:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/LindsayBoyers-fcc8e40fc548441f8a76f3408c80fc01.JPG)
We independently research, test, review, and recommend the best products—learn more about our process. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.
If you want to try all the keto ice cream you can handle, opt for Nick's Swedish Best Sellers Variety Pack Ice Cream. If you want to stay low-carb, but prefer to ditch the dairy, the Nubocha Chocolate Arriba and So Delicious Coconutmilk Dipped Vanilla Bars will curb your sweet tooth.
Ice cream is one of life’s simple pleasures, and although your favorite Häagen-Dazs pint may be off-limits on a keto diet, you don’t have to miss out entirely. Today, there are plenty of available ice creams that are rich, creamy, and as close to the "real" thing as you can get.
The best keto ice creams aren’t just low in net carbs, but they actually taste good, so you never have to feel like you’re missing out on the treats you love. Just because an ice cream is categorized as keto doesn’t necessarily mean you should eat it. Important things to assess on the nutrition label are the net carb count, serving size, and ingredients.
Here are the best keto ice creams.
Best Overall: Nick's Swedish Best Sellers Variety Pack Ice Cream
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/NicksSwedishBestSellersVarietyPackIceCream-39448ba7f9c34b9db54c1271d36816ff.jpeg)
Nick's Ice Creams
Large variety of flavors
Use of natural sweeteners
Super creamy texture
Price is a bit steep
N!CK'S is a Swedish company run by Niclas “Nick” Luthman, who was diagnosed as pre-diabetic in 2014, according to the brand’s website. After getting his health back under control, he recognized a need in the market for tastier snacks that were also healthy. According to Nick's, “N!CK’s is all about finding creative solutions through science to make the world a better, healthier place.”
Nick's now produces not only keto-friendly ice cream by the pint, but also snack bars, ice cream sandwiches, bundles for those who can’t pick just one flavor, and vegan ice cream. They use a variety of natural sweeteners like allulose, monk fruit, stevia, birch sugar/xylitol, erythritol, and chicory root fiber in their products. But, as noted on their website, “It'll probably just taste like delicious ice cream to you.”
The wide variety of flavors will appeal to just about everyone—from Cookies & Cream to Peanut Butter Cup to Salted Caramel, you can’t go wrong. They are all low in carbohydrates, high in protein, and keto-friendly, so you can indulge to your heart's content.
Net Carbs: 7 grams | Serving Size: 0.66 cup/100 grams | Calories Per Serving: 70
Best Flavor: Halo Top Macadamia Nut Cookie Ice Cream
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/MacadamiaNutCookieIceCream-f8f904a10449450eb0c7d2d988d9af15.jpeg)
Target
Since they’re loaded with monounsaturated fats, macadamia nuts are one of the best nuts for a keto diet. That’s also a great excuse to eat this delectable ice cream from Halo Top. Made with a sugar cookie-flavored base, chunks of white chocolate, and macadamia nuts, it’s so rich and satisfying that you’ll never know it only has 8 grams of net carbs per pint. Yes, that’s per pint. Each serving has just over 2 grams of net carbs.
Halo Top also offers a variety of other keto ice creams in out-of-the-box flavors, like banana cream pie, chocolate cheesecake, jelly doughnut, and caramel butter pecan.
Net Carbs: 3 grams | Serving Size: 0.66 cup/85 grams | Calories Per Serving: 150
Best Chocolate: Nubocha Vegan Chocolate Arriba Gelato
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/816smwVBgL._SL1500_-013092222a4a47a4b631aa0d083a4f16.jpg)
Amazon
The Nubocha Chocolate Arriba is crafted by Gianluca Franzoni, the founder and creator of Domori, one of Italy’s finest chocolate brands. Franzoni was on a mission to make the best-tasting vegan gelato—and he may have nailed it. Perhaps what makes it so great is that it’s sweetened only with allulose and has a short ingredient list. Here’s the best part: It has 0 grams of net carbs, so you can enjoy a serving (or more).
Nubocha has other keto-friendly and equally delicious flavors, like Italian vanilla, peanut butter, and salted caramel, but these have around 7 grams of net carbs per 0.66-cup serving, so keep that in mind.
Net Carbs: 0 grams | Serving Size: 0.66 cup/123 grams | Calories Per Serving: 100
“We use just 3 core ingredients: nuts or cacao, allulose and pure spring water. We don’t use any fillers or dairy replacements (such as oat milk, coconut cream, etc.) because we want to emphasize the real, unadulterated flavor of our premium ingredients." — Katrina Smith, Co-Founder & CEO of Nubocha
Best Vanilla: Mammoth Creameries Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/MammothCreameriesVanillaBeanIceCreamcopy-4e229bb0e5974c088c6b4b2479b6ccdd.jpg)
Mammoth Creameries
Mammoth Creameries proves that vanilla doesn’t have to be boring and that it’s possible to make a delicious keto ice cream. Although it’s more of a frozen custard than a true ice cream, this keto-friendly dessert is made with minimal ingredients, like cream, grass-fed butter, egg yolks, xylitol, vanilla extract, vanilla bean seeds, and pink Himalayan sea salt. It’s rich, creamy, and only has 1 gram of net carbs per serving, with four servings in the pint.
