A low carb copycat Bailey’s Irish Cream recipe for your coffee or favorite recipe! It’s a tasty blend of espresso, cocoa, cream, and Irish whiskey.
With St. Patrick’s Day just around the corner, I’ve been drooling at all the Irish Cream dessert recipes floating around.
The problem is that bottled Irish Cream liqueur is loaded with sugar. Thankfully, it’s not that difficult to make a homemade low carb copycat Bailey’s Irish Cream recipe.
Before moving to low carb, Bailey’s was one of my favorite spirits. I would mix it with coffee liqueur or just add it to regular brewed coffee. It adds a sweet flavor with hints of chocolate, vanilla, and almond.
Irish cream is really just a creamy flavored Irish whiskey. There are tons of recipes on how to make this delicious beverage.
I personally think it’s too strong to drink on it’s own, so I like to dilute it with non-alcoholic liquids. You can also use this copycat Bailey’s Irish cream recipe to make delicious desserts.
I’ve had my eye on the low carb Irish Cream ice cream recipe here on Fluffy Chix Cook. I’m not a fan of the artificially sweetened low carb syrups so I’ll have to modify it to my liking, though.
To make my version of low carb Irish cream, I referred to two great recipes. One was on Food.com and the other is on LowCarb-ology.
I used instant espresso powder in my recipe because I usually have a jar on hand.
To get the cocoa and instant coffee to blend in well, it’s best to heat up the cream.
Cooking the mix also allows some of the liquid to be reduced.
I didn’t bother trying to measure the amount of reduction. Instead, I just let the mix come to a slow boil and then reduced the heat to simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Once the mix has cooked down a bit, it’s removed from the heat and the remaining ingredients are added. You want to add the extracts and whiskey at the very end.
When the liquid has cooled down, you’ll want to transfer it to a glass bottle with a lid to store in the refrigerator.
It can be stored for two weeks. If you can’t drink it all within that time, you can easy half the recipe.
It’s best to make this up as you need it because fresh cream can spoil after a couple weeks. It’s easy to use up if you’re a coffee drinker because it’s a great replacement for regular cream.
You can always use it in an ice cream recipe where it will keep much longer in the freezer.
Since this is a sweet liqueur, it’s a nice flavor to add into desserts. I’ve seen Irish cream cheesecakes, trifles, cakes, and brownies. All great ways to use this low carb copycat Bailey’s Irish Cream recipe.
I’m not much of a drinker, so I won’t be drinking shots of this Irish cream. I’ll be using it as a flavoring in desserts and an after work coffee.
Bailey’s has always been one of my favorite spirits so it’s great to have a low carb alternative. I just need to make sure I have some good Irish whiskey on hand!
Low Carb Copycat Bailey’s Irish Cream Recipe
Copycat Bailey's Irish Cream
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup low carb sweetener
- 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups Irish whiskey I used Jameson
Instructions
- Combine Swerve, espresso powder, and cocoa in small saucepan.
- Slowly add in the heavy cream.
- Bring mixture to a slow boil, reduce heat slightly and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Remove from heat.
- Stir in extracts and whiskey. Cool.
- Store in a glass bottle in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
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Notes
Nutrition
Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
About Lisa
Lisa has been creating low carb recipes for herself and sharing them with others since 2010. She loves to experiment in the kitchen and find new ways to create low sugar foods that taste like high carb favorites! Her recipes have been featured on popular magazine sites including Fitness, Shape, Country Living, Women's Health, and Men's Health. Lisa lives in Southeastern Connecticut. Connect with her and Low Carb Yum at:
O'Connor Margaret says
Made this yesterday! Excellent! Used sucralose and Maxwell House instant coffee granules in place of espresso. Also used Jim Beam bourbon in place of Jameson Irish whisky. My husband and friend said it was fantastic. Will be making it for Christmas gifts and frequently for no special reason😂.will do double batches!
Lisa MarcAurele says
Thanks for sharing your subs. I haven’t tried it with bourbon, but sounds just as good.
Pamela says
Made recipie exactly as shown with Swerve as my sweetener. Amazing recipe. Both my Husband (who is not on keto) and I love this more then real Baileys. Finally a substitute recipe that doesn’t taste like a poor substitute. Well done!
Cat says
I have spent my entire summer making this recipe as a coffee creamer, omitting the Jameson’s. I make it in triple batches because I drink it daily and I only want to make it once a week. Yep, a quart and a half of Irish cream. This has been going into my cold brewed coffee, along with a little liquid monkfruit, water to thin it all down and a whole lot of ice. This stuff makes the best iced coffee drink I have EVER tasted. It’s pricy to make (about 20-25 bucks for a triple batch using organic cream and Lakanto golden monkfruit) but a lot cheaper than a daily iced coffee from a coffee house and so much healthier. It doesn’t help that I make about a 30 oz iced coffee in a 40 oz insulated tumbler 😊. I drink on it all day, usually it replaces all my meals except dinner. Not sure how healthy that is but it’s working for me. I know I’ve commented on this recipe before but thank you so much for this creation/adaptation/whatever you want to call it. Me? I just call it wonderful!
