Peppermint Ice Cream
Published December 20, 2021 • Updated March 15, 2026
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Five ingredients, no eggs, and a keto vodka trick I landed on after a few batches of frozen minty bricks. This scoops straight from the freezer, creamy and loaded with crushed sugar-free candy canes.
I started making peppermint ice cream in 2018 and it took me three batches to crack the one problem everyone has with homemade frozen desserts: they come out of the freezer like bricks. The fix was vodka. Two tablespoons in the base keeps everything soft enough to scoop without sitting on the counter. More than that and you can taste it. I tested.
There are no eggs here. No custard, no tempering yolks (I curdled them every single time anyway). Just heavy cream, powdered sweetener, salt, peppermint flavoring, and vodka. Five ingredients for a keto holiday dessert that actually holds a scoop shape.
The crushed candy is what takes this over the top. I use sugar-free peppermint candies, and they turn the base a natural soft pink with crunchy red-and-white chunks in every bite. No food coloring needed. My kids always go straight for the scoops with the most pieces.
If you don’t have a churn, this still works. I’ve done the mason jar shake and the electric mixer route. Both get you a solid result. The churned version has slightly better texture, but no-churn gets you 90% of the way there. Either way, plan on 6-8 hours of freeze time before it’s fully set and scoopable.
I keep a batch in the freezer through most of December. It’s our Friday night holiday dessert, right alongside keto fudge and chocolate mousse. Want something drinkable? Blend a scoop with heavy cream for a low carb milkshake that tastes like a candy cane melted into it.
One thing I’ll say: use powdered sweetener, not granulated. Granulated won’t dissolve into cold cream and you’ll get a gritty texture. I learned that on batch one.
How to make peppermint ice cream
- Whisk together your five ingredients: heavy cream (or coconut milk for dairy-free), powdered sweetener, vodka, salt, and peppermint oil.
- Refrigerate the mixture for 2 hours. I know it’s tempting to skip this. Don’t. The mint flavor develops and melds with the cream during that rest. You get a rounder, more pronounced flavor and a creamier final texture.
- Churn until thick and frozen. Pour the base into your machine and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- No machine? No problem. For the no-churn method, beat the mixture with an electric mixer until fluffy, or pour it into a mason jar and shake until thickened. Then freeze.
Key ingredients
- Heavy cream: This is meant to be indulgent. For the silkiest texture, I use heavy cream. If you need dairy-free, swap in canned full-fat coconut milk.
- Sweetener: I use powdered (confectioner’s style) because it dissolves into cold cream without a trace. Granulated leaves a gritty texture. I’ve tested both enough times to be sure.
- Vodka or rum: A clear spirit like vodka or white rum raises the freezing point, which is the whole reason this scoops instead of shattering under a spoon. Two tablespoons for the full batch. You won’t taste the alcohol at that amount.
- Salt: Enhances sweetness and lowers the freezing point. Both good things when you want a soft, scoopable result.
- Peppermint: Extract or oil, your call. Extract is alcohol-based and milder. Oil is concentrated, so a little goes further. I prefer oil.
- Peppermint candies: The finishing touch. Crushed candy canes or peppermint swirls folded into the base.
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Ingredients
2 cups heavy cream -
1/3 cup powdered sugar free sweetener
-
1/8 teaspoon salt
-
2 tablespoons vodka or white rum
-
1 teaspoon mint flavoring
-
1/4 cup crushed sugar-free peppermint candies
-
ice cream maker, optional
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Combine peppermint ice cream ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together heavy cream, powdered sweetener, salt, vodka or white rum and peppermint flavoring. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours before churning or freezing.
- Heavy cream
- Powdered sugar-free sweetener
- Salt
- Vodka or white rum
- Peppermint flavoring
Churn instructions
Add ice cream base to your ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer instructions. Add crushed peppermint candies during the last few minutes of churning.
- Crushed peppermints
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 skip the vodka and still get scoopable results?
I've made batches without it, and they freeze harder. You'll need to let the container sit on the counter for 5-10 minutes before a spoon can break through. If you want a substitute that keeps things soft, I've had good results with 1/4 cup of allulose syrup or 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum mixed into the base.
Why does my low carb frozen dessert turn out icy instead of creamy?
Nine times out of ten, it's the sweetener. I tested granulated vs powdered side by side, and the granulated version had noticeable ice crystals. Powdered dissolves fully into cold cream. The other fix is the vodka. Alcohol lowers the freezing point, which is why commercial brands stay soft. My two-tablespoon ratio gives you that same effect at home.
Can I add food coloring to make it more pink?
You can, but I don't bother. The crushed sugar-free candy canes tint the base a natural soft pink that I actually prefer over the neon look you get from food coloring. If you want deeper color, add 1-2 drops of natural pink or red coloring when you whisk the base. It won't change the flavor.
What's the difference between peppermint oil and peppermint extract?
I've used both in this recipe. Extract is alcohol-based and milder, so you need a full teaspoon. Oil is concentrated, so start with 1/4 teaspoon and taste. Both lower the freezing point slightly, which is a nice bonus. My go-to is oil because a bottle lasts forever, but extract works fine if that's what you have in the cabinet.
How long does this need to freeze before it's ready to eat?
Plan on 6-8 hours. I usually churn mine in the afternoon and it's ready after dinner. If you're doing the no-churn method, give it the full 8 hours. The vodka means you can scoop straight from the freezer once it's set. No thawing on the counter.
