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(pictured: Raspberry Cheesecake Ganache Ripple Ice Cream)
Confession: I have an ice cream obsession.
But you probably already knew that. I mean, the ice cream cone logo is kind of a giveaway.
A few people have picked up on my obsession with ice cream, and some have even dubbed me “The Ice Cream Queen”. It’s a badge I bear with great honor, dignity (ahem…most of the time), and no small amount of responsibility. Such responsibility has lead me to write this post so that you too can enjoy ice cream – guilt free! Because ice cream and guilt should be mutually exclusive. Even if you eat naughty, sugar-laden ice cream, enjoy it and do better next time. 😉 That stuff really isn’t good for you though, so thankfully we have options. Lots of options. Keep reading to find out more about the equipment I use, how different ingredients affect ice cream recipes, and how to store ice cream.
Click here to check out my ice cream recipe picture index!
The Sales Pitch
Ice cream is one of the easiest healthy desserts to make (in my unbiased opinion). Blend some stuff in a blender, pour it into an ice cream churn, eat. A countertop ice cream churn with a freezer canister is hassle-free and easy to clean.
The Equipment
So what equipment do you need to make ice cream? I recommend a good blender and a countertop ice cream churn. These are the ones I use:
Sometimes I use an immersion blender in my ice cream recipes that involve cooking a custard and blending hot ingredients. (Blending hot ingredients in a covered blender can lead to pressure buildups and explosions.)
Most of the recipes on my site are made for a 1.5 qt. ice cream churn. I have also used a 6 qt. traditional ice-and-rock-salt churn (and I have a recipe of that size here), but a smaller countertop model is definitely easier to use with less mess. I have been using our Cuisinart for several years now, and it’s still running great! The ice cream maker comes with an aluminum canister that you keep in your freezer. When you’re ready to make your ice cream, simply place the canister on the ice cream machine, lock the plastic blades inside the canister with the plastic cover, turn the machine on, and add your blended ice cream mixture! In 20 minutes or less, you have soft serve ice cream! When the ice cream is finished, remove it from the canister (I use a plastic spatula so I don’t scratch the surface of the freezer canister), and enjoy! If you want a firmer product, you can put the ice cream in your freezer for an hour or so.
I don’t put any of my ice cream maker equipment in the dishwasher because I want it to last as long as possible, but it’s all quite easy to hand-wash. The exterior plastic cover rarely gets very dirty at all. Both the blades and the aluminum freezer canister take about 30 seconds to wash by hand.
Is a countertop ice cream maker worth the money? In my opinion, definitely yes. They are easy to use, and they churn out my favorite healthy dessert of all time with minimal effort.
If you don’t have an ice cream maker and don’t want to invest in one, you have a couple of options:
- Make a no-churn ice cream. I personally haven’t had much success with this, but I haven’t given it many tries either. Most no-churn ice cream recipes rely on sweetened condensed milk or something similar to give them a nice consistency, but I’ve seen a few healthy (sugar free) no-churn ice cream recipes floating around Pinterest. Since I have an ice cream maker that’s so easy to use, I haven’t tried any of them yet. The time or two I did try a no-churn recipe, I was just bumbling along making up my own and I didn’t use nearly enough cream. As far as I can tell, no-churn recipes need a pretty high fat content to stay remotely scoopable.
- Use your blender. Quite a few ice cream recipes can be made using a blender, although the texture won’t be as nice. Simply freeze the ice cream mixture in ice cube trays, soften the cubes a bit, and blend them with a little unsweetened almond milk or cream in a high-powered blender until a soft serve consistency is reached. Freeze the ice cream in your freezer for an hour or so to firm up more, if desired.
- Use an ice cream ball (although if you’re spending that much, you might as well buy a countertop ice cream maker).
- Try the plastic bag/ice/rock salt method (click here for a video).
The Ingredients
CLICK HERE for my Basic Scoopable Vanilla Ice Cream recipe that implements my latest tips and tricks!
Cream | Put simply, the more cream you use, the creamier and softer and more scoopable your ice cream will be. The trick is to find a happy medium between “calorie overload” and “good ice cream.” I use various amounts in my recipes depending on my mood. 😉 For special occasions I make recipes with two cups of cream, like this Special Occasion Ice Cream, but when I want more frequent treats I stick to 1/2 – 1 cup of cream.
