I was going to kick off this blog post by asking…”Do you like homemade ice cream?” But it seems like too much of a “DUH” rhetorical question. 
So here’s my “flavorful favor” to you, a low calorie ice cream recipe!!
Because after all, we all know homemade ice cream tastes even better than the artificial stuff.
And okay, quick sidebar…
What the heck happened to Breyers??
They used to be all-natural and have nothing but milk, sugar, cream, and vanilla! But about 10 years ago, Breyers went the way of the rest of the companies, putting maltodextrin, high fructose corn syrup, palm oil, and more into their ice cream!
Now, instead of putting all-natural on their package, they have to put “frozen dairy dessert”…They can’t even call it ice cream anymore! Because there is not enough milk and cream anymore to legally call it ice cream! Yes. I’m serious.
And sure, you can still find ice cream without too many gross cheap additives like artificial sweeteners (the bad kind), and thickeners, and food coloring. But it’s just as easy…
Well, not AS easy, but definitely more fun ;)…
To do a low calorie ice cream recipe yourself!!
And you don’t even have to buy an ice cream maker, either! All you need is an 8-inch square baking pan and, well, you know, a freezer.
Oh yeah, and you also need…
- Cashew or almond milk
- plain Greek yogurt (trust me – this is DELISH)
- cocoa powder
- vanilla creme Stevia
- vanilla extract
- just a little teeny tiny bit of xanthan gum (optional…I know xanthan gum gets a bad name because “gum shouldn’t be in ice cream,” but the FDA says it’s safe…unlike high fructose corn syrup. ;))
- a pinch of salt!
(I’ll go over AMOUNTS needed in a second here!)
By the way, of course…feel free to add cocoa powder to the low calorie ice cream recipe (1/2 cup per cup of milk! UNSWEETENED because you already have sugar, silly )
…and/or pureed strawberries…
And OBVIOUSLY you should add some dark choco pieces.
Or you can add 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract for every cup of milk, and make an amazing mint flavor!
But I’m sure you’re creative enough on your own, and don’t need me to explain all the different ice cream flavors!! Lol.
So for just plain vanilla, a quick rundown of the directions:
Get a bowl and mix 1 cup of Greek yogurt; 1 cup of the milk, 1 or 2 tsp. of both vanilla extract and vanilla creme Stevia (depending on how you like these flavors)…
possibly just a little 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum, and a few pinches of salt! And you pour that evenly into your baking pan. Freeze for 3 hours and stir it every 30 minutes. (And you should be stirring it for at least two minutes when you do.)
And DONE with your fantabulous low calorie ice cream recipe! Ready to serve.
I have to say though, I’ve found that homemade ice cream is better with an ice cream maker, and there are pretty cheap ones available! I would definitely recommend making the investment, unless you really think it’s something that’s going to just sit in a box in your garage.
And wouldn’t that be a darn shame?
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