ll use the 5-minute shaking jar method! 🙂
How about using popsicle holders ? That would control portions!
My local store only had swerve confectioners sugar. If I use that, how much should I use so that it tastes the same? I’m guessing less, but I don’t want to mess it up. Help!
You can use the exact same amount. 🙂
I have made chocolate, strawberry, blueberry, & vanilla. As I’m not crazy about the”greasy”aftertaste heavy cream leaves in my mouth, I used 1/3 cup heavy cream & the rest half and half. Berries and other solids will, unfortunately, sink to the bottom. I resolved this problem by using 1t.of sugar-free jello or sugar-free pudding, any flavor. I wish I knew how to eliminate some of the ice crystals that form, but otherwise, this is a great recipe!
Oops it was supposed to say guar gum or xantham gum
Glycerin! It helps get rid of the icy texture.
Added some peanut butter to the recipe this time.. soooo good
People who have made this — how is the texture on this? I’ve always sort of been disappointed in the texture of non machine-spun keto ice creams. Always sort of turns out just a little grainy. If this is speedy and good, I will definitely give it a try.
John, I didn’t detect any grainyness at all. I don’t know if you’re speaking of the grittiness when using non-powdered sweeteners, or actual “grainyness”. Much of the time, I will use powdered/confectioner sugar to eliminate any grittyness.
I’ve made this a couple of times and thought it better when eaten within 24 hours. After that, the ice cream seemed to harden considerably.
I didn’t find it grainy or gritty. I’m also adding a few drops of Stevia to help sweeten it up because I use a HEAPUNG tablespoon of cocoa powder. I’ve used both shaking and immersion blender, both come out the same (regardless of my “mix-ins” of either unsweetened coconut shreds, nuts, or Choco chips.) Note I’m using Swerve confectioners not granulated; it does freeze hard, so plan ahead. I’m thinking of adding a bit of vodka to soften it up a bit. Trisha
Trisha, can you tell me if vodka is the only liquor that will work to ‘soften’ it up a bit? Thanks.
I don’t know if Vodka is the only liquor that softens it (or rather keeps it from getting rock hard), but of course it won’t affect the flavor so I believe that’s why it’s often mentioned in keto ice cream recipes. I designate YOU to research this one for us (hehe!) and let us know! 😉
I haven’t experienced it being grainy, at all. I use the regular Swerve. I don’t let it sit for more than about 2 1/2 or 3 hours in the freezer, though, I take it out and eat it when it’s not entirely frozen solid. Oh, and I only make a half recipe. I know I am still eating two servings, but I don’t do it very often! 🙂
I love this recipe!
This recipe is fantastic. My wife and I are hooked. I also made it with 3/4 tsp of instant coffee and it came out with a mocha taste. Even better!!!
Brilliant! Making this tomorrow w/ the added instant coffee.
Samantha, 1 tsp of instant coffee worked better when I made it a second time.
The instant coffee granules, right? Not instant coffee in liquid form, right? Thanks.
I thought he meant the crystals, so that’s what I used. Yummy!
Yes the instant coffee granules
Has anyone tried making this in a KitchenAid using the whisk implement? I can’t shake a bottle for 5 minutes, so I’m hoping I can use a machine to replicate the shaking. Or, for those who have used an immersion blender, how long do you run the blender? Thank you!
I would say 30 seconds to 1 minute is plenty good. I moved the blender up and down toward the end.
Thank you, Julie! I will give that a shot.
Yes! I used my kitchen Aid. It worked great! (see my note below on July 15). It got pretty thick, but I used a canning funnel to help get the ice cream into the mason jar. It really turned out to be a great idea and so glad I did it that way, like you, I can’t shake that long and especially when I was making four.
This is really a great recipe. jo
Did you use the Kitchen Aid whisk or the ice cream maker?
YUM!! I made a half recipe in a smaller jar, only change I made was adding 1 tbsp MCT oil to keep it softer. BEST LOW CARB ICE CREAM I HAVE EVER HAD!! I stopped even trying to make keto ice cream because it was always a fail. This recipe is a HUGE HUGE WIN!! After sitting out for 60 seconds, it was soft enough to eat. Thank you so much!! I am going to try making different flavors, including using coconut cream instead of dairy. Will report back. Thanks again!!! 💞💞💞
Has anyone tried with coconut cream? I dislike diary cream. Thanks
I have, it’s great
Has anyone processed this in an electric ice cream maker??
I made this as soon as I saw the recipe. I was going a friends house for dinner and she asked me to bring a keto dessert – which I have never made!
I wanted to make 4 separate desserts (one for each person) and that way they could have some for later.
I also couldn’t see me shaking 4 mason jars for 20 minutes. So I used my kitchen aid mixer instead of shaking the jar. I put the thick ice cream in the mason jars and then into the freezer. We put the jars in their refridgerator after dinner, while visited. Oh my! This dessert was a hit and delish. The mason jar idea was great for taking to their house and then no messy scooping. They had left overs. Everyone loved it. Even the one who is NOT keto.
I did use chocolate chips. I chopped them lightly, so there was bits and pieces – that was a nice touch.
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I love it!
jo
This is in my freezer right now. I am going to stir it half-way through the freezing time so that the chocolate chips will not settle to the bottom. That is my plan anyway. If this passes the taste test, my husband and I will will be eating a lot of ice cream! Thanks for the recipes, and all the work you do for us, Kyndra!
