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Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream

Homemade chocolate ice cream made with a dark, fudgy chocolate custard base that turns dense and velvety after churning and freezing. Deep cocoa flavor with intensely dark color from cocoa powder plus melted dark chocolate.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
chilling + freezing 4 hours 20 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 55 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 630
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.5 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 4 oz dark chocolate finely chopped
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 0.25 tsp salt

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 Dutch oven
  • 1 cast iron skillet
  • 1 stand mixer

Method
 

Make the chocolate custard
  1. Whisk unsweetened cocoa powder with 1/4 cup granulated sugar, then add heavy cream and whole milk to a saucepan and heat over medium, whisking, until steaming (about 3–5 minutes).
  2. Add finely chopped dark chocolate and whisk until fully melted and smooth (about 1–2 minutes).
  3. Whisk egg yolks with the remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar until pale and slightly thick (about 2–3 minutes).
  4. Slowly whisk the hot chocolate cream into the egg yolks to temper, then return everything to the saucepan.
  5. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard coats the back of a spoon and reaches 175F (about 8–10 minutes).
Chill and churn
  1. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a container, then stir in vanilla extract and salt.
  2. Cool completely over an ice bath, stirring occasionally to keep the surface from forming a skin (about 15–20 minutes).
  3. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, covered, until very cold.
  4. Churn in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer directions, then freeze until firm.

Notes

Pro tip: cook only until the custard coats the back of a spoon at 175F—overcooking can lead to grainy ice cream. Refrigerate the finished custard base up to 2 days before churning. Freeze the churned ice cream up to 2 months (best texture within 1 month). Dietary swap: for gluten-free, no changes are needed; for dairy-light, use lactose-free milk and lactose-free cream if desired, but texture may be slightly softer.