Homemade Dark Chocolate Ice Cream

With rich chocolate flavor and creamy texture, this dark chocolate ice cream will knock your socks off. It's always a huge hit. If you eat dairy-free, make it using canned coconut milk instead of dairy milk. It's like a soft serve chocolate ice cream and great right out of the machine. Get out that ice cream maker and let's make homemade chocolate ice cream.

Being married to a dark chocolate lover (and ice cream lover) is how this dark chocolate ice cream recipe came to be. But I also wanted one that would work for my dairy-sensitive friends. So here's a dark chocolate ice cream recipe you can make either way: with dairy milk or with canned coconut milk. It's a great swap for heavy cream. It's the best chocolate ice cream for both worlds.​

Why You'll Like This Recipe

• Chocolate! Need I say more?
• Cream, dreamy, delicious texture, dairy-free.
• Deep flavor of dark chocolate or bittersweet chocolate.

If you like making ice cream, try this homemade lemon ice cream. Use Meyer lemons for a real treat.

Recipe Ingredients

• Dark chocolate: Also called bittersweet chocolate, 70%-72% rating. Skip dark cocoa powder and use bar chocolate. I also use these chocolate "gems" and don't chop.
• Milk: For dairy-free dark chocolate ice cream use full fat canned coconut milk. If you are sensitive to guar gum be sure to read labels. For regular dark chocolate ice cream (not dairy-free), use half milk and half heavy cream (heavy whipping cream).
• Eggs: You need just the yolks.
• Vanilla extract: Real pure vanilla extract for flavor. Here's my favorite vanilla.
• Sweetening: For no added sugar use liquid chocolate stevia drops, or use sugar.

For measurements please see the recipe card.

Chef's note: Sugar, stevia drops, and monk fruit all effect the freeze-abiity of this dark chocolate ice cream differently. Sugar and common ice cream ingredients like corn syrup do not freeze well so ice cream stays softer when frozen. If you make dark chocolate ice cream with coconut milk, enjoy as soft serve out of the machine or soon after it's done.

Substitutions and Variations

• If you've never tried a little spice in your dark chocolate ice cream you might be pleasantly surprised how good it is. Spices to try include cinnamon and five spice.
• Another sweetening option is granular monk fruit if you don't like the flavored stevia's.
• Add finely chopped walnuts or pecans almost at the end, or a swirl of caramel sauce.

This ice cream is best right out of the maker or after a short time in the freezer. Because this recipe has no added sugar, it freezes hard if left in the freezer too long.

Chef's tip: When you have extra egg whites, make cookies! These chocolate chip meringue forgotten cookies are easy to make and use up those leftover egg whites.

Recipe Instructions

Step 1: Chop the chocolate. Chop chocolate using a long, serrated bread knife. It's easiest with a serrated knife or sharp chef's knife. Chop into small piece so that it melts easily and quickly.

Step 2: Melt chocolate. Set up a double boiler. Add a few inches of water to a large pot (4-5 quart) pot and bring to a simmer, turn down to medium low. Place a stainless steel or glass bowl on top. It should fit a little inside but not touch the water. This provides gentle, even heat for melting chocolate. Add chopped chocolate and stir occasionally with a rubber spatula.

Step 3: Make custard. In a medium pot (a 3 qt saucier works great), heat the milk until steaming. Beat the egg yolks in a medium bowl until smooth, then slowly add a little of the hot milk and whisk quickly. Add slowly so you don't scramble the yolks. When ½ of the milk is added, add the yolk mixture back to the pot and stir until smooth. Cook over medium heat stirring until the custard coats the back of a spoon.

Step 4: Strain the ice cream base. Pour the custard mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into the bowl of melted chocolate to catch any yolk bits. You want smooth ice cream. Stir until completed smooth. Add a pinch of sea salt.

Step 5: Chill the base. To chill the ice cream base quickly, place the bowl in a sink full or a larger bowl of ice and cold water (called an ice bath). When it's very cold, place in the refrigerator until very cold.

Step 6: Churn ice cream. Add the ice cream mixture to your machine and process according to manufacturer's directions.

For another dairy-free chocolate treat, try this coconut chocolate pudding.

Serving Suggestions

This dark chocolate ice cream is best served soft-serve style either right out of the ice cream machine or after just a short time in the freezer. How much it hardens depends on if you use sugar or a sugar-alternative.

In late summer when nectarines are in season, try this refreshing nectarine sorbet.