Lisa says
Thanks for sharing that awesome idea! I may give it a try with coconut cream as I’ve been avoiding dairy.
Samantha says
I have successfully made this recipe as listed so many times! I can’t wait till Christmas when I have a continuous supply in my fridge.
That being said, we’re going to spend Thanksgiving with friend who’s children are Anaphylactic to dairy and nuts. Has anyone successfully make this with coconut cream or some other dairy/but free milk?
I SO wanna sit by the fire drinking this…
Lisa says
Coconut cream would be a good sub for the dairy cream. However, you may want to try the kind that doesn’t solidify in the refrigerator. I like the Let’s Do Organic Heavy Coconut Cream which is what I use in my coffee. It flows well when cold.
Samantha says
Perfect! I’m going to give it a try! Thank you
Cat says
I can’t thank you enough for this recipe! I used to make homemade Irish cream with heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk I made myself, chocolate syrup, vanilla and almond extracts. I never put coffee or whiskey in it since I used it as a coffee creamer. Since going HFLC (Keto) I have sorely missed my coffee with Irish cream. Now I can have it again thanks to you and this awesome low carb copy cat! I went through the first batch in three days. I’m going double the next one and hope it lasts a week. I think I owe you my first born (you might not want her, she comes with a hubby and 3 kiddos), a kidney, my right arm….
Lisa says
You’re very welcome Cat! LOL, I’d take them all!
Cat says
OMG! I am so glad I stumbled across this recipe! Before going LCHF, I used to make homemade Irish cream (minus the Jameson’s) using homemade sweetened condensed milk, organic chocolate syrup and heavy cream, with vanilla and almond flavoring, as my coffee creamer of choice. Not exactly low carb tho definitely high fat (and calorie)!!!! I had resigned myself to giving that up and limiting myself to one keto blender coffee a day that doesn’t taste nearly as good. Now I can have my favorite coffee again thanks to,you and this amazing recipe! Thanks so much Lisa! You are my Hero!!!!!!!! I had been toying around with the idea of making sweetened condensed milk with golden monk-fruit sweetener instead of sugar in the raw. Has anyone tried doing that? My favorite three ingredient (condensed milk, heavy cream, vanilla) no churn ice cream was also sacrificed to the LFHC lifestyle and now that summer is here I really miss it. A low carb sweetened condensed milk option would be amazing!
Lisa says
There are some low carb sweetened condensed milk recipes that may work here. I’ve used the low carb sweetened condensed milk from LC Foods so that’s another option.
Cat says
I’m not going to start messing around with your successful concoction, it’s perfect as is! I finally found a great no churn keto ice cream so, for the moment, I don’t need a sweetened condensed milk but thank you for the suggestions. Is it weird I won’t eat anything out of a can? That’s one reason I made my own sweetened condensed milk prior to switching the the keto lifestyle. Oh well, I guess we all have our quirks 😊
Lisa says
When I made mine with the exact ingredients the next day I took it out of the refrigerator and the cream all rose to the top. Did I do something wrong?
Lisa says
I don’t recall that happening, but if it shakes back in, it’s all good.
Cheryle Myers says
And I stand corrected. I looked it up on several sites. It seems your figures are correct.
Cheryle Myers says
Hi, my daughter is a Registered Nurse and when I called her all excited about this recipe she burst my bubble. Unfortunately distilled spirits are made of carbohydrates such as corn and barley. That being the case, 1 oz. of distilled spirits such as whiskey turns into 10g of carbs. So the recipe calls for 10 oz of whiskey. That’s a total of 100 carbs distributed in 2 cups of heavy cream. So 3 1/2 c of liquid or 26 oz. That means per oz you get 3.85 carbs from the alcohol. 12 portions come out to 7.70 alcohol carbs per 2.17 oz serving.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m still going to make it, it sounds wonderful, but don’t think you are only getting 1 carb. per serving.
Lisa says
Due to fermentation, you aren’t getting those carbs.
Jeff says
I found it works great using Allulose as well
Ellen says
How much did you use? Same amount or to taste? I have a big can sitting in my cupboard.
Katherine says
What is the serving size for 55 calories? 1 tablespoon? Thanks for sharing _ a batch is cooking on my stove right now!
Lisa says
Recipe makes about 26 ounces or about 3.25 cups which is about twelve quarter cup servings.
