Bubble Gum Ice Cream
Published June 30, 2021 • Updated March 7, 2026
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This keto bubble gum ice cream nails that classic parlor flavor with zero sugar, no eggs, and a texture that stays scoopable straight from the freezer.
This recipe exists purely because I wanted to see if I could pull it off, and because nostalgia is a powerful thing.
Bubble gum was one of those flavors that felt wildly exciting as a kid. Bright blue, a little ridiculous, and absolutely not something I expected to recreate at home without sugar. But after testing a few batches, I found you really can get that familiar parlor flavor and soft, scoopable texture without turning it into a freezer brick or something that tastes like chemicals.
I even tried simmering actual gumballs in the cream base to extract flavor. It sort of works, but the sugar content spikes and the taste is harder to control. Extract wins every time for keto. This version is egg-free, low carb, and intentionally simple. No cooking custards, no stabilizer blends, no weird aftertaste. Just a creamy base, the right extract, and a couple of small details that make all the difference. If you have tried my vanilla base, you already know the foundation I start from.
I landed on butterfly pea powder for the color because it gives a soft, natural blue without any artificial dye taste. You only need a pinch, and it does not affect the flavor at all. I have also made this in pink and even skipped the color entirely when I just wanted something quick.
The texture trick that actually works here is a small splash of vodka or white rum. I tested batches with and without, and the difference after an overnight freeze was obvious. The version with alcohol stayed soft enough to scoop right away. If you skip it, I have tested allulose syrup and sugar-free maple syrup as swaps, and both keep things from turning into a block.
If you love frozen keto treats, try my mint chocolate bars or these chocolate chip yogurt popsicles next. And if you want a totally different flavor direction, my strawberry sorbet uses a completely different base but the same scoopability tricks.
Explore hundreds of keto recipe videos with step-by-step instructions, tips, and tricks to make keto easy.
Ingredients
2 cups heavy cream -
1/2 cup powdered allulose
-
1/8 teaspoon salt
-
1/2 teaspoon bubble gum flavor extract
-
1 teaspoon blue butterfly pea powder
-
2 tablespoons vodka or white rum
-
1 teaspoon sugar free sprinkles
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Make bubble gum ice cream mixture
In a large bowl, mix together heavy cream, sweetener, salt, bubble gum extract, blue butterfly pea powder, vodka or white rum with a whisk until smooth. Refrigerate 2 hours.
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup powdered allulose
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon bubble gum flavor extract
- 1 teaspoon blue butterfly pea powder
- 2 tablespoons vodka or white rum
Churn ice cream
Churn ice cream according to manufacturer’s instructions. Add sprinkles halfway through churning.
- 1 teaspoon sugar-free sprinkles
No-churn ice cream instructions
Mix ice cream mixture using an electric mixer or pulse in a blender until thickened and fluffy. Stir in sprinkles. Spoon into a freezer-safe container. Freeze until hardened.
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this in a Ninja Creami?
I freeze the keto base in a Ninja Creami pint container overnight, then run two Lite cycles. The first gets it close and the second smooths out any remaining icy bits. The texture comes out between soft serve and traditional churned. One thing I noticed is the color stays more vibrant with the Creami than in my regular machine, probably because it processes faster. I add the sprinkles after the first cycle so they do not get completely pulverized.
Where do I buy butterfly pea powder?
I order mine online. I have never found it in a regular grocery store, and I have looked. It usually arrives in a day or two from a larger retailer. You only need a tiny amount (about 1/8 teaspoon per batch), so one bag lasts me months. If you cannot find it or do not want to wait, a small pinch of beet powder gives you a pink version instead.
Does the vodka make it taste like alcohol?
Not at all. I have served this to people without telling them there is vodka in it, and no one has ever noticed. The amount is small enough (1-2 tablespoons for the whole batch) that it affects texture, not flavor. The alcohol lowers the freezing point, which is the entire reason it works. White rum is my other go-to and does not come through either.
Can I add real gumballs to this?
I tried simmering actual gumballs in the cream base to extract flavor, and it sort of works, but the sugar content spikes and the flavor is less controllable than extract. If you want the look, I drop a few sugar-free gumballs on top as a garnish after scooping. They are not great mixed in because they freeze rock hard.