Freezing Dark Chocolate Ice Cream

If you leave dark chocolate ice cream in the freezer too long, especially made with a sugar-alternative, it might get hard. Let it warm up on the counter checking it once in awhile, then break it up with a table knife and stir well.

I've done this intentionally twice to see how it came out. I was able to get the ice cream back to a softer consistency, but it is a lot of work when you just want a bowl of ice cream.

The other thing I did was after it sat out awhile and softened up, I put it back in the ice cream machine and set it to churn and freeze. That smoothed it all out, but again, it's extra work. Just enjoy it soon after it's made.

The Best Ice Cream Container

I store my ice cream one of two ways: in disposable 16-ounce paper containers with lids or in a freezer-safe container like this. And check this out for the very best ice cream scoop.​

Chef's note: Well after this published, I found a small container of this still in the freezer. It was rock hard. I let it thaw in the fridge and it softened into an amazing rich pudding like consistency, so we ate it! It was terrific. Can't waste good chocolate, can we?

Recipe FAQs

More Chocolate Recipes

If you love chocolate, try these chocolate recipes from breakfast to snacks and dessert.

⭐️Did you Make This Recipe?

If you make this recipe, please comment. I appreciate your feedback and enjoy hearing from you. If you loved it, please give it a 5 star rating! They really help other readers.

📖 Recipe

Dark Chocolate Ice Cream (dairy-free or dairy)

Sally Cameron

This ultra-rich dark chocolate ice cream is creamy and decadent. Just a small scoop will do. Make it dairy-free or with dairy. Use high quality, 72% or higher bittersweet chocolate.  This recipe is soft serve style and best served right out of the machine or soon after. See notes in post. 

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Chill time for base 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 6 servings

Calories 612 kcal

Equipment

• ▢
  Ice Cream Maker

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 12 ounces good quality bittersweet chocolate 72%-85%
• ▢ 2 ½ cups full fat canned coconut milk or half whole milk and heavy whipping cream.
• ▢ 4 large egg yolks
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ▢ ⅓ cup sugar or granulated monk fruit or 15-20 drops liquid chocolate stevia
• ▢ a pinch of salt

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Instructions

 

• Fill a 4-5 quart pan with a about 2 inches of water and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Chop chocolate into small pieces. A long serrated bread knife makes it easy.
• Place the chopped chocolate in a medium stainless steel or glass bowl and place the bowl on top of the pan with the water. The bottom of the bowl should not touch the water. Turn the heat to low and melt the chocolate (so it stays smooth), stirring occasionally.
• Heat the coconut milk in a 3 quart saucepan to just under a boil. Remove from the heat briefly. If using sugar or monk fruit add now and let it melt into the coconut milk, stirring.

  Whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl until smooth. When coconut milk is hot, whisk a little of the hot milk into the eggs (called tempering). Add just a little at a time so you don't scramble the yolks. When about half of the milk is added, add the rest at once. Whisk until smooth.
• Pour the egg and milk mixture back into the pan, place back on the heat, and cook stirring until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon, 5-7 minutes.
• Pour the hot liquid custard through a fine strainer into the melted chocolate. Discard and yolks bits left in the strainer. If using stevia, add now. Stir until smooth.
• Set up an ice bath: Fill a sink or a larger bowl half full with ice and cold water. Nestle the bowl into the ice bath to chill the ice cream base stirring to release the heat.

  When the base is below 70° (measure with a digital thermometer), place it in the refrigerator to chill further, about an hour. When the base is very cold, pour into your ice cream maker and process by manufacturer directions. Serve soft, right out of the maker or after a brief sit in the freezer.

Notes

This recipe is best enjoyed soon after making as it gets rock hard in the freezer if its in there too long. If you do leave it in the freezer and it gets rock hard, let it stand for an hour, then break it up with a table knife and stir well. I've done this twice to see how it came out. I was able to get the ice cream back to a softer consistency, but it is a lot of work when you just want a bowl of ice cream.

The other thing I did was after it sat out awhile and softened up, I put it back in the ice cream machine and set it to churn and freeze. That smoothed it all out, but again, it's  extra work. Just enjoy it soon after it's made.

Nutritional Note: If you make dark chocolate ice cream with monk fruit or stevia the sugar numbers are far lower. 

Nutrition

Calories: 612kcalCarbohydrates: 45gProtein: 8gFat: 51gSaturated Fat: 37gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 122mgSodium: 24mgPotassium: 278mgFiber: 8gSugar: 34gVitamin A: 163IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 31mgIron: 2mg

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