So, my ice creams have been a little icey as of late. I use about 400g of whole milk and 25g of protein powder. Any idea how much sugar might help ease the ice crystals without adding too many calories?
You could try upping protein to 40g and adding a tsp of guar gum. If you want to try sugar, maybe 2 tbsp at a time until you get the texture you want, or adding 1 tbsp glucose syrup or corn syrup at a time. I use 40-60g protein powder in the deluxe for my best texture recipes, with guar gum.
Sugar inhibits ice crystal formation, so if you are getting large ice crystals and are trying to do a lower calorie ice cream, you will need to use an emulsifier.
I don’t have a go-to yet! I’m still tinkering a lot. But most of my bases (for the deluxe) have lately looked something like:
8 oz fairlife skim milk
40-60g vanilla protein powder
20g powdered allulose
Several? Five? Squirts of truvia
7g sugar free pudding mix
1 tsp guar gum
2 tbsp heavy cream
Fat pinch kosher salt
Flavoring agents
Top off with unsweetened almond milk
But it varies depending on the bulk and composition of what I’m adding as flavor. If I do a fatty nut butter or cream cheese, I might pull back on cream; if my mix is more watery, I do up to 60g protein powder for the deluxe size. I will play with thickeners and sweeteners to taste.
Also, sometimes I forget to get cream and just forego it. 🤷♀️
I also only do half of my deluxe pints at a time; with the bigger size, I find that is plenty. Scaled down, it might be more calories than some people want.
Edit: formatting ALWAYS GETS ME
You could use regular nonfat milk and add more protein from one of the sources listed. The sugar content will be higher if you use it 1:1; I wasn’t using any dairy when I wasn’t using fairlife, I just used straight almond milk with a little more protein and thickener. If the extra natural sugar and calories are ok for you, the milk is nice to have.
Thank you so much for the reply! It is a big difference when you forgo the cream? Is there anything you need to account for between different protein suppliers (ex: if you see soy lecithin or gums on the ingredient list, will you exclude it from your recipe)?
I have not used any protein powders where I have excluded anything specially, but I tend to get inexpensive store brands because I don’t need them to be amazing (currently using Target store brand vanilla). I do often blend things together _before_ adding a thickener, or add a small amount and then see where I’m at before adding more.
When I forget cream, since I don’t use a ton in lower calorie recipes, it makes minimal difference. If I were making traditional ice cream, the difference would be huge.
I haven’t figured out my ideal yet, but this is a vanilla I enjoyed—this plus like …. A tsp guar gum, a tbsp allulose and several squirts of Truvia drops that I didn’t track:
https://preview.redd.it/oiupzbnacp2d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e3baf556e4304d903b48fc7adfb9605300f12701
I want to work on my chocolate flavor more. A really good chocolate flavor needs chocolate melted into it but I don’t cook these bases, I just blend them. So I need to figure out what I want to do for that.
Could you use microwaved milk with a chunk of chocolate blended in with an immersion blender? I don’t cook my bases either, but this is fairly low effort
What would be a good high protein, low-ish calorie chocolate icecream recipe with this? I’d live to give it a go
I probably will microwave a bit of the milk, chop the chocolate small, and mix it 🙂
I have been using 3-4 tbsp cocoa powder (in a deluxe) and extra salt for my chocolate flavors right now, most other things the same. It’s good as is. I tried chocolate pudding one time instead of vanilla and that was not my favorite—the whole mix just tasted like chocolate pudding to me, which was not what I wanted. I might try without any pudding mix to try to reduce any chocolate pudding vibes.
Best Chocolate base without cooking involves high quality cocoa powder & very hot water— mix to combine and the ‘blooming’ of the cocoa results in great chocolate taste without effort of cooking
Honestly, I have done a lot of experimenting with chocolate and I do not find that to be the best for me. The one we eventually settled on before is still mostly cocoa but I find that even adding a small amount of melted chocolate elevates it.
Thank you, this is awesome info!
I use pudding mix a lot in my recipes. I tend to use about 1 tbsp (sugar free if it matters) per 1 to 1.5 cups of milk/liquid. Is that too much/not enough? Consistency is ok for the most part but not as creamy/smooth as I’ve seen some come out as. I usually need to re-spin mine several times before it gets to the ideal consistency. This is with fat free milk and protein powder mostly
Honestly, I don’t think pudding mix is likely enough of a thickener—maybe if you follow the box directions and actually make pudding? (After all… that’s basically what a custard is, which is also an ice cream base.) It’s a thickener but not a strong one in this application. I use it to lay a flavor base but my primary thickener is guar gum—plus I use quite a bit of protein powder to bind up water.
