Low-Carb Amarena Cherry Ice-Cream

This is one of the best ice-creams I've ever made. I LOVE cherries and was wondering if there was a way to include them in a low-carb diet. Typically, cherries are quite high in carbs and therefore not very keto-friendly. Using Amarenata is a great way to enjoy the strong cherry flavour without too many carbs. You also avoid using food extracts which are not always the healthiest option (containing PG or sugar).

This time of year, you may not be able to get fresh cherries or they may be too pricey. The good news is that you can use frozen cherries too. Amarenata adds a lot of flavour to all sorts of low-carb sweets and is absolutely delicious in this recipe. Just remember: all treats, even low-carb, may cause weight stalling and should only be enjoyed occasionally.

Tips for Super Soft Ice-Cream:

This recipe produces soft and creamy ice-cream. However, once left in the freezer for several hours, it will get hard. Below are some tips to help you keep it soft:

• Vodka or other similar alcoholic drink - about ¹/₄ cup. Vodka is best as it's neutral and leaves no aftertaste.
• Vegetable glycerin - 1-2 tablespoons. This ingredient will prevent crystallisation. It has a minimum effect on blood sugar but I personally count all the carbs in it because it has more calories than sugar.
• MCT oil - about ¹/₄ cup.
• Also, put the ice-cream in single-serving containers so you don't have to wait for too long until it softens when taken out of the freezer.

Step-by-step

1. Pour the cream (or the coconut milk) in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Reserve ¹/₂ cup cream for later.

   

2. Add the Erythritol and stevia and stir well.

   

3. If using vanilla bean, cut the vanilla bean lenghtwise and scrape the seeds out. Add the seeds to the cream. Cook until your instant-read thermometer reaches 80 °C/ 175 °F.

   

4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the egg yolks with the remaining cream.

   

5. Slowly pour about a cup of the hot mixture into the egg yolk mixture while whisking. Then, slowly pour the egg mixture back in the sauce pan and keep mixing. Cook until the temperature on your instant-read thermometer reaches 85 °C/ 185 °F. Take off the heat and set aside.

   

6. Mix the gelatine with the water and pour it into the cream mixture.

   

7. Set the sauce pan over an ice bath (bowl filled with iced water) and let it cool down.

   

8. Add the vanilla extract and mix in well.

   

9. If used, add the crème fraîche / soured cream and mix until well combined.

   

10. Pour into the into the ice-cream maker (I use Cuisinart) and process according to the manufacturer's instructions. It may take anything between 30-60 minutes depending on your ice-cream maker.

    

11. When done, place in a freezer-friendly container and add the Amarenata. Mix slightly to create swirls. Place in the freezer for 30-60 minutes.
    I like using small single-serving containers like these.

    

12. Enjoy!

    Tip: Ice-cream straight from the freezer may be too hard but you know the trick. Microwave for 10-20 seconds or leave at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before serving.

    

Recipe

Low-Carb Amarena Cherry Ice-Cream

★★★★★4.6 (22 ratings)

Deliciously creamy frozen low-carb dessert made with homemade vanilla ice cream and sugar-free cherry sauce.

Hands on

15m

Overall

3h

Servings

8

5.7 g

Net carbs

4 g

Protein

40.5 g

Fat

408

kcal

1 serving2 servings3 servings4 servings5 servings6 servings7 servings8 servings9 servings10 servings11 servings12 servings16 servings24 servings32 servings

US + metricMetricUS

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Ingredients makes 8 servings

• 2 ¹/₂ cup cream, heavy whipping or coconut milk (600 ml/ 20 fl oz)
• 1 cup crème fraîche, soured cream or more coconut milk (250 g/ 8.8 oz)
• ¹/₂ cup powdered Erythritol or Swerve (80 g/ 2.8 oz)
• 15-20 drops Stevia extract
• 1 tbsp sugar-free vanilla extract or seeds from 1 vanilla bean
• 3 large egg yolks
• ¹/₂ cup water (120 ml/ 4 fl oz)
• 2 tsp gelatine powder (5 g/ 0.2 oz) or ²/₃ tsp agar powder or 4 tsp agar flakes
• ¹/₂ cup Low-Carb Amarenata or Dark Cherry Chia Jam (120 ml/ 4 fl oz)

Instructions

1. Pour the cream (or the coconut milk) in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Reserve ¹/₂ cup cream for later.

2. Add the Erythritol and stevia and stir well.

3. If using vanilla bean, cut the vanilla bean lenghtwise and scrape the seeds out. Add the seeds to the cream. Cook until your instant-read thermometer reaches 80 °C/ 175 °F.

4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the egg yolks with the remaining cream.

5. Slowly pour about a cup of the hot mixture into the egg yolk mixture while whisking. Then, slowly pour the egg mixture back in the sauce pan and keep mixing. Cook until the temperature on your instant-read thermometer reaches 85 °C/ 185 °F. Take off the heat and set aside.

6. Mix the gelatine with the water and pour it into the cream mixture.

7. Set the sauce pan over an ice bath (bowl filled with iced water) and let it cool down.

8. Add the vanilla extract and mix in well.

9. If used, add the crème fraîche / soured cream and mix until well combined.

10. Pour into the into the ice-cream maker (I use Cuisinart) and process according to the manufacturer's instructions. It may take anything between 30-60 minutes depending on your ice-cream maker.

11. When done, place in a freezer-friendly container and add the Amarenata. Mix slightly to create swirls. Place in the freezer for 30-60 minutes.
    I like using small single-serving containers like these.

12. Enjoy!

    Tip: Ice-cream straight from the freezer may be too hard but you know the trick. Microwave for 10-20 seconds or leave at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before serving.

Nutrition per serving, 2 scoops

Carbs 6%Protein 4%Fat 90% of calories

Net carbs

5.7 g

Total carbs

15.4 g

Fiber

0.2 g

Sugars

5.1 g

Protein

4 g

Fat

40.5 g

Saturated fat

25.9 g

Calories

408 kcal

Sodium

34 mg · 1.49% RDA

Magnesium

7 mg · 1.86% RDA

Potassium

91 mg · 4.57% EMR

Nutrition by ingredient

Per 2 scoops	Net carbs	Protein	Fat	kcal
Cream, heavy whipping, pouring, full-fat (30-40% fat)	2 g	1.4 g	28.5 g	275
Crème fraîche	0.9 g	0.9 g	10.3 g	98
Erythritol (natural low-carb sweetener)	0.5 g	0 g	0 g	2
Stevia extract (SweetLeaf or NuNaturals, natural low-carb sweetener)	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Vanilla powder, dried (from vanilla beans, vanilla pods)	0 g	0 g	0 g	1
Egg yolk, fresh	0.2 g	1 g	1.7 g	21
Water, still	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Gelatin powder, thickening agent, unsweetened	0 g	0.5 g	0 g	2
Amarenata Cherry Sauce, homemade (KetoDiet blog)	2 g	0.1 g	0 g	10
Total	5.7 g	4 g	40.5 g	408

Serving size 2 scoops

• Gluten free
• Dairy free
• Nut free
• Nightshade free
• Pork free
• Avocado free
• Coconut free
• Fish free
• Shellfish free
• Beef free
• Pescatarian
• Vegetarian

• Recipe can be made dairy-free or coconut-free.