If there is one thing everyone in the world can agree on, it’s that ice cream is delicious. Unfortunately, like most sweet things that taste good, ice cream isn’t always good for you. It has been linked to a reduced striatal response in humans, which is associated with weight gain (1, 2).
Numerous other studies have shown that sugar is one of the worst things you can eat. It has been known to promote heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and more (3, 4, 5). It’s also highly addictive.
Most people are already aware of the dangers of sugar, which is why they try to avoid it in the first place. But food manufacturers are still trying to find clever ways to change up the ingredients to make ice cream “healthy” and low-carb so that you can enjoy it every once and awhile.
In this article, we reviewed several popular low-carb store-bought ice cream brands and ranked them in terms of how ketogenic-friendly they are.
We also tackled the question, “Can you eat store-bought ice cream on a ketogenic diet?” Read on to learn more and don’t forget to read our conclusion and check our keto ice cream recipes list below!
Can You Eat Ice Cream on a Ketogenic Diet?
Traditional store-bought ice cream contains large amounts of sugar that should be avoided. They also contain preservatives, emulsifiers, and food additives that cause inflammation and gastrointestinal upset. When it’s all said and done, ice cream contains empty calories that do nothing good for your body.
It’s best to avoid the ice cream aisle at the grocery store completely just in case you’re tempted to buy something you shouldn’t. If you haven’t traveled that way in a long time, you might be surprised to learn that there are tons of alternative ice cream options available nowadays.
Some claim to be completely plant-based, sugar or dairy-free, or ketogenic-friendly. It’s hard to know which ones are truly better for you than traditional store-bought ice cream and which are a waste of your time.
We’ve reviewed the top store-bought low-carb ice cream brands here so you can get a better understanding of what your options are. We will also give you a keto-friendly rating for each product.
Don’t forget to check the end of this article for our recommendation and homemade recipes.
#1: Rebel Creamery
Rebel Creamery claims that their ice cream has the lowest net carbs on the market. According to the website, their ice cream is high-fat, ketogenic, low-carb, and contains no added sugar. Sounds pretty good, right?
The company was founded by ketogenic diet advocates who have been making homemade ice cream for years after seeing that there were no good ketogenic-friendly ice cream options on the market. Instead of giving up ice cream forever, they decided to take their favorite recipes and give them a keto makeover.
The creators of Rebel Creamery teamed up with food scientists to perfect their recipe and come up with a ketogenic ice cream that tastes as close to the real thing as possible. Their mission is to encourage people to adopt a ketogenic way of life and realize that you don’t need sugar to make ice cream taste good!
Rebel Creamery offers several different flavors of ice cream. All of them are sweetened with monk fruit and erythritol only, use cream as their main base, and contain between 12 and 19 grams of fat with only 5 to 8 grams of net carbs per pint. We like that they use certified organic egg yolks and the cream from cows that are rBST and hormone free.
Here is a complete list of the flavors they offer:
- Vanilla
- Chocolate
- Cookie Dough
- Peanut Butter Fudge
- Mint Chip
- Strawberry
- Butter Pecan
- Coffee Chip
- Triple Chocolate
- Salted caramel
- Cherry dip
- Cookies & cream
- Coconut almond swirl
- Black raspberry
All flavors are available either by the pint or by the case. Here is the nutritional breakdown of a pint of their chocolate ice cream along with ingredients:
Serving size ½ cup
- Calories: 150
- Fat: 14 grams
- Saturated fat: 9 grams
- Trans fat: 0 grams
- Total carbohydrates: 11 grams
- Fiber: 3 grams
- Sugar: 0 grams
- Sugar alcohols: 7 grams
- Protein: 2 grams
- Vitamin A: 8 percent DV
- Iron: 5 percent DV
- Calcium: 4 percent DV
Ingredients: cream, water, erythritol, chicory root fiber, dutched cocoa, egg yolks, milk protein isolate, vegetable glycerin, peruvian carob gum, guar gum, and monk fruit.
