There are two main ways of making sugar free ice cream: with or without an ice cream maker. For the following recipes, I'm going to assume that you have one already, but if you don't, there's no need to worry: there are ways of making ice cream without a machine. If you're looking to buy an ice cream maker, the Cuisinart brand is said to be the best bang for your buck.

Whisk milk and stevia together until stevia completely dissolves. Stir in whipping cream, lemon juice, and grated lemon peel until well-blended. Pour immediately into ice cream maker (do not chill in fridge or lemon juice may curdle the milk). Mix about 25-30 minutes or according to manufacturer's instructions.

Beat the eggs, beat in the cream, then the milk. Beat in the stevia. Add the optional 1 tsp vanilla and 2 tsp peppermint extract. Pour the mix into the machine, follow the manufacturer's instructions. Mix chocolate, nuts or berries right before freezing.

Scald milk until bubbles form around edge. Remove from heat. Add the stevia and salt. Stir until dissolved. Stir in light cream, vanilla, and the heavy cream. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Freeze as directed by your ice cream machine's instructions. Once chilled, add chocolate chip cookie dough by distributing evenly.

Put 3 cups of strawberries into the food-processor and puree.Take 2 eggs and whip them until they blended and pulverized. Add half and half, cream, stevia and vanilla to the eggs. Add pureed strawberries and mix. Pour mixture into machine and follow instructions. Freeze for 4 hours.

Mix all ingredients except whipping cream. Be sure to mix cocoa in really well. Finally, mix in whipping cream. Pour into machine and follow instructions. Freeze for 4 hours in airtight container.

Add 1/3 cup coconut milk to a small saucepan. Slowly sprinkle with gelatin or agar agar powder. Let stand for 2 minutes until it softens and dry spots disappear. Warm over medium-low heat, without stirring, until gelatin or agar agar dissolves. Scrape the mixture into a blender, Vita-Mix, or food processor. Add honey, stevia, and sea salt. Cover and process until smooth. Pour into a small bowl and set aside.

Purée the strawberries in a blender, food processor, or Vita-Mix. You should have about 2 cups of purée. Combine this with the gelatin mixture, the remaining coconut milk, and vanilla. Blend until smooth, stopping to scrape the sides with a spatula. For a sweeter taste, add an additional 1/8 teaspoon stevia and/or 1 tablespoon honey. Blend, taste, and repeat if needed.

Pour into one or more wide mouth jars. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours before churning or use an ice bath to cool it faster.

Scrape the chilled custard into the canister of your ice cream maker. Churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Serve immediately or spoon into several 8- to 16-ounce freezer-safe containers. Cover and freeze for 3 or more hours for a firmer texture.

Soften solidly frozen dessert by placing it in the refrigerator for 30 to 45 minutes or on the counter for 15 to 30 minutes before serving.

Variations:

Strawberry Almond Ice Dream: Add 1/2 teaspoon almond extract or natural almond flavoring or 1 tablespoon amaretto liqueur with the vanilla. Proceed with the recipe as directed. Add 1 cup toasted, coarsely chopped almonds to the machine when the mixture reaches the soft-serve stage. Run the machine for 1 or 2 more minutes.

Cut coconut open. Pour water into a blender and scrape meat into blender as well. Drop in the liquid stevia and salt and blend until smooth. Pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturers directions about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with coconut and serve!

Add 1/3 cup water to a small saucepan. Slowly sprinkle with gelatin or agar agar powder. Let stand for 2 minutes until it softens and dry spots disappear. Warm over medium-low heat, without stirring, until gelatin or agar agar dissolves. Scrape the mixture into a blender, Vita-Mix, or food processor. Cover and process until smooth.

Add honey, stevia, and sea salt. Blend. Add the coconut milk and vanilla, and blend until smooth, stopping to scrape the sides with a spatula. For a sweeter taste, add an additional 1/8 teaspoon stevia and/or 1 tablespoon honey. Blend, taste, and repeat if needed.

Pour into one or more wide mouth jars. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours before churning or use an ice bath to cool it faster.

Scrape the chilled custard into the canister of your ice cream maker. Churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Serve immediately or spoon into several 8- to 16-ounce freezer-safe containers. Cover and freeze for 3 or more hours for a firmer texture.

Soften solidly frozen dessert by placing it in the refrigerator for 30 to 45 minutes or on the counter for 15 to 30 minutes before serving.

Variation:

Lite Vanilla Ice Dream: Replace half of the coconut milk with lite (reduced fat) coconut milk. Alternatively, use 100% lite coconut milk, but plan to use the batch immediately or within 24 hours before it becomes hard and icy.

Blend all ingredients together until it forms a thick, smooth, soft ice cream consistency. If you don’t have a high powered blender like a Blendtec or Vitamix, you might want to add more water and enjoy it as a thinner soup (it will still be fantastic!). Or try blending in parts.
You could add some frozen blueberries to the ice cream to enjoy on top, or some coconut chips, banana slices or some cinnamon. Or just eat it plain and then like I did.

Add 1/3 cup orange juice to a small saucepan. Slowly sprinkle with gelatin or agar agar powder. Let stand for 2 minutes until it softens and dry spots disappear. Warm over medium-low heat, without stirring, until gelatin or agar agar dissolves. Scrape the mixture into a blender, Vita-Mix, or food processor. Cover and process until smooth.

Add honey, stevia, spice, and sea salt. Blend. Add coconut milk, pumpkin or squash, and vanilla. Blend. For a sweeter taste, add an additional 1/8 teaspoon stevia and/or 1 tablespoon honey. Blend, taste, and repeat if needed.

Pour into one or more wide mouth jars. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours before churning or use an ice bath to chill faster.

Scrape the chilled custard into the canister of your ice cream maker. Add the optional rum. Churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Serve immediately or spoon into several 8- to 16-ounce containers. Cover and freeze for 3 or more hours for a firmer texture.

Soften solidly frozen dessert in the refrigerator for 45 minutes or on the counter for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.

Variations:

* Lite Pumpkin Ice Dream: Replace half of the coconut milk with lite (reduced fat) coconut milk. Alternatively, use 100% lite coconut milk, but plan to use the batch immediately or within 24 hours before it becomes hard and icy.

* Pumpkin Orange Ice Dream: Zest 1 medium orange (colored part only) and set aside. In step #1, replace 1/3 cup water with fresh orange juice. After sweetener has been added to taste (step #2), stir in orange zest. Proceed as directed above.

* Pumpkin Nut Ice Dream: Add 1/2 cup toasted, coarsely chopped almonds, pecans, or macadamia nuts when Ice Cream reaches the soft-serve stage. Run the machine for 1 or 2 more minutes. Note: Every 1/2 cup of nuts adds 400 calories, 14 grams protein, 4 grams carbohydrate + 3 to 8 grams fiber, and 36 grams fat. The calorie count will be slightly higher if Pralined Pecans (Page 000) are used.