Healthy Red Velvet Cheesecake Ice Cream
This healthy Red Velvet Cheesecake Ice Cream is not only naturally colored — oh yes, this contains ZERO artificial food dyes whatsoever! — but it’s sugar free, low carb, and high protein too!
Rich, velvety, creamy, and decadent… what more could you ask for in ice cream??
I guess a little side of “healthy” wouldn’t hurt, right?
WAIT. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait a minute. You’re telling me that this ice cream is… good for me?!?
Ohhhhh YES!
And it’s made with a secret ingredient too. A secret healthy ingredient.
Okay, I can’t keep the secret any longer. The secret ingredient is a VEGETABLE…
Any guesses?
…
BEETS!
…
Yep, this 85-calorie Red Velvet Ice Cream contains A VEGETABLE.
But don’t worry, you can’t taste it. Trust me, I despise beets but I love this ice cream. I could marry this ice cream, that’s how delicious it is. I’ve made it five times already. It’s the only reason I’ve been buying beets lately.
This is the perfect recipe for when you are in need of some (guilt-free) indulgence! It’s smooth and creamy, and totally delicious.
This easy, homemade ice cream is like red velvet cheesecake in ice cream form… but with a little healthy oomph!
For a nutrition label comparison, here are the nutrition facts for Ben & Jerry’s Red Velvet Ice Cream.
WOW. Really? A half-cup serving of ice cream with 250 calories, 8g of saturated fat and 23g of sugar?? No thanks. I’ll take my healthified version. Their ice cream has a pretty unhealthy ingredient list and nutrition label.
My recipe has ⅓ the calories of Ben & Jerry’s, so you can help yourself to another serving (or two), guilt-free! My recipe not only saves you calories, but it saves you fat, saturated fat, carbs, and sugar too. Yeah, let’s avoid the store-bought ice creams that are packed with refined white sugar, hormone-filled heavy cream, artificial flavorings, and artificial food dyes.
I mean, c’mon, my ice cream has a vegetable in it. That means an extra scoop for you! And an extra scoop for me too 😉
Healthy Red Velvet Cheesecake Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 16 oz Low Fat Cottage Cheese
- 123g (½ cup) Roasted Beet Puree (directions in this post)
- ¼ cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
- 2 tsp Liquid Stevia Extract
- ½ tbs Vanilla Paste
- ½ tbs Natural Butter Flavor
- 2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 20g (¼ cup) Unsweetened Natural Cocoa Powder
Instructions
- Freeze your ice cream maker bowl for 24+ hours (I used my KitchenAid mixer attachment).
- Place a large, freezer-safe bowl in the freezer (this is the bowl you will be storing the ice cream in, so make sure it is large enough to hold 3 cups of ice cream).
- In a blender or food processor, add the cottage cheese, beet puree, almond milk, stevia extract, vanilla paste, and butter flavor. Puree until smooth.
- Add the cocoa powder and blend again. Then, add the vinegar and blend one last time.
- Assemble the ice cream machine and bowl and pour in the ice cream batter. Churn for 15-20 minutes, or until a soft serve consistency.
- Scoop the ice cream into the chilled dish and freeze until firm to your liking (for me, that's ~2 hours). Scoop into bowls and serve with a sprinkle of chocolate chips. Enjoy!
Enjoy!
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With love and good eats,
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– Jess
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Indulge − no strings attached!
Probably the most beautiful homemade ice cream I have ever seen. And healthy too? Really amazing. I will be making this over the summer, no doubt. Thanks!
Aww thanks Matt 😀
I sure hope you like the recipe!!
-Jess
The cottage cheese and beet strike again! It seems like all my favorite blogs are posting red velvet desserts today 😛 Oh well, it’s not a real complain, i’ll just need to stock up on beets!
It’s almost ridiculous how you make your ice creams look as good as their nutrition label! So that “extra scoop” will probably turn into two, or even more as breakfast 🙂
I know, it might seem annoying but the cottage cheese works in every way possible! I tried this recipe first using Greek yogurt but it was really icy and too tangy… the cottage cheese has a neutral flavor and makes it super creamy.
Whenever I buy beets I buy a ton, roast and puree them, and basically have a Red-Velvet-Dessert-Overload week 😉
-Jess
The problem with this recipe is the beet puree. Beets have a lot of sugar and when you cook them, you release a ton of glucose. This happens with quite a few veggies, including onions.
Frodosdojo-
Thanks for sharing, but I don’t think we should stop eating beets because they simply have sugar in them… all vegetables have some natural sugar! Also, because of the fiber in the vegetable, it won’t spike your blood sugar like drinking a HFCS soda would.
Also, this recipe as a whole contains healthy fats, extra fiber and protein (specifically, casein), which are all digested slowly and keep blood glucose levels from spiking/crashing 🙂
-Jess
Have you actually tested your blood sugar when eating this ? Dr. Bernstein specifically states in his book to stay away from beets. It’s a beautiful recipe, but unless you have tasted and tested, I would not say it is safe for diabetics. A spike is a spike if you are watching what you eat so your argument that HFCS is not a good one. Here’s a link to the page where he states this: http://www.diabetes-book.com/cms/articles/9-dr-bernstein-shares-his-insights/3321-richard-k-bernstein-md-face-facn-fccws-
Frodosdojo-
I understand your point, but please note that I did not state that this recipe is safe for diabetics. Everyone reacts to different foods in a different way, and some people require foods that provide a quick energy source (such as athletes, for example).
