Healthy Vanilla Protein Ice Cream Recipe | Sugar Free Ice Cream

Healthy Vanilla Protein Ice Cream

Ice cream.  ICE CREAM.  IIICCEE CRREEEEAAAAAMM!!!  Sorry, I’ll try to contain myself from now on, I’m just a little (read: extremely) excited to share this recipe.  Vanilla Bean Ice Cream is an all-time classic…  and now it’s been made totally, utterly, and completely guilt-free with this Healthy Vanilla Protein Ice Cream recipe.  This sweet and creamy, mouthwatering amazingness is refined sugar free, low carb, low fat, and high protein, but you would NEVER ever ever suspect it.  Ohhhh yes.

I worked pretty darn hard to perfect this recipe.  It required three trials to get just the right flavor, texture, and amazing nutrition label.  But it was so, so worth it.

This Healthy Vanilla Protein Ice Cream is so sweet, so rich, and so creamy, you'd never know it's completely guilt-free! Yes, this sugar free ice cream is low carb, low fat, high protein, and gluten free -- Healthy Dessert Recipes with sugar free, low calorie, low fat, high protein, gluten free, dairy free and vegan options at the Desserts With Benefits Blog (www.DessertsWithBenefits.com)

In my first trial, I tried to make a no-churn ice cream by blending all of the ingredients in a blender, pouring everything into a ceramic loaf pan, then freezing until firm.  Sadly, it froze into a rock hard brick, and even after thawing it for a while, each scoop was super icy and crystallized.

In the second trial, I gave up on the no-churn ice cream idea and used my ice cream maker.  The texture was spot on, but it wasn’t flavorful enough and could be a bit sweeter.

In the third (and final) trial, I added more stevia extract and some more Homemade Vanilla Paste.  To achieve that “true” ice cream flavor, I also added a tiny bit of butter flavoring.  My first bite?  FOODGASM ON A SPOON.

This Healthy Vanilla Protein Ice Cream is delectable all on its own, sandwiched in between two Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies, on top of a warm slice of Citrus Pound Cake, added to a Red Velvet Smoothie to transform it into a milkshake, or served alongside some Homemade Maraschino Cherries!  No matter how you serve this sugar free ice cream, you’ll be glad you did.

Healthy Vanilla Protein Ice Cream (sugar free, low carb, low fat, high protein, gluten free)
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
5 from 3 votes
Did you make this recipe? Leave a review »

Healthy Vanilla Protein Ice Cream

Servings: 9 cups
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
This Vanilla Protein Ice Cream is sweet, creamy, mouthwatering amazingness! Oh, and it's refined sugar free, low carb, low fat, and high protein too!

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Freeze your ice cream maker bowl for 24+ hours (I used my KitchenAid ice cream maker attachment).
  • In a blender, add the yogurt, milk, vanilla paste, stevia extract, and butter flavor. Blend until smooth.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the protein powder, xanthan gum, and salt.  With the blender running, slowly add in the dry ingredients.  Blend until smooth.
  • Place the frozen ice cream maker attachment onto the stand mixer and turn on the "stir" speed. Pour ice cream mixture into the ice cream bowl and churn until soft-serve consistency.
  • Transfer the ice cream into a freezer-safe dish. Cover and freeze until it's the texture you prefer (~3-5 hours). Serve and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

After freezing solid, I find the best way to "thaw" the ice cream is in the fridge for a couple hours, rather than sitting on the counter or some time in the microwave.
Nutrition Facts
Healthy Vanilla Protein Ice Cream
Amount Per Serving (1 cup)
Calories 150 Calories from Fat 5
% Daily Value*
Fat 0.5g1%
Cholesterol 20mg7%
Sodium 180mg8%
Carbohydrates 10g3%
Sugar 9g10%
Protein 24g48%
Vitamin A 100IU2%
Calcium 250mg25%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
Keyword: Eggless, Gluten Free, High Protein, Low Carb, Low Fat, No Bake, Sugar Free

WHHHHAAAT?!?!?!?  CAN YOU BELIEVE IT???  Only 150 calories, .5g fat, and 10g of carbs PER CUP!

Did you know that typical storebought ice cream has 500 calories per cup?  Yeah, for real…  compared to 1 cup of Ben & Jerry’s Vanilla Ice Cream, 1 cup of my Healthy Vanilla Protein Ice Cream has:

  • 350 less calories
  • 31.5g less fat
  • 31g less sugar
  • 16g more protein

I really couldn’t ask for more.  Actually yes, I could — I could most certainly ask for another bowl full of this Healthy Vanilla Protein Ice Cream.

If you stopped buying ice cream from the grocery store, you sure won’t be missing out on anything with this Healthy Vanilla Protein Ice Cream — it’s perfectly scoopable and totally creamy, just like storebought ice creams.

The only difference is that this heavenly goodness is made without the added sugar, heavy cream, and eggs.  BOOM.

This Healthy Vanilla Protein Ice Cream is so sweet, so rich, and so creamy, you'd never know it's completely guilt-free! Yes, this sugar free ice cream is low carb, low fat, high protein, and gluten free -- Healthy Dessert Recipes with sugar free, low calorie, low fat, high protein, gluten free, dairy free and vegan options at the Desserts With Benefits Blog (www.DessertsWithBenefits.com)

Enjoy!

.

With love and good eats,

.

– Jess

.