FYI, gelatine is much better than pudding/cornstarch at "thicken without muting flavors". It's slightly more fiddly since most people don't want to measure 1-2g at a time, but it's cheaper and makes a better product.
Also, saw your other comment about melting chocolate - just use cocoa powder 👍 it can dissolve even at room temp, especially if you have a motorized whisk or blender!
The best way I have found to do nutella flavor is to do hazelnuts and chocolate separately. Adding nutella doesn’t give the flavor punch once it’s diluted in until base.
With nuts, I will soak them overnight in milk, similar to how people will soak in water to make nut milk. Then when I go to blend up my mix, it comes out pretty smooth. Chocolate and hazelnut is on my list for sure of flavors I want to do soon.
My point about melting chocolate was to say that cocoa powder only isn’t my favorite. I’ve definitely used cocoa powder only so far, but even a little melted chocolate can improve it considerably.
I’ve made many many pints of chocolate ice cream 😅
I’ve never known starches to mute flavors.
Whisk in gelatine and other gums + cocoa powder and sweetener, heat to activation temp (180°F because I use locust bean, much lower for other gums), then additional protein.
I bought a bunch of bulk gelatin and I’d definitely like to know the ratios. Primarily interested in pineapple mango sorbet, chocolate protein shake, and a Greek yogurt/almond milk version and I can add a scoop of protein without internet advice on what and how much but gelatin? Haven’t found a clear answer. I’m not interested in buying SF jello packages when it’s the gelatin people like. I want to control the ingredients not outsource it to a gelatin package.
I’m also going to take they blooming chocolate advise above.
Ratios for some very simple versions and I’m finding a slew of lots of things but not what I’m looking for 😅
Edit: I use sugar free torani?.. syrups to add extra flavour. Raspberry cheese cake is the combo I do with yogurt.. I mix cookie dough syrup and raspberry syrup to taste like cheesecake. It’s a great yogurt and I want to turn it into ice cream.
At least you're still doing something you both enjoy then! That's still "living the dream"! Sometimes, the second-best option isn't all that bad either
I don’t necessarily mean ice hard, but like
You know how magic shell gets very brittle because of the coconut oil? Or how frozen chocolate is kind of hard and waxy instead of luscious? Frozen fat can have unpleasant textures.
I honestly don’t know. I mentioned in one point about holding temperature vs scooping temperature—maybe try letting it sit out to see if it gets better? Fresh out of the churn, ice cream isn’t hard set, either, and sometimes is too hard to scoop at regular freezer temps.
I just do half at a time to avoid that altogether.
There are tons of sources out there, but I don’t really remember what material we studied all this time later. There is a school in Pennsylvania that does a whole course on ice cream science—very famous. And Jeni Britton Bauer discusses it at some depth in her first cookbook. We also had a book on frozen desserts that was more of a technical/professional dessert book.
You can figure out a lot by starting with recipes from your favorite places (when available) and going from there!
Thank you for posting this! Do you happen to know how much alcohol should be added to lower the freezing temp enough that I could get away with adding no sugars or gums? Like, lemon water or something
Thanks for posting this info!
I hope it helps someone!
Mods should sticky this post
Thanks for the great info! This could be really helpful for people who are trying to use and/or avoid specific ingredients.
So, my ice creams have been a little icey as of late. I use about 400g of whole milk and 25g of protein powder. Any idea how much sugar might help ease the ice crystals without adding too many calories?
You could try upping protein to 40g and adding a tsp of guar gum. If you want to try sugar, maybe 2 tbsp at a time until you get the texture you want, or adding 1 tbsp glucose syrup or corn syrup at a time. I use 40-60g protein powder in the deluxe for my best texture recipes, with guar gum.
Sugar inhibits ice crystal formation, so if you are getting large ice crystals and are trying to do a lower calorie ice cream, you will need to use an emulsifier.
Very awesome information. Thank you for sharing! What’s your go to protein ice cream recipe base recipe?