I use roasted beets in this recipe because it is sweeter with a more neutral flavor than raw beets, which makes it perfect for dessert. Beets are also packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber and essential nutrients.
As I said before, everyone requires different things in their diet. This recipe might be perfect for me and plenty of others, but it may not be suitable for you 🙂
-Jess
You are right, you did not say this was okay for diabetics except that your answer to me you indicated the sugar spike was less than a HCFS drink.
My main point is that you state it is sugar free, which it is not. Whenever you cook root veggies, it releases glucose that is usually not known to the average person.
I still think it’s a lovely recipe for a non-diabetic. It probably is delicious ! Would you re-consider calling it “sugar free” ? If you don’t believe me, just do a little research on beets and sugar content on your own.
Frodosdojo-
I totally see how that might be confusing… though, in the baking/blogging world, “sugar-free” means free of white sugar, HFCS or any other added sugar. Some bloggers say recipes with honey and maple syrup or “sugar-free” because it’s not white sugar, but on this blog, I group liquid sweeteners into the “added sugar” category 🙂
I know that roasting veggies brings out the sugars (that’s the only way some people can eat broccoli!), but it is a natural process. And once we look at other foods, we will realize that there is always a source of natural sugar… whether it be carrots, broccoli, yogurt, strawberries, soy, even nuts.
I wish I could provide you with a substitute for the beet puree but I haven’t tested any other ingredient out yet… you could try replacing it with an extra 1/2 cup of cottage cheese and just a few more drops of stevia, then add about 1/4 cup of natural red food coloring (I alternate between using Natures Flavors and India Tree, but India Tree is pretty expensive for a tiny amount)
Hope this helps!
-Jess
Frodosdojo-
I hope I’m not butting in, but I think that when Jessica says “sugar free” she means added-sugar free, since it’s mostly sweetened with stevia. Very few things have zero grams of sugar, naturally occurring or not. Carrots and bell peppers also have quite a bit of sugar for a vegetable, but no one yet has told me that they are unhealthy.
Just had to put in my two cents!
Emily-
Yup, you’re right! Most bloggers say “sugar-free” when there is no added sugar. We can’t really get around the natural sugars (there is even a tiny bit in the cottage cheese, but it’s very little… much less than yogurt)
Personally, I’m not a fan of ANY veggie unless it’s roasted 😉 so I think roasted veggies is better than no veggies at all! Carrots and bell peppers are tooootally healthy!
Thanks for sharing 😀
-Jess
Never thought i’d read “red velvet” “cheesecake” and “healthy” in the same sentence….incredible! 🙂
Aww thanks so much Melissa! 🙂
This looks ridiculously yummy! I will have to try this. I don’t like cottage cheese on its own really, but I’ll have to see if this will change my thoughts on it!
I was wondering though, where do you get those spoons? I love them!
Thanks Grace!
Trust me, I HATE cottage cheese on its own (it’s super salty and curdy and weird!) but I ADORE this ice cream 😀
Also, I got the spoons at Crate and Barrel!
LOVE. THAT. STORE.
😉
-Jess
I absolutely love your blog Jessica! Such a great studying distraction. I’m always excited to see what new recipes you have in store. And I’d just like to say as a dietetics major, you are truly an inspiration. I was wondering if there’s any possibility you might ever start a Youtube channel? I would thoroughly enjoy watching you make these goodies! Anyway, keep up the great work!
Haha! I know a thing or two about study distractions… I actually made this blog during finals week from my freshman year… 😉
And thank you so much! I think you’re psychic because I was actually thinking about starting to make some baking videos. It would be great to show people the step-by-step process. I’ll definitely try to work on one (or more) this summer 🙂
Thanks!
-Jess
Amazing! I love the color of this. Have been thinking about investing in the kitchenaid attachment for ice cream instead of a separate ice cream maker. How would you say it compares?
Thanks Martha! I actually ended up buying the KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment because my Cuisinart machine broke. It was making a horrible noise, like a dying motor that was about to explode… and then it stopped rotating (although, it did last me about two years). I bought a refurbished attachment from KitchenAid because it was cheaper. It makes 2 quarts rather than 1.5 and it works really well (less noise too). The only problem is that it’s a little difficult to get off the mixer when your done, I usually have to bang my fist on the sides to get it off, haha. If you make ice cream when other people are around, I would recommend the KitchenAid. If you make ice cream alone and can tolerate such an annoying noise for 10-15 minutes, I would recommend the Cuisinart. Hope this helps!
