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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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
- ½ cup Trim Healthy Mama Gentle Sweet sweetener (or my combo of xylitol, erythritol, and stevia)
- 1 teaspoon glycerin (this keeps the ice cream soft)
- ½ 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.
Other Keto Ice Cream Recipes:
Chocolate Dairy Free Ice Cream
Sweet Cream Coffee Caramel Ice Cream
Cinnamon Roll Ice Cream w/ a Cream Cheese Swirl
And if you love pistachios try my Keto Baklava Cookies next!
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup pistachios
- 1 cup half and half
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 cup almond milk
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ½ cup Joy Filled Eats Sweetener (or see alternatives in recipe notes)
- 1 teaspoon glycerin this keeps the ice cream soft
- ½ 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 ½ cup toasted pistachios during the last few minutes of mixing or just sprinkle them on top when serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally Published April 23, 2016. Revised and Republished April 15, 2019.
Anu says
This sounds wonderful, I would love to make it this weekend. However, I can't find half and half in the UK, can I substitute it with more heavy cream and almond milk? Thanks! 🙂
Taryn says
Yup!
Anu says
Thanks so much for the quick response! 🙂 Could you please tell me what ratio of additional heavy cream versus almond milk I should use? The double cream I have is about 50% fat, and I think half and half is 10%, so perhaps I should use about 2.5 tbsp heavy cream and about 200ml almond milk to replace the half and half. Does that sound about right?
Taryn says
It won't matter too much. I would probably just use equal parts. I think it would be better to end up with a higher fat content vs one that is too low.
Gary says
Looks amazing 👍 do i just mix the glycerin with all other ingredients in the blender?
Taryn says
Yup! Enjoy 🙂
Anu says
So I made this as in my previous comment, and although the flavour is delicious, the end result was still a bit liquidy (but solid after freezing), so next time I might just try using all double cream (more keto! :)) and see if that helps. It could also be my rather dodgy ice cream machine - either way, I absolutely love pistachio ice cream so I will definitely make this again, thank you so much for sharing! I did add the optional glycerine and some vodka too, maybe next time I will add a bit more. Would a bit of xantham gum help too?
Lori McCuen says
Please send advice. Wasted and entire evening and the purchase of a ice cream maker to create liquid. Ingredients as listed, Cuisinart Ice Cream maker- twice the time churning and liquid
Cathy says
Do you use low fat almond milk or full fat?
Taryn says
Just the regular almond milk in a carton. I've never seen one labeled as full fat.
Cathy says
Sorry, my mistake....should have asked low calorie.
Sandi says
This is my very favorite flavor of ice cream! This is perfect for summer
Suzy says
I LOVE pistachio ice cream! Now I can make my own.
Cindy says
This sounds delicious! Do you add the glycerin to the blender with the warm ingredients or after it has been chilled before churning? Thanks for sharing
Taryn says
You add it to the blender with the other ingredients.
Eliz says
Are the pistachios raw or roasted already. I didn't see that. I'm trying this over the weekend. Thanks for creating and sharing it.
Taryn says
I used roasted pistachios.
Sandy says
Where do you find glycerin
Taryn says
A lot of stores have it by the pharmacy section. Or you can order from Amazon. One bottle makes 240 batches of ice cream. It's only a few cents per serving so I think it's worth the investment.
http://amzn.to/21cqoVB or https://amzn.to/3fwouwE (Note: the Now brand is food grade when you look at their website)
Lori McCuen says
This is now almost $20.00 fyi
Taryn says
Thanks! I edited my comment and added a cheaper option.
Renee says
Click on the word glycerin in the recipe and it brings you to Amazon where you can order it. I just did .