I’m one of the ice cream lovers that love a creamy bowl full or a few bites stolen from the freezer when the kids aren’t looking and the weather is above 60 degrees. In the cooler weather, I only like ice cream on top of a warm slice of pie. Now that the weather is warming it I decided to break out the ice cream machine and tackle the task of making my first ice cream for the blog.

A couple of years ago I made a Pistachio Gelato that was amazing. Every time my husband sees the ice cream machine he asks if I’m making it again. I wanted to treat him to a low carb and sugar-free Pistachio Ice Cream instead. Gelato uses mostly whole milk with a bit of heavy cream. It is a bit too carb heavy for my diet right now. Instead, I used a combination of heavy cream, half and half, and almond milk.

How to Keep Ice Cream Soft in the Freezer

If you are new to ice cream making you may wonder why there is glycerin in the ingredient list. Glycerin is the magic ingredient that keeps the ice cream scoopable. It is not mandatory but recommended. I need to give a shout out to fellow THM blogger Briana Thomas because it was on her blog that I first saw the recommendation to add glycerin to ice cream. A light bulb went off in my head. I hated how my attempts at low carb ice cream in the past had turned into rocks in the freezer. After 48 hours this is still soft and scoopable. I am sold. If you want to see some of Briana’s ice cream recipes just click here.

Pistachio Ice Cream Ingredients 

• 1 cup pistachios
• 1 cup half and half
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 cup almond milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup Trim Healthy Mama Gentle Sweet sweetener (or my combo of xylitol, erythritol, and stevia)
• 1 tsp glycerin (this keeps the ice cream soft)
• 1/2 cup pistachios, chopped and toasted, optional

How to Roast Pistachios

The most important thing when roasting nuts is to stick around the kitchen. If you don’t set a timer they can burn very quickly. I either bake nuts or just roast on the stove top. But I’m sure to set the timer for just 5 minutes and then reset it for 2 minutes again and again until they are done. When the nuts smell fragrant remove from the heat.

How to Temper Ice Cream

If you want to temper the yolks you can do that now by removing the nuts (set aside for later) and then whisking the yolks into the warm half and half. Reheat over low, whisking frequently, until it thickens slightly. Then proceed with the rest of the recipe. You can also just use pasteurized eggs to avoid tempering.

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Pistachio Ice Cream

Pistachio Ice Cream. If you have never tried it you really are missing out. It is one of those flavors that isn't very popular but I don't understand why. It has a depth of flavor not found in most of the regular ice cream favorites. It is rich and creamy with a nuttiness and natural sweetness from the pistachios that is amazing.

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Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Churning Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, Italian, Italian American

Servings: 8

Calories: 403

Author: Taryn

Ingredients

• 1 cup pistachios1 cup pistachios
• 1 cup half and half1 cup half and half
• 3 egg yolks3 egg yolks
• 1 cup almond milk1 cup almond milk
• 2 cups heavy cream2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup Trim Healthy Mama Gentle Sweet or my sweetener1/2 cup Trim Healthy Mama Gentle Sweet or my sweetener
• 1 tsp glycerin this keeps the ice cream soft1 tsp glycerin this keeps the ice cream soft
• 1/2 cup pistachios chopped and toasted, optional1/2 cup pistachios chopped and toasted, optional

Instructions

• In a medium saucepan toast the pistachios over medium heat for about 5 minutes until they smell fragrant. Reduce the heat to low. Add the half and half. Heat until bubbles form around the edge of the pan. Remove from the heat, cover and let steep for 30 minutes.
• (If you want to temper the yolks you can do that now by removing the nuts (set aside for later) and then whisking the yolks into the warm half and half. Reheat over low until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Then proceed with the rest of the recipe.)
• In a blender combine the 1 cup pistachios, half and half, egg yolks, almond milk, heavy cream, and sweetener. Blend until smooth. Refrigerate until cold. Freeze in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions. 
• If desired you can add 1/2 cup toasted pistachios during the last few minutes of mixing or just sprinkle them on top when serving.

Notes

Notes on Sweeteners: 

I use my own blend of xylitol, erythritol, and stevia in my recipes. This is twice as sweet as sugar. It is comparable to Trim Healthy Mama Gentle Sweet and Truvia.

To sub in Swerve or Lakanto Monk Fruit use 1.5 times the amount of sweetener called for. 

 

To sub in Pyure or Trim Healthy Mama Super Sweet use half the amount of sweetener called for.

 

Substitutions will work in most recipes. They may not work in candies, such as caramel.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 403 | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 165mg | Sodium: 79mg | Potassium: 327mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1175IU | Vitamin C: 1.9mg | Calcium: 141mg | Iron: 1.1mg

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Originally Published April 23, 2016. Revised and Republished April 15, 2019.