A Real Food Birthday Treat (Grain-Free + Low-Carb Option)

Mint chocolate chip ice cream has always been my son’s favorite. So for his birthday this year, I wanted to make him something special — something celebratory, creamy, nostalgic… but still aligned with how he eats.

He avoids grains and sticks to natural food sources, so this homemade version was the perfect fit. No artificial colors. No gums. No mystery ingredients. Just real cream, milk, honey, peppermint, and dark chocolate.

And let me tell you — the flavor was absolutely wonderful.
Not overly sweet. Not overpowering mint. Just smooth, creamy, balanced perfection.

I skipped the green food coloring, so it turned out beautifully white with flecks of dark chocolate — exactly how real mint ice cream should look.

Why Make Homemade Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream?

When you make it yourself, you control:

• The sweetener
• The quality of chocolate
• The dairy source
• The mint intensity
• Whether it stays low carb

Store-bought ice cream — even premium brands — often contain refined sugar and added coloring. Making it at home gives you complete ingredient control.

Ingredients

• 16 oz heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• ½ cup sweetener (I used honey)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp peppermint extract
• 3 oz dark chocolate, chopped

Instructions

1. Whisk together heavy cream, milk, sweetener, vanilla, and peppermint extract until fully combined.
2. Pour into your ice cream maker.
3. Churn according to manufacturer instructions (about 20–25 minutes in my Cuisinart ice cream freezer).
4. In the final few minutes of churning, add chopped dark chocolate.
5. Transfer to a container and freeze 2–3 hours for firmer texture.

If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you can freeze the mixture and stir every 30 minutes for 2–3 hours — but the texture won’t be nearly as creamy. If you love making homemade ice cream, I truly recommend investing in one. Here is a link for the one I use: https://www.amazon.com/shop/innovativeimagesphoto/list/1IF6THLIRM476?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d_ECGYA01AHNW3R06GCGC0

How This Compares to Store-Bought Ice Cream

Let’s look at how this stacks up against Häagen-Dazs Mint Chip.

Häagen-Dazs Ingredients:

• Cream
• Skim milk
• Sugar
• Egg yolks
• Cocoa (processed with alkali)
• Peppermint oil
• Natural flavor – Exactly WHAT?????
• Vegetable juice (for color)

Tana’s Tastings Version:

• Heavy cream
• Whole milk
• Honey (or alternative sweetener)
• Vanilla extract
• Peppermint extract
• Dark chocolate

Key Differences

✔ No refined sugar (if using honey or low-carb option)
✔ No added coloring
✔ No gums or stabilizers
✔ You control chocolate quality
✔ Easily adaptable for dietary needs

Häagen-Dazs is one of the cleaner commercial brands — but homemade still wins when it comes to full ingredient transparency.

Nutritional Breakdown

Honey Version (Whole Milk)

Entire Batch Approximation:

• ~2,700–2,800 calories
• ~215g fat
• ~190–200g carbs
• ~30g protein

Per ½ Cup Serving (8 servings):

• ~340 calories
• ~27g fat
• ~24–25g carbs
• ~3–4g protein

This version does contain real sugar from honey — which fit within my son’s whole-food approach — but it is not low carb.

Lower-Carb Option

To reduce carbs:

• Swap honey → ½ cup allulose or monk fruit blend
• Swap whole milk → unsweetened almond milk
• Use 85–90% dark chocolate or sugar-free chocolate

Estimated Per ½ Cup Serving:

• ~260–280 calories
• ~25g fat
• ~4–6g net carbs

This version becomes keto-friendly while keeping the same creamy texture.

Why This Recipe Works So Well

• High fat content from cream = ultra creamy texture
• Balanced peppermint flavor (not overpowering)
• Dark chocolate gives depth without excessive sweetness
• No artificial green dye — because real mint ice cream isn’t neon

Sometimes the best recipes are the simplest ones.

And making your favorite flavors from scratch — with ingredients you feel good about — makes it even sweeter.

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Tana

This ice cream is a minty, creamy concoction that has clean ingredients.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 8

Calories 340 kcal

Equipment

• 1 Ice Cream Freezer optional

Ingredients

  

• 16 oz heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup favorite sweetener I used honey but you can mix your sweeteners or use your favorite
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp peppermint extract
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3 oz chopped dark chocolate into small chunks I use HU dark chocolate bars

Instructions

 

• Pour heavy whipping cream into a medium bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat cream at high speed just until a peaks form.
• Slowly add in your sweetener, stirring after each addition.
• Stir in your peppermint and vanilla extracts.
• Pour mixture into your ice cream freezer and freeze according to your machine's directions. Once your ice cream is almost ready, add your chopped chocolate and stir them in.
• Transfer to a container and allow to harden in your freezer for a few hours before serving.

Notes

You could add a few drops of food coloring if you prefer the ice cream to have a light green look. If you do this, I would be careful about what type of food coloring you use and elect a natural choice. 

To make this more low carb and/or keto, use only stevia/erythritol blend or allulose for the sweetener and substitute almond milk for whole milk. Use a stevia sweetened dark chocolate. 

Per ½ Cup Serving (about 8 servings) Honey/Milk Version

• ~340 calories
• ~27g fat
• ~24–25g carbs
• ~3–4g protein

---

Lower-Carb Version (Using Allulose + Almond Milk)

Swap:

• Honey → Allulose (½ cup)
• Whole milk → Unsweetened almond milk
• Choose 85–90% dark chocolate or sugar-free chocolate

Per ½ Cup Serving

• ~260–280 calories
• ~25g fat
• ~4–6g net carbs

Much more keto-friendly.

Keyword chocolate chip, homemade, ice cream, mint