Growing up, my brother and I loved going to Sweet Tomatoes for dinner, a buffet-style restaurant with a healthier spin. Although every customer had to walk past the salad bar upon entering in order to reach the register to pay, my brother and I rarely put much on our plates from that section, aside from the plain pasta salad and croutons!
Inside, we focused on the other counters in the back of the restaurant. We grabbed plates for itty bitty slices of pizza and breadsticks, squares of cornbread and blueberry muffins, and the obligatory slices of cantaloupe, honeydew, and watermelon to appease Mom. (She insisted that we ate some fresh fruit or vegetables with every meal!)
Despite the plethora of yummy savory options, we always saved the most room for dessert. We started with a thick brownie (although usually a little more cakey than fudgy for my liking!) and occasionally a few pieces of jello, depending on the flavor. But the highlight was always…
The soft-serve ice cream bar! Knobs for vanilla, chocolate, or swirl followed by plenty of fun toppings: rainbow sprinkles, chocolate sprinkles, nuts, chocolate chips, butterscotch, and hot fudge sauce. We almost always opted for vanilla or swirled ice cream with a generous showering of crushed Oreo pieces—it was like making our own cookies ’n cream ice cream!
With my brother in town this week, just in time for a heat wave, I thought it’d be fun to make our own Oreo ice cream again to stay cool… But instead of finding a new Sweet Tomatoes location, we’ll be using this easy recipe for Healthier Cookies ’n Cream Ice Cream! It’s ready in less than 25 minutes, and it has no eggs, heavy cream, or added sugar and only 86 calories!
Sweet summery ice cream bliss! ??
You’ll need a few key things to make this ice cream… Starting with an ice cream maker. This is the one I own. It’s inexpensive and totally worth every penny! Although it’s possible to make ice cream without an ice cream maker, it usually turns out coarse and grainy, especially when your ice cream base contains no eggs, heavy cream, or added sugar like this one. I highly, highly recommend getting an ice cream maker like this affordable one I have!
As for the ice cream base itself, you’ll need 2% milk, Greek yogurt (it’s wonderfully thick and creamy, making it perfect for ice cream!), vanilla, vanilla crème stevia (like this!), and xanthan gum (like this). Those last two ingredients may be unfamiliar, so let’s talk about them!
Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that contains nothing artificial or overly refined (aka it’s clean eating friendly!). It’s also highly concentrated, so you just need 1 teaspoon for this ice cream! This is the kind I use because I love its warm vanilla flavor and don’t notice any strange aftertastes. You can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores, but I always buy mine online here because that’s the best price I’ve found. (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)
Without any eggs or heavy cream, the xanthan gum helps create a more creamy texture, making this healthier ice cream taste like the same full-fat versions you’d buy at the grocery store. You cannot substitute or omit the xanthan gum. It’s shelf-stable and keeps for ages, and you can also find it at health-oriented grocery stores or online here. (Some of my local Safeway stores and Walmarts have started to stock it too!)
Now for the “cookies” part of the cookies ’n cream… The Oreos! I scraped off the filling and crushed just the cookie pieces for a few reasons: (a) I don’t like the filling {call me crazy, but I always scrape it off!}; (b) the filling contains the majority of the fat and sugar, which we’re trying to minimize in this healthier recipe, and (c) the ice cream itself already provides enough “cream” that we didn’t notice the missing Oreo cream filling for that classic cookies ’n cream flavor. I call that a win-win-win situation!
So simply swirl in those crushed Oreo cookies when your ice cream looks thick and creamy and…
Serve yourself a nice big sweet scoop! ? And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! ?) I’d love to see your ice cream and feature it in my Sunday Spotlight series!
| Healthier Cookies 'n Cream Ice Cream | Print |
- 1 cup (240g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 cup (240mL) 2% milk
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp vanilla crème stevia
- ½ tsp xanthan gum
- ¼ tsp salt
- 4 Oreo cookies (or a gluten-free version), fillings removed and chocolate cookies roughly chopped
- The night before you plan on making your ice cream, place the bowl of an electric ice cream maker in the freezer. Freeze for at least 12-16 hours.
- Add all of the ingredients except the Oreos to a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer for 1 minute or until very frothy.
