Chocolate chip ice cream recipe for ice cream maker

This Easy Chocolate Chocolate Chip Ice Cream recipe is one you can make in under 30 minutes in your ice cream maker, with just a handful of ingredients, including all that chocolate!

Table of Contents Show

Ingredients You’ll Need
Step One: Heat the Chocolate Mixture
Step Two: Temper the Egg Mixture
Step Three: Combine the Mixtures and Thicken
Step Four: Chill the Mixture
Step Five: Churn the Ice Cream
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this ice cream have to be made in an ice cream maker?
Do I have to add eggs to the ice cream?
What chocolate chips to use for ice cream?
What Ice Cream Maker to Use?
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Can I use milk instead of condensed milk in ice cream?
Which chocolate chips are best for ice cream?
What ingredient in ice cream makes it creamy?
How long do you churn ice cream in an ice cream maker?

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When you think about ice cream, do you immediately picture a dripping cone on the boardwalk in the summer, or maybe you think about eating homemade ice cream on a hot day with your family. No matter what memories ice cream brings to mind, I’m sure this chocolate chocolate chip ice cream made the list of favorite flavors.

We use our ice cream maker for this recipe, so be sure to put the barrel in the freezer a day ahead so it’s good and frozen by the time you want to use it.

Ingredients You’ll Need

This ice cream uses a custard base, so it has egg yolks in it. If you don’t want to add any eggs, you can follow this vanilla ice cream base and add the chocolate to it.

Semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips – I use these Ghirardelli 60% cocoa baking chips, roughly chopped
Heavy cream – Be sure to use heavy whipping cream for the creamiest ice cream
Whole milk – I always use whole milk – we’re not pretending this is a low-fat dessert
Cocoa powder – Use dutch processed cocoa powder for a creamier, full fat mouthfeel. I use E. Guittard Cocoa Powder
Egg yolks – Set the eggs and milk out about 15 minutes before you start to get them to room temp
Sugar – Granulated sugar
Vanilla extract
Salt

Although we add cocoa to this chocolate ice cream recipe, we use this same base for cookies and cream, vanilla ice cream, mint chocolate chip, and any other flavor of ice cream we make. It’s an easy base and it tastes great and very creamy.

The other great part about using this base for everything is that it starts to become second nature to make it. There are quite a few steps to making custard-style ice cream, but it’s not hard, and it’s very much worth the effort.

Step One: Heat the Chocolate Mixture

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk, cocoa powder, salt, and half the sugar. Stir the mixture constantly as you bring it just to a simmer. Remove from heat.

Step Two: Temper the Egg Mixture

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar just until combined.

You need to temper the eggs, so they don’t cook. Tempering is just bringing the egg mixture up to a higher heat in a slow way so the egg doesn’t cook from flash heat. It will be easier to temper the eggs if you have allowed the eggs to come to room temperature before you started.

Slowly stir 1/2 cup of the chocolate mixture in a drizzle into the egg mixture. If you do this slowly enough, the eggs won’t begin to resemble scrambled eggs.

Step Three: Combine the Mixtures and Thicken

Pour that egg mixture back into the saucepan with the chocolate mixture. Heat over medium heat until thickened, about 3-5 minutes. Do not boil the mixture. If the mixture gets too hot and boils you could end up with scrambled eggs.

Remove the pot from the heat and add in half of the chopped chocolate, stirring until the chocolate is melted.

Step Four: Chill the Mixture

Pour the mixture into a heat-proof bowl. To avoid putting the hot mixture in the refrigerator, you can chill the bowl over another bowl filled with ice for 10-15 minutes to cool it down first. Just get a second bowl that’s similar size or larger than the one your mixture is in. Fill it with ice and set the bowl with the custard over it. When it’s cooled down a bit, refrigerate it for about two hours, until it’s cold.

Step Five: Churn the Ice Cream

After the chocolate mixture has completely cooled, stir in the cream and vanilla. Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker, and churn according to the manufacturer’s directions. After 2-3 minutes, add the remaining chopped chocolate so it can blend into the ice cream.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this ice cream have to be made in an ice cream maker?

This ice cream recipe is made in the ice cream maker. It’s an easy way to churn the ice cream mixture to make it freeze faster and make it super creamy, so we prefer it.

