This creamy Blackberry Gelato is low carb, keto, without sugar added and made in 3 simple steps! Nothing better on a hot summer day and just 2 grams net carbs!
Homemade Ice Cream with Blackberries
It's a known fact how good berries are for you. They're full of antioxidants and phytochemicals as well as vitamins, minerals and fiber. I am constantly trying to get my kids to enjoy more berries when they want something sweet in their day.
Berries are all natural, unprocessed and keto friendly so your blood sugar levels won't spike enjoying a small serving of berries on your ketogenic diet. When I want to curb my sweet tooth I opt for berries with my sugar free whipped cream on top!
Not to mention that berries, like blackberries, fresh raspberries and blueberries are fabulously lower in carbs then many other fresh fruit options, so they are perfect to include a few times a week on a low carb and/or keto diet.
One of the keys to enjoying more berries is always having them on hand. I always have frozen berries in my freezer, especially when they aren't in season where I live.
We use them for smoothies and baked goods to make for my family because they stay fresh in the freezer for up to 6 months! Most grocery stores carry organic berries and though more expensive than non organic, at least I know they aren't sprayed with pesticides.
Gelato versus Regular Ice Cream
So you might be wondering what the difference is from gelato to traditional ice cream?
Typically it's the ratio of milk and cream and usually no egg yolks are used when making gelato. It's churned more slowly and produces a nice soft serve texture.
I like not having to cook anything likes eggs yolks for a creamy texture for a keto ice cream recipe, so gelato is my summer favorite during ice cream season!
In this recipe you can use fresh or frozen blackberries. The fresh season for blackberries is typically August through September, so now is the time to get them fresh in the market.
Frozen Berries versus Fresh Fruit
More than 90% of the berries grown are flash frozen within hours of being picked at the peak of ripeness, locking in maximum nutrition, taste and color. The good news is that the peak of ripeness is right NOW, but you can get them anytime of year in the freezer section of your local market!
Anytime is a good time for low-carb ice cream! My kids loved this sugar-free ice cream recipe and I love how easy it is!
Enjoy for a special occasion or anytime in the summer for a fun backyard party and awesome healthy snack for the kids and their friends! If you don't have an ice cream maker, then you could simply mix this up in your blender and pour into a popsicle mold instead.
Can I use another Low Carb Sweetener?
You can use any sweetener you like because there are no eggs or cooking in this recipe, you could simply add a small amount of your preferred sweetener then taste and adjust as needed.
But be careful because not all work well in this recipe and will hinder your results for a smooth, creamy dessert.
Monk fruit extract comes from the monk fruit, luo han guo, a cousin of the cucumber and melon that's native to China and Thailand. Monk fruit is rarely used fresh but more often is dried and used as a sweetener. It is 300% sweeter than sugar, but is calorie-free and does not raise blood sugar levels.
It is sold as a pure liquid concentrate and also can be found as erythritol blends to swap cup for cup with sugar. I love the Lakanto brand Monk fruit.
Sugar alcohols are often used for reducing sugar intake in no sugar-added ice cream made at ice cream parlours. Often they contain artificial sweeteners.
Artificial sweeteners and brands like Aspartame, Splenda, Sweet-n-Low, Equal, Saccharine, Dextrose, Sucralose, etc contain carbs even if they say they are calorie free. They cause your blood sugar to spike and raise your insulin. Steer clear and don't be fooled by these misleading sweeteners.
Xylitol is a sugar alcohol that occurs naturally in some plants. Though it looks and tastes like sugar, it has 40% fewer calories. It can slightly raise blood sugar or insulin, but not nearly as much as white sugar would do.
It can cause digestive issues in some people. Dog owners beware, that if your dog were to accidentally ingest xylitol, it could be fatal. It measures cup for cup like sugar and is fairly easy to bake with. I have a dog so you won't see any recipes of mine using xylitol.
Stevia comes from the stevia plant, typically grown in Paraguay. Its leaves are boiled down to produce the liquid form on the market today.