We give this ice cream an eight out of ten stars. Of all the store-bought ice cream brands we’ve looked at, Rebel Ice Cream seems to be the most ketogenic-friendly. We like that they use keto-friendly sweeteners only and don’t try to sneak in any nonsense.
Rebel ice cream is high in fat and low in protein like a keto-friendly food should be. Most of the flavors contain around 1-2 grams of net carbs per serving.
The only small downside we can find is that the use of milk protein isolate in the ingredient might not be considered as keto-friendly by strict keto dieters.
Here are some pros and cons to consider.
Pros:
- Uses keto-friendly ingredients only
- Sweetened with monk fruit and erythritol
- Good fat and protein ratio
- Contains no added sugar, grains, or gluten
- Uses organic egg yolks
- Uses cream from cows that aren’t treated with hormones
- Uses minimal preservatives
Cons:
- Currently not available in many stores, so you may have to order it online and shipping can be expensive
- Uses milk protein isolate which makes it not strictly keto
You can learn more about Rebel Creamery by visiting their website https://rebelcreamery.com/.
#2: Halo Top Creamery
We’ve done a complete review on Halo Top ice cream before. The company took the world by storm as one of the first ever low-carb store-bought ice cream brands. Since then, it seems like most retailers carry it. You can find various flavors in the frozen food aisle right next to the Haagen Daz and Ben and Jerry’s.
Although Halo Top recently launched a line of keto ice cream, many strict keto dieters will want to stay away from it. This is because they use ingredients such as skim milk, maltodextrin, rice flour, and cane sugar that aren’t allowed on the keto diet. So while Halo Top is lower in sugar and junky ingredients than traditional ice cream, it still contains questionable ingredients.
The Halo Top claim to fame is that you can eat an entire pint of ice cream for between 280 and 360 calories. They also have non-dairy and vegan options. Their keto ice cream contains around 500 – 600 calories and between 5 grams and 10 grams of net carbs per pint.
Halo Top uses some popular keto-friendly ingredients in their ice cream, such as erythritol and stevia, which helps keep the calorie content down, but strict keto dieters may prefer a product that has fewer preservatives and carbs.
They also offer a variety of non-dairy ice cream flavors that are made with coconut milk, rice and pea protein, and various forms of sugar.
Here is a list of all the keto flavors they offer:
- Banana cream pie (8 grams net carbs)
- Berry swirl (8 grams net carbs)
- Caramel butter pecan (5 grams net carbs)
- Chocolate cheesecake (10 grams net carbs)
- Jelly donut (7 grams net carbs)
- Peanut butter chocolate (8 grams net carbs)
- White chocolate macadamia (8 grams net carbs)
Here is a nutritional breakdown of a one pint serving of the peanut butter chocolate flavor:
- 630 calories
- 54 grams of fat
- 44 grams of carbs
- 13 grams of fiber
- 23 grams of sugar alcohol
- 22 grams of protein
Ingredients: Ultrafiltered skim milk, cream, peanut butter cups (peanut butter (peanuts, salt), coconut oil, inulin, sugar, cocoa (processed with alkali), chocolate swirl (peanut oil, nonfat dry milk, natural cocoa, chocolate liquor, cocoa, sunflower lecithin, natural flavors, salt), peanut oil, cocoa, soy lecithin, natural flavors, vanilla extract, milk), erythritol, peanut butter base (peanuts, peanut oil), eggs, vegetable glycerin, soluble corn fiber, chicory root fiber, cellulose gel, cellulose gum, natural flavor, sea salt, stevia leaf extract.