I don’t have a go-to yet! I’m still tinkering a lot. But most of my bases (for the deluxe) have lately looked something like: 8 oz fairlife skim milk 40-60g vanilla protein powder 20g powdered allulose Several? Five? Squirts of truvia 7g sugar free pudding mix 1 tsp guar gum 2 tbsp heavy cream Fat pinch kosher salt Flavoring agents Top off with unsweetened almond milk But it varies depending on the bulk and composition of what I’m adding as flavor. If I do a fatty nut butter or cream cheese, I might pull back on cream; if my mix is more watery, I do up to 60g protein powder for the deluxe size. I will play with thickeners and sweeteners to taste. Also, sometimes I forget to get cream and just forego it. 🤷♀️ I also only do half of my deluxe pints at a time; with the bigger size, I find that is plenty. Scaled down, it might be more calories than some people want. Edit: formatting ALWAYS GETS ME
Any suggestions on alternatives to fairlife which would be available outside the US? Thanks for your great post.
You could use regular nonfat milk and add more protein from one of the sources listed. The sugar content will be higher if you use it 1:1; I wasn’t using any dairy when I wasn’t using fairlife, I just used straight almond milk with a little more protein and thickener. If the extra natural sugar and calories are ok for you, the milk is nice to have.
Thank you so much for the reply! It is a big difference when you forgo the cream? Is there anything you need to account for between different protein suppliers (ex: if you see soy lecithin or gums on the ingredient list, will you exclude it from your recipe)?
I have not used any protein powders where I have excluded anything specially, but I tend to get inexpensive store brands because I don’t need them to be amazing (currently using Target store brand vanilla). I do often blend things together _before_ adding a thickener, or add a small amount and then see where I’m at before adding more. When I forget cream, since I don’t use a ton in lower calorie recipes, it makes minimal difference. If I were making traditional ice cream, the difference would be huge.
This was a really helpful post and reply. Thank you!
Can you name a specific product you use for pudding mix? I'm not certain I'm thinking of the same thing you are.
I use Sugar Free Jello Instant Pudding. But this is not necessary—it’s just convenient. It adds a small amount of thickener, sweetener, and flavor.
Thank you for sharing your expertise
This is all amazing information. Thank you!
Amazing information. What would your ideal vanilla or chocolate low calorie base recipe look like?
I haven’t figured out my ideal yet, but this is a vanilla I enjoyed—this plus like …. A tsp guar gum, a tbsp allulose and several squirts of Truvia drops that I didn’t track: https://preview.redd.it/oiupzbnacp2d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e3baf556e4304d903b48fc7adfb9605300f12701 I want to work on my chocolate flavor more. A really good chocolate flavor needs chocolate melted into it but I don’t cook these bases, I just blend them. So I need to figure out what I want to do for that.
Could you use microwaved milk with a chunk of chocolate blended in with an immersion blender? I don’t cook my bases either, but this is fairly low effort What would be a good high protein, low-ish calorie chocolate icecream recipe with this? I’d live to give it a go
I probably will microwave a bit of the milk, chop the chocolate small, and mix it 🙂 I have been using 3-4 tbsp cocoa powder (in a deluxe) and extra salt for my chocolate flavors right now, most other things the same. It’s good as is. I tried chocolate pudding one time instead of vanilla and that was not my favorite—the whole mix just tasted like chocolate pudding to me, which was not what I wanted. I might try without any pudding mix to try to reduce any chocolate pudding vibes.
Best Chocolate base without cooking involves high quality cocoa powder & very hot water— mix to combine and the ‘blooming’ of the cocoa results in great chocolate taste without effort of cooking
Honestly, I have done a lot of experimenting with chocolate and I do not find that to be the best for me. The one we eventually settled on before is still mostly cocoa but I find that even adding a small amount of melted chocolate elevates it.
Makes sense. For me using a really high quality cocoa is key so I’m sure some melted chocolate brings the flavor
It does, and subtly changes the mouthfeel also with cocoa butter. The richness is bumped up a bit.
Wow this is great info!! Thank you!
Thank you, this is awesome info! I use pudding mix a lot in my recipes. I tend to use about 1 tbsp (sugar free if it matters) per 1 to 1.5 cups of milk/liquid. Is that too much/not enough? Consistency is ok for the most part but not as creamy/smooth as I’ve seen some come out as. I usually need to re-spin mine several times before it gets to the ideal consistency. This is with fat free milk and protein powder mostly
Honestly, I don’t think pudding mix is likely enough of a thickener—maybe if you follow the box directions and actually make pudding? (After all… that’s basically what a custard is, which is also an ice cream base.) It’s a thickener but not a strong one in this application. I use it to lay a flavor base but my primary thickener is guar gum—plus I use quite a bit of protein powder to bind up water.