My pleasure. 🙂
So easy and so crazy delicious! Thank you!
I found this recipe today while researching keto ice cream and it looked so easy I made it right away. I am lactose intolerant so I used coconut milk (refrigerated, drained of liquid leaving the solid coconut cream), added 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, an extra tablespoon of cocoa powder and a pinch of salt then blended it using my immersion blender. I tasted it before I put it into the freezer and the mixture was incredibly smooth and tasted so good! It will be ready in 2 1/2 hours and I can hardly wait..
Did the liquid double for you with the coconut milk? It didn’t seem to increase in volume when I shook mine for 5 minutes.
I was wondering what I can use to substitute Swerve?
Any low carb sweetener you prefer
Here is a link to a low carb sweetener conversion chart that I’ve used.
https://www.wholesomeyum.com/natural-low-carb-sweeteners-guide-conversion-chart/
I found a jar that’s the right size and and am going to give this a go! I’ve been eating low carb since March but I’ve been really bored lately. Maybe this will keep me on track. I have cherry extract and thought that might make it extra special.
What a great idea!
This is fantastic! I used my blender to mix it, and I left out the S-F Chocolate Chips, but doubled the cocoa powder then let it freeze overnight. It was amazing. I think next time I may swirl in a bit of peanut butter. 🙂 Thank you so much for all your delicious recipes.
I am going to try this today. But, am thinking of adding almonds instead of the chocolate chips.
This ice cream is amazing! Thanj you so much for sharing the recipe
This is a great recipe. I highly recommend it, especially if you’re looking for a treat and keeping it low carb. So creamy and chocolatey, one of the best desserts I’ve found, Thank you!
Wow, really enjoyed,making this.. I substituted 3 tablespoons,of cocoa powder in half of it and ate it cold from the fridge as rich pudding! The other half I tried 10 drops real banana flavoring,1 tbl. cocoa, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon and a 1/4 tsp. of 99 bananas liquor.. Boy was the liquor easy to taste, Maybe should have used vodka but I think you would have been able to taste alcohol regardless. I loved the complexity and richness but my husband didn’t like the taste of the liquor. Who knows what’s next? Cocoa and chili perhaps? Great way to get some extra fats too.
This is delicious! I just wanted one serving so I made a fourth, in a small jar, but still used half a tablespoon of cocoa (i.e. double the cocoa) and it was lovely. Next time I might increase the cocoa some more as I really love a rich, chocolatey flavour. For sweetner I used Erythritol plus a few drops of Stevia and added a pinch of salt. I couldn’t wait for 3 hours so I had it after just over an hour. It was still slightly soft but oh so yummy. I will definitely be making this a lot, thank you so much for a great recipe!
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Didn’t read all the comments but was thinking… Could have a less hardened version and closer to soft serve consistency if you shake it every half hour while it’s in the freezer… Not certain out would work but I’m thinking I’m gonna test it out…
Ok, first, YUM! Made a jar of vanilla yesterday, and it was DIVINE! However, I notice a really heavy residue left in my mouth as I neared the end of the jar. I realized later it was butter! Anyone else coming against this little chemistry conundrum in the shaking of cream in the process of ice cream making? Did I shake too long or not long enough?
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I want to try this with coconut milk and sounds like it’s been done with success ! Are people just dumping a whole can of full fat coconut milk in or separating it ? Would either work? Are you using the kind you find in the grocery isle near the Asian foods? The ones that come in a can? I find Keto can be a little dairy heavy so trying out different ideas! Thanks!!! Love this site!
Good recipe but wayyyyyyy too sweet for me, guess my taste buds have really changed!! I tasted it before it went into the freezer. The hubs will love it then. I may drizzle some unsweetened pb on mine later to cut it and because I love chocolate and peanut butter and rarely have it now!
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This was soooooooooooo good! And sooooo easy to make. Thank you so much for this recipe! I shared it in my Japanese site.
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Shut the front door! Could this be any easier? I’ve made this twice now, and both the hubby and I love it. The second time I made it, I used almond extract and a handful of almonds instead of chocolate chips. Both were incredible! Thanks for another winner, Kyndra!
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Omit the cocoa, add 1 tsp. Of maple extract and some walnuts for Maple Walnut Ice Cream. Also, a Tablespoon of MCT oil will indeed keep it from freezing rock hard and cause it to be silky smooth. 😃
Hi! So, things I learned today making this recipe. #1 – I used the Blender Bottle I make my protein shakes in, worked like a charm. #2 That cute little jar of salt in my pantry looks EXACTLY like that cute little jar of erythritol in my pantry and really should be labeled to make sure nothing like my first batch ever happens again. Holy cow was that awful! Two tablespoons of salt is horrible, my friends! Make sure your pantry items are labeled accordingly. You know how you’re looking forward to licking that spoon after you make this and spoon it into your container? That was me, until I did with that first batch. I’ll probably have nightmares about how awful that was! The second batch, made correctly, is off to a much better start 🙂
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Oh my goodness! THIS . . . IS . . . AWESOME!! I used Xylitol instead of Erythritol and added cacao nibs. All I can say is WoW! This tastes like a very high quality ice creme! Thank you!!
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