Here are some pros and cons of Halo Top ice cream:
Pros
- Contains few calories and carbs than most store-bought ice cream
- Contains fewer preservatives
- Uses stevia extract
- Comes in lots of different flavors
- Vegan and dairy-free options are available
- Available in most stores
- The keto line contains between 5 and 10 grams of new carbs per pint
Cons
- Uses skim milk and various forms of sugar
- Contains too many carbs to be strict ketogenic
As you can see, Halo Top offers a good lower-sugar and lower-calorie ice cream option for most health conscious people. But ketogenic dieters have very specific needs and Halo Top just doesn’t cut it. They use non-keto friendly ingredients and contain too many carbs per serving.
You can always reduce the carbs by eating smaller portions per serving. Eating the entire pint at a time will cost you around 10 grams of net carbs and between 500 and 600 calories!
We give this ice cream a rating of six out of ten and recommend making your own keto ice cream at home when you need to satisfy your sweet tooth.
You can learn more about Halo Top ice cream on their website https://halotop.com/.
#3: Enlightened Low Calorie Ice Cream
Enlightened is a brand of ice cream that claims to be high protein and low in calories. It appeals to many dieters because it’s a healthier alternative to traditional ice cream. They also recently launched a keto line.
The company states on their website that they replace the fat and sugar in their ice cream with protein and fiber. As a ketogenic dieter, you know that fat is not the enemy, but we like that they are trying to reduce the sugar intake.
Enlightened offers both dairy and non-dairy forms of ice cream. The keto ice cream contains around 200 calories per serving, which is lower than most ice cream brands on this list.
Here is a list of their keto flavors:
- P.B cookie & brownie dough pint
- Caramel chocolate double dough pint
- Butter pecan pint
- Caramel dark chocolate peanut bars
- Chocolate glazed donut pint
- Chocolate peanut butter pint
- Coffee and cream pint
- Dark chocolate bars
- Marshmallow peanut butter bars
- Mint chocolate chip bars
- Mint chocolate chunk pint
- Peanut butter chocolate chip bars
- Peanut butter fudge pint
- Red velvet pint
Here is the nutritional breakdown of a half-cup serving of the chocolate peanut butter pint:
- Calories: 200
- Fat: 17 grams
- Total carbohydrates: 10 grams (1 gram net carbs)
- Fiber: 2 grams
- Sugar alcohols: 7 grams
- Protein: 4 grams
Ingredients: Cream, water, erythritol, non-GMO soluble corn fiber, egg yolks, dutched cocoa, peanuts, vegetable glycerin, milk protein concentrate, skim milk, sugar, tara gum, peanut oil, guar gum, carob gum, salt, monk fruit extract.
They also offer a variety of dairy-free ice cream flavors that are made with almond milk, cane sugar, and bean protein. Some even contain wheat flour, peanut oil, and cornstarch.
Here are some pros and cons of eating Enlightened ice cream:
Pros
- Low in calories
- Contains around 1 gram of net carbs per serving
- Contains a good amount of fiber
- Uses monk fruit and stevia sweeteners
- Available at most health food stores including Whole Foods, Fresh Thyme, Hy-Vee, and more
- Offered in pints and bars
Cons
- Uses skim milk, sugar, and other non-keto friendly ingredients
We give Enlightened a seven out of ten rating because the ice cream contains around 1 gram of net carbs per serving, which is lower than many other brands of keto ice cream.
The company has done a good job of offering a lot of different flavors, and they are certainly a better option for someone who might otherwise pick a traditional ice cream brand to indulge in. But they use a lot of ingredients that aren’t keto-friendly.
For example, the ice cream gets its high fiber content from soluble corn fiber, but we would rather see you get your fiber from low-carb vegetables instead.
This ice cream might be a good choice for someone looking to cut their carbs, but with ingredients like skim milk and cane sugar added to just about every batch, we don’t recommend eating this brand of ice cream on a strict ketogenic diet.
You can visit the website https://eatenlightened.com/ to learn more.
#4. So Delicious Dairy Free
So Delicious is a company that is known for offering dairy-free alternatives to popular dairy products, such as ice cream, creamers, yogurt, and more. They are one of the most common “healthy” non-dairy ice cream brands around. You’ll find their products in just about any grocery store or supermarket.
