Lactose-free ice cream with your own ingredients: guide and basic recipe

Making ice cream at home has a real advantage for those who avoid lactose: you decide what goes into the bowl and read the labels yourself, without depending on what's available in a gelato shop freezer. Here you'll find what to use, what to check, the quantities for each TooA model, and a basic recipe to get you started.

Are TooA ice cream bricks lactose-free?

No. TooA ice cream bricks contain ingredients such as fresh milk, cream, and sugar, so they contain lactose. Vegan bricks are also available: if you want to use them, check the label of the flavor you choose before purchasing.

However, bricks are not mandatory. TooA machines, including the Milano and Family models, allow you to make ice cream with your own ingredients: that's how you make a custom lactose-free ice cream.

What does "lactose-free" mean on a label?

According to the guidelines of the Ministry of Health, a product can be called "lactose-free" if it contains less than 0.1 g of lactose per 100 g or 100 ml. The wording "reduced lactose content" (up to 0.5 g per 100 g or ml) is only permitted for milk and fermented milk products such as yogurt. In lactose-free milk, lactose is split by the lactase enzyme into glucose and galactose, two simpler sugars.

For your ice cream, this means one simple rule: every ingredient must state "lactose-free" on the label or be plant-based.

Which ingredients to choose

Lactose, when added to a food, must always be declared on the label among the ingredients. Milk chocolate, biscuits, creams and sauces are where it is most often hidden.

Does lactose-free ice cream taste different?

A little, for two reasons. Lactose-free milk tastes sweeter because lactose has a lower sweetening power than the two simple sugars that make it up: taste the mixture before churning and, if it seems too sweet, reduce the sugar slightly. Plant-based drinks have different proteins and fats from those in milk: plant proteins retain a lot of water and behave differently with fats, so the result can be less creamy. A fat component, such as plant-based cream or coconut milk, helps give it body.

How much of each ingredient do I use for each model?

Basic recipe: lactose-free vanilla ice cream

For Family Pro (full dose):

•       500 ml of lactose-free milk or plant-based drink (soy, oat or almond)

•       100 g of lactose-free cream or plant-based cream

•       about 100 g of sugar (taste and adjust)

•       the seeds of a vanilla pod or pure vanilla extract

For Family (half dose): 250 ml of milk, 50 g of cream and about 50 g of sugar.

1.      Mix all the ingredients until the sugar has dissolved.

2.      Pour the mixture into the bowl using a funnel, close it with the transparent lid and start the ice cream mode.

3.      On Family Pro, choose the hardness (soft, medium or hard) or set a time from 5 to 70 minutes. The cycle takes about 40 minutes.

4.      To add pieces, such as lactose-free chocolate chips, use the lid opening.

5.      Store the ice cream in a covered container: it will last at least 60 days in the freezer.

Before preparing lactose-free ice cream, wash the bowl, lid and paddle thoroughly, especially if you have just used bricks with milk.

In summary

Lactose is removed from the recipe, not the machine: with lactose-free or plant-based ingredients and an ice cream maker that lets you use your own recipes, lactose-free ice cream is within everyone's reach. Read the labels of every ingredient, taste the mixture and, if you have an allergy, choose only plant-based ingredients.