Can I make this dairy-free?
I have tested this with full-fat coconut cream and it works. The coconut flavor comes through a bit, so I use a touch more extract to balance it. The texture is slightly different but still creamy. My approach is to whip the coconut cream first until it thickens, then fold in the other ingredients. The no-churn method handles the swap better than churning. If you want another dairy-free treat, my jello whip is a good starting point.
Can I make this kid-friendly without the alcohol?
I make a kid-friendly version by swapping the vodka for 2 tablespoons of allulose syrup. It keeps things scoopable without any alcohol at all. My kids do not notice a difference. I also bump the sprinkles up a bit because they lose their minds over the color. The sugar-free sprinkles I use add less than 1g carb to the whole batch.
How should I store this and how long does it last?
I store mine in an airtight container with a piece of parchment pressed against the surface to prevent crystals. It lasts about 2 weeks in the freezer, but I think the texture is best within the first week. After that it starts getting a bit icier, even with the vodka.
What is the best bubble gum extract brand to use?
I will not name a specific brand because availability changes, but I look for one that smells like the flavor at a parlor, not like cough syrup. I have tested three or four, and they are not interchangeable. Some lean medicinal, some taste flat even at double the amount. My approach is to start with half the recommended dose, taste the base, then build up. Once it is mixed in, there is no fixing an over-flavored batch.
Swapped the butterfly pea powder for dragonfruit powder because I grabbed the wrong bag, and the color went full neon pink instead of that signature blue. Tastes exactly the same but looks completely different, almost like strawberry ice cream from a parlor display case. Now I'm doing half batches of each and layering them in the container. The swirl effect alone is worth it.
The butterfly pea powder gave it this wild purple-blue color that honestly looks like it came from an actual ice cream shop. Texture stayed scoopable straight from the freezer too, which I wasn't expecting from a no-churn (mine always freeze into a brick). Quick note on the extract: bubble gum varies a lot by brand and mine was really potent, so I scaled back to about 1/4 teaspoon and it was still hitting strong. Go slow if you've never used yours before because there's a real line between nostalgic parlor flavor and toothpaste territory. Made a second batch at the full 1/2 teaspoon just to compare and yeah, closer to 1/4 if yours is concentrated. The base is SO good though. Already thinking about what other flavors to try with this formula.
My 8-year-old took one look at that blue color and refused to believe it didn't come from a store. I had to show her the empty mixing bowl before she'd accept it. She said it tasted exactly like the bubble gum flavor from the parlor we go to, which I thought was just a kid thing to say, but honestly she's right. The extract is doing something real here. Double batch going in the freezer this weekend.
Made a double batch Sunday and it's been scooping clean all week. Never happens with my usual keto ice creams. Not sure if it's the allulose or the vodka splash, but something in this formula actually stays soft.
Both, honestly. The allulose doesn't recrystallize the way erythritol does, and the vodka drops the freezing point so it never gets rock solid. Double batch was smart - this one disappears fast.
My daughter is at that age where she questions everything I make, so when I told her I was making keto bubble gum ice cream she literally rolled her eyes at me. Then she tasted it and went completely quiet, which is somehow more flattering than anything she could have said out loud. She kept sneaking spoonfuls straight from the container while I was trying to get a photo of it. The color from the butterfly pea powder is freaking stunning by the way, that blue is so vivid I genuinely did not expect it to be that vibrant. I went with the no-churn method since I don't have a machine, and it scooped cleanly after about six hours, no icy chunks. Giving it four stars because I think next time I'd push the bubble gum extract just a touch more, I wanted that flavor to really hit up front.
Going quiet while stealing spoonfuls from the container - that's the review. On the extract, bump it. I go up to 3/4 teaspoon sometimes, occasionally a full one depending on the brand. You'll know you're there when the raw cream smells like a parlor.
First time making ice cream at home, and that butterfly pea powder turned everything this deep blue, more than I expected. Is the scoopable softness right out of the freezer intentional or did I need more freeze time?
The vodka drops the freezing point, so scoopable right out of the freezer is the whole point. You didn't do anything wrong.
That blue-purple is exactly what I remember from birthday trips to the ice cream parlor as a kid. Did not expect that to hit me so hard.
That color was the whole reason I kept testing this. Needed it to match that specific birthday parlor blue.