If you’re not really a vanilla person, Mammoth Creameries also makes chocolate, lemon buttercream, and chocolate peanut butter flavors. You can try them all in the Keto Starter Pack.
Net Carbs: 1 gram | Serving Size: 0.5 cup/86 grams | Calories Per Serving: 250
“Our formula melts like traditional ice cream, tastes like traditional ice cream, and has the best mouth feel according to our reviews! We use 100% grass-fed butter, heavy cream (no milk), and minimal ingredients.” — Susan Krauss, founder and creator of Mammoth Creameries
Best Cookie Dough: Rebel Cookie Dough Ice Cream
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/853149008020.1_1024x1024-a5d7820a98e3424a88e3b2c181916e5d.jpg)
Rebel
What’s a life without cookie dough ice cream? Thanks to Rebel Cookie Dough, you’ll never have to find out. Made with cream, almond-flour-based cookie dough, and egg yolks, and sweetened with a combination of erythritol and monk fruit, this keto ice cream has high levels of fat, moderate amounts of protein, and 7 grams of net carbs per pint (roughly 2 grams of net carbs per serving).
You’re not limited to just cookie dough, though. Rebel has a full line of keto ice creams with flavors like chocolate peanut butter, birthday cake, coconut almond swirl, and cookies and cream. It also offers keto ice cream sandwiches in packs of three.
Net Carbs: 1 gram | Serving Size: 0.66 cup/92 grams | Calories Per Serving: 160
Best Bars: Keto Pint Sea Salt Caramel Keto Ice Cream Bars
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/RAW-2_1200x-9021c09e47f64959ab4c4939a40a6351.jpg)
Keto Pint
If you prefer your ice cream on a stick (and dunked in chocolate), Keto Pint ice cream bars are the choice for you. These low-carb ice cream bars are made with cream, egg yolks, and a combination of keto-friendly sweeteners, including erythritol, stevia, and monk fruit. They’re then dipped into an MCT-rich chocolate coating, made with coconut and MCT oils, to create a delicious, satisfying dessert with 15 grams of fat and only 2 grams of net carbs per serving.
In addition to sea salt caramel, the brand also offers peanut butter cup and mint chip ice cream bars, as well as a full line of keto ice creams by the pint with flavors such as black raspberry, peanut butter cup, butter pecan, and cake batter.
Net Carbs: 2 grams | Serving Size: 1 bar | Calories Per Serving: 160
Best Dairy-Free: So Delicious Coconutmilk Dipped Vanilla Bars
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/large_6d61b25b-ab94-4aeb-9017-d67fc2b44328-17410b0561b144eaa8fc535d81fc1328.jpg)
Instacart
With 1 gram of net carbs per serving, these So Delicious ice cream bars toe the line of keto, but they’re still a nice lower-carb option, especially if you’re trying to avoid dairy. Made with a coconut milk base and plant proteins sweetened with a combination of erythritol, monk fruit, and stevia, they’re completely free of dairy and suitable for vegan diets.
Net Carbs: 1 gram | Serving Size: 1 bar | Calories Per Serving: 140
Best Variety Pack: Enlightened Keto Collection Pint Variety Pack
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/26-KPCBD-BundleStackonWhite_1080x-0842d56b31904539a245d84c3900f78a.jpg)
Enlightened
The Enlightened Keto Collection Variety Pack is another excellent option when you can’t decide which flavor you want or need to try them all before picking favorites. The pack includes nine flavors, including mint chocolate chunk, peanut butter cookie and brownie dough, and caramel chocolate double dough. If you don't want the bundle, you can purchase the pints individually.
Made with keto-friendly ingredients, like cream, egg yolks, butter, monk fruit, and erythritol, these Enlightened ice creams are one of the lowest net carb options you can find. Most flavors have only 1 gram of net carbs per serving (there are about four servings in the pint) and 17 grams of fat.
Net Carbs: 3 grams | Serving Size: 0.66 cup/90 grams | Calories Per Serving: 250
If you want to try all the keto ice cream you can handle, opt for Nick's Swedish Best Sellers Variety Pack Ice Cream. If you want easy-to-measure serving sizes, or just really love an ice cream bar, the Keto Pint Sea Salt Caramel Keto Ice Cream Bars and So Delicious Coconutmilk Dipped Vanilla Bars will curb your sweet tooth.
What to Look for When Buying Keto Ice Cream
Net Carbs
The most important thing is the net carb count. There is no standard way to follow a keto diet, but typical plans require less than 50 grams of carbohydrates per day. You can find ice cream that contains fewer than 5 grams of net carbs per serving, and lower is always better if you're on a keto plan.