53 comments on “Healthy Vanilla Protein Ice Cream”

  1. Happy birthday! This looks great.

    xx
    S

  2. Happy birthday! I hope you still enjoy it. I once went to exam prep for the whole day on my b-day. I didn’t get to make myself delicious healthy ice cream like you so it looks like you’re having a good birthday to me. Just go out and celebrate later ok?

  3. Thanks Samantha Erin and Kat!
    Kat, exam prep for a whole day?! 🙁 I wish I could’ve shared my ice cream with you!

  4. Happy Birthday! Thanks for procrastinating and making this healthy vanilla ice cream 😉 It looks super good!

  5. Out of all the ice cream I’ve made I have for some reason never made my favorite classic – vanilla. This recipe looks delicious.

    And happy belated birthday!!

  6. your recipes are amazing!! i love them all 🙂

  7. Ah! I’m late to the party on this one, but HAPPY BIRTHDAYYYYY!!!
    And oh my gosh this recipe looks awesome! I’ve been craving ice cream like mad because the supermarket stuff is filled with high fructose corn syrup, or a ton of cream. But this looks amazing! I can’t wait to try it ^_^.

  8. i like your pictures and would like to invite you to share them on tastingspot.com

  9. I’m late but Happy brithday! I hope your exam went well 🙂

  10. Jessica | Desserts With Benefits

    Thank you all for the birthday wishes! My exam went well too (I think this ice cream is a lucky charm)

    😀

  11. Pingback: Desserts With Benefits

  12. Pingback: Desserts With Benefits

  13. Pingback: Desserts With Benefits

  14. This looks so good – I can’t wait to try it!
    x Izzy

  15. CANNOT WAIT TO MAKE THIS.

    BUT…Can I use almond milk in place of the •one 12oz can Evaporated Fat Free Milk?

  16. Hi. I followed the recipe pretty closely. Froze the ice-cream bowl for more than 24hours and used all the same ingredients MINUS the evaporated milk and the whey. I used soy milk instead and since I was out of whey, I used vegan protein powder.
    It would NOT churn! I’m wondering if you know what COULD have happened? There was a lot of mixture in the ice-cream maker. Will it not turn to ice-cream if there is TOO MUCH in the machine? Or perhaps it needs more than 10-15 minutes? SO CONFUSED! (It tasted REALLY good though)

  17. about 15 minutes.

  18. Pingback: Healthy Homemade Caramel Sauce Recipe | Desserts with Benefits

  19. Pingback: Healthy Ferrero Rocher Ice Cream

  20. Pingback: Healthy Bananas Foster Ice Cream Recipe (sugar free, dairy free, vegan)

  21. Pingback: Healthy Baklava Ice Cream Recipe | Refined Sugar Free, High Protein

  22. Hi Jess this looks fantastic. Do you think this would work without the protein powder? Or do I need to use it to bing everything together? Cheers xx

  23. Pingback: How to Make Waffles with Crescent Roll Dough - The Healthy Cooking Source

  24. Pingback: The BEST Blood Orange Curd Recipe (sugar free, low carb, vegan)

  25. Pingback: Easy 5-ingredient Chunky Monkey Pull Apart Bread | Vegan, Dairy Free

  26. Pingback: Healthy Banana Bread (gluten free, refined sugar free, high protein)

  27. Pingback: Healthy Peach Curd - Desserts with Benefits

  28. Pingback: Healthy and Easy Sticky Date Pudding Trifles | Vegan, Whole Grain Recipe

  29. Pingback: How to Make Date Caramel Sauce | Healthy, Vegan, Only 4 Ingredients!

  30. I’m so happy to have found your site! I’ve been making myself content with the Vita-mix “ice-cream” while losing weight – essentially milk, ice, powdered milk, and I swap the sugar for the stevia blend and just choose to be happy lol. I can’t wait to try your other recipes.5 stars

  31. Pingback: The 25 BEST Ice Cream Recipes (ALL healthy and lightened up)!

  32. I do not have the kitchenaid blender with attachment can I still make this in a regular blender or do you need this precise machine to make it? Thank you

    • I wouldn’t recommend making this recipe without an ice cream maker :/
      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 (thankfully ice cream makers are pretty affordable) 🙂

  33. I love your website! I finally got my ice cream maker!! I’m making this today!

  34. Pingback: How To Make 4-ingredient Homemade Rainbow Sprinkles and Nonpareils

  35. Wow, it’s interesting to know that protein can be incorporated into ice cream by actually using protein powder. My grandma used to make some homemade ice cream for me back when she was still alive so I’ve always been on the look out for ice cream shops that use homemade recipes to make their brand unique. I hope I can one day take my kids to a shop like that and enjoy how infinite the possibilities are when it comes to ice cream flavors.

  36. A little confused on your math. According to the serving size on the protein powder you linked, 4 scoops would be 60g, not 128 as you list. Seems you’re overestimating the amount of protein

  37. What does the yoghurt do? Can the recipe work with a smaller amount?

  38. Hi,

    Thank you for this recipe you are the best. Can I replace the whey protein concentrate with vanilla casein? I heard it is the best protein powder for cooking as it makes the dish more creamier not sure though…

    Thanks!5 stars

  39. I’ve just “discovered” your website and this delicious recipe for homemade vanilla ice cream! I have to buy an ice cream maker (which is in my Amazon cart as we speak!) but I’m wondering if this can be made as chocolate cause that is my all time favorite! If not, no biggie, I’m still going to make it and I’m sure I’ll love it 🙂5 stars

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Recipe Rating