Half and half | Half and half isn’t as calorie dense as cream but it stays creamier than almond milk when frozen, so I often use it as part of the volume in my ice cream recipes.
Unsweetened almond, cashew, or coconut milk (the very light kind from the carton with about 40 calories per cup) | I use this to make up the rest of the volume for the ice cream, just like you would use milk in regular ice cream recipes. Nut and coconut milks tend to get more icy than dairy milk does when frozen, so if a recipe isn’t as creamy and smooth as you’d like, try substituting more cream or half and half in place of some almond milk. Keep in mind that this increases the calorie load!
Cottage cheese | Cottage cheese is one of my favorite “secret ingredients” to make recipes creamy without a lot of extra calories. You can’t taste it (provided that you don’t use too much), and it adds a nice protein boost!
Eggs | Eggs (especially their yolks) can really improve the texture and taste of homemade ice creams! Cooking a custard base for an ice cream, then chilling it before churning takes time, but the results are worth it. I do this in some of my recipes, but in others I omit the eggs in interest of quick and easy. You can add raw eggs for extra richness if you’re comfortable with that, but the ice cream’s consistency will be better if the eggs are cooked into the ice cream base.
Sweetener | I used to use THM Pure Stevia Extract Powder to sweeten all my ice cream recipes…until I found that xylitol helps keep them from freezing so hard when leftovers are stored long-term! Now I usually use mostly xylitol with a few doonks of stevia for extra sweetening power if needed. In my experience, xylitol dissolves just fine when blended into an ice cream base (whether you cook it or not), but if you have a problem with crystals in your ice cream, try powdering your granulated sweetener in a coffee grinder before adding it. Xylitol is poisonous to dogs and gives some people an upset stomach if they’re not used to it, so if you’re not into using it, you could try substituting erythritol or your favorite granulated sweetener that measures like sugar. I haven’t tested anything other than xylitol so I’m not sure if other sugar alcohols will have the same anti-freezing effect in ice cream or not. I prefer the taste (or lack thereof) of xylitol over erythritol.
Vegetable glycerin | This article does a good job of explaining what vegetable glycerin is, so I’ll let you read it instead of trying to put everything into my own words. Basically it’s a clear liquid that helps give ice cream a creamy texture and stay scoopable instead of icy when frozen, then thawed. It also helps keep the ice cream from creating a thick frozen layer on your ice cream canister. I have not received a definitive answer about how much is approved on the Trim Healthy Mama plan, but supposedly it’s safe for diabetics and doesn’t spike blood sugar like regular sugar does. I cannot deny or confirm that, but I only use about a tablespoon in my recipes for my 1.5 qt. ice cream maker, so it’s a small amount per serving. I made ice cream without vegetable glycerin for awhile, but once I started using it, I haven’t made ice cream without it.
I always purchase Essential Depot brand from Amazon, but you can often find vegetable glycerin in the skincare section of grocery or health food stores. I know that NOW brand is food grade. A lot of vegetable glycerin is food grade, but if you find one with a poison warning on the label, I would suggest finding another brand…lol. I’ve heard that some vegetable glycerins made for use in cake frostings can have a funky taste in ice cream, so I’d stay away from those.
Glucomannan | Glucomannan is a natural thickening agent made from the konjac root. Xanthan gum is similar, and they can generally be interchanged in a 1:1 ratio. I’ve found that adding glucomannan to my ice cream recipes makes them nice and creamy. I generally use about a teaspoon in the recipes I make for my 1.5 qt. ice cream maker. Since glucomannan can clump when it comes into contact with liquid, I add it to the blender last, then immediately put the lid on and blend everything together. The glucomannan I purchase can be found at Netrition.com or on Amazon. Trim Healthy Mama has its own brand, which I’ve heard is stronger than what I use, so if you find that it makes the ice cream slimy, try reducing the amount.
Air | The more air ice cream has in it, the fluffier and softer it will be! This is why I use an ice cream churn. I’ve started blending the heavy cream into my cooked ice cream bases to incorporate extra air before churning as well.
