Easy Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream, made of pure raw cacao, a milk of your choice and churned into chocolate perfection!
Chocolate Ice Cream
Who doesn’t love chocolate ice cream! The most basic of all the ice cream flavors and yet the most loved worldwide.Â
Easy homemade chocolate ice cream proves that a truly great dessert doesn’t need a long ingredient list. When you’re craving rich, creamy chocolate ice cream made without artificial ingredients, thickeners, or stabilizers, this simple homemade recipe delivers every time.
Made with raw cacao, sugar sweetened to your liking, cream or full-fat coconut milk, and a pinch of cinnamon, this chocolate ice cream is smooth, deeply chocolatey, and refreshingly pure. It’s the kind of classic homemade ice cream that reminds you why making it from scratch is always worth it.
Chocolate Ice Cream Options
Chocolate ice cream can be made from the richest of cream and pure raw cacao or from a variety of plant milks, such as full fat coconut milk, Chocolate Almond Milk Ice Cream or even carob as an alternative to chocolate.Â
Adding a pinch of cinnamon to the raw cacao adds an extra measure of spice that seems to bring a warmth the the chocolate flavor, since raw cacao is actually bitter.
Ice Cream Machine
While ice cream can be made in a loaf pan, frozen then shaped into balls before it becomes too solid to scoop, I would definitely recommend an Ice Cream Machine.
Ice cream machines are inexpensive, and they do all the work in under 20-minutes. The insert is stored in the freezer so it is always ready when you are to make a quick batch of ice cream.
Ice cream machines are also fabulous for making sorbets or slushies for a hot summer day, but by all means you’ve gotta try Gin and Tonic Sorbet Shooters! A totally adult summer cocktail!
Easy Homemade Ice Cream
The basic aspect of any ice cream is to mix the batter. This can be a sweet or savory mix. It can be for creamy ice cream or fruity sorbets.Â
Once the batter is mixed and chilled in the fridge for an hour (or over night), the batter is poured into the ice cream maker and in 20-minutes, you’ve got homemade ice cream.
Once the ice cream is made, rather than store it in a large container, which needs to soften a bit before scooping, I will scoop the ice cream into cupcake papers, pop them into a muffin tin in the freezer until they freeze.
Once fully frozen they can then be transferred a closed container, or served right away. This step makes serving much easier than scooping out later.
So Many Options For Homemade Ice Cream
Once you have an ice cream maker in your possession and the bowl is always ready in the freezer, the options for a variety of Ice Cream recipes are at your fingertips.
From sweet to savory (yes, a savory ice cream is fabulous), dairy to non-dairy, even veggies from a farmers market!
- Fresh Fennel Pollen Ice Cream – steeped with fennel flowers, sweetened with honey and a splash of liquor, for a very grown-up ice cream!
- Beetroot Ice Cream – yes, sweet and earthy beetroots churned into a beautiful ice cream.
- Farm To Table Corn Ice Cream – sun ripened, naturally sweet corn ice cream with caramel popcorn sprinkled on top.
- Fun Dairy-free S’mores Ice Cream – with all the ingredients in your favorite s’mores, presented with a fiery marshmallow on top!
Ingredients Needed
With just a handful of ingredients and minimal prep, this easy homemade chocolate ice cream comes together quickly, here’s exactly how to make it.
- Raw cacao powder – Raw cacao gives this homemade chocolate ice cream its deep, rich chocolate flavor without artificial cocoa blends. Using high-quality cacao makes a noticeable difference in both taste and color.
- Sugar – Sugar sweetens the ice cream and balances the natural bitterness of cacao. The amount is flexible, allowing you to adjust the sweetness to your personal preference.
- Water – A small amount of water helps dissolve the cacao and sugar, creating a smooth chocolate base before adding the dairy or coconut milk.
- Cinnamon – Just a pinch of cinnamon enhances the chocolate flavor and adds warmth without overpowering the ice cream.
- Milk or full-fat coconut milk – Whole milk creates a classic, creamy texture, while full-fat coconut milk offers a rich, dairy-free alternative that’s naturally smooth and satisfying.
- Cream (optional) – Heavy cream adds extra richness to dairy-based chocolate ice cream. If using full-fat coconut milk, the cream is not needed.
Equipment Needed For Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream
- Saucepan – A small to medium saucepan is used to gently heat the chocolate base, helping the cacao and sugar dissolve smoothly.
- Wire whisk – Whisking ensures the cacao blends evenly into the liquid, creating a silky chocolate mixture without lumps.
- Measuring cup and measuring spoons – Accurate measurements help balance sweetness and richness, especially when adjusting the sugar to taste.
- Ice cream maker – An ice cream maker churns the base into a creamy, scoopable texture. Follow your machine’s instructions for best results.
- Cupcake papers (optional) – Cupcake liners are a simple way to portion the ice cream before freezing, perfect for individual servings or easy scooping later.
- Airtight container – An airtight container keeps homemade chocolate ice cream fresh in the freezer and prevents ice crystals from forming.
Why This Recipe Works
This easy homemade chocolate ice cream works because it relies on high-quality ingredients rather than additives or shortcuts. Raw cacao provides deep, complex chocolate flavor without the need for artificial chocolate flavoring, while cream or full-fat coconut milk creates a naturally smooth and creamy texture, no stabilizers required.
Sweetening the base to your own taste keeps the chocolate balanced, not cloying, and a pinch of cinnamon enhances the cacao without overpowering it. The result is a homemade chocolate ice cream that tastes clean, rich, and deeply satisfying, with a texture that proves simple really is better.
Easy Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream
Equipment
- Ice-cream maker
- Small saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 cup Raw Cacao powder
- 3/4 cup Sugar
- 1/2 cup Water
- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon optional
- 2 cups Milk your choice
- 1 cup Cream – with dairy milk or full-fat coconut cream
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil, add the cacao powder, sugar and cinnamon and simmer on low until the mixture dissolves, about 2-minutes. Cool.
- Pour the cooled chocolate mixture into a bowl and with a hand mixer or wire whisk, and whisk in the milk and cream until well blended. Chill at least an hour or overnight.
- Pour the chilled chocolate mixture into the ice cream machine (pre-frozen bowl, following manufacturer's instructions), and churn for 20-minutes. Serve or store.
Video
Notes
I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.