However you can still make it without an ice cream maker. At the end, mix in only half of the heavy cream and reserve the rest. Pour the mixture into ice cube trays and freeze until solid. When ready to eat, add the ice cream cubes to the blender with the remaining heavy cream and blend until smooth.

Do I have to add eggs to the ice cream?

Eggs add flavor, prevent ice crystallization, and create a smooth and creamy texture, so they are an important ingredient for delicious ice cream. You can make ice cream without eggs. Here is a chocolate ice cream recipe that doesn’t include eggs.

What chocolate chips to use for ice cream?

It’s important to use high-fat, high quality chocolate chips or a chocolate bar in ice cream, because when it gets cold, the chocolate chips can become too hard to eat or too chalky. If they’ll work well, they should easily and quickly melt in your mouth. We use Ghirardelli chocolate chips or bars, but you can use any high-quality chocolate you like.

What Ice Cream Maker to Use?

If you’re really wanting to make great ice cream at home, you have to invest in an ice cream maker. I’ve had the same one for many years and it’s never made a bad ice cream.

The one I recommend is the Cuisinart 1.5 quart ice cream maker. It comes in a few different colors and it looks neat and tidy. You just have to keep to recipes that are small enough to fit, which shouldn’t be a problem.

The Cuisinart ICE-70 Electronic Ice Cream Maker is a slightly more professional model that’s 2 quarts and has an LCD screen and 3 settings plus an improved paddle with faster processing time.

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1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup Dutch processed cacoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
5 egg yolks
6 ounces semi-sweet or dark chocolate divided
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk, cocoa powder, salt, and half the sugar. Stir the mixture constantly as you bring it just to a simmer. Remove from heat.
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar just until combined.
To temper the eggs, slowly add 1/2 cup of the chocolate mixture in a drizzle into the egg mixture. Do this slowly so as not to cook the eggs.
Pour the entire egg mixture back into the saucepan with the chocolate mixture. Heat over medium heat until thickened, about 3-5 minutes. Do not boil the mixture.
Remove the pot from the heat and add in half of the chopped chocolate, stirring until chocolate is melted.
Pour the mixture into a chilled bowl and refrigerate for about two hours until cold. To avoid putting the hot mixture in the refrigerator, you can chill the bowl over another bowl filled with ice for 10-15 minutes to cool it down first.
After the chocolate mixture has completely cooled, stir in the cream and vanilla. Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker, and freeze according to the manufacturer’s directions. After 2-3 minutes, add the remaining chopped chocolate so it can blend into the ice cream.

When tempering the mixture, be sure to add the hot mixture slowly to the eggs so they don’t scramble.
Take the eggs and milk out of the refrigerator 20 minutes before starting to bring them to room temperature.
Don’t forget to put the ice cream maker barrel in the freezer a day in advance.

🥧 If you’re interested in more great recipes, I share all my favorite Instant Pot recipes over at A Pressure Cooker Kitchen, air fryer recipes at Air Fry Anytime, and cocktails and drinks at Savored Sips. Check it out today!

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Laura is a home cook who loves making new recipes and finding new favorite things to eat, whether at home or abroad. She also runs a popular travel blog and spends a lot of her time traveling for food.

Can I use milk instead of condensed milk in ice cream?

Nearly any milk will work, and you can substitute half-and-half for the cream. Ideally you want ingredients with a high fat content because these will create a creamy texture when cooled.

Which chocolate chips are best for ice cream?

A semi sweet dark chocolate is the best choice for ice cream as it add flavor without making it overpoweringly sweet. However, milk chocolate chips work well too.

What ingredient in ice cream makes it creamy?

Fat is one of the main components that provide smoothness to ice cream. The range of milk fat used in ice cream can go from around 10 percent to a maximum of about 16 percent. Most premium ice creams use 14 percent milk fat. The higher the fat content the richer the taste and creamier the texture.

How long do you churn ice cream in an ice cream maker?

In an ice cream maker, it takes around 20-45 minutes to churn ice cream. This is assuming you've already frozen the bowl, which alone can take anywhere from 4 to 12 hours. If you're planning to make ice cream in the next day, be sure to put yours in the freeze right now!