Rebecca says
Loved this! Though I used Brandy and Splenda. I’m a diabetic. Thanks for the recipe.
Michelle Banfield says
How would I make this non-alcoholic? Just leave out the whiskey?
Lisa says
You could leave out the whiskey and replace it with an extract if desired.
Thomas Jacobs says
Hi Lisa, Thank you for sharing your recipe. I tried it with mixed results. While I like the flavor, my batch was a “gloppy” mess when I tried to pour it from the bottle – very viscous with lumps. I saw the commenter, Randi, who indicated greasy lumps, etc. I am not sure that is how I would describe my results. I tried straining it as she had mentioned but the result is still too viscous. I also used granulated vs. powdered swerve. Multiple web searches have failed to indicate this is a problem with cooking erythritol. I have now ordered the powdered (confectioner) version that your link points to. Do you believe that is what happened? If so, would you please emphasize “powdered” in your recipe ingredients for others that, like me, failed to follow the link the first time they studied your recipe and did not realize the version of swerve would matter? Thanks again.
Lisa says
I found that Swerve can crystallize so I now sub out half or all with concentrated sweeteners. However, the problem is likely due to temperature and the cream likely thickened too much during cooking.
Rickie Davis says
Love the low carb recipes!
Lisa says
Enjoy them Rickie!
Denise says
Yum! (I used a few squirts of liquid Srevia instead of Swerve.). My regular treat is Kerrygold Irish Cream – very close in taste. Thank you for the recipe!
Lisa says
I prefer the liquid stevia and you won’t have to worry about erythritol crystallizing if you don’t use Swerve.
Joane says
How many squirts of stevia ?
Lisa MarcAurele says
You’d only need about 1/2 teaspoon more or less.
Shannon Patton says
I just made this! I used almond milk & cream instead! It’s good! Not like normal baileys & it’s strong but I’ll be using this recipe again! 😆
Lisa says
Thanks for sharing!
harriet says
did u not use heavy cream here at all?
Melanie Mattox says
Hi Lisa – quick and probably stupid question. The serving size you list is 1g. Doesn’t that equate to about 1 teaspoon? I’m sure I’m reading this wrong. Love the website! Keep it up !
Lisa says
It’s one cup size. That got messed up when the recipe was converted.
Candi B. says
I have missed “fancy” drinks so I thank you wholeheartedly!
Lisa says
They are a nice treat. Enjoy!
Elea says
Wow, that sounds great! How long can I store it?
Lisa says
I keep it in the refrigerator and it never lasts more than a week.
Randi Horst says
I made this a few days ago. It was beautiful with a delicious flavor when it cooled to room temp in the pan and smooth when I decanted it into a glass bottle. After chilling it for several hours, I went to pour some to try it and I found it had these chunks- both large and small- of some greasy substance all through it! You could rub them between your fingers and it seriously felt like wax or grease. I let it go for a day then strained it several times as the ingredients were far to expensive to just toss it, I plan to try to use it but I was wondering if anyone has any idea what made this happen? I don’t think the cream curdled because it wasn’t chunky hot nor at room temp, only after being refrigerated. I followed ingredients exactly other than using half Swerve, half Splenda. Any thoughts anyone?
Lisa says
It’s the erythritol in the Swerve. You can replace it with a sweetener that doesn’t contain erythritol.
Karen says
I use this recipe often, I do use swerve but I use the powdered form not the granular. I’ve never had a problem like you described.
Lisa says
That’s probably the key. The powder doesn’t tend to crystallize like the granular.
Meagan says
What is swerve ? Never herd of it for a sugar sub do u mean stevia ?
Lisa says
Swerve is a one-for-one sugar replacement made with erythritol and a fiber sweetener. If you can’t find it, you can replace it with another one-for-one sugar replacement. Swerve is very popular in the US.
Darla says
What is instant espresso? I’ve looked and looked but I’ve never seen it… can you post a pic of yours?
Lisa says
I use Ferrara brand. It’s in with the instant coffee at my grocery store. You can view it on Amazon.
Wendy Mauzeroll says
I am having a problem finding instant expresso. Is it possible to use instant coffee instead.
Lisa says
Instant coffee works too. I just like the stronger taste of espresso.
Alicia says
I love copycat recipes. Perfect for putting your own twist on your favorite recipes. This one sounds delicious, I bet the almond exact adds another layer of flavor deliciousness. I use heavy whipping cream and a spritz of vanilla exact in my coffee each day. Can’t wait to try this one.
Lisa says
I’ve been enjoying this Irish cream in my coffee all week. I think you are going to love it!
Renee says
What is swerve ?
Lisa says
Swerve is a one-for-one sugar replacement. You can use any sweetener you’d like in the same sugar equivalence amount.