Frozen Custard Recipe
When this creamy, delicious frozen custard touches your tongue, you are going to feel like you are in food heaven. After a long day, there is nothing better than settling in with a bowl of this frozen flavorful treat. Not only does it taste amazing, but it’s also super EASY to make too.
Ice cream is definitely a favorite food group around here. It is an easy summer dessert for all ages.
Sometimes I just get a craving for a giant bowl of ice cream! So, I wanted to come up with a recipe that the entire family would enjoy while I didn’t have to worry about what was in it.
This frozen custard is a winner! It meets all the needs of my cravings while it’s sugar-free. I would say that is a win at my home and it keeps the family happy too.
If you love this recipe, try some of my other ice cream recipes next time. This Cannoli Ice Cream and my Pistachio Ice Cream and two fan favorites.
Ingredients
- Heavy Cream – Heavy whipping cream in the base to most creamy ice cream. It is rich and creamy.
- Whole Milk – The fat content of heavy cream is too high to use it on its own so it is normally mixed with milk. If you are trying to keep carbs down look for a reduced carb milk in your grocery store.
- Egg Yolks – Raw egg yolks make this super creamy and give custard it’s natural warm yellow color. If you do not want to use raw eggs you can buy pasteurized eggs or heat the custard base over medium heat until bubbles form around the edge and it thickens slightly (enough to coat the back of a spoon). Chill completely before proceeding with the recipe.
- Sweetener – Any sweetener will work in this recipe.
- Glycerin – Adding a little vegetable glycerin helps the custard to be scoopable right from the freezer.
See quantities in the recipe card.
How To Make Frozen Custard
Having an ice cream machine makes making this frozen custard recipe a breeze.
Step One: Simply give the ingredients a spin in the blender and then pour into the ice cream maker. Freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Twenty minutes later, you can eat your homemade frozen custard right from the ice cream machine if you prefer a soft-serve texture.
Step Two: Freeze it in a separate container until it’s scoopable.
Variations
This homemade custard ice cream is a great base for so many flavors and toppings. Try classic pairings such as hot fudge, whipped cream, and a cherry or go unique. The possibilities are endless.
- Vanilla Custard – Add a tablespoon of real vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste in the first step.
- Swirl – Swirl in some fudge sauce or caramel sauce when you transfer to a storage container.
- Cookie Dough – Add some pieces of edible cookie dough for a fantastic frozen dessert.
- Coconut – If you love coconut, it would make sense to add a sprinkle of toasted coconut to the top of your custard. To toast the coconut, toss it in a dry skillet until the edges brown lightly.
- Nuts – Add your favorite nuts on top for a scrumptious crunchiness! So good!
- Berries – Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries would all be amazing with this frozen custard. It adds a natural sweetness and great flavor. You can use other favorite fruits as well.
- Dark Chocolate – Add some chocolate shavings or chocolate chips plus a pinch of salt. Be sure it’s sugar free or at least 85% dark chocolate if you are low carb. Enjoy a little bit in moderation, because it’s delicious and having some is good for you.
If you love custard make sure to also try my Baked Custard with Lemon and Blackberry Custard Pie!
Storage
This sugar-free custard will last in the freezer for 2-3 weeks. Typically, it tastes better when it’s initially made, and most of the time everyone will eat it. Then you won’t have anything to save, but every once in awhile, you end up with leftovers.
When you freeze the frozen custard, you should store it in an airtight container (or in a loaf pan lined with wax paper and with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface of the custard). Before serving, let it sit out up to 5 minutes to thaw and then scoop as desired.
Common Questions
Frozen custard is not the same as ice cream. Traditional custard recipes have a lot of sugar, milk, and eggs in them. The inclusion of the eggs is a big difference. The texture of the custard is usually a lot denser than typical ice cream too. My recipe is different because it doesn’t have refined sugar in it at all. So you can indulge without worrying about carbs or sugar.
Yes, you can make this frozen custard recipe dairy-free if you can’t have dairy. All you need to do is replace the heavy cream and whole milk with cans of coconut milk. You need the coconut milk for the creamy texture, so it can replace the heavy whipping cream. Then you can either use more coconut milk in place of milk or use almond milk if you would rather. Just keep in mind that the flavor and texture will be a little bit different than when you make it as my recipe suggests. It will still taste fantastic, so grab a spoon and dig in!
