Low carb ice cream that isn’t rock hard

[EQuinn]

Hi All,

 

Sorry if this question is too much. I’ve been browsing here and I have so many questions. I hardly know where to start. 

 

I have browsed the ice cream topics around sugar substitutes and scoopability. I’m really looking for low carb ice cream, not just sugar free. Anyway, the topics I saw were several years old and there’s some new sweeteners becoming popular these days that weren’t mentioned, like monk fruit and allulose.  I attempted to make ice cream using the below recipe and it was very good out of the machine but once I had it in the freezer it was rock hard.

 

2 c. Heavy cream 

1 c. Unsweetened Almond milk 

2/3 C. All-Purpose In The Raw Optimal Zero Calorie Sweetener Blend, which has erithritol, allulose, monkfruit, and stevia. 
6 egg yolks

pinch of salt

1 tsp. vanilla

1.5 c. Freeze dried huckleberries - blended to a powder. 

 

i basically mixed the sugar sub, vanilla, and salt into the egg yolks, then heated the cream and almond milk to about 160 degrees. Then I tempered in the yolk mixture and cooked till it coated the back of the spoon ( a simple custard base). Then I added the huckleberries and chilled it overnight. I put it in a cheap Hamilton Beach ice cream maker ( the kind with Rock Salt and ice) for 30 minutes until the machine stopped. Then into the freezer. 
 

So what would you change? I’m interested in the science here, not just a shortcut so I’d appreciate an explanation.  
 

I’ve read that a couple tablespoons of vodka might help, as would some glycerin. Do you think so?  I’ve also read about Polydextrose and stabilizers. What are the benefits/drawbacks of each with regards to ice cream. 

Thanks. 
 

 

[pastrygirl]

I don't know how sugar substitutes affect the freezing point, sounds like they don't act like sugar in that way.  Alcohol definitely lowers it.  But isn't alcohol carbs?

[EQuinn]

Hard alcohol isn’t carbs, and I think it’s just a tiny bit in the grand scheme anyway. I don’t know how much, but it’s not more than a few Tablespoons in the whole recipe from what I’ve read. 

[mgaretz]

My go to is the glycerin.

[paulraphael]

Check out the sugars chart on this page. It doesn't show all the options, but shows many that proven useful. Focus on Erythritol, Trehalose, and Glycerol.

 

POD is relative sweetness; PAC is relative freezing point depression. For both, table sugar = 100. The rightmost column includes comments on glycemic index and absorbable calories. 

 

For more precise info on calories / GI you'll have to do some research, but this should get you started. 

 

In general, sugar alcohols like erythritol can work very well, and in many cases have more freezing point depression per unit of sweetness than table sugar. But you need to go easy on them if you want the ice cream to taste good and not cause gut problems for people.