This keto butter pecan ice cream is so smooth and creamy and full of rich, buttery flavor and crunchy pecans. It's hard to believe that something this yummy is sugar-free and keto friendly!
Even though butter pecan is a popular ice cream flavor, we hadn't ever tried it until we made this homemade keto version in the Ninja Creami. Honestly, we were both blown away — we couldn't believe how much we loved it! And how come no one ever told us it was this yummy?!
It's hard to believe this healthier, sugar-free butter pecan ice cream stands up to (and even surpasses) the flavor of a regular, butter pecan ice cream like Häagen-Dazs (of course we had to compare it!). However, much of the credit goes to the Ninja Creami since it allows you to create rich, ultra-smooth and creamy ice cream with non-standard ingredients.
The rich buttery flavor includes caramel-ish, maple undertones due to the inclusion of sugar-free maple syrup and brown sweetener. It's just enough to add a caramel-like flavor and helps take the ice cream to the next level.
Making this ice cream is easy with the the Ninja Creami. The hardest part is waiting for the combined ingredients to freeze in the freezer before turning it into ice cream within a matter of minutes!
We highly recommend the Ninja Creami, if you're interested in making low-carb, high-protein, and/or low-calorie ice cream.
*For the integrity of our food blog, we do not engage in brand partnerships nor do we accept free products. We only review and recommend the products we enjoy.
*As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
- Unsweetened almond milk: To create the right consistency, you need a liquid. We use unsweetened almond milk since it's keto-friendly and low in calories. You may substitute with another type of low-carb milk like unsweetened macadamia milk.
- Pecans: Obviously pecans are a must. We simply add as is, but you could also toast them in a pan with some butter.
- Butter: You've got to include butter in butter pecan ice cream! However, we're careful not to add too much in order to keep the calories low.
- Brown erythritol: We use Swerve Brown Sweetener, but you can use another brown sugar-free sweetener if you like. It helps create a caramel-like flavor in the ice cream.
- Vanilla protein powder: We use a vanilla whey protein powder to enhance the vanilla flavor in ice cream and increase the protein. Our favorite vanilla protein powder is Quest Vanilla Milkshake.
- Sugar-Free Maple Syrup: To add caramel and maple undertones, we use Lakanto sugar-free maple syrup. However, you can use any type of sugar-free maple syrup you like.
- Salt: Salt adds to the pecan and caramel flavor — another must!
- Guar Gum: Guar gum is thickening agent that helps create a creamy texture in ice creams and sorbets. You may substitute with xanthan gum, but the texture may not turn out as creamy.
How to Make
STEP 1: Combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse until fully mixed and smooth in consistency.
STEP 2: Pour the blended mixture into a Ninja Creami pint container and place in the freezer. Let freeze for at least 24 hours.
STEP 3: After freezing, take the lid off the pint container and place in the Ninja Creami outer bowl. Install the Creami paddle into the outer bowl lid, place the lid on the outer bowl and lock into place according to the instructions in the Creami manual. Select the Lite Ice Cream mode, and it will spin for several minutes.
STEP 4: When it stops spinning, take the container out and assess the consistency of the ice cream. If it's powdery in texture as shown in picture 4 (as opposed to creamy and smooth), then you'll need to respin.
STEP 5: If you need to respin, place the outer bowl lid back on and lock it back into the Ninja creami and push respin. Depending on your freezer's temperature you may need to respin multiple times.
STEP 6: After it's done respining, take out the outer bowl and assess the ice cream consistency. If its smooth and creamy, as shown in picture 6, then you'll add the pecans.
STEP 7: Create an indent in the center of the ice cream (there should already be a small indent from spinning) and add the pecans.
STEP 8: After, return it to the Ninja Creami and press the mix-in button to incorporate. When done spinning, serve immediately and enjoy!
STORING THE ICE CREAM
Ice cream made by the Ninja Creami is best when eaten immediately. Since it's not made with standard ingredients and in the same manner as regular ice cream, it does not store as well as traditional ice cream.
