No Churn Chocolate Ice Cream (double chocolate!)
Posted: 06/05/2019
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Creamy and smooth no churn chocolate ice cream is easy to make without an ice cream maker! Add chocolate chips for double the chocolate!
Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: No churn ice cream is ultra creamy and tastes like expensive gourmet ice cream.
How long it takes: 15 minutes to prep, 6 hours to freeze
Equipment you’ll need: electric mixer, large mixing bowl, loaf tin
Servings: 10
Table of Contents
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As many of you know, my kids both have severe food allergies. My little lady is allergic to all nuts, and my son is allergic to nuts and sesame. Ice cream is one of the most difficult foods to find a safe option for them. Ice cream shop visits in the summer are pretty much out of the question. Those fun fro-yo bars where you can add your own toppings? Not a chance.
It makes me feel sad, like they’re missing out on some part of their childhood, but it is what it is and we just make the best of it. One of the things I can do is make homemade ice cream as a fun treat, and this no churn ice cream couldn’t be easier to make.
There is no missing out on anything with this rich creamy ice cream. My kids are obsessed with all the chocolate flavor. It’s the best taste of summer I can give my kids.
Oh, and I don’t have to haul out my ice cream maker. Since I’m slightly lazy, that’s a win-win.
How to make no churn ice cream
This no churn chocolate ice cream is made just like my other no churn ice cream recipes: vanilla ice cream, Oreo ice cream, and this yummy cinnamon ice cream.
They all start with two basic ingredients: heavy cream and sweetened condensed milk. You don’t even need to add sugar because the sweetened condensed milk has plenty of it.
No special equipment is needed other than an electric mixer. It will only take you about 15 minutes to whip it up but allow several hours for freezing your ice cream.
I’ll run through the basics here and give you some extra tips. Look for the printable recipe card near the end of the post for complete instructions, measurements, and nutrition information.
What You’ll Need
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: Look for this canned milk near the baking supplies. Don’t confuse it with evaporated milk, another canned milk product. They are very different and can’t be substituted for each other.
- Heavy Cream: Look for cream that is 36% milk fat. This is important. Half & half or light whipping cream won’t work as well. Make sure the cream is well chilled because very cold cream will whip up more easily.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: Often used in baking, cocoa powder is made from crushed cocoa beans that are processed to remove the cocoa butter. It is high in antioxidants and is actually quite good for you. If your cocoa powder has hard lumps in it, sift before using it.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: This extract adds sweet vanilla flavor to the ice cream.
- Mini Chocolate Chips: For double chocolate ice cream, mini chocolate chips are stirred in. Save some and use the extra for topping the ice cream. You can choose to skip the chocolate chips if you like.
How To Make No-Churn Ice Cream
You’ll need a loaf tin or a similarly sized pan to freeze the ice cream. A loaf tin works well because it’s compact and is easy to fit in your freezer, much like a carton of ice cream.
Let’s get started! In a small bowl, stir together the sweetened condensed milk, cocoa powder, and vanilla. You’ll find that the milk is very thick so it’s fairly easy to blend in the cocoa.
In a large bowl, whip the chilled heavy cream with an electric mixer or stand mixer. I usually chill the bowl and beaters for fifteen minutes or so ahead of time so they don’t warm up the cream. Beat the cream until it will stand up in stiff peaks. That means they don’t droop over when you lift out the beaters. It will take about three minutes.
Next, carefully fold in the milk mixture. Use a very light touch; you don’t want your whipped cream to deflate. Mix it in just until combined.
Fold in the chocolate chips. The whipped cream mixture should be pretty thick so you can safely add all those chocolate chips without worrying about them sinking straight to the bottom of your container.
Transfer the mixture to the loaf pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with additional chocolate chips, if desired. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and freeze your ice cream for 6 hours or overnight.
This ice cream is the perfect summer treat; I hope you guys try it and love it!
FAQs
What does no churn mean?
This is a surprisingly common question that people have! Traditional ice cream is “churned” in an ice cream maker of some sort. There are different varieties, but most of them have something that turns and moves the ice cream (churns it) while a frozen bowl or container chills the ice cream.