Vodka | I have heard that vodka will keep ice cream from freezing hard because of the alcohol content, but I haven’t personally tried this. While I have a conscience against getting drunk, I wouldn’t have a problem with putting a tablespoon or two of vodka in ice cream for a practical purpose. However, I haven’t found a good way to inconspicuously purchase vodka, and right now I’m trying to “abstain from all appearance of evil” (1 Thess. 5:22). 😉
Dairy free | You can still have ice cream if you’re allergic to dairy! I have successfully made dairy-free ice cream using canned coconut milk, and you can find a basic dairy free ice cream recipe here.
Storing Ice Cream
So what if you have leftovers? Wait…who am I kidding?? No, but really, sometimes you have leftover ice cream. (Or at least you should. Theoretically.) What do you do with it? Well, it’ll melt if you don’t put it in your freezer, so I highly suggest putting it in a sealable container in your freezer. You need a container that seals tightly, and the more shallow it is, the faster the ice cream will thaw to a scoopable consistency.
When you freeze ice cream leftovers, they will eventually freeze harder than a soft-serve consistency. How fast they get hard and exactly how hard they get will vary according to the ingredients you used.
When you’re ready to eat your ice cream leftovers, simply let them thaw at room temperature until they are your desired consistency. Some of my recipes thaw quicker than others, so check the individual recipes for notes about that.
A great way to use up leftover ice cream that has frozen solid is to make a milkshake! I have a basic leftover-ice-cream-milkshake recipe here, and a peanut butter milkshake recipe that uses leftover ice cream here.
Troubleshooting
DO NOT pour your ice cream mixture into your countertop ice cream machine without turning it on first! If the canister is not rotating with the blades in place before you pour the ice cream mixture into it, the mixture will instantly freeze to the frozen canister and then the blades won’t be able to move. You will have a gigantic ice-cream-ice-cube of a fail.
Make sure your ice cream machine canister is completely frozen before trying to make ice cream, otherwise your ice cream will not freeze properly. Your ice cream maker’s instruction manual will have information on how long your specific model takes to freeze. When you first get your ice cream maker and freeze the canister, I recommend letting it freeze for 48 hours to make sure it’s properly frozen. For subsequent batches, I like to give my ice cream canister 24 hours in the freezer just to be on the safe side. If you make ice cream extremely frequently, you might want to invest in an extra freezer canister for your ice cream machine.
I hope that this post has cleared up questions that you’ve had about making healthy ice cream! If you have questions that I did not cover here or some advice of your own to give, please comment below!
Other posts and pages you might enjoy:
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Substitution and Baking FAQs
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My homemade Greek yogurt video tutorial
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My baking mix recipe
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Starting THM
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My picture recipe index
You can pin this post here for future reference:
Thanks! This is very helpful!
Hi Briana! I have such a craving for Ice cream and being on THM I’m happy to have landed on this site. I would like to try making mint Choc chip (using Lilys Choc chips. However what would I use for the mint flavor and approx amount? I thought you might be able to help me out here. 🙂
Hi Faith! I would just use this recipe with your Lily’s chips (and make it green instead of pink, if you like). I prefer peppermint extract to plain mint extract (tastes like toothpaste). 🙂 http://www.briana-thomas.com/peppermint-chip-ice-cream/
I bought mint flavoring a Ralph’s Kroger brand. They were very inexpensive. I saw another ice cream recipe somewhere and it used crushed fresh mint. But, what I thought was a good idea to make mint ice cream really green was to add some chopped spinach to the blender .
Girl you are the queen of ice cream for sure!! My daughter bought me a maker for my birthday. I don’t have enough room in my freezer for the kind that freezes the container so I bought an old fashioned quart electric kind. I gave it a try yesterday using an old fashioned recipe and subbing out ingredients with on plan ingredients. I used the THM version of condensed milk and half and half. It was ok but wayyyyy too sweet and actually made me nauseous. I thought I could do this without the special ingredients you mention but definitely not possible. I will be using your recipes for sure. Who was I to think I could do this like you. 🙂 Thank you for sharing your hard work with us! I can’t wait for your recipe book!!! Prayers and blessings prayed for you
Aw, I’m sorry your ice cream didn’t turn out! That’s a bummer. I hope you have better luck next time! Thank you so much for the encouragement and prayers!
