This low carb ice cream has the creamy flavor of caramel along with buttery toasted pecans. It’s rich and delicious and perfect for a hot summer day. No ice cream maker necessary to make this sugar free ice cream dessert.
You might like these very easy, low carb freezer treats too: strawberry cheesecake bites, chocolate cheesecake bites or peanut butter cream cheese bites.
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Oh I have been craving ice cream all summer. Recently I had a caramel milkshake at Burgatory that had pretzels in it. I immediately started thinking of how I could make a low carb version and came up with this caramel butter pecan low carb ice cream. It is so delicious but it does not have that pretzel taste. I’m still working on it. Nevertheless this was so tasty that both my father in law and son gave it a big thumbs up!
The problem with low carb ice cream
Here’s the thing. When you are eating low carb, cream is not much of a problem so this ice cream is very rich. It’s the sugar that gets you when worrying about carbs. I used Lakanto sweetener which is slowly becoming a favorite of mine. It’s mixture of monk fruit extract and erythritol. So I can honestly say this ice cream doesn’t not have a weird sweetener taste at all. I also use Torani’s sugar free salted caramel syrup. It added that caramel flavor but because of it being a liquid I couldn’t use too much for fear that it wouldn’t freeze.
The problem with no churn low carb ice cream
I chose to make a custard base ice cream which involved egg yolks and heating of the ingredients. Because of this I could not whip the cream to add air which would make it softer to scoop. On the up side this is really rich and creamy but on the down size it was a bit hard to scoop. Here’s where an ice cream machine would be softer.
To scoop it I had to let it sit out for about a half hour to soften. If you have the time, you can mix it up every half hour until it’s frozen, about 2-3 hours. This should make it a bit softer. If you want some more techniques check out this post by David Lebowitz. I’m still working on this recipe but it tasted so good I had to post it.
Salted Butter Pecans – In or Out
I mentioned above I was going for a pretzel taste. I think the buttered pecans were so similar to pretzels in my strawberry pretzel-less dessert and was sure it work here. However when I mixed them in, they lost some of the crunchiness. So if you want that butter pecan type of ice cream mix it in before you freeze it. However if you want more of a pretzel experience top your ice cream with them just before eating.
Caramel Butter Pecan Ice Cream Recipe
Because this is a custard based ice cream I heated up the monk fruit, almond milk and cream on the stove. In a bowl I whisked the eggs while the mixture heated up. Once the cream was hot I took a cup of it and mixed it in the eggs. Then I added this mixture to the saucepan and heated until it coated the back of a spoon. Lastly I strained it and let it come to room temperature.
This is where I added the caramel syrup, butter pecan extract and vanilla extract. Then I poured it into a shallow container and set it in the freezer. That about all there is too it.
It really good I’m telling you. The nutritional information for 1/2 cup of ice cream without nuts is:
345 cals / 35.9g fat / 3.2g carbs / 0.1g fiber / 3.3g protein = 3.1g net carbs*
The nutritional information for 2 tablespoons of buttered roasted pecans is:
118 cals / 11.9g fat / 2g carbs / 1g fiber / 1.5g protein = 1g net carbs
Note* I used butterscotch extract, monk fruit and sugar free caramel syrup, all of which had no calories or net carbs so I did not include them in my calculation. Please do your own calculations if you are concerned about precise nutrition.
Caramel Butter Pecan Low Carb Ice Cream
This low carb ice cream has the creamy flavor of caramel along with buttery toasted pecans. It's rich and delicious and perfect for a hot summer day. No ice cream maker necessary to make this sugar free ice cream dessert.
Ingredients
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 cup almond milk
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream
- 3/4 cup Lakanto sweetener
- 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 tablespoon butterscotch extract
- 1/4 cup Torani sugar free salted caramel syrup
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup raw pecan pieces
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
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Add butter, pecans and salt to a large saute pan. Cook nuts until toasted and then set aside for later.
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In a saucepan on the stove, whisk together almond milk, cream and sweetener. Let it get hot but not boil.
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In the meantime beat the egg yolks in a bowl. Take a cup of the hot liquid and whisk quickly into the eggs.
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Return this egg mixture back to the sauce pan and reduce heat to medium low. Cook until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. This should take around 5 - 10 minutes.
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Strain liquid into a big bowl and let come to room temperature.
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If you want to mix in the nuts do so now, or wait until it's finished and add on top. I preferred them on top as they were more crunchy.
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Mix in extracts and sugar free syrup. Add to a shallow plastic container and freeze for 2-3 hours.
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Let ice cream sit out a bit to soften before eating.
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