The company uses nut milk in place of traditional cow’s milk as its base for the ice cream. They offer a ton of different flavors, which is ideal for those with dairy intolerances who have been limited with their options in the past, but the addition of cane sugar makes this ice cream one you’ll want to eat with caution.
The company is certified vegan and uses non-GMO products, which is a refreshing place for a dessert company to start. We like that they don’t use artificial flavors, colors, hydrogenated oils, or trans-fats in their products, but being plant-based isn’t always ideal for ketogenic dieters.
Here is a list of the ice cream flavors that they offer:
Cashew milk frozen desserts:
- Chocolate cookies n’ cream
- Very vanilla
- Dark chocolate truffle
- Salted caramel cluster
- Snickerdoodle
- Creamy chocolate
- Chocolate drizzled bananas foster
- Peachy maple pecan
- Cappuccino
- Dipped salted caramel
- Double chocolate delight
Coconut milk frozen desserts:
- Chocolate
- Chocolate peanut butter swirl
- Mint chip
- Mocha almond fudge
- Vanilla bean
- No sugar added butter pecan
- No sugar added chocolate
- No sugar added mint chip
- No sugar added vanilla bean
- Gluten-free cookie dough
- Oh-so strawberry
- Blueberry cardamom
- Cold brew coffee
- Toasted coconut key lime
- Gluten-free cookies n’ cream
- Coconut almond bars
- No sugar added fudge bars
- No sugar added vanilla bars
- Vanilla bars
- Coconut sandwiches
- Vanilla sandwiches
- Organic fudge bars
- Cocowhip
Almond milk frozen desserts:
- Mocha almond fudge
- Vanilla
- Gluten-free cookies n’ cream
- Mint chip
- Mocha almond fudge bars
- Vanilla sandwiches
Soy milk frozen desserts:
- Chocolate velvet
- Creamy vanilla
- Vanilla sandwiches
Here is the nutritional breakdown of a half-cup serving of their chocolate frozen dessert made with coconut milk:
- Calories: 170
- Total fat: 10 grams
- Saturated fat: 9 grams
- Trans fat: 0 grams
- Total carbohydrates: 18 grams (16 grams net carbs)
- Fiber: 2 grams
- Sugars: 14 grams
- Protein: 1 gram
Ingredients: organic coconut milk (filtered water, organic coconut), organic cane sugar, organic coconut oil, cocoa (processed with alkali), organic tapioca syrup, pea protein, natural flavor, and guar gum.
Here are some pros and cons:
Pros
- Uses nut milk in place of skim milk
- Contains fewer carbs than traditional ice cream
- Uses non-GMO ingredients
- Easy to find at most stores
Cons
- Contains too many carbohydrates to be considered low-carb
- Uses ingredients that are not low-carb friendly, such as tapioca syrup, pea protein and cane sugar
Although we like the use of organic nut milks in the ice cream, So Delicious uses lots of ingredients that aren’t low-carb, such as tapioca syrup, pea protein, and cane sugar.
Some of their products even contain canola oil, molasses, and soy. As you can see, 16 grams of net carbs is relatively high for a low-carb dieter, especially someone who needs to stay under 20 grams per day to remain in ketosis. This ice cream might be a good option for someone looking to make a swap from traditional ice cream, but it’s not recommended for ketogenic dieters. We give it a four out of ten rating.
You can read more about So Delicious on their website http://sodeliciousdairyfree.com/
#5. Arctic Zero
Arctic Zero specializes in making “light” ice cream, non-dairy pints, and non-dairy bars. They also have lactose-free pints.
Unlike some other brands of ice cream on this list, Arctic Zero stays away from erythritol because they claim it leaves a funky aftertaste in your mouth and causes digestive problems. They claim that their ice creams are naturally sweetened and contain no artificial ingredients.