Sweeteners
There are lots of no-carb sweeteners out there, but they’re not all created equally. Artificial sweeteners, like aspartame, sucralose, and acesulfame K, may not add any carbs to an ice cream, but they can still raise other health issues, according to the Journal of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapeutics. They can also leave a funky aftertaste that makes the ice cream less than enjoyable. Look for keto ice creams that are sweetened with stevia, monk fruit, allulose, and/or erythritol. Many manufacturers use a blend of sweeteners to create the most sugar-like taste.
Ingredients
While the net carb count is important, it doesn’t always tell the whole story. Manufacturers are allowed to list 0 grams on a nutrition label if there are 0.5 grams or less of a specific ingredient. For example, if there’s sugar in the ice cream, but it only adds 0.4 grams per serving, it can technically be listed as 0 grams. This creates a problem when you eat more than the recommended serving size. Check the ingredient list rather than relying solely on the nutrition facts label. Avoid any ice cream that contains sugar or starchy fillers, like corn, oats, flour, rice, and/or wheat.
Serving Size
Some ice creams are marketed as low-carb or “light,” but it’s really because the serving size is so small. When you’re choosing a keto ice cream, make sure that you’re actually going to be able to stick to the recommended serving size (usually around 0.66-cup), otherwise, you’ll be way over your net carb goal.
FAQs
What is keto ice cream?
Keto ice cream is ice cream that’s been sweetened with low- or no-calorie, low-carb sweeteners, like stevia, monk fruit, and sugar alcohols, such as erythritol and/or xylitol, rather than regular sugar. Like traditional ice cream, keto ice cream is made with a heavy cream base, but the omission of sugar drastically lowers the net carb count, so you can enjoy it without spikes in your blood sugar.
Is all sugar-free ice cream keto?
The term "sugar-free" is not synonymous with “keto.” Most ice creams that are marketed as "sugar-free" contain artificial sweeteners that aren’t the best choice for a keto diet. While the carb count may be low, artificial sweeteners, like aspartame, and certain sugar alcohols, like maltitol, can increase cravings and spike your blood sugar and insulin levels, throwing you out of ketosis. Sugar-free ice creams may also contain high-carb fillers and thickeners, like rice or potato starch, that make the net carb count way too high for a keto diet.
Often, sugar-free ice creams are also made with lower-calorie bases, like skim milk, and don’t have a high enough fat content to qualify as a keto-friendly treat. As a general rule, don’t rely on the package’s marketing to make decisions about whether or not the ice cream is suitable for your diet. Always read the ingredient list and nutrition facts label to make informed decisions.
Why Trust The Spruce Eats?
Lindsay Boyers is a certified holistic nutritionist and keto diet expert who has written several keto cookbooks, including "Keto Snacks," "The Keto for Two Cookbook," and "200 under 20g Net Carbs." She’s experienced the power of fat-adaptation firsthand and knows how important it is to stay on track, even when you want a sweet treat.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/AlyssaLanger_spruceeats-b6407a7dea544af4853ae46df3e846dd.jpg)
:strip_icc()/keto-ice-cream-5176647-hero-01-e5007d10f1f845838a8bb8f50d945036.jpg)
:strip_icc()/best-keto-meal-delivery-services-4766831_final-92fe6ce939474ca3a160c96bce36942c.png)
:strip_icc()/italian-pasta-collection-on-rustic-wooden-table-838578926-17acdfa169d34a5a8a69af9c8fdbfc15.jpg)
:strip_icc()/GettyImages-1250396259-d368d04f093f4f5a9758b7de67b49259.jpg)
:strip_icc()/keto-cheesecake-popsicles-5073874-hero-03-6cd5432b74f94ab7ace908c12547dd24.jpg)
:strip_icc()/GettyImages-1158802032-5cce23605c0b4d5aa01f36d4039eb271.jpg)
:strip_icc()/GettyImages-1153707202-b7898d12d0e3471792959eaba637cadb.jpg)
:strip_icc()/overhead-shot-of-colorful-ice-cream-scoops_t20_29XJjV-5bf59f5b4cedfd0026b61478-23ee6c3629e14145b8eb515f4e9f52ee.jpg)
:strip_icc()/keto-pumpkin-pie-4771863-hero-011-88e7cf522af246dd9591402e46c691f9.jpg)
:strip_icc()/best-pancake-mix-531e48dddd2841978acdde5640b970e6.jpg)
:strip_icc()/keto-lemon-bars-5077316-a56b6669f44249498eaf74bbde84ef88.jpg)
:strip_icc()/SPR-EATS-10-best-mail-order-ice-cream-4164642-recirc-d579dc52c6eb4f5bab0dc59a93046c32.jpg)
:strip_icc()/creamcheesepancakes-final-d168ddfca74149fba4af80162b5fe0f6.jpg)
:strip_icc()/Primary_Image-949cef0fa6474c78969bfee9f72f06c9.jpg)
:strip_icc()/scotch-and-soda-761494_Hero1-5c0e79ec46e0fb000152be6c.jpg)
:strip_icc()/keto-truffles-5208383-hero-02-12554553507d4284adfe2f693acf228a.jpg)