If you have leftovers, we recommend letting the ice cream melt until soft (which happens fairly quickly) and then storing it back in a Creami pint since you'll likely need to re-run the Creami on it after it re-hardens. Be sure to flatten the surface of the ice cream in the pint before placing it in the freezer.
To serve, simply re-run the Creami process again or respin the ice cream (as it may be frozen) until smooth and creamy.
WHY THE NINJA CREAMI CAN MAKE ICE CREAM OUT OF ALMOST ANYTHING
With traditional ice cream machines, the ice cream is stored in the freezer so it has to maintain its creamy texture while in there. Keeping a liquid creamy at freezing temperatures requires a careful balance of ingredients. For example, in traditional ice cream, if you reduce the amount of sugar in the mixture it will get too hard in the freezer to be ice cream.
By contrast, with the Ninja Creami you start by freezing your mixture into a solid and then the Creami pulverizes it to create ice cream. The benefit of this approach is almost any mixture will freeze to a solid. This is especially useful in low calorie or protein ice creams with non-standard ingredients that won't stay creamy in the traditional ice cream making process. The trade off is that you have to eat it right away and it can't be stored like traditional ice cream.
Related Recipes
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear your feedback! Leave a comment, rate it, and tag @lowcarbsimplified on your photo of this recipe on Instagram or Facebook. We hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!
Keto Butter Pecan Ice Cream in the Ninja Creami
Ingredients
- 1 scoop Quest Vanilla Milkshake Protein Powder (1 scoop is 31g)
- 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ⅓ cup Swerve Brown Sweetener
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ tablespoons Lakanto Sugar-Free Maple Flavored Syrup (or ¼ teaspoon maple extract)
- ½ cup pecan halves
- ¼ teaspoon guar gum
Instructions
- Blend ingredients: Combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse until fully mixed and smooth in consistency.
- Freeze: Pour the blended mixture into a Ninja Creami pint container and place in the freezer. Let sit for at least 24 hours.
- Turn to ice cream in the Ninja Creami: After freezing, take the lid off the pint and place in the Ninja Creami outer bowl. Install the Creami paddle into the pint lid, put on the outer bowl and lock into place. Select the Lite Ice Cream mode, and it will spin for several minutes.
- Respin if necessary: When it stops spinning, take the container out and assess the consistency of the ice cream. If it's a powdery in texture (as opposed to creamy and smooth), then you'll need to respin. To respin, place the pint container back in the Ninja creami and push respin. After it's done, take out and assess the ice cream consistency. If it's still powdery, then respin until smooth.
- Add pecans and serve: When ice cream is smooth, then you'll add the pecans. Create an indent in the center of the ice cream (there should already be a small indent from spinning) and add the pecans. After, return it to the Ninja Creami and press the mix-in button to incorporate. When done spinning, serve immediately.
Notes
- You can toast the pecans in butter before adding them to the ice cream. Simply follow these instructions for toasting them in a pan with some butter.
- For a high protein version, you can reduce the pecans to ¼ cup and replace the butter with butter extract. This high protein version has 120.6 Calories, 8.3g Fat, 1.5g Net Carbs, 9.3g Protein, and 31% of calories from protein.
- If you have leftovers, we recommend letting the ice cream melt until soft (which happens fairly quickly) and then storing it back in a Creami pint since you'll likely need to re-run the Creami on it after it re-hardens. Be sure to flatten the surface of the ice cream in the pint before placing it in the freezer. To serve, simply re-run the Creami process again or respin the ice cream (as it may be frozen) until smooth and creamy.
Nutrition
*For the integrity of our food blog, we do not engage in brand partnerships nor do we accept free products. We only review and recommend the products we enjoy.
*As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Crazy good! I didn't have the Quest vanilla, but did have the salted caramel. Wow, so flavorful and easy! Will definitely be a go to recipe forever! Thank you so much!!!!!!!!!
So glad you liked it and good to hear that salted caramel worked just as well! Thanks for dropping us a note!