This yields that super creamy texture that you want from good ice cream by preventing it from freezing in a solid block. The movement allows the ice cream to freeze more evenly and adds lots of air, making it super soft, creamy, and smooth.
No churn ice cream skips the churning process. You won’t need extra equipment in your kitchen. You just need a stand mixer or hand mixer to whip the cream.
Make It Your Own
I know sometimes I’ll tell you guys how to make a recipe Whole30, or paleo, or vegetarian or keto or whatever, but yeah, that’s not happening here. Ice cream is ice cream and while there are some great dairy-free varieties out there (I think maybe that might be true??), this is not one of them.
This is creamy, rich, decadent ice cream. However! I will suggest some fun add-ins to create your own twists on this.
- Rocky Road! If you aren’t a nut-allergy fam, try adding mini marshmallows and nuts. I like almonds or peanuts in rocky road, but go crazy with whatever you like! Fold them in with the chocolate chips.
- Fudge Swirl. Want triple chocolate? I’m with you! After you pour the ice cream into the pan, drizzle with a half cup of hot fudge sauce and swirl it in with a table knife for big beautiful ribbons of hot fudge. You could do the same with caramel sauce. Just make sure the sauce is at room temperature, not hot.
- Mocha ice cream. Add 1 tablespoon of espresso powder when you add the cocoa powder. Yum!
- Mexican hot chocolate. Such a good combo! Add a teaspoon of ground cinnamon and a little pinch of cayenne when you add the cocoa powder to the recipe.
- The world is your oyster! What would you put in this ice cream?
Storage Tips
This ice cream will keep in the freezer for up to two months if it’s stored in a freezer safe container. Here’s how to do it: Line the loaf pan with parchment paper before freezing the ice cream. When it’s frozen, lift the ice cream out of the pan with the parchment paper and transfer it to a resealable container. It helps to put a layer of plastic wrap or parchment directly on top of the ice cream so it stays fresh.
More Summer Treats
- Yogurt Popsicles (2 ingredients!)
- Strawberry Sorbet with Mint
- Ice Cream Terrine with Roasted Strawberries
- Nerds Milkshake (so fun!)
- Funfetti Pudding Pops (also so fun!)
- Maple Whiskey Milkshakes (for the grown-ups!)
- Mojito Milkshake Recipe (also for the grown-ups)
- Fruit Smoothie Popsicles from Lemon Tree Dwelling
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
servings
Creamy and smooth no churn chocolate ice cream is easy to make without an ice cream maker! Add chocolate chips for double the chocolate!
Ingredients
- 1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups heavy cream, well-chilled (36% milk fat)
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips (extra for topping if desired)
Instructions
- Pour sweetened condensed milk into a small bowl. Mix cocoa powder and vanilla extract into sweetened condensed milk until combined. Set aside.
- Pour heavy cream into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium-high speed to whip the cream until it holds stiff peaks, about 3 minutes (less if you’re using a stand mixer).
- Add sweetened condensed milk mixture and chocolate chips to whipped cream. Fold together until just combined and silky and smooth. A few small lumps may remain, it’s important not to over mix as that will deflate the mixture.
- Spread into a 9-inch loaf pan. Cover with foil and freeze for at least 6 hours or until firm.
Notes
- For longer storage: Line the loaf pan with parchment paper before freezing the ice cream. When it’s frozen, lift the ice cream out of the pan with the parchment paper and transfer it to a resealable container. It helps to put a layer of plastic wrap or parchment directly on top of the ice cream so it stays fresh.
- Once this is in the freezer for awhile, it can get quite hard. I recommend taking it out of the freezer 10 minutes prior to serving.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 340kcal, Carbohydrates: 30g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 23g, Saturated Fat: 15g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0.02g, Cholesterol: 69mg, Sodium: 70mg, Potassium: 225mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 29g, Vitamin A: 826IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 157mg, Iron: 1mg
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
Jill says
Creamy and easy Could add nuts too.
Rachel Gurk says
Definitely! Any number of add-ins would be delicious!