Chocolate Ice Cream
By Swasthi, Comments, Jump to Recipe
Make Chocolate ice cream at home with just 4 ingredients! Classy, ultra-smooth & creamy, this chocolate ice cream is the perfect summer treat. This recipe is simple, quick and comes together under 15 mins, all the time it takes is to freeze. It’s eggless and no ice cream machine needed.
Humans have been making frozen milk treats for hundreds of years. One such example is a Kulfi that served as ancestors to the modern ice creams brought over from Europe to the United States. Nowadays, ice cream is not only the province of royalty. Everyone can enjoy ice cream!
Sometimes you just want a few scoops of chocolate ice cream to satisfy that sweet tooth without the extra effort of making traditional French style ice cream which requires eggs.
About Chocolate Ice Cream
Enter this homemade chocolate ice cream that can be made without an ice cream machine and without eggs!
Like the Indian Kulfi, this recipe uses sweetened condensed milk. Modern sweetened condensed milk was invented in the 1850s by Gail Borden, who heated milk and treated it with sugar to inhibit bacterial growth. Not only does this canned milk last longer, it also serves some important functions for giving this chocolate ice cream its delicious texture.
Condensed Milk
The fat and sugar in condensed milk not only give the ice cream sweetness and a nice mouthfeel, they also help deter ice crystal growth. This helps keep the ice cream from freezing into a solid block; instead, you get a scoopable, creamy texture.
Heavy Cream
The heavy cream in the recipe serves a similar purpose. On top of assisting with texture and keeping away ice crystals, whipped heavy cream also incorporates air into the recipe and allows it to replicate the air content (overrun) of commercial ice creams without needing an ice cream machine.
Instead of dense semi-frozen cream, your homemade ice cream remains light and fluffy without the churn!
Cocoa Powder
But what about arguably the most delicious part of the ice cream, the cocoa powder? This is what gives the ice cream its intense flavor. Cocoa powders have no additional sweeteners and so are quite bitter on their own. On top of that, they often come in two varieties: natural and Dutch-processed or alkalized cocoa powder.
While you can use either in this recipe, keep in mind there will be some flavor differences.
Natural cocoa powder has a lower pH and therefore more acidity. It will still give you that delicious chocolate taste you know and crave.
Dutch-processed or alkalized cocoa powder is cocoa powder treated with alkaline solutions to raise its pH and make it less acidic. This gives the cocoa powder a darker color and richer, earthier flavor.
Sometimes you can find cocoa powders that are a mix of natural and Dutch-processed cocoa. No matter what kind of cocoa powder you use, you’ll want to use the highest quality you can afford to give you the best flavor in your ice cream.
Now you know everything you need to make an easy homemade chocolate ice cream with no machine, no eggs, and very little effort. So what are you waiting for? Try this homemade chocolate ice cream today!
More Ice cream recipes.
Butterscotch ice cream
Vanilla ice cream
Custard powder ice cream
Pista ice cream
Mango kulfi
How to Make Chocolate Ice Cream (Stepwise photos)
1. Add condensed milk and vanilla extract to a bowl.
2. Add cocoa powder.
3. Give a good mix to incorporate the cocoa into the condensed milk.
4. The mixture has to be without any lumps of cocoa.
5. Chill the ice cream bowl & beaters for at least 24 hours. Chill the cream as well in the fridge.
6. Pour the cream to the chilled bowl.
7. Begin to whip on a low speed initially. Then on a medium speed.
8. The cream turns frothy first.
9. As it thickens be alert and reduce the speed. Do not over whip.
10. Next it reaches stiff peaks.
11. Transfer the chocolate condensed milk.
12. Gently give a good stir without deflating the cream.
13. Level the mixture.
14. Next place a cling wrap so that it touches the cream. This helps prevent ice crystals.
15. Cover with a lid. Freeze until set. It takes about 15 hours. Scoop and serve chocolate ice cream.
Pro Tips
- Chill the bowl & beater well for at least 24 hours.
- Use good quality cocoa for a intense chocolate flavor.
- The recipe works best with whipping cream or heavy cream. If using amul cream, chill it overnight and scoop the top portion of the cream in the pack & use.
- You can also make this ice cream with melted chocolate. Just melt the chocolate following the double boiler method and then stir it in the condensed milk until uniform.
Related Recipes
Recipe Card
Chocolate Ice Cream without Ice Cream Machine
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- 1 tin sweetened condensed milk (397 grams, 14 oz can)
- 2 cups cream chilled, ( 500 ml whipping cream or heavy cream)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup cocoa powder (good quality)
Instructions
How to Make Chocolate Ice Cream
- Chill the cream, beater and a deep mixing bowl for at least 24 hours.
- Add condensed milk, vanilla and cocoa to another mixing bowl. Whisk well and make a smooth lump free chocolate mixture.
