Low-Carb Blackberry Lavender Ice Cream

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This recipe has been in development for quite some time. I first made lavender ice cream back in 2014. I still remember the day because it was the fist time I used a DSLR camera and it was the first recipe I photographed with it. I thought the pictures were beautiful. It was such a big upgrade from my poor old digital camera which I used for the first two years of running the KetoDiet project and creating a tracking app.

Since then I made a few variations of this keto ice cream. Eventually I found the best way to add a delicate lavender scent without this herb to be too overpowering.

How Not to Use Lavender in Food

In my original Lavender Ice Cream recipe I used dried hibiscus flowers which I steeped to get very concentrated tea. When combined with cream or coconut milk, the colour was perfect; pale lavender pink which was exactly what I was hoping for. This is the photo I took back in 2014 while I was testing my new camera. I couldn't wait to try the ice cream!

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Here comes the disappointment. To be clear it was a disaster.

I am not a picky eater but I couldn't eat more than one teaspoon. It tasted like soap, the kind of soap you put in your laundry drawer. It tasted bitter and it was inedible because I used way too much lavender. Once I boiled the dried lavender in the cream, I squeezed it dry to extract all of the flavour… Never ever do that.

Wait, it gets better… I also added a teaspoon of lavender extract (that's what happens when I find a new ingredient and I'm excited to try it all), just in case the flavour wasn't potent enough. This was by far the worst ice cream — maybe even the worst recipe — I've ever made.

Does it mean you shouldn't use lavender? Not at all, you just need to know how to use it.

How To Actually Use Culinary Lavender in Recipes

Whatever dessert you're making, including this Keto Lavender Panna Cotta, start with small amounts of lavender (or lavender extract) and only add more once you taste it.

I knew I previously used too much lavender and I wasn't ready to give up on it. I just needed to figure out how to make the flavour more subtle. I thought of combining it with blackberries and using just enough lavender for that delicate scent — it worked!

I won't lie, it may still be an acquired taste for some of you. If you're not sure, use less lavender and never ever squeeze the lavender into the cream! Trust me, you don't want a bitter tasting soap.

Even my other half, who is always the picky one, enjoyed my Keto Blackberry Lavender Ice Cream. But then if you give him a choice between vanilla, chocolate or blackberry lavender, he'd always go for chocolate and I'd always go for vanilla.

What Can I Use Instead of Gelatin?

To help keep it the ice cream soft and creamy, I used gelatin powder mixed with water. If you don't want to use gelatin, you could use this method of making egg yolk custard instead, although that will add a yellow hue to your ice cream which I don't like when using berries. You could skip it altogether but the ice cream wouldn't be as creamy as it would be with gelatin or egg yolks.

How To Make Soft Keto Ice Cream

Using an ice cream maker will prevent large ice crystals from forming as the ice cream is constantly being churned.

If you want your ice cream to be soft and scoop-able, you can also add 1 tablespoon of vegetable glycerin, or up to 4 tablespoons of vodka or MCT oil. All of these ingredients will prevent ice crystals from forming so your keto ice cream won't be icy and hard as rock.

Lastly, it helps if you can use Allulose in this recipe. It makes a huge difference! I've tested all sorts of sweeteners and Allulose proved to be the best low-carb sweetener for soft and silky keto ice cream.

No Ice Cream Maker? No Problem!

This recipe uses an ice cream maker but you can also make it using a simple no-churn method.

To do that, you will need to steep the lavender in a small amount of boiling water (¹/₄ cup should be enough). After about 20 minutes, strain through a fine mesh sieve and discard the lavender. In another bowl, mix the gelatin powder with ¹/₄ cup cold water.

You can then follow the technique in this Fluffy Keto Strawberry Cream which will work well in this recipe. Simply blend and then gently heat up the berries with sweetener and add in the bloomed gelatin. Once the berries have cooled down, whip the cream until soft peaks form and then fold in the berries, vanilla and lavender liquid. Freeze for about 4 hours or until set.

That's it, I hope you guys enjoy! Let me know if you have any questions about making keto ice cream!😘

Nutritional values (per serving, 2-3 scoops, 170 g/ 6 oz)

Ingredients (makes 8 servings)

• 3 cups heavy whipping cream or coconut cream (720 ml/ 24 fl oz)
• ¹/₂ cup granulated low-carb sweetener such as Erythritol, Swerve or Allulose (100 g/ 3.5 oz)
• 1 to 2 tbsp lavender buds (if you are new to lavender, start with 1 tbsp)
• 2 tsp gelatin powder
• ¹/₄ cup water (60 ml/ 2 fl oz)
• 450 g blackberries, fresh or frozen and thawed (1 lb)
• 1 tbsp sugar-free vanilla extract (15 ml)

Instructions

1. In a saucepan, combine the cream, sweetener and lavender buds. If you are new to lavender, start with 1 tablespoon or use up to 2 tablespoons.
2. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Once simmering, immediately take off the heat. Cover with a lid, set aside and let it infuse for 20 to 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, sprinkle the gelatin powder in a small bowl filled with ¹/₄ cup cold water. Let it soak while you prepare the lavender cream.
4. Pour the lavender cream through a fine mesh sieve and let the cream drip naturally. Do not press to squeeze or the cream will taste bitter and the lavender flavour will be overpowering. Discard the lavender.
5. Add the gelatin liquid and stir until completely dissolved, while the mixture is still warm.
6. Let the mixture cool down completely. You can place the bowl in another bowl filled with ice water to cool it down quickly, in just 5-10 minutes.
7. In another bowl, crush the blackberries using a fork. You can leave in a few whole blackberries if you like. Add them to the cooled lavender cream mixture and stir to combine.
8. Add the vanilla extract and stir in to combine.
9. Pour the mixture to your ice cream maker and churn until soft-serve consistency (this will take about 60 minutes).
10. Spoon into a freezer-safe container and freeze for 1 hour before serving or until ready to eat.
11. Remove from the freezer and serve. If you leave it in to longer and the ice cream freezes too hard, leave at room temperature for 10 minutes before scooping, or in the fridge for 30-60 minutes. It's easier if you use single or double serve containers.
12. Scoop into a bowl (2-3 scoops per serving) and optionally top with some fresh blackberries.
13. To store, freeze in a sealed container for up to 3 months.

Ingredient nutritional breakdown (per serving, 2-3 scoops, 170 g/ 6 oz)

Net carbs	Protein	Fat	Calories
Cream, heavy whipping, pouring, full-fat (30-40% fat)
2.3 g	1.7 g	34.2 g	329 kcal
Lavender, dried
0 g	0 g	0 g	1 kcal
Gelatin powder, thickening agent, unsweetened
0 g	0.8 g	0 g	3 kcal
Water, still
0 g	0 g	0 g	0 kcal
Erythritol (natural low-carb sweetener)
0.6 g	0 g	0 g	3 kcal
Blackberries, fresh
2.4 g	0.8 g	0.3 g	24 kcal
Vanilla extract, sugar-free, alcohol-based
0 g	0 g	0 g	4 kcal
Total per serving, 2-3 scoops, 170 g/ 6 oz
5.5 g	3.3 g	34.5 g	363 kcal

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