Their light ice cream contains anywhere from 80 to 90 calories per servings and one to three grams of fat. Some of their non-dairy pints contain as few as 35 calories per serving because they use purified water as their first ingredient, but then they follow it up with cane sugar. This might appeal to a low-calorie dieter, but ketogenic dieters are less concerned about calories and more concerned about sugar intake.
Here is a list of the different flavors they offer.
- Classic vanilla
- Pistachio
- Cookie shake
- Purely chocolate
- Salted caramel
- Chocolate peanut butter
- Hint of mint
- Cake batter
- Brownie blast
- Cookie dough chunk
- Cherry chocolate chunk
Here is the nutritional breakdown of a half-cup serving of their purely chocolate non-dairy ice cream:
- Calories: 40
- Total fat: 0 grams
- Total carbohydrates: 9 grams (5 grams net carbs)
- Fiber: 4 grams
- Sugars: 5 grams
- Protein: 1 gram
Ingredients: purified water, organic cane sugar, prebiotic fiber, fava bean protein concentrate, dutch processed cocoa powder with alkali, acacia gum, tara gum, guar gum, sea salt, natural flavors, monk fruit concentrate.
Here are some pros and cons:
Pros
- Very low in calories (as few as 35 calories per serving)
- Provides a variety of non-dairy options
- Focuses on using clean ingredients and not many preservatives
- Relatively low in carbs due to high fiber content
Cons
- Contains too much added sugar to be low-carb ketogenic friendly
We noticed that the first two ingredients in many of the ice creams are water and sugar. It would be healthier to use an organic coconut or almond milk in place of sugar water as the base for this ice cream to keep the carbs down.
While Arctic Zero might appeal to low-calorie eaters who are looking to make healthier swaps, we don’t recommend this ice cream brand to ketogenic or low-carb eaters. We give it a four out of ten rating for ketogenic diets due to the use of ingredients such as cane sugar, bean protein concentrate, and skim milk.
You can visit the website https://www.arcticzero.com/ to learn more.
#6. Keto Pint
Unlike some of the other ice cream brands on this list, Keto Pint promises that they make a truly keto ice cream. They state that their ice cream contains no added sugars and tastes great.
The brand currently offers keto ice cream in five different flavors:
- Peanut butter cup
- Mint chip
- Sea salt caramel
- Chocolate
- Coffee
All ice cream flavors have three grams of net carbs per half-cup serving. You can find them in many stores, such as Whole Foods, Safeway, New Seasons Market, and Gelson’s. Or you can buy them online at the Keto Pint website for $6.99 per pint.
If you are an ice cream lover, you might want to subscribe to the monthly delivery. This includes six pints of keto ice cream for $50 and the shipping is included. We noticed that the monthly subscription is currently sold out, but you may want to check back later.
It might seem cheaper to buy single pints, but keep in mind you will likely have to pay for shipping fees, too. This makes the monthly subscription a good deal if you’re serious about your ice cream.
We like that Keto Pint includes the nutritional information and ingredients for their ice cream on their website. Cream is the first ingredient listed in every flavor.
The next is whole milk, which is usually a no-no on the keto diet because milk contains sugar. But as long as you keep your serving sizes to a half-cup per serving, it shouldn’t be a problem. We also like that they use as many non-GMO ingredients as much as possible.
An entire pint of chocolate ice cream contains the following:
- 660 calories
- 63 grams of fat
- 53 grams of carbs
- 12 grams of fiber
- 33 grams of sugar alcohol
- 14 grams of protein
Here are the ingredients: whole milk, cream,whole egg, milk protein concentrate, dutch raw cocoa powder, chocolate chips (raw cocoa, erythritol, cocoa butter, erythritol, sunflower lecithin, stevia extract), non-GMO chicory root fiber, monk fruit extract, stevia extract, non-GMO tapioca fiber, vegetable glycerin, sea salt, non-GMO guar gum, non-GMO gum acacia.