- Pour the chilled cream to the chilled bowl and begin to whip it – initially on a low speed to avoid splashes. Later, on a medium speed until stiff peaks.
- Gently fold in the chocolate condensed milk with the whipped cream until no streaks appear. Transfer the mixture to a freezer safe container (a metal container if possible) and freeze until set.
- Scoop chocolate ice cream and serve.
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
Video
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
Chocolate Ice Cream Recipe first published in June 2017. Updated and republished in July 2022.
About Swasthi
I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills.
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Hi. Please confirm if the condensed milk should be chilled too? Or should i first heat up/microwave the condensed milk before adding the cocoa powder to it?
I once added condensed milk with cocoa powder and the resulted mixture was very sticky.
Hi Hira,
I use condensed milk at room temperature.
Hi Swasthi,
I started following your recipes from the start of C-19 lockdown and did try many of your cake recipes. Today I made this chocolate ice cream. I used Amul whipping cream of 30% fat and the texture was superb. Two problems I faced: 1) there was slight bitterness – is it due to using non-alkalized cocoa powder or did I over-whip my cream (I had stopped at slightly stiff peaks though)? 2) My family felt it was slightly less sweet, how do we add sweetness into it? Do we add caramelised sugar or just add castor/powdered sugar?
Thanks!
Hi Girish,
Thanks for following! Are you sure you used the 392-400 grams condensed milk tin. Because I see in India even 200 grams tins are available. I use the same non-alkalized cocoa powder. There are 2 ways to fix this
1. Mix and whip together some powdered sugar and 1 cup of the prepared ice cream, taking care not to deflate. Then gently mix with the rest of the ice cream.
2. Let it melt and then stir in more condensed milk.
Hope this helps
Thanks for your quick reply! I used Milkmaid 400g. I will try the suggested methods of adding sweetness. Thanks again!
Hi swasthi I have tried chocolate ice cream…. I have used Amul whipping cream…. When I was trying to whipping the cream, the cream turned frothy first but after that it is not thickened… So I have used that frothy cream only ice-cream… I don’t know about final results…. I have kept in freezer… What went wrong.
Hi Srivani,
It has to thicken and you should see peaks otherwise the ice cream may have ice crystals after freezing. It does take some time to get there to stiff peaks.
You must chill the cream, beater and bowl very well.
warm or hot temperatures will hinder the cream from whipping well. I guess the weather is hot in your city. One way to fix this is by placing some ice cubes beneath the whipping bowl. Place ice cubes in a large bowl and then place the whipping bowl inside the larger bowl. The other way is to turn on the air con in the room and whip it.
Hope this helps.
Oh okay…. Now I have to melt everything n again repeat the procedure…. But we have tasted after 9 hours… Taste is very good…. Only thing I can feel is too sweet… I can mix whipping cream again then sweet will reduce na
Try it. I have done the re-churning in ice cream maker several times with good results but with hand beater/mixer not sure if it works. But try it.
OK I will try…. Thank you for your delicious ice cream recipe…
Hi Swasthi, made the vanilla ice cream using the second recipe.
Just increased the custard powder a bit as it was taking too long to thicken.
Simply delicious. Great, easy recipe.
Thank you
Hi Manal
You are welcome! Glad to know!
Thank you
Hi swasthi… Gonna try with Amul whipping 30%fat….but am having 1 litre whipping cream tin…can I keep remaining cream in freezer…. How long it will stay….. But in that packet after opening consume in two days they have mentioned… Please help
Hi Srivani
I don’t live in India so I don’t know much about amul whipping cream. But I saw online and it has sugar added to it. Isn’t it with sugar? If yes then you may need to reduce the condensed milk in the recipe. I don’t know about freezing it. I would suggest you make another flavor the same day and freeze it for later. But it is good to use within a week otherwise ice cream will have a lot of ice crystals. You can check this link for more ice cream recipes
Oh okay…. Thanks for your reply…. Then please suggest any whipping cream desserts or frosting with whipping cream.
You can make any cake recipes and frost with whipping cream. Please use the recipe index to search for more recipes. You can also make milkshakes and top with whipped cream.
Thank you so much…. I will try
All your recipes are simply amazing Swasthi!!
My whole family loves whenever I cook/prepare the dishes shared by you….I am a big fan of yours…plz continue to inspire us!!
☺️??
Hi Ishwin
Thank you so much. Glad your family loves the food. Yes will surely keep sharing.
Hi swasthi..tanx a ton for the lovely recipe..gonna make it tomorrow..have a small doubt…recipe says,2 cups of cream and written 250 ml…is it 500 ml in total?
Welcome Sowmya,
Thanks for the mention. I meant cup size is 250 ml – 2 cups cream. It is 500 ml cream. I have updated it.