Pistachio Ice Cream – Low Carb

I’m one of the ice cream lovers that loves 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 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.

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.

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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

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, whisking frequently, until it thickens slightly. Then proceed with the rest of the recipe. You can also just use pasteurized eggs to avoid tempering. I live on the edge and just throw in the raw yolks).

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 manufacturers 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.

This makes slightly more than 2 pints. I’ve saved plastic pint containers from store bought gelato over the years and they work great for freezing my own ice cream.

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