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Easy Chocolate Ice Cream (no eggs)

This 6-Ingredient chocolate ice cream is rich and creamy, without the hassle of tempering eggs.  Homemade chocolate ice cream is yours, just the way you like it.

Chocolate ice cream in a clear dish
This easy, creamy chocolate ice cream needs no tempering of eggs.

Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream

The days are long, but the years are short.  That’s how it feels when Littles turn into Bigs, and when much-awaited balmy summers come and go.

Yet some things stay the same. In a home, tricycles eventually give way to cars, but bowls of creamy chocolate ice cream will always cap off a perfect summer day.

This 6-ingredient homemade chocolate ice cream has been a family favorite for many years, and it still brings joy to family and friends – we think you’ll feel the same.

homemade chocolate ice cream in a pan
The best chocolate ice cream requires only 6 simple, pure ingredients.

Chocolate Ice Cream: 6 ingredients

The day our oldest asked for a sundae bar with chocolate fudge sauce was the day this magnificent chocolate ice cream was born.

Egg-based ice creams are typically extra creamy. My favorite homemade vanilla bean ice cream uses tempered eggs. But for ease and simplicity, nothing beats this 6-ingredient chocolate ice cream, without eggs. It’s still super creamy and delightfully delicious.

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Dutch process cocoa powder, unsweetened (your favorite popular brand will work fine.)
  • Brown sugar – just be sure it’s fresh and hasn’t lost moisture from sitting in pantry too long
  • White sugar – granulated sugar, not powdered
  • Whole milk – use whole milk, to give you the creamiest results. Avoid skim milk.
  • Heavy cream – stick with pure heavy cream, for the best texture. We don’t recommend substituting with half & half here.
  • Vanilla extract – be sure to use pure vanilla extract vs. imitation vanilla flavorings.

If you plan on making ice cream more than once or twice, it’s well worth having an ice cream maker, like the one we’ve owned for years. It’ll churn out not only ice cream, but sorbet, gelato, and frozen yogurt as well.

Chocolate Ice Cream Recipe
Commonly Asked Questions

How is this ice cream so creamy without eggs?

Egg yolks are what typically provides the fat required for a dense and creamy texture. However, tempering eggs on stovetop is somewhat tricky. This chocolate ice cream allows you to achieve a rich and creamy texture with whole milk and heavy cream.

How do you avoid making ice cream that is too hard?

Be sure to churn the ice cream long enough, so adequate air gets churned in to the mixture, providing a softer texture. A good ice cream maker will do the trick.

What if my ice cream mixture isn’t firming up in the ice cream maker?

Always start with super cold ingredients and be sure the bowl is 100% frozen prior to use. The colder everything is, the better your ice cream will churn.

How long do you churn ice cream for?

About 25-30 minutes is sufficient for many home ice cream makers. It’s important to follow your machine’s manufacturer directions for churning.

Do you have to freeze the ice cream after churning for it to firm up?

Most ice cream makers have manufacturer instructions that recommend putting freshly churned ice cream in the freezer for at least 1-2 hours to further set.

Chocolate ice cream in a dish
This chocolate ice cream will quickly become your family’s favorite.

More to Eat


Chocolate Ice Cream Video


Shop this Recipe

  • cuisinart ice cream maker

    The new mixing paddle makes frozen treats in 20 minutes or less – we use this for all our homemade ice cream and sorbet.

  • condiment dishes

    The perfect way to serve condiments, jams, and sauces at your party.

  • unsweetened cocoa powder

    Great for baking, gluten-free, organic chocolate recipes…and even spice rubs for meat!

Did you make this?

Please give us a rating and comment below. We love hearing from you!

chocolate ice cream

Easy Chocolate Ice Cream (no eggs)

4.85 from 241 ratings
This simple and easy chocolate ice cream is rich, full of chocolate flavor, and completely egg-free. Only 6 ingredients.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 10
Author: Amy Dong

Ingredients  

Instructions

  • Whisk: In a chilled bowl, combine cocoa and both sugars, whisking to combine well. Add cold milk and whisk until sugars are dissolved. Stir in cold heavy cream and vanilla. The colder everything is, the better.
    Chocolate Ice Cream Ingredients in a Bowl
  • Churn and Freeze: Pour mixture into the freezer bowl of ice cream maker. Let run for 25-30 minutes, or until mixture is thick, soft, and creamy. Churned ice cream should increase in volume, reaching the top of the machine's freezer bowl. Transfer to airtight container and freeze at least 2 hours or until ice cream is desired consistency.
    Chocolate Ice Cream Poured into Maker
  • Serve: Prior to serving, let ice cream sit at room temp for a few minutes just to soften enough for easy scooping.
    chocolate ice cream being scooped

Equipment

Notes

  • To chill your mixing bowl, place in freezer for a few minutes. You’ll want everything super cold so it churns successfully.
  • Keep ice cream maker’s freezer bowl in the freezer until ready to pour ingredients in. Follow your machine’s manufacturer instructions. We use this simple Cuisinart machine from which this recipe was adapted.
  • Have a container and rubber spatulas ready to transfer churned ice cream as soon as it’s done. You should have about 1.5 quarts, roughly the same amount as store-bought tubs. (Some machines make up to 2 quarts at a time.)
  • Each serving is approximately 3/4 cups. 
  • If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and give it a rating♡ 

Nutrition (per serving)

Serving: 1person | Calories: 267kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 30mg | Potassium: 209mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 759IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 91mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian
Method: Freezer

Add a comment

Recipe Rating




238 comments

    • Dannie

    What constitutes a serving? Usually it’s 1/2 cup but I am reading that one serving has over 300 calories? Is that correct?

      • Amy Dong

      Thanks, Dannie – the calories and servings have been updated.

    • Maureen M Cook
    • 5 stars

    Used my Kitchenaid Ice Cream attachment and churned on ‘Stir’ for 30 mins. Delicious!!

    • b
    • 5 stars

    This was soooo good and so simple to make. Loved the chocolate flavor.
    I added mint and chocolate candies cut up.

    • Paris

    How much does this recipe yield in pints or quarts?

      • b
      • 5 stars

      I got 1 qt.

    • Carol
    • 5 stars

    Great chocolate ice cream and super easy. We add mini marshmallows or chopped up nuts at the very end of churning. Delish!

    • Billy
    • 5 stars

    Best recipe by far I’ve found yet for any ice cream. High-quality chocolate is a must. Thank you so much. Love from Atlanta.

    • Danielle
    • 5 stars

    Since chocolate is my favorite ice cream flavor, this is the first recipe I made in my ice cream maker and it is easy and AMAZING!! I’ve now even made it into chocolate mint chocolate chip ice cream by adding 1.5 tsp of peppermint extract and mini chocolate chips. I made the mistake of using 4 oz of mini semi-sweet chips, which was just too many chips (and too big), so next time I will try 3 oz of finely chopped semi-sweet baking chocolate. Thank you for the recipe, Amy!!

      • Amy Dong

      You’re so welcome, Danielle!

    • Ashley
    • 5 stars

    Our family all screams for this ice cream. I’ve eaten many chocolate ice creams in my life, and this one is by far the BEST. It’s the right mixture of creaminess and chocolatey. Works great with a machine. We’ll be making this one again (and again). Thank you so much!

      • Amy Dong

      Yay, this makes us so happy, Ashley!

    • LM
    • 4 stars

    I love chocolate icecream! I do not have a churner – could you tell me how to make without one? Or preferably how to make in a Thermomix please?

    • Jamie
    • 5 stars

    Wow! This ice cream recipe looks so delicious and very tasty! Kids will gonna love its chocolate flavor! Plus we only need 6 ingredients is big thumbs up! Loved it!

    • Ann
    • 5 stars

    I have never made homemade chocolate ice cream before. It was so delicious! Will definitely have to make this again this summer!

    • Ken

    Early on you specify using Dutch process powder but then later in the suggested ingredients, your link is to a non-Dutch process one. So I’m wondering if I should use Hershey’s regular (non Dutch) or Special Dark (Dutch) or Droste (Dutch).

      • Amy Dong

      The Anthony’s cocoa in the link is Dutch-processed. However, you can also use Hershey’s regular. Enjoy!

    • Cathleen
    • 5 stars

    I made this yesterday, and oh my goodness it was so good! This will definitely be on the regular rotation this summer, thank you so much for sharing 🙂

    • Luke Ratford
    • 5 stars

    Made this for the kids and they loved it, we will be making a second batch that’s for sure 🙂

    • Tasha

    How necessary is the chilling after churning? I was hoping to make this with a bucket churn while camping, but obviously won’t have freezer access. Does it not fully set in the churn?

      • Amy Dong

      You can definitely enjoy it right after churning; it will be more like a soft serve texture with a common electric ice cream maker.

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