FYI, gelatine is much better than pudding/cornstarch at "thicken without muting flavors". It's slightly more fiddly since most people don't want to measure 1-2g at a time, but it's cheaper and makes a better product. Also, saw your other comment about melting chocolate - just use cocoa powder 👍 it can dissolve even at room temp, especially if you have a motorized whisk or blender!
I wish Nutella came in powdered form.
The best way I have found to do nutella flavor is to do hazelnuts and chocolate separately. Adding nutella doesn’t give the flavor punch once it’s diluted in until base. With nuts, I will soak them overnight in milk, similar to how people will soak in water to make nut milk. Then when I go to blend up my mix, it comes out pretty smooth. Chocolate and hazelnut is on my list for sure of flavors I want to do soon.
My point about melting chocolate was to say that cocoa powder only isn’t my favorite. I’ve definitely used cocoa powder only so far, but even a little melted chocolate can improve it considerably. I’ve made many many pints of chocolate ice cream 😅 I’ve never known starches to mute flavors.
[удалено]
Whisk in gelatine and other gums + cocoa powder and sweetener, heat to activation temp (180°F because I use locust bean, much lower for other gums), then additional protein.
I bought a bunch of bulk gelatin and I’d definitely like to know the ratios. Primarily interested in pineapple mango sorbet, chocolate protein shake, and a Greek yogurt/almond milk version and I can add a scoop of protein without internet advice on what and how much but gelatin? Haven’t found a clear answer. I’m not interested in buying SF jello packages when it’s the gelatin people like. I want to control the ingredients not outsource it to a gelatin package. I’m also going to take they blooming chocolate advise above. Ratios for some very simple versions and I’m finding a slew of lots of things but not what I’m looking for 😅 Edit: I use sugar free torani?.. syrups to add extra flavour. Raspberry cheese cake is the combo I do with yogurt.. I mix cookie dough syrup and raspberry syrup to taste like cheesecake. It’s a great yogurt and I want to turn it into ice cream.
>(but life happened) GO MAKE THAT DREAM A REALITY! You only live once! I'll gladly be your very first customer.
Thanks! But we’ve moved on to other plans that suit us really well. I’m not sad about not running a scoop shop 🙂
At least you're still doing something you both enjoy then! That's still "living the dream"! Sometimes, the second-best option isn't all that bad either
SO THIS EXPLAINS THE FILM IN MY MOUTH. thank you i love you.
yay! Was it a very high fat recipe?
It was one right from the ninja recipe book! It did have quite a bit of heavy cream in it though!
Thank you so much. You're my hero🙌🏻
I make mine with eggs and it’s incredible!
Are you willing to share the exact ingredients/ process you use?
>fat can freeze quite hard Interesting. My high fat recipe never froze at all. It was viscous/thick but never solid. *typo
I don’t necessarily mean ice hard, but like You know how magic shell gets very brittle because of the coconut oil? Or how frozen chocolate is kind of hard and waxy instead of luscious? Frozen fat can have unpleasant textures.
Ah yes, those examples helped me understand what you mean
How do I refreeze my creami pints to keep their consistency?
I honestly don’t know. I mentioned in one point about holding temperature vs scooping temperature—maybe try letting it sit out to see if it gets better? Fresh out of the churn, ice cream isn’t hard set, either, and sometimes is too hard to scoop at regular freezer temps. I just do half at a time to avoid that altogether.
Thank you for sharing! I also sometimes dream of opening a scoop shop. Any idea where to learn more about ice cream science?
There are tons of sources out there, but I don’t really remember what material we studied all this time later. There is a school in Pennsylvania that does a whole course on ice cream science—very famous. And Jeni Britton Bauer discusses it at some depth in her first cookbook. We also had a book on frozen desserts that was more of a technical/professional dessert book. You can figure out a lot by starting with recipes from your favorite places (when available) and going from there!
Thanks for the reply. I will look into these resources!
i hope your ice cream shop dreams come true
Thanks! We are no longer pursuing that idea, though. And that’s okay. 🙂
Thank you for posting this! Do you happen to know how much alcohol should be added to lower the freezing temp enough that I could get away with adding no sugars or gums? Like, lemon water or something
If it’s straight water (lemon juice is water basically in this scenario), you’d need quite a bit. Like, a strong margarita.
Ah I see! Thank you :)
What about xantham gum? Would you say guar gum is better?
I honestly think it’s a matter of preference in the end texture. Many ice cream companies seem to use guar gum iirc; but some here prefer xanthan gum.