Low-Carb Cherry Garcia Ice Cream

Martina SlajerovaUpdated 31 August 2020★★★★☆4.4 (33 ratings)

Ready in 3h
8.5 g net carbs
441 kcal
Serves 8

This post may contain affiliate links, see our disclaimer.

Low-Carb Cherry Garcia Ice Cream Ice Cream (keto, paleo, sugar-free)

The famous Cherry Garcia Ice Cream recipe made low-carb using my Soft & Creamy Keto Vanilla Ice Cream as the base — it's better than Ben & Jerry's! I shared this recipe on Instagram but wanted to test it a bit more before sharing in the KetoDiet App.

How To Make Low-Carb Cherry & Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

In this Low-Carb Cherry Garcia Ice Cream I use real cherries in the form of my Sugar-Free Amarenata Cherry Sauce. Although compared to most berries, cherries are not the most suitable fruit for a low-carb diet, you can enjoy them in moderation. If you want to reduce the carb count, halve the Amarenata, double the sweetener and add 2 to 3 teaspoons of sugar-free cherry extract.

This recipe uses an egg yolk custard as the base for creamy keto ice cream. If you can't eat eggs, swap the egg yolks with gelatin. This will also remove some of the yellow hue and will make the ice cream more pink once you add the cherries. To do that you can follow the tips in this Blackberry & Lavender Ice Cream. In this Cherry Garcia Ice Cream recipe you will need 2 ¹/₂ teaspoons of gelatin powder soaked in about ¹/₄ cup (60 ml) of cold water and then added to the hot cream.

For the chocolate chips I used 90% dark chocolate but any dark chocolate with at least 85% cacao is a good low-carb option. Although there is a small amount of sugar, the carb count is low and it's one of the ingredients that can be used in moderation when you follow a healthy low-carb diet. You can also use sugar-free chocolate sweetened with stevia or inulin.

For even more tips check out my Soft & Creamy Keto Vanilla Ice Cream — you'll find:

how to make super soft creamy ice cream if you don't have allulose by using vodka, MCT oil or vegetable glycerine
how to use the leftover egg whites in other low-carb recipes
how to make keto ice cream with no ice cream maker

How To Make Ice Cream Without an Ice Cream Maker

This recipe uses an ice cream maker but you can also make it using a simple no-churn method.

To do that, make the custard without the sweetener (only egg yolks and cream). Once cool, add the cherry sauce (reserving the whole cherries for later) and whip using an electric mixer. Fold in up to 1 cup (240 ml) of regular or dairy-free Keto Condensed Milk. For soft ice cream, you can also add some vodka, vegetable glycerine or MCT oil (see tips listed here). Add the whole cherries and chocolate chips, and place in the freezer to freeze until set, for about 4 hours.

Are Cherries Keto?

Let me start by saying that there is no such thing as a "keto" ingredient.

If your goal is to achieve ketosis (which is by no means necessary for weight loss), you simply need to restrict your carbohydrate intake to a low level. Achieving ketosis has nothing to do with eating "keto" foods. For some people the level that allows them to enter and maintain ketosis is at 20 to 30 grams of net carbs, for others it's less than 20 grams of total carbs.

Having said that, some ingredients are more suitable for a keto diet than other foods. A great example is avocado which contains 1.8 g net carbs per 100 grams (3.5 oz), while cherries have about the same amount of net carbs as blueberries (9 to 12 grams, depending on the type).

Step-by-step

Make the Low-Carb Amarenata Cherry Sauce — this will take about 45 minutes.
Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. Reserve the egg whites for another recipe — you will only need the yolks.
In a sauce pan, whisk the egg yolks, cream and sweetener, and then gently heat up over a medium heat to cook the egg yolks. Do not boil, just enough to cook enough until the mixture starts thickening (this will take 5-10 minutes). Mix at all times to prevent the custard from sticking to the bottom.
Pour into the container of your ice cream maker and let it cool down to room temperature. You can place the container in a bowl filled with ice water to cool it down quickly, in just 5-10 minutes.
Pour the cherry amarenata through a sieve placed over the container and let the juices drip into the egg & cream mixture. Stir to combine. Reserve the cherries for later.
Add to ice cream maker and churn until soft-serve consistency (this will take 45-60 minutes).
Transfer to a freezer-safe container and stir in the reserved cherries and the chocolate chips.
Freeze for 30 to 60 minutes before serving or until ready to eat.
Soften out of the freezer for a few minutes before scooping. Store, covered, in the freezer for up to two months.
Serve on its own or try with my Low-Carb Sugar Cones.

Recipe