The peanut butter flavor contains peanuts, which is not a keto-friendly food but is acceptable when eaten in small amounts. Keto Pint uses keto-friendly sweeteners to flavor their ice cream, including monk fruit extract and stevia.
They also use non-GMO chicory root fiber to keep the net carbs down. In addition to being good for digestion, research shows that chicory root fiber has beneficial effects on blood sugar levels.
Here are some pros and cons of this ice cream:
Pros
- Contains keto-friendly ingredients in almost all flavors
- Decently priced at $6.99 per pint or $50 per monthly subscription
- Free shipping to most US states except Hawaii and Alaska
- All ice cream contains 3 grams of net carbs per serving
- Small batch made
- Available at Whole Foods and other local grocery stores
- No sugar added
- Organic and non-GMO ingredients used
- Available in pint form as well as bars
Cons
- Limited flavors
- Contains some ingredients that are not keto compliant, such as whole milk and peanuts (this shouldn’t be a problem if you keep your portion sizes to one-half cup as suggested on the label)
All ice cream, even keto ice cream, is nothing more than empty calories. You’re much better off spending your calories on nutritious foods that contain vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and healthy fats.
However, the ingredients in Keto Pint are superior to other brands we’ve reviewed. We like that the emulsifiers and thickening agents are non-GMO. We also like the use of monk fruit extract and stevia as sweetening agents because they are naturally derived from plant sources and are not created in a lab. As long as you keep your portion sizes to the suggested serving of one-half cup, Keto Pint is a good option for ice cream.
You can visit the website at https://ketopint.com/ to learn more.
#7. Killer Creamery
Killer Creamery is a keto ice cream brand with 2 grams of net carbs per serving and no added sugar. We love that they use MCT oil in their ice cream to give it an edge over other keto products.
MCT oil has many benefits and can be used to enhance ketone production to keep you in ketosis.
The company caters to a fitness-minded audience and strives to produce a “treat” that won’t ruin your diet. Currently, the company sells their products in five different retailers across the country.
You can enter your zip code into their website to see if they offer ice cream near you. If not, you can order their products online.
The company has a four pint minimum when you order online. You can get free shipping if you order six pints or more. There is a $10 flat rate shipping fee if you purchase fewer than six pints. You can also give a give of ice cream by purchasing a $10 gift card on the company’s website.
Each serving of ice cream contains 15 grams of fat, 3 grams of net carbs or fewer, and 3 grams of protein. Each flavor has a catchy nickname that you won’t soon forget. Here are the current flavors offered:
- Piggy butter
- Chilla in Vanilla
- PB & Whey
- Carmels Back
- No Judge Mint
- Jam Session
- Salted KALEamel
- Got Buns?
- DefiNUTLY Dough
- Free Whaley
- Brownie Points
- Peanut Blubber
Here is the nutritional breakdown of a half-cup serving of Piggy Butter:
- 210 calories
- 19 grams of fat
- 13 grams of carbs
- 3 grams of fiber
- 8 grams of sugar alcohol
- 5 grams of protein
Ingredients are as follows: cream, filtered water, erythritol, natural peanut butter (peanuts, salt), chicory root fiber, bacon (pork, water, salt, vinegar, citric acid, pomegranate extract), organic cocoa powder, MCT oil, whey protein concentrate, vegetable glycerin, pure vanilla extract, gums, stevia.
Keto Creamery has different ice cream packages that you can choose from. Be sure to order the “keto” package. They have sampler packs that you can try, but be sure to choose keto ice cream only so you don’t accidentally buy ice cream with too many carbs.
We noticed that the “newbie” package has free shipping, but it also contains flavors that are not listed on the keto-friendly list such as Jam Session. The “OG” package contains all keto ice cream, but you’ll have to pay for shipping.
At 8 grams per serving, this ice cream contains a lot of sugar alcohols, which can be hard to digest even though they don’t contribute to your overall calories or carbs. The good news is that it’s in the form of the keto-friendly no-calorie sweetener erythritol.
