Keto Ice Cream Is the Cool Way to Boost Weight Loss — Here's the 4-Ingredient Recipe
YouTube videos of folks making keto ice cream in mason jars have racked up millions of hits, and it’s no wonder: The recipe is super easy, the results are tasty and the treat boasts a secret ingredient that helps curb appetite as it triples fat burn. “I’m a huge fan,” says New York weight loss expert Tro Kalayjian, DO, who personally shed 150 pounds while enjoying lots of keto ice cream and milkshakes. “This is more than just a substitute for Häagen-Dazs — it’s a powerful weight-loss tool.” Here's how keto ice cream can help you.
What is keto ice cream?
While there are tons of yummy keto ice cream recipes on the internet, the mason jar option can’t be beat for simplicity. Just add heavy cream, zero-carb sweetener, MCT oil, vanilla extract “and any keto-friendly extras you like,” says blogger Maya Krampf, who created a highly rated version for WholesomeYum.com. “You shake it for 5 minutes to thicken it and pop it in the freezer until it’s set.” Then just grab a spoon and dig in.
Related: MCT Oil Is Officially The Longest Running Weight Loss ‘Fad.’ Here’s Why It’s More Popular Than Ever
How to incorporate keto ice cream for weight loss
The best way to use keto ice cream to reach your weight loss goals? Make it part of a basic keto diet, counting the dessert’s carbs (2 grams or so per serving, depending on mix-ins) toward your daily carb allowance.
“On keto, you limit carbs to about 20 grams per day and focus on protein plus nonstarchy veggies and plenty of high-quality fat like olive oil, avocado and the cream in ice cream,” notes Dr. Tro. (It’s slightly different from the Atkins diet, which is also low in carbs.)
This prevents your body from making enough blood sugar to fuel itself, and instead, it begins turning fat into compounds called ketones, which become your new fuel. “Not only does fat burn faster, ketones inhibit appetite too.” Bonus: Falling blood sugar slashes levels of insulin, a hormone that locks us in fat-storage mode. All these factors combine to boost weight loss. (You can also boost your ketone levels with supplemental versions called exogenous ketones.)
Dr. Tro says you can make keto magic while incorporating store-bought low-carb ice cream like Halo Top and Enlightened brands. But mason jar options made with MCT set you up for the absolute biggest benefits…
Related: Protein Ice Cream Recipe Is So Easy to Make With Just 5 Ingredients: My Taste Test Results
Why you should add MCT oil to keto ice cream
MCT, short for medium-chain triglycerides, is a special type of fat extracted from coconut and palm kernels. While it’s added to mason jar ice cream to help keep it creamy when frozen, that’s hardly all it does: “MCT is scientifically proven to improve blood sugar, eliminate cravings, lift brain fog, raise metabolism and even target weight gained in our midsections,” says natural wellness expert and Glow15 author Naomi Whittel.
What sets MCT apart? The fat is made up of tiny components that digest rapidly, triggering a blast of heat and the release of compounds that boost health and calorie-burning. In fact, Italian scientists found that when we consume MCT, we burn three times more calories for 6 hours afterward. Meanwhile, a Columbia University study found that women in their 50s given MCT lost 600% more belly fat than those given olive oil.
Also key: A new study from Sweden found that MCT doubles the production of ketones compared to other oils. That means MCT — in ice cream or used any way you like — helps you reap more rewards from a keto diet and reap them faster.
Keto ice cream before and after, Geri Terry, 65
Unhappy with skimpy portions on Weight Watchers and fad diets, Texas pastry chef Geri Terry, 65, “saw all the keto food my son was shoveling down while losing weight and thought, ‘I should try that.’” Creating huge salads with rich toppings and buttery low-carb baked goods, she shed 15 pounds in 14 days.
Then she sampled store-bought keto ice cream. “I knew I could make it better,” says Geri, who added MCT oil for creaminess and to boost results. Soon down 60 pounds and off arthritis meds, “I tell friends that on keto you can eat ice cream and have the body of your dreams!” Find her recipes for ice cream, blackberry sorbet and more at KetoniaFoods.com.
Keto ice cream success story, Karilyn Putt, 49
Karilyn Putt admits she craves ice cream like crazy — one reason countless diets failed for her over the years. Making matters worse: The North Pole, Alaska, grandmother developed a slow thyroid.
“Eventually, my energy was so low, I knew I needed serious changes to get my health back,” she recalls. “Friends suggested keto.” So she began tucking into eggs and bacon, steak and veggies, fun salads. “I lost 9 pounds my first week!” Impressed, she kept educating herself and learned MCT oil might boost her results.
“There’s no taste to it, so it easily mixes in smoothies, baking, cooking, salad dressing — pretty much everything.” Including homemade keto ice cream. “The first time I made some, I was ecstatic. It’s just like normal ice cream. So tasty! Plus, it’s about half the cost of pints you buy in stores.”
Karilyn, 49, a fan of old-fashioned vanilla, also loves getting creative with ingredients like nuts, sugar-free chips, even coffee. “You can make something you’re really excited about,” she smiles. Not only is she never hungry on keto, but thanks to keto ice cream, her cravings are fully satisfied too. Down 86 pounds, her energy is sky-high and she’s talking to her doctor about getting off thyroid meds. “Ice cream makes everything better!”
How to make keto ice cream
To slim down fastest, use a free app like the one at CarbManager.com to get carbs under 20 grams per day. Enjoy as many scoops of MCT-kissed keto ice cream as your carb budget allows. A great MCT for ice cream: Simply GOODFATS Creamy MCT Powder. As always, get a doctor’s okay before trying a new food plan.
Original vanilla ice cream base
Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
½ Tbs. powdered MCT oil
½ Tbs. Swerve (or any zero-carb sweetener to taste)
½ tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions:
In a pint-size mason jar with a lid, shake all ingredients until thick, 5 minutes.
Freeze 3 hours. Best served when first set; to enjoy later, let soften at room temp 15 min.
Keto peanut butter cup
To the vanilla recipe, add 1⁄4 cup natural peanut butter and 3 chopped keto peanut butter cups.
Mint chip
To the vanilla recipe, add 2 Tbs. sugar-free chocolate chips, 2 drops green food coloring and 1⁄4 tsp. mint extract in place of vanilla extract.
Double chocolate
To the vanilla recipe, add 1 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder and 2 Tbs. sugar-free chocolate chips.
Strawberry
To vanilla recipe, add 2–3 mashed strawberries or 1⁄2 oz. freeze-dried berries blitzed to powder in blender.
A version of this article originally appeared in our print magazine, Woman's World.
This content is not a substitute for professional medical advice or diagnosis. Always consult your physician before pursuing any treatment plan.
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