Made this without the vodka, didn't have any and wasn't about to make a store run for it. Came out firmer than expected, but 10 minutes on the counter and it scoops fine. The bubble gum flavor is weirdly accurate. Takes me right back to those little paper cups at the ice cream shop. Will try the full version next time, but works without it.
The vodka is purely texture, so firmer makes sense. If you want to skip it again, 2 tablespoons of allulose syrup does the same job. The full version is worth it.
I'm on my fourth batch of this and I still get a little excited watching the butterfly pea powder turn everything that shade of blue-purple. The scoopability is what keeps me coming back (I've tried other keto ice creams that turn into a brick after two days, and this one comes out clean and soft every time). I always do the full two tablespoons of vodka and I think that's a big part of why the texture holds. The bubble gum flavor is way more convincing than I expected when I first made it. Not that waxy artificial taste, more like the real parlor version. I added the sprinkles right before scooping this last batch and they stayed intact, which I wasn't sure about. Already planning the next one, probably doubling it.
The sprinkles bleed if you add them even an hour early, so right before scooping is the only window. Double batch works fine.
Used coconut rum instead of vodka (just what I had open) and it came out scoopable straight from the freezer, which I honestly didn't expect from no-churn. Also: if your extract runs strong, start at 1/4 tsp. Half a teaspoon would've been brutal with mine.
Coconut rum does the same job on texture. And yeah, extract brands vary a lot. Some are closer to perfume than bubble gum. 1/4 tsp is safer with an unknown bottle.
Ok so I went into this skeptical about the bubble gum extract. I've had keto desserts where artificial flavorings get medicinal and gross, so I was bracing for that. The butterfly pea powder gets you that exact blue-purple from the parlor ice cream I grew up eating, which honestly made me emotional for a second. I did the no-churn version and it came out thick and scoopable. First time making homemade ice cream. Did not expect that. My one thing is the bubble gum flavor is pretty strong for my taste, so next time I'd try backing off to a quarter teaspoon and see how that lands. But I know some people want that full parlor flavor hit and for them it's probably perfect as written. Still four stars. The texture for something with no eggs and no churning is kind of wild, and the color is worth making it just for that.
Quarter teaspoon is worth trying. You'll still get bubble gum, just less upfront about it. And that no-churn texture took me a few test batches to nail.
Fourth batch and I finally tried it without the ice cream maker, just blended until thick. Still scoops smooth straight from the freezer and I cannot get over that butterfly pea powder color.
The vodka and allulose are doing the scoopability work regardless of method, so blending lands close. Fourth batch and you've got it dialed.
Bubble gum ice cream was one of those things I quietly mourned when I went keto two years ago. Just accepted it was gone. Made this last weekend and when that color came out (the butterfly pea powder turns it this impossible periwinkle blue) I genuinely got a little emotional before I even tasted it. Then the flavor hit and it was just... right. Exactly right. I'm not someone who cries over food but this one got me close.
That 'exactly right' is what I was going for with the extract. Took several rounds, some brands go medicinal instead of parlor and the whole thing falls apart.
I had never made homemade ice cream before and picked this because of the no-churn option, and wow, it actually worked. The color came out this wild periwinkle blue from the butterfly pea powder and I kept opening the freezer just to look at it. Does the vodka affect the taste at all or just the texture?
Just texture. I've served this without mentioning the vodka and no one has ever noticed. 2 tablespoons doesn't register on flavor at all. That periwinkle is the whole reason I keep making it.
First time making homemade ice cream and I almost left out the vodka because adding alcohol to a dessert felt unnecessary. Did some quick reading before I started and learned it's the reason the texture stays scoopable instead of turning into a solid block. Made a tiny test batch without it just to see, and yeah, purple puck. Good to know going in. The butterfly pea powder was also nowhere in my regular grocery store, worth knowing ahead of time if you're planning to make this soon. I ended up ordering it online and it arrived fast, but I would have been stuck otherwise. The color is something else once it hits the cream, this deep blue-purple that my daughter called 'fairy ice cream' and she's not wrong.
Fairy ice cream is exactly right. The color shift when the powder hits cream is genuinely one of my favorite parts of making this. And yeah, the puck situation without vodka is not subtle.