Whether frozen custard is better for you than ice cream can be a little bit tricky to answer. My recipe for frozen custard is reasonably healthy because it doesn’t have sugar added, preservatives of unhealthy ingredients. When it comes to comparing the two if you are eating them at a restaurant, then the custard is probably a little bit healthier at most places. However, it can vary significantly from place to place. The same thing goes for store-bought. They are pretty even when it comes to how they are made.
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Frozen Custard Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1.5 cup heavy cream
- 1.5 cup reduced carb whole milk (such as Fairlife)
- 4 egg yolks ***
- 1/2 cup Joy Filled Eats Sweetener (or see alternatives in recipe notes)
- 2 tsp glycerin ***
Instructions
- Put all the ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth.
- Pour into an ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Notes
Nutrition
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Originally Published August 5, 2019. Revised and Republished July 22, 2025.
Looks great! I am extremely carbohydrate sensitive, I am not diabetic but literally fall asleep after eating any significant level of carbohydrates, so I am looking to remove all carbohydrates from recipes possible in order to accommodate my personal health needs and keep within a net 20 grams of carbohydrates per day or less limit. There is a plant-based heavy whipping cream without soy, that in my experience is as good as dairy heavy whipping cream, that is zero net carbohydrate, and that I am going to substitute for both the dairy whipping cream and the milk, and see what the results are. I will post the results after I make the batch. Thanks for a great recipe!
This stuff is better than ice cream! Creamy and great when coconut milk, whole fat kind is used instead of cow’s milk. I have to get over the urge to eat way more than I should! It’s that good!
I love this recipe, 2nd time of made it. I did add vanilla & vodka and it works great. I always have about a 1/4 cup leftover when I pour it in my ice cream maker ( maybe, purposefully ! ), so I add rum and nutmeg and have a glass of egg nog. I think in the winter I will just add it to the ice cream. I may try other flavors – I think pumpkin and spice might be good. The possibilities are endless. Thanks for the great easy recipe.
I’m wondering if it is possible to make frozen custard with only fruit as sweetener. Most of this stuff is just too sweet for my.taste. imagine ripe banana or any ripe sweet fruit and eliminate other sweetener.
I think part of the problem with keto is our desire to recreate a false sweet rather than cultivate a more natural taste. After two months of avoiding all sugars and artificial sweeteners my tastes are different.
Yes, I think that would work. It wouldn’t be keto but would still be fairly low carb.
Is it possible to make this without the ice cream maker?
You can if you stir well every 30 minutes until it is totally frozen. Or you can pour it popsicle molds.
I halved the recipe and used almond milk in place
of milk. I also added a half teaspoon of vanilla. The flavor was good but it left a greasy feeling in my mouth. Maybe too much fat?
What can I use instead of glycerin
Vodka works. Or you can omit it but you need to let the ice cream sit out at room temperature for awhile before you can scoop it.
can i use an old fashioned ice cream maker?🍦
Sure! Any ice cream maker should work.
Can you use almond milk in this recipe?
Yes, in place of the whole milk.
I attempted this recipe with monk fruit as the sweetener, and it just never hardened enough in my ice cream maker. This is also a machine I’ve never used before, so I’m not sure if that’s a factor. I was just wondering if you know whether the monk fruit might have had something to do with why I didn’t get the right consistency?
Thanks!
The monk fruit shouldn’t make a difference. Is it one that you freeze the bowl? Are you sure you froze it long enough?
Do you have a recommendation for the best type of ice cream maker to use with your ice cream/ custard recipes?
I have a 1.5 qt cuisinart ice cream maker.
Will the ice cream maker attachment for the kitchenaid mixer work for this recipe?
Yes, I think so.
THIS LOOKS SO YummmO
I will e trying this out – and as time permit – I will try different blends of this
MAYBE even a nice Mint Chocolate Chip
Personally thinking of adding a bit of fruit –
Possibly adding in a “soluble fiber”..? to help offset a few of the carbs.
Thank you – Taryn