Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream

5 from 4 votes

Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream

This easy Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream is rich, creamy, and made with real dark chocolate — no eggs required. Learn how to make the best chocolate ice cream from scratch.

Prep Time2

Cook Time10

Total Time2 10

Course: Ice Cream

Cuisine: Italian

Servings:

Author: Melissa Stadler, Modern Honey

Equipment

ice cream scooper
ice cream maker

Ingredients

7 ounces 50% - 70% Dark Chocolate finely chopped (1 cup)
2 cups Heavy Cream
1 cup Whole Milk
3/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons Sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon Salt

Instructions

Place the chopped chocolate in a large bowl and set aside.
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, add heavy cream, whole milk, and sugar and heat over medium-low heat. Whisk often to dissolve the sugar. Before the mixture comes to a boil, remove from heat.
Pour hot cream mixture over chocolate and vigorously whisk until chocolate is completely melted.
Return to medium-low heat for 2 minutes, whisking constantly.
You can chill the base one of two ways:
Refrigerator method: Pour the mixture into a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1–2 hours, until completely chilled.
Ice bath method (faster, and may help prevent graininess): Fill a large bowl with ice and a small amount of cold water. Pour the chocolate mixture into a smaller bowl and set it inside the ice bath, making sure the water doesn't splash into the mixture. Whisk occasionally as it chills, about 20–30 minutes, until completely cold. Churn the same day rather than letting it sit overnight.
Once the mixture is completely cold, stir in vanilla and salt.
Pour into ice cream maker and mix according to manufacturer's instructions. To harden ice cream so it is scoopable, transfer ice cream to a freezer-proof container. Cover tightly and freeze until ice cream is firm, at least 4 hours or overnight.
*Recipe adapted from Molly Moon's Ice Cream Cookbook

Notes

Do I need an ice cream maker for this recipe? Yes, this recipe is designed for a traditional ice cream maker, which churns the base while freezing it. I do have a recipe for no churn chocolate ice cream (using whipped cream and sweetened condensed milk), which is a different technique entirely and would require a different recipe.

Why is my chocolate ice cream grainy? This is usually caused by the chocolate not being fully melted and incorporated, or the base chilling too slowly, which can cause the cocoa butter in the chocolate to separate slightly. Chilling the base quickly over an ice bath (rather than a slow refrigerator chill) and churning it the same day tends to produce a smoother result.

Nutrition