We like that the remaining ingredients are clean and doesn’t contain excessive fillers or preservatives. The cocoa is organic and filtered water is listed as the second ingredient. The pure vanilla extract is also a nice touch.
Pros
- Contains MCT oil derived from coconuts to enhance ketone production and support ketosis
- Uses cream instead of whole milk to keep carbs down and enhance creaminess
- The average net carb count is 2 grams per serving
- Free shipping when you buy six pints or more
Cons
- Contains 8 grams of sugar alcohol per serving, which may be hard to digest for some people
- Not available in all states
You can learn more about their products by visiting the website at https://killercreamery.com/.
#8. Mammoth Creameries
Mammoth Creameries is a company that focuses on healthy ingredients. It was founded by Tim and Sue, who are from Germany and Texas, respectively. The two grew up very differently, but had one thing in common.
They wanted to develop truly ketogenic-friendly foods that help support a diabetic person’s diet. They met in college and formed the company after Tim woke up in the hospital one day after being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Since then, Tim and Sue have committed themselves to eating a high-fat, low-carb diet to help control Tim’s diagnosis.
Mammoth Creameries offers four flavors of keto ice cream:
- Chocolate peanut butter
- Chocolate
- Vanilla bean
- Lemon buttercream
You can purchase a keto starter pack that includes two of each flavor for $55.00. This fee includes shipping. It does not look like the company sells their products by the pint only, which means you’ll need to commit to four pints anytime you order from their website.
Tim and Sue claim that their chocolate peanut butter ice cream is not overly sweet, but it’s still sweet enough to be a favorite among their children. They state that their vanilla ice cream is balanced and simple, yet it gives your grandma’s ice cream a run for her money. According to Tim and Sue, their ice cream is “damn good dessert.”
We love that the ingredients are very simple and clean. The ingredients listed in the vanilla flavor include heavy cream, grass-fed butter, egg yolks, natural vanilla extract, vanilla bean seeds, pink Himalayan salt, and xylitol.
The ingredients in the chocolate peanut butter flavor are heavy cream, xylitol, peanut butter made with peanuts and peanut oil only, chocolate liquor, egg yolks, grass-fed butter, cocoa processed with alkali, natural vanilla extract, and pink himalayan salt.
Here is the nutritional breakdown of the chocolate peanut butter flavor:
- 270 calories
- 25 grams of fat
- 9 grams of carbs
- 1 gram of fiber
- 6 grams of sugar alcohol
- 3 grams of protein
Peanuts are not a keto-friendly food, but it’s hard to make peanut butter ice cream without them. As long as you stick to the recommended serving, you won’t go over your carb limit for the day.
All other ingredients are perfectly acceptable on the keto diet. We like the use of natural vanilla bean extract, which adds a delicious flavor unlike cheap vanilla imitations.
We also like that they use grass-fed butter and heavy cream as their first two ingredients. This means that the ice cream contains the most of these ingredients because they are listed first.
Here’s what we like and don’t like about this ice cream:
Pros
- Clean and simple ingredients, including cream, grass-fed butter and natural vanilla bean extract
- This ice cream was made with type 1 diabetes patients in mind
- Nutritional breakdown includes 25 grams of fat, 2 grams of net carbs, and 3 grams of protein per serving, which is ideally suited for the ketogenic diet
- Helps support ketosis
- Buying this ice cream helps support small business owners
- Tim and Sue have an inspiring story!
Cons
- There are only four flavors of ice cream currently available
- This ice cream is pricey at $55 for four pints (shipping included)
- It is available online only
- The nutrition facts are a little hard to read on the website
You can learn more about Mammoth Creameries by visiting the website here: https://www.mammothcreameries.com/.
#9. Breyer’s CarbSmart Ice Cream
Breyer’s makes a low-carb ice cream that contains three grams of net carbs per ½ cup serving. It comes in three different flavors: vanilla, chocolate, and peanut butter.