-Jess
Wow! It really is possible to make icecream out of anything with an icecream maker! Great recipe! 🙂
Shandra Grace-
Pretty much! My ice cream maker hasn’t let me down as of yet 🙂
-Jess
I don’t have an ice cream maker (I used to, but I somehow lost it when I moved last year..) so I decided to bake this into a cheesecake! I omitted the milk and added 2 eggs and chocolate chips and baked it at 325C for an hour and it turned out amazing!
Sara-
OH NO! I’m sorry to hear about your poor lost ice cream maker! I would cry for days 🙁
Also, you are a GENIUS. I never would of thought to bake the ice cream batter!!
I need to try that. You are my hero 😉
-Jess
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Hi! Could I use avocados or coconut cream/milk to make a dairy-free version? 😀 I’d really love to try this recipe, since it sounds so great, and I’ve finally got an ice-cream maker, but cottage cheese has to be replaced due to my milk allergy :’)
I’m a new reader of your blog, and I have to say that your recipes and delicious pictures got me completely hooked! :DD Sorry about my bad English, I hope that my comment is still readable ^.^’
Elisa-
I haven’t tried replacing the cottage cheese in this recipe, but I would recommend using 2 cups unsweetened coconut cream + 2 cups unsweetened canned full fat coconut milk (or to make it easier, just use 4 cups of the coconut milk) 🙂
Don’t worry, your English was great! And congrats on your new ice cream maker!! Isn’t it so much fun? 😉
-Jess
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Hi, just wondering how critical the butter extract is? I’ve never heard of it before or seen it here in Australia, Can we substitute something else?
Kara-
The butter flavor is just there for a more authentic “Red Velvet Cake” flavor, and it also helps cover the beet flavor. I truly hate the taste of beets, so that’s one of the reasons why I added that in there 😉
I wouldn’t recommend omitting it, but you can use extra vanilla extract in its place if you like. I hope you like the recipe! 🙂
-Jess
Hi!
I came across you blog and your recipe looks amazing! However, I was just wondering if this recipe would work without an ice cream maker?
Can I do it by hand? If so, are there any tips?
Thanks so much! Can’t wait to try this recipe!
<3
Christine-
I’m glad you found my blog! 😀
I wouldn’t recommend making this recipe without an ice cream maker though 🙁
The ice cream machine churns the mixture so it’s creamy and not crystallized, and it incorporates air as well so it’s nice and fluffy and creamy.
-Jess
I’m really excited to try this but don have an ice-cream maker. How can make it without one?
I’m afraid this ice cream needs to be made in an ice cream maker. The machine makes the ice cream super creamy… without it, it may turn icy 🙁
-Jess
What is the vinegar for?
The vinegar keeps the mixture acidic, which helps retain the red color from the beets 🙂
Hi! I liked the recipe it was delicious. How you did the nutrition label? greeting from venezuela 🙂
Hi Stephanie,
I calculated the nutrition facts for this recipe myself, using the nutrition labels on the products that I used (such as the cream cheese and soy milk, etc.). 🙂
How big of a part do the pureed beets play in the texture?
I am thinking of trying a cake batter flavored version of this, but I am worried the liquid content might end up being to high, causing too many ice crystals.
There’s only a 1/2 cup of the beet puree in this recipe so it doesn’t play a HUGE role in texture — mostly just color. For a cake batter version, I would recommend simply omitting the beet puree. You can also try adapting my Vanilla Protein Ice Cream or Cheesecake Ice Cream recipes! 🙂
Thanks for your reply. The cheesecake ice cream looks awesome 😀 My family is a bunch of sweettooths, looking forward to trying your recipes.
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I tried this recipe, but it tasted way too tangy. I made it a second time without any vinegar or butter extract, but it is still very tangy. Is that the beets, or the Stevia? Did I do something wrong?
Hmmm that’s really strange. Mine wasn’t tangy at all! Perhaps it’s a difference in our cottage cheeses or soy milk. Because nothing else could possibly impart a tangy flavor. What brand of stevia are you using?
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So ill need to use Lactaid cottage cheese being dairy free. How would I calculate the nutritional numbers? Thanks.
Great idea to use the Lactaid! I looked up the nutrition facts for it and it looks almost identical to the kind I used. The nutrition label is right in the recipe box at the bottom 🙂
How wonderful…. I’m sure my family and friends will love it. Thank you very much
So very nice article, but this bit.ly/2m3CWFhbit.ly/2m3CWFh may could be help your healty sugar level ti avoid diabetes
Any substitute for the vanilla paste, as I don’t have vanilla beans in hand and really want to use some beets from the garden.
You can use vanilla extract 🙂
Cottage cheese is just a…UGH, I used to love it, but I don’t eat it at all anymore. I wish there was a vegan alternative to the cottage cheese, but I would love to try integrating roasted beet puree in a vegan ice cream recipe base for a similar feel!
Any ideas on how to veganize this? Sounds delicious but I’m down with the cottage cheese anymore lol
Can you replace the low fat cottage cheese with fat free?
I wouldn’t recommend it, and haven’t tried it, but feel free to test it out if you like! 🙂
Nice recipe. Thanks.
Do you think you could use beet root powder instead of beet puree and still get the same color/flavor?