Stevia leaves are also dried and sold as pure concentrated extract with no added fillers. A calorie-free option, it is 300 times sweeter than sugar and does not cause digestive issues, does not raise blood sugar or spike insulin.
The type of stevia I use the most in my recipes is the liquid form from the brand Sweetleaf. depending on the extraction process used, some brands may be sweeter or more bitter than others.
Allulose occurs naturally in only a few foods, such as wheat, raisins, and figs. The body isn’t able to metabolize allulose. Instead, nearly all of it passes into the urine without being absorbed, thereby contributing negligible carbs and calories.
It works wonderfully in ice creams to keep the texture smooth and soft rather than hard after freezing.
Sweetness levels in Sugar Free Natural Sweeteners
- Stevia is 300 times sweeter than white sugar
- Monk fruit is 300 times sweeter than white sugar
- Erythritol is 70% as sweet as white sugar.
- Allulose is 70% as sweet as white sugar.
- Xylitol is just as sweet as white sugar.
How to Reduce Aftertaste
I've learned over all these years of perfecting my sweet sugar free recipes, that in order to reduce an aftertaste effect, using two kinds of sugar free sweeteners helps balance each other better avoiding any aftertastes.
Often in my recipes you will find the bulk I use to replace sugar, is using erythritol and to avoid that cooling effect, I only use a small amount, but to bring up the sweetness I add liquid stevia.
It works well to cancel out any aftertaste of either sweetener and get the right sweetness level for my low carb and keto desserts.
Low Carb Ice Cream Recipes
Sugar Free Chocolate Ice Cream
No Churn Sugar Free Vanilla Ice Cream
Best Sugar-Free Blackberry Gelato
Low Carb Blackberry Gelato
Ingredients
- 8 ounces blackberries fresh or frozen
- 12 ounces unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk
- 8 ounces heavy cream
- 4 ounces Swerve sweetener or sugar free sweetener of choice
- ½ teaspoon berry liquid stevia
- 1 tablespoon MCT oil or vodka or Allulose
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Place the fresh blackberries (if frozen, thaw them first then add) to a high powered blender and blend until smooth. (Optional: Strain the mixture in a fine mesh strainer to remove seeds. )
- Place blackberry juice and rest of the ingredients into a food processor and blend together until combined. Taste and adjust sweetener if needed.
- Pour mixture into an ice cream machine on low speed and follow manufacturer's instructions. Mine was soft serve texture after 30 minutes.
- Enjoy immediately or place into a loaf pan and freeze for 2-3 hours until hardened.
- If serving from freezer, allow to sit for 10 minutes on counter before serving.
Notes
- You can find frozen blackberries at Whole Foods. Look for brands like Stahlbush Island Farms, Scenic Fruit or Willamette Valley Fruit Co.
- If you don't have berry stevia, no worries, you can use any sweetener you prefer. Use ½ cup of your favorite sweetener than taste and adjust as needed.
- The MCT oil helps keep the gelato nice and soft even after being frozen overnight. If you don't have MCT oil replace it with vodka.
- This recipe was first published in August 2016 and updated with video in July 2019.
Nutrition
About Brenda
Brenda Bennett is a certified Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, certified Sugar Detox Coach, certified Keto Coach and certified Life Coach. She has been Sugar Free & Refined carb free for 17 years and has written 2 cookbooks, Sugar-Free Mom, and Naturally Keto and her 3rd book The 30-Day Sugar Elimination Diet, is a four part program to help you detox from sugar, eliminate cravings, balance blood sugar and lose weight all while eating a delicious, nutrient dense whole foods. Meal plan offers two tracks to follow, low carb or keto. She is the founder of the Sugar Free Fresh Start course and Sugar Free Tribe weight loss membership. Learn more.
Cheryl Wiley
This was so easy to make and very delicious! Hubby and sister loved it, too! You won't be disappointed!