Do I measure the peppermint candies before or after crushing?
After crushing. I measure 1/4 cup of the crumbled pieces, then fold them in. And just to be clear, my recipe calls for sugar-free candies, not regular ones. The carb difference is significant.
Can I use coconut milk instead of heavy cream?
I've made a dairy-free version with canned full-fat coconut milk (not the carton kind). The texture is a little less silky but it still scoops well with the vodka in there. Make sure your sweetener and peppermint flavoring are dairy-free too if that matters for you.
The vodka thing is real. I skipped it the first time thinking it was optional, got a frozen brick I could barely scoop. Added it the second batch and it went straight from the freezer to a bowl without any of that hacking-at-it nonsense. Not optional.
Tip for anyone doing the no-churn mason jar version: shake it longer than you think (mine took about 5 minutes before it actually thickened). Scooped perfectly straight from the freezer the next morning, which I was genuinely not expecting.
Used white rum instead of vodka since that's what I had, and it worked just as well. The texture was exactly what I was hoping for, scoopable straight from the freezer without the usual icy brick situation. Next batch I'm cutting the mint flavoring back slightly since the crushed peppermint candies add more than I expected.
The candy canes sneak in more mint than you'd think. I drop to 3/4 teaspoon of flavoring when I'm using the full 1/4 cup of crushed pieces.
My mom used to make peppermint ice cream every summer when I was growing up and I've spent years trying to get back to that. This one got there. The vodka thing is genuinely clever (I was skeptical but it scoops right out of the freezer without any waiting, exactly like the real thing) and the crushed peppermint candies folded through it brought me somewhere I haven't been in a long time. Made it on a random Tuesday in March for no particular reason and ended up a little emotional over a bowl of ice cream.
The candy canes are the part I won't touch. Smooth mint ice cream is just mint, but that crunch is where the memory is.
The vodka trick actually works. I say that as someone who's made about four batches of keto ice cream that scooped like concrete. This one comes out genuinely soft and creamy, which I wasn't expecting from a no-egg base. Mint level is right, not mouthwash-forward, just clean. One thing: the crushed candy pieces freeze pretty solid, and by day two they're a little aggressive on the teeth. I'll blend half into the base next time and keep the rest as mix-in.
Just got a Ninja Creami and I'm a little obsessed. The whole freeze-solid-then-re-spin method makes me wonder if the vodka is still necessary. Normally it keeps ice cream scoopable, but since the machine re-processes everything anyway, does it actually change the spin texture? Or can I just leave it out?nnAsking partly because I've had a few recipes come out weirdly crumbly before I dialed in my fat ratios, so I want to make sure a heavy cream base plays nice in the Creami container. Really excited for this one. Peppermint with crushed sugar-free candy canes is going to be dangerous.
The Creami handles frozen solid fine, so skip it if you want. Where the two tablespoons still matter is leftovers - the base sets up harder overnight without it, and the second spin suffers. Heavy cream base should give you clean results. Crumbly usually traces back to fat ratio.
The vodka step looked optional to me the first time and I almost skipped it. I'd made no-churn ice cream without alcohol before and ended up chipping at a frozen brick for 10 minutes. Used white rum since I had it on hand, same result: scoops perfectly straight from the freezer. Also figured out that adding the crushed candy canes halfway through the mason jar shake instead of at the end gets them spread through the whole batch. Didn't expect either of those to make such a difference.
Rum works just as well. The halfway timing for the candy canes is smart though, I've always dumped them in at the end and had them all settle at the bottom.
I've made a lot of keto ice creams and most are basically frozen heavy cream blocks after 24 hours. This one scoops like real ice cream straight from the freezer, and it's because of the vodka. Nothing I've made since has come close.
Scoopable straight from the freezer was exactly what I was going for. Took a few batches to land on two tablespoons - more than that and you can actually taste the vodka.
I was genuinely skeptical about the vodka. Sounds like something you throw in a cocktail, not a dessert, but I've made enough keto frozen bricks that needed 25 minutes on the counter before a spoon could break through, so I figured why not. Churned this last Sunday and it scooped clean out of the freezer right away, soft and creamy with no ice crystals. The peppermint flavor hits exactly right, not the fake toothpaste kind. This solved the one problem I've never been able to crack with homemade keto ice cream.
Yeah, the vodka was my fix after a couple of batches that came out like peppermint bricks. Two tablespoons is all it takes.
My daughter has strong opinions on peppermint ice cream and she's shot down every keto version I've made. Churned this in the Cuisinart last weekend and she asked if she could bring some to her friend's house, the first time she's ever wanted to share something I made. The crushed candy pieces in every scoop put it over the top for her.
The candy pieces are what make it. My kids always go straight for the scoops with the most crushed peppermint. Love that she wanted to share it.
Do you measure your peppermint candies before crushing? I noticed on the nutrition 3 candies are 15 carbs. Can’t wait to make this today ❤️
After crushing - 1/4 cup of the crumbled bits. And those are sugar-free peppermint candies in the recipe, not regular ones, so the carbs are way lower than what you'd get from a standard candy cane.
I made this with peppermint flavor, 1 cup heavy whipping cream, 1 cup flaxseed milk, semi-natural pink food coloring, cheap vodka from a tiny bottle, Swerve confectioners, and organic peppermint candies made with real sugar. Made in ice-cream maker. Delicious.
Real sugar ones will tank the carbs though. Sugar-free is the whole point here. Flaxseed milk is a new one, haven't tried that swap.