- Working quickly, remove the ice cream maker bowl from the freezer. Place it on the ice cream maker base, attach the paddle and the lid, and turn it on. With the ice cream maker turning, pour in the milk mixture. Let the ice cream maker churn for 15-20 minutes or until the ice cream is frozen and has reached your desired consistency. Sprinkle the Oreo pieces into the ice cream maker, and gently press them down into the ice cream with a spatula if necessary. For the best texture and taste, serve your ice cream immediately.
You can use higher percentages of milk (i.e. whole milk) if you prefer, but do not substitute nonfat or 1% milk. I also recommend against substituting almond or cashew milk. Any of those will result in ice cream with a less smooth and creamy texture.
For sweeter ice cream, increase the vanilla crème stevia by ¼ to ½ teaspoon. I have not tried substituting other sweeteners and do not know how they will turn out. (I highly recommend the vanilla crème stevia! You'll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!) If you prefer not to use the vanilla crème stevia, you’ll need the equivalent of ½ to ¾ cup granulated sugar.
Do not skip the xanthan gum. Without it, your ice cream will taste icy and hard rather than smooth and creamy.
For a “clean eating” version, use a handful of these homemade chocolate crackers of mine instead of the Oreo cookies.
After about 10 minutes, I found that my ice cream started getting “stuck” and wasn’t churning around the ice cream maker. If that happens to you, carefully “help” it along by gently pressing down with a small spatula to get the ice cream moving around the ice cream maker’s bowl. (I did that very frequently for the last 10 minutes of freezing!)
To achieve the best smooth and creamy texture, the ice cream should be made in an ice cream maker. This is the wonderful and inexpensive one that I own! If you don’t own one, use the following method (but keep in mind that the ice cream will turn out with a grainier and harder texture).
No Ice Cream Maker Method: After Step 2, add the mixture to an 8”-square baking pan, and place in the freezer, ensuring that the pan is flat and level. Freezer for 2-3 hours, vigorously stirring with a spatula for 2-4 minutes every 30 minutes to break up any chunks and mix air into the ice cream.
{gluten-free, clean eating option, low fat, lower carb, lower sugar}
View Nutrition Information
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ The Ultimate Healthy Chocolate Ice Cream
♡ Healthy Vanilla Ice Cream
♡ Healthy Chai Spice Ice Cream
♡ Healthy Cookies ‘n Cream Milkshake
♡ Healthier Cookies ‘n Cream Brownies
♡ Healthier Chocolate Cupcakes with Cookies ‘n Cream Frosting
♡ Healthier Cookies ‘n Cream Oatmeal
♡ Cookies ‘n Cream Pudding Cookies
Can you use canned coconut milk in place of the 2% milk
Yes, that’s fine! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this ice cream Roberta!
NOM! Hahaha, I’m pretty sure that my Sweet Tomatoes routine was the same as yours as a kid! Forget the greens… load up the pasta salad, cornbread muffins (SO GOOD), pizza squares, and occasional pieces of fresh fruit! Save ALLLL the room for double servings of soft serve! Lol. I keep saying this but I need to try one of your ice cream recipes now that I have a machine and I can eat dairy again!! So simple! <3
EXACTLY!!! Those were the best parts of Sweet Tomatoes!! (And probably the reason why I haven’t been back in ages… My self-control would go straight through the window!) 😉 I’d love to hear what you think if you try one of my ice cream recipes! SO glad you can have dairy again!!
This looks incredible, Amy! I got an ice-cream maker a couple of months ago, but haven’t used it yet. Cookies ‘n cream is among my top favourite ice-cream flavours, and this looks so tempting that it might just have to be my first recipe for my new ice-cream maker (I know I’ll be in safe hands with your recipe as a first attempt?)!
You’re so sweet Katie — thank you!! I’m honored that you’d consider using one of my recipes as the first to make in your new ice cream maker! 🙂 Hope you’re doing well, sweet friend! I’ve missed your comments! ♡
Is it possible to use a non-dairy milk such as almond milk or cashew milk in place of the 2% milk?
I’ve actually covered this already in the Notes section underneath the Instructions! It can be easy to miss. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this ice cream Erin!
Yes I totally overlooked that detail somehow! Thanks for your reply!
My pleasure Erin! 🙂
I am lactose intolerant and can’t eat normal ice cream because of the dairy. Is there a dairy substitute that would work?
I have no experience with non-dairy substitutes in this recipe, so I’m not sure, Emily! However, my brother is severely lactose intolerant, and he’s able to eat this ice cream (and any dairy products!) if he takes a lactase pill right before. Have you tried lactase pills before? That might be worth looking into! 🙂