However, we don’t recommend this brand of ice cream on a strict keto diet because it contains sorbitol and sucralose, which are sugar alcohols. We recommend that you stick with a keto-approved sweetener instead, such as monk fruit or erythritol.
Ingredients in the chocolate flavor include milk, cream, sorbitol, maltodextrin, water, sucrose, and preservatives.
A one-half cup serving of the chocolate flavor contains 90 calories, 5 grams of fat, 12 grams of total carbs, 5 grams of sugar alcohol, less than one gram of fiber, and 2 grams of protein.
Breyer is a fairly popular brand of ice cream that can be found in most stores. If you have no other low-carb options, then you could indulge in this product in small amounts. Be aware that sugar alcohols may cause digestive upset.
Pros
- Can be found in most stores
- Less expensive than other brands of strict keto ice creams
- Gluten-free
Cons
- Contains non keto-friendly ingredients, such as milk and sugar alcohols
#10. Sola Ice Cream
Sola makes a keto-friendly brand of ice cream that contains 14% butterfat. It’s low-sugar, low in net carbs, low glycemic, and high in good fats.
According to the website, Sola ice cream contains 60% less sugar than leading brands of ice cream. It also contains 4 grams of net carbs or less per serving with 2 grams or more of protein with no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives.
There are currently eight flavors of Sola ice cream:
- Chocolate peanut butter
- French vanilla bean
- Mint chocolate chip
- Chocolate fudge brownie
- Butter pecan and salted caramel
- Salted caramel
- Chocolate chip cookie dough
- Strawberry vanilla swirl
Sola keeps their net carbs down by using tagatose, which is a low-glycemic sugar found in dairy. A one-half cup serving of the chocolate peanut butter flavor contains 160 calories, 14 grams of fat, 13 grams of carbs, 0 grams of fiber, 6 grams of sugars, 6 grams of sugar alcohols, and 3 grams of protein.
Pros
- High in good fats
- Comes in a variety of flavors
- Can be found in stores across the country
- Sweetened with monk fruit and erythritol
- Contains 4 grams of net carbs or fewer per half-cup servings
Cons
- Contains milk and carrageenan
- Higher in calories per serving than some other brands
You can order Sola ice cream online or find a store that sells it near you.
Should You Try These Store-Bought Ice Creams?
The low-carb store-bought ice cream brands above might be OK if you’re on a low-carb diet or want to keep your total carbs intake down. It’s certainly a much better choice than traditional ice cream.
However, we don’t recommend it for strict keto dieters because of all the added milk, sugar, and other ingredients that aren’t keto-friendly.
It might not make too much of a difference if you’re on a low-carb diet, but these numbers can add up quickly for ketogenic dieters who need to stay below 20 grams of net carbs per day.
The bottom line is that there are much healthier ways to get your net carbs in, such as by eating low-carb vegetables with lots of fiber. On the other hand, the wrong brand of ice cream only contributes to empty calories and can kick you out of ketosis if you eat too much of it.
If you must eat ice cream or have a sweet craving you can’t kick, then try preparing your own keto ice cream at home and leave the store-bought brands alone.
Keto-friendly Ice Cream Recipes You Can Try
Here’s our list of all the keto-friendly ice cream recipes you can make from home:
Chocolate Collagen Protein Ice Cream
Avocado Ice Cream In the Shell
Avocado Ice Cream Bars with Coconut and Brazil Nuts
Conclusion
There are very few store-bought ice creams that you can safely eat on a low-carb diet. During our review, we found that most ice cream brands are focused on providing a lower calorie product and not necessarily a ketogenic-friendly ice cream.
It would be much better to get your carbohydrate intake from low-carb vegetables as opposed to ice cream. There’s a list of healthy keto foods you can eat to stay on track with your keto diet.
If you’re going to eat ice cream on the ketogenic diet, then we recommend making your own at home using one of our recipes above to ensure you’re using safe ingredients. Always remember to stick to your keto meal plan to achieve results.
