Rich, ultra-creamy, and chocolatey, this is the best homemade chocolate ice cream recipe ever! It's easy to make with only 7 ingredients (including two forms of chocolate), has a rich chocolate flavor, and is just as good as any ice cream shop!
Whisk together 1 cup cream and cocoa powder. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and boil/simmer for 30 seconds whisking constantly.
Remove from heat and add chopped chocolate and whisk until smooth. Add remaining 1 cup of cream and whisk to combine.
Transfer mixture to a large bowl and position a fine mesh strainer over it. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolks.
In a saucepan over medium heat, whisk together milk, sugar and sea salt.
Once the milk mixture is slightly warm, add ½ cup of warm milk to the beaten egg yolks and whisk to combine. Add the milk/egg mixture back into the saucepan, whisking during the addition.
Continue to cook the custard over medium heat, and stir the mixture constantly with a spatula until the it thickens and lightly coats the spatula (it does this when it reaches about 170 degrees F).
Pour the thickened custard through the metal strainer into the other ingredients in the bowl. Stir until combined. Discard any custard residue left on the strainer.
Add the vanilla and stir to combine.
Place a lid on top and let the mixture cool in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, or overnight. To speed up the cooling process, you can place the container of the chocolate ice cream liquid base into an ice bath and stir it often.
Once the ice cream mixture is chilled, churn it in an ice cream maker until thick and frozen (30-40 minutes).
Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for at least 6 hours.
Serve!
Video
Notes
Ingredient Substitutions:
Heavy cream. There really isn’t a substitution for heavy cream, it gives the chocolate ice cream it’s ultra-creamy texture.
Cocoa powder. If you’re into very dark chocolate ice cream, try using dark cocoa powder.
Semisweet chocolate. I use 60% dark chocolate chips to make this chocolate ice cream. Use whatever percentage you prefer, just know that milk chocolate will result in a sweeter ice cream, and the darker the chocolate used the more intense the chocolate flavor will be.
Whole milk. Half and half is an acceptable substitute for whole milk!
Granulated sugar. There’s really no substitute here! I use organic cane sugar or regular white sugar.
Egg yolks. Another critical ingredient that contributes to the creaminess, don’t leave them out!
Vanilla extract. Vanilla beans (seeded) or vanilla bean paste can be used in place of extract.
How to Churn Ice Cream by HandIf you do not have an ice cream maker, you can churn this chocolate ice cream recipe by hand - it's just a lot more work! Here's how:
Once the ice cream base is made, put it in a freezer-friendly container and put it in the freezer.
After 1 hour, check the ice cream. If is has started to freeze, use a hand-held mixer (or a whisk or spatula) to beat it vigorously.
Continue to mix the mixture with a mixer or by hand every 30 minutes until it is frozen. This should take 3-6 hours.
StoreStore in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Here are some of my favorite storage containers for ice cream: