Keto Ice Cream: How 6 Popular Brands Measure Up

You’ve probably seen the ice cream aisle evolve in recent years to include a variety of options to fit just about every diet, including low-carb and keto varieties. If you’ve wondered if they’re delicious enough to try, you’ll want to check out this rundown on six of the most popular brands of low-carb and keto ice creams, including the results of a local taste test.

Low-carb and keto ice cream, ranked best to worst

Let’s start by saying, if ice cream is an occasional treat here and there, just have what you love – and savor every bit of it. But if ice cream is an everyday thing, it makes sense to find a better-for-you option that you also really enjoy.

A pint of ice cream technically contains four servings, but let’s be honest: It’s all too easy to polish off the entire pint in one sitting. Furthermore, nutritional stats can range from 150 calories to nearly 1,400 calories per pint, so it pays to check the label closely.

The following brands are ranked in order of best to worst in terms of flavor and texture, based on feedback from our informal panel of taste testers.

1. Halo Top: Best texture and flavor with minimal aftertaste and the coldest mouthfeel of all six brands.

• 7 net carbs per serving
• Ingredients include ultra-filtered skim milk, skim milk, inulin, erythritol, cream, sugar, vegetable glycerin, egg yolks, cellulose gel, cellulose gum, stevia leaf extract
• Per serving: 110 calories, 4 grams fat, 1.5 grams saturated fat, 110 milligrams sodium, 22 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams fiber, 7 grams sugar (3 grams added sugar), 7 grams protein

2. Mammoth Creameries: Nice texture, most similar to traditional ice cream.

• 2 net carbs per serving
• Ingredients include cream, xylitol, egg yolks, grass-fed butter, vanilla extract, pink Himalayan salt
• Per serving: 350 calories, 32 grams fat, 19 grams saturated fat, 65 milligrams sodium, 12 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 2 grams sugar (0 grams added sugar), 5 grams protein

3. Enlightened Ice Cream: Slightly foamy texture

• 1 net carb per serving
• Ingredients include cream, water, erythritol, egg yolks, non-GMO soluble corn fiber, peanuts, vegetable glycerin, milk protein concentrate, skim milk, sugar, guar gum, carob gum, monk fruit extract, salt
• Per serving: 200 calories, 17 grams fat, 9 grams saturated fat, 80 milligrams sodium, 10 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 1 gram sugar, 4 grams protein

4. KETO Ice Cream: Slightly foamy and crumbly texture; matte finish (versus shiny like typical ice cream)

• 3 net carbs per serving
• Ingredients include cream, water, egg yolks, erythritol, non-GMO chicory root fiber, milk protein concentrate, non-GMO tapioca fiber, vegetable glycerin, sea salt, non-GMO guar gum, stevia extract, monk fruit extract, non-GMO gum acacia
• Per serving: 220 calories, 20 grams fat, 12 grams saturated fat, 85 milligrams sodium, 18 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 1 gram sugar (0 grams added sugar), 5 grams protein

5. Rebel Creamery: Good flavor, but is the most foamy and crumbly in texture of all six brands

• 2 net carbs per serving

• Ingredients include cream, water, erythritol, egg yolks, chicory root fiber, milk protein isolate, vegetable glycerin, salt, guar gum, monk fruit
• Per serving: 270 calories, 26 grams fat, 14 grams saturated fat, 125 milligrams sodium, 15 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, less than 1 gram sugar (0 grams added sugar), 4 grams protein

6. So Delicious Coconut Milk Ice Cream, no sugar added: Rock-hard texture, even when thawed for 20 minutes. Strong coconut flavor, which may or may not be desirable depending on taste preference.

• Ingredients include organic coconut milk, organic coconut water, organic sunflower oil, organic erythritol, chicory root extract, pea protein, organic coconut oil, guar gum, monk fruit extract, stevia, locust bean gum
• Per Serving: 160 calories, 14 grams fat, 4.5 grams saturated fat, 10 milligrams sodium, 12 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams fiber, 1 gram sugar (0 grams added sugar), 3 grams protein

Tip: Per suggestion by all six brands, allow pint to thaw for 15 minutes for best texture and flavor experience.

Editor’s note: Registered dietitian Molly Kimball offers brand-name products as a consumer guide; she does not solicit product samples nor is she paid to recommend items. A version of this article originally appeared on WGNO’s “Get FUELED with Molly” segment.