Jessica
Thank you for the recipe with different variations for ingredients. Allulose isn't legal in Canada yet. So, I appreciate the other suggestions for making ice cream less icy. I cannot consume blackberries or almond milk because they are too high in oxalates for me. Myself and my child have oxalate toxicity. I'm thinking of substitute the blackberries with blueberries. I like the pretty colour too. Blueberries colour will be different but, that's OK.
Brenda Bennett
Blueberries will work wonderfully! I hope you and your child enjoy it!
Carrie
Can you use MCT oil powder instead of the oil form?
Brenda
I've not tested that out to be sure the gelato would stay nice and soft.
hello
This sounds great but can you make it without an ice cream maker?
Wendy Mauzeroll
I was wondering why you switch from a blender to a food processor. Can't the whole process be in a high powered blender?
Brenda
You could try it, but I wanted to strain the seeds from the berries and also feel the blender has just a small base I didn't feel it would mix all the ingredients well enough, so I opted for the food processor.
Diane Vickery
I want to try several types of recipes but especially the desserts. I’m trying to limit my sugar intake. My husband has cancer so trying to limit his sugar intake also. We both love desserts but need healthier alternatives.
Hilary Taylor
This sounds wonderful. I’m just wondering if I could use cashew milk instead of almond or coconut?
Thanks!
Hilary
Brenda
Yes I think that would work
Conni
When you call for almond milk is it better to use the cartons on the shelf or the ones in the dairy cooler?
Brenda
I use the unsweetened ones in the refrigerated section of the market.
Dee
Is there an alternative to the vodka? Or just omit it?
Brenda
Alcohol helps to inhibit the freezing process. You need MCT oil or vodka to keep it from freezing solid hard.
Sharon
I followed the recipe to a T, but wound up with rock hard, frozen solid ice cream. Where could I have gone wrong? 😢
rita
Hi, Is there a way to make this delicacy without an ice cream maker?
thank you,
Kevin
Hi Brenda, the recipe says 4oz swerve , so I weight it?
Brenda
yes
Jonathan
Um...Amount per serving: (1 g)??? Considering a typical 1/2 cup serving generally corresponds to about 100 g on most commercial ice cream labels, that would make this a 13300 calorie dessert. Ouch!
Brenda
My plug in had a glitch and converted all my recipes to 1 gram and I've had to manually fix them all so yes it is 1/2 cup serving not 1 gram.
Daddy's Turn
We have lots of blackberries growing, so I was looking for recipes since we have so much. This looks like something I might try. We make our own ice cream, so gelato works too.
Mary Thornton
I love ice cream .
Amy
Can I use all HWC and eliminate the milk?
Brenda
sure
Jolene
I completely agree with berries being healthy, they are my favourite food. Unfortunately, if not sourced organically they are one of the worst food group you can eat bought from the supermarket (frozen or fresh), as they have the highest residues of pesticides, herbicides and other nasties used while growing, so if health conscious then we do not want to feed any berries from the shops to our kids or anyone. Look into it, it is worth knowing!
Dad
Could I increase the vodka?
Brenda
Only if you want to taste it more. The only reason it's there is to keep the texture nice and soft, it won't be noticeable in taste with the small amount being used.
Michelle
Hi Brenda!
I wanted to ask: I see that you use a lot of stevia in your ingredients and as much as I try, the taste in not for me, is there an alternative you suggest to use? And if so, what would be a good supplement ratio?
Thank you!
Brenda Ribaudo
Can't tolerate any processed sweetners. Would honey work? Quantity?
SST
This sounds fabulous! To reduce calories and carbs, I think I'll try switching the milk with unsweetened almond milk.
Karl
43 g of cholesterol? That must be some very heavy cream!
mscott
Hi I love your recipes! This one sounds so good but I don't do great with milk and HWC. Can I replace the dairy with coconut milk? From the can or carton?
Brenda
I'm sure that would be a good sub for the milk and use form the carton. But to replace heavy cream you will need something heavier so the "cream" that comes to the top of canned coconut milk will be a good sub for that.
Cindy
I made this it came out delish.. I do not have an ice cream machine so I just put in freezer very tasty.
Brenda
Thanks for sharing!