No-Churn Chocolate Ice Cream
You won’t believe how easy it is to make this homemade chocolate ice cream! No ice cream maker needed! And the intense chocolate flavor will blow you away.
Um, wait a second, where is the summer going??
I mean seriously, hold up. I am NOT ready for it to be August already. When I hear “August,” I think back-to-school, and I am just not in that headspace yet.
I love summer and I never want it to end!
Plus, this is only the first ice cream recipe I’ve made! Am I going to have time for more ice cream recipes this season? I hope so, because there is so much more I want to do.
But I mean, I do have quite a few. Wanna know my favorites? Hands-down, these are the three: Chocolate Marshmallow Rice Krispie Treat Ice Cream, Coffee and Donuts Ice Cream, and Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Dough Ice Cream.
Can you tell I like a lot of add-ins? Lol…
But sometimes you just need to keep things simple, and that’s exactly what this chocolate ice cream recipe is all about.
Not only is the flavor simple, but so is the prep. You can make this chocolate ice cream in 10 minutes flat. The hardest thing about it is waiting for it to freeze!
And the flavor is out of control. So, so chocolate-y! If you know me, you know I want my chocolate desserts to REALLY taste like chocolate. And this definitely does! It’s so rich and intense, it almost reminds me of brownie batter!
WHAT IS NO-CHURN ICE CREAM?
So typically, homemade ice cream is made by first creating a custard by cooking egg yolks, sugar, and hot milk together. Then cream is added and the whole thing needs to be chilled down before it’s then churned in an ice cream maker.
The result is truly sublime.
But it is a looooong process. By the time you freeze the canister of the ice cream maker, make and chill the custard, churn it, then freeze it, you’re looking at around 2 days. Granted, it’s mostly downtime, but I don’t always want to have to plan that far ahead. When that ice cream craving hits, I want it asap!
So a couple of years ago I decided to give this no-churn ice cream thing a try. I have to admit, I was pretty skeptical. I can be a bit of a food snob at times, and I could not imagine that a shortcut recipe could be as good as the real deal.
Boy was I wrong! I made a no-churn vanilla ice cream recipe and a no-churn strawberry ice cream, and honest to goodness, I don’t know if I will ever go back to the traditional method again.
That said, if you’re a purist like I used to be, you’ll want to check out this recipe for old-fashioned slow-churned chocolate ice cream: Simply Perfect Chocolate Ice Cream.
HOW TO MAKE NO-CHURN CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM
To make this easy chocolate ice cream recipe, you’ll just need a few pantry staples:
- Semi-sweet chocolate
- Condensed Milk
- Cocoa
- Vanilla
- Salt, and
- Heavy Cream
CHOCOLATE
I like to use a baking bar because it melts smoothly and doesn’t risk seizing up like chocolate chips can. Just chop or break it into small pieces.
CONDENSED MILK
Be sure to buy sweetened condensed milk and not evaporated milk. There’s no added sugar in this recipe, so you need to get the sweet stuff!
It can usually be found in the baking aisle.
COCOA
I like to use a combination of regular unsweetened cocoa and dark cocoa powder (aka: Dutch-processed or Dutched). If you don’t keep both kinds on hand, you can just use one or the other.
I think regular cocoa has more of a deep chocolate flavor (despite the lighter color), and the dark cocoa powder has a flavor I typically associate with Oreo cookies. Sweeter and a little less rich tasting.
Start by melting the chocolate. This can be done in the microwave or over a double boiler.
I typically use the microwave. Give it quick 20-second bursts, stirring after each. When it’s nice and smooth, you’re good to go!
Combine the melted chocolate with the condensed milk, cocoa, vanilla, and salt.
Then just whisk it all together until it’s nice and smooth.
Now whip the cream until it can hold stiff peaks. You can do this by hand, with an electric hand mixer, or in a stand mixer.
Pour the chocolate mixture into the whipped cream…
And fold everything together.
Then just transfer the mixture into a freezer-safe container, and chill it down!
It’s done just as soon as it’s hard enough to scoop. It will usually get there after around 2 hours.
IS CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM GLUTEN-FREE?
This chocolate ice cream recipe is 100% gluten-free, and it’s also egg-free and vegetarian. But it does contain dairy, so sadly it is not vegan.
CAN THIS RECIPE BE MADE AHEAD?
It’s always a good idea to make ice cream ahead since it can be kind of a long wait for it to freeze completely.
HOW LONG WILL IT KEEP?
This chocolate ice cream will keep in the freezer for at least 2 weeks. Just be sure to keep it tightly wrapped so it doesn’t dry out and get gummy, or pick up any funny freezer odors.
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You won't believe how easy it is to make this homemade chocolate ice cream! No ice cream maker needed! And the intense chocolate flavor will blow you away.
- 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons dark cocoa powder (optional, unsweetened cocoa can be substituted)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
Melt the chocolate (in the microwave or over a double-boiler).
Combine the melted chocolate, condensed milk, cocoa, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl, whisking until smooth.
Whip the cream until it holds stiff peaks.
Fold the chocolate mixture into the whipped cream, transfer the mixture to a freezer-safe container, and freeze until hard (about 2 hours.)
Thank you so so much
This ice cream isn’t super easy and so delicious!!
So glad you were happy with it Terri! Thanks so much for the 5-star review!
Can I use white chocolate in this recipe? And would it hold up in an ice cream cake? Thanks! This is the first time I have commented on your blog, Allie, but I’ve been reading for maybe two months now and I like what I see so far! 🙂
So glad to hear that Erin! You can try adding white chocolate, but I’d just be concerned that it might come out overly sweet. The condensed milk is very sweet, so is white chocolate, it could require some finesse to get it just right. Let me know if you decide to give it a try. Good luck!
If I want to make chocolate marshmallow, when would I add the marshmallows?
You can stir them in before freezing.