(I found a counter top ice cream machine for $5 at a yard sale. That’s cheap easy treats!)
Thanks for this, because I had some questions about size of batches and whatnot. I think I’m ready to give a batch a go and see if my new toy works. I need to print this out too, just in case.
Wow, congrats on the ice cream maker find!
Thanks for the tips–and very timely! I’m trying to convince my husband to let me buy a used machine . . . and that I’ll actually use it! Looking forward to trying these out in the near future.
I just finished making (and eating) some ice cream again! Thanks to your tips here I changed up your basic recipe by added a little more cream, a little less almond milk and also added about 3 T of cocoa powder (I love chocolate!). Since I’m making my own vanilla I have vodka on hand so used a T of that. (Otherwise, I wouldn’t have any around.) The ice cream turned out so creamy and yummy! I’ve been using your recipes for quite awhile now. Thanks for all your hard work!!
Hi, Brianna!
I’m really looking forward to making these ice-cream recipes and have ordered my ice-cream maker via your link! My question is regarding the vegetable glycerine… I did a quick search and am not quite seeing solid info on it. For example, there are some with soy in them (which I try to avoid) while others contain coconut, but they don’t contain ingredients lists like most foods do. Have you heard from the THM ladies about using this?
Hi Amy! I have not heard a concrete answer yes or no about the vegetable glycerin and how much is OK to use, but it is used in one of the ice cream recipes in the THM Cookbook and THM has shared many of my ice cream recipes from their fan Facebook page. 🙂
Oh, I didn’t know that they used it already! Good! I’m going to give it a try without first, and if it’s something I really find missing, I’ll get it then. It’s basically for adding a smooth texture, right? And to make it easier to get out of the cannister–am I correct?
Yes, that’s right. 🙂 It just helps the ice cream be more creamy instead of icy, especially if you make a lighter recipe without as much cream.
Hi Briana! Love your ice cream recipes and purchasing the Cuisinart was the best investment for our family!
I freeze my ice cream in a tupperware bowl as well. Since I typically forget to take it out of the freezer to thaw, I simply remove the tupperware lid and zap it in the microwave for about a minute. It’s not the purist way, but it works like a charm every time!! 🙂 (time may vary according to microwave and how much ice cream you have to thaw).
That works!
Hi Briana 🙂 Thank you for so graciously sharing your hard work with all of us! I am so grateful for your ice cream recipes. One question I still have is how to make your recipes just a tad sweeter. It may be that my taste buds have not yet adjusted, or that I am using a lesser quality stevia product, but I need just a bit more sweetness in my ice cream. Would you recommend adding more stevia powder or boosting it with one of the THM sweeteners? I didn’t know if they would cause issues with the “ice creaming” process 😉 Also, my ice cream tends to freeze to the sides of my cannisters (I have a dual-cannister Cuisinart ice cream maker, about 15 yrs old), even when using the vegetable glycerin. I am starting my machine before pouring in the mixture. Might you have any other suggestions? Thank you so much for your help. Blessings to you!
Hi Jenesa! I would personally try adding a bit more stevia to sweeten it up a bit more, and if you find that the brand you use gives an unpleasant taste in larger doses, you could try using another sweetener instead to balance the sweetness. However, keep in mind that a granulated sweetener may make things gritty so you might need to do things a little differently (I talked about this in the post). As far as the ice cream sticking to the ice cream maker, a thin layer still sticks to mine too, but not nearly as much as before. I’m afraid I don’t have any other suggestions as far as that’s concerned.
Thank you! I missed the part about the sweeteners. You did address everything!
Thanks for all your ice cream posts and this one! I did order the ice cream maker and glycerin through your links, but have a question. I have made 2 batches and they have turned out good, but when the unit is turned on and the frozen container turns, my blades don’t turn. Are they supposed to? The directions say to add any additional items (like peanuts or chocolate chips) towards the end, but the ice cream at that point is a big lump. So am I doing something wrong or is it working the exact way it’s supposed to?
Hi Kelcee! The blades stay in place while the canister turns. 🙂 You would add additional ingredients towards the end after the ice cream is thickened but still churning around in the canister. It sounds like you’re churning it longer than I usually do (I usually eat mine at a firm soft-serve consistency).
I made my first batch of strawberry ice cream last night using Wilton brand glycerin. I’m using the machine that you use. It was delicious right out of the machine. I put the remainder in the freezer and a few hours later it was softer than when it was first churned, but still delicious. This morning I opened it to see if it had hardened….it was even softer than last night. I licked the spoon, then had a horrible aftertaste. Could it have been the glycerin that I used? I know it’s food grade because its main purpose is for use in icing and fondant.
Thanks for your advice.
Hi Eileen! I have never heard of that happening before (especially not getting softer after overnight freezing!). I’m guessing it’s the glycerin because I can’t think of anything else that would be able to react in such a way. Maybe the Wilton brand has different properties from the one I’m used to using and isn’t meant to be used in such large quantities. I would suggest finding another brand and see if that helps.
Thanks Briana, I’ll try a different brand. Love your posts and am looking forward to your new cookbook!
Hi! Another question here for you – have you ever made two batches of ice cream back-to-back in your countertop ice cream maker? I want to make sugar-free ice cream at a family reunion for all of us THMer’s and other health conscious folks, but I don’t think one batch will be enough. I don’t want it to flop for me when I’m preparing for guests! 🙂
No, don’t do that – the canister won’t stay frozen long enough to do two batches, unfortunately. 🙁
Yay!!! Thank you so much for this post and your recipes. I love you for it!
These tips are really helpful, I just made your horse tracks ice cream! Question… I guess I kinda like more icy very cold ice cream and mine had a bit of a gummy taste but it was very creamy. Would reducing the glycerin or the gluccomannan reduce that gummy texture?
I would reduce the glucomannan by half. 🙂 That’ll probably fix your problem. Some brands thicken more than others.
Do you know if glycerin is safe to use in a VitaMix?
Do you have any experience making soft service ice cream in a VitaMix?
I don’t see any reason why glycerin would be a problem. I blend the ice cream mixtures containing glycerin in our Vitamix all the time. 🙂 However, I’ve never used the Vitamix for making soft serve ice cream. If you do that, I assume you’d freeze an ice cream mixture as ice cubes, then blend them to a soft-serve consistency?
Hello!!! I have a 4 qt ice cream maker, how do i adapt ur receipies?
Since most of my recipes are made for a 1.5-quart machine, you could try multiplying the batches by 3. That should bring you pretty close to what you need for your machine.
Ty! Doing peanut butter tonight! I thought your answer was going to be more complicated than that! Lol
I was looking at your recipes for ice cream and the egg is throwing me off. I was wanting to know if the eggs that I purchase from Aldi would be fine to use or do I specifically have to have pasteurized egg. Are you particular about the eggs that you use?
Including non-pasteurized eggs does contain a risk of salmonella poisoning, which is why I recommend pasteurized eggs. However, I personally just use regular ol’ storebought eggs. 🙂 It’s up to you. Most of my ice cream recipes don’t use eggs, so if it makes you nervous, I’d just find a recipe that doesn’t call for them.
Thank you!
Hi Briana! Do you have a substitution for vegetable glycerin in your ice creams? Thanks for your amazing recipes.
No, I’m afraid it’s a very unique ingredient with its own properties that I haven’t found in any other ingredients! You can leave it out, but the texture won’t be as good and a layer of ice cream will probably stick to the sides of your ice cream maker.
Ok :-/ Thanks for your reply!
Hi Briana- I bought a counter top ice cream freezer just so I could make your ice cream. I am a THM and was so excited about being able to have ice cream. Now my question…I bought the exact glycerine you recommend. I can taste it in the vanilla ice cream and it’s not a good taste. I tasted the glycerine by itself just on the tip of my finger, too. Since it’s clear and has no color, I expected it would be tasteless, too. Should I just use half the amount of glycerine? I completely follow the reasoning of why it is needed, but don’t like the taste. Any suggestions? I do love ice cream! Thanks!!
That’s interesting! Mine definitely has a taste by itself, but I never notice it in ice cream. I think your idea of using half the amount is a good one.