The chocolate ice cream recipe
for your table
Heat the milk with the cream and cocoa powder until just below boiling, whisking the powder in thoroughly. Remove the pan from the heat and let the finely chopped chocolate melt in it: in warm milk it melts evenly, while chocolate melted separately immediately solidifies into grains in a cold mixture.
Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until smooth, then gradually pour in some of the hot chocolate milk while stirring. Stir the mixture back into the pan and heat over low heat until it thickens. Strain the mixture and let it first come to room temperature before refrigerating.
Refrigerate the covered mixture overnight. Chocolate continues to set in the cold, so the chilled mixture is thicker than you may be used to with a vanilla base. Don't let that worry you: that's why it contains less cream than a regular ice cream.
Churn the ice cream in the machine, or freeze it and scrape it loose four times at half-hour intervals. If you want stracciatella, pour melted dark chocolate in a thin stream through the churning ice cream just before the end; in the cold ice cream, it immediately sets into wafer-thin shards.
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The story
Chocolate ice cream is not vanilla ice cream with chocolate added. A bar of dark chocolate consists largely of cocoa butter, which becomes hard as soon as it gets cold. Added to this are the solid cocoa particles, which do not bind water but do take up space. As a result, the mixture is always firmer at the same temperature than a regular cream base. If you simply use the cream and sugar from your vanilla recipe and add chocolate, you will take a block out of the freezer. Less cream and a little more sugar restore the balance, because sugar lowers the freezing point and offsets the firmness added by the cocoa butter.
The right glass
Chocolate ice cream comes out of the freezer firmer than vanilla ice cream and also melts more slowly, so the bowl can be deep. The first choice below is a round stemmed coupe, described as 8.6 cm high with a diameter of 10.9 cm, and it holds a couple of scoops of ice cream with room for whipped cream, sauce and toppings. The sturdy stem keeps it stable even when full, and the clear glass lets you see the layers. The second is a solid second choice: the description calls it a wide, shallow bowl for champagne and for a classic cocktail without ice, so it is not intended as an ice cream coupe. It looks beautiful for one scoop with a drizzle of sauce, but is too shallow for a layered dessert. Deeper glassware for this type of dessert can be found among the dessert glasses, and related shapes among the coupes.
Onis Primavera Ice Cream Coupe 28 cl (6 pieces)
La Rochère Perigord Coupe 22 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 56,90.
The right tools
For chocolate ice cream, besides the glass, use a zester to shave dark chocolate into fine curls over the serving, and a fine strainer to sift the cocoa powder before it goes into the milk, because once cocoa lumps form, stirring won't get them out. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you'll find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our pick 01) + 2 bar tools together € 53,85.
What will you pour alongside it?
Chocolate ice cream is rich and sweet, so pour something alongside it that can stand up to it. Rum and coffee liqueur are the obvious choices, and a glass of red wine with firm tannins works better with a high cocoa percentage than you might expect. On every drink page, you'll find the percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it works in, and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
This recipe also works without eggs: leave out the yolks, slightly increase the chocolate, and let the cocoa butter do the binding. The result is darker and has a slightly shorter finish, but it's ready in ten minutes. A higher cocoa percentage in the bar gives more flavor and less sugar, but it also makes the ice cream harder, so above 70 percent, compensate with an extra tablespoon of sugar. You can also easily mix things in: chopped hazelnuts, a pinch of chili powder, a spoonful of strong espresso, or a handful of amarena cherries. The best-known variation remains stracciatella. Looking for more inspiration? Browse more than 100 cocktail recipes.
Serving tip
Leave this ice cream out of the freezer a little longer than vanilla ice cream, about twenty minutes, because the cocoa butter needs that time to loosen. Serve it with something crunchy, such as a piece of crisp waffle or roasted hazelnuts, to contrast with the soft mixture. Salt also works well with chocolate: a few flakes over the scoop are enough.
Good to know
Why does chocolate ice cream become so hard?
Because chocolate itself contains fat in the form of cocoa butter, and that fat hardens as soon as it gets cold. The solid cocoa particles from the bar and the powder also take up space without binding water. If you keep the same amount of cream as in a vanilla recipe, the fat builds up and the ice cream comes out of the freezer as a block. Less cream and slightly more sugar restore the balance.
Why cocoa powder and chocolate?
They do different things. Cocoa powder is almost fat-free and mainly adds color and depth, the bitter, dry side of chocolate. The bar brings cocoa butter, and therefore creaminess and mouthfeel. Powder alone produces ice cream that tastes good but feels thin, while a bar alone produces ice cream that is creamy but tastes flat. Together they complement each other, which is why both are included in the recipe.
Why do you melt the chocolate in the milk?
Because chocolate that is melted separately and then stirred into a cold mixture immediately solidifies again into tiny grains that you can feel on your tongue. If you pour the chocolate into warm milk, the fat distributes evenly throughout the liquid and stays that way. Chop the bar finely first: large chunks sink to the bottom and melt unevenly.
What cocoa percentage is best?
A bar containing between 55 and 70 percent cocoa works best at home. It contains enough cocoa butter for creaminess and enough sugar in the bar. If you go above 70 percent, the ice cream will become firmer and drier, so add a tablespoon of sugar. Milk chocolate works too, but then halve the sugar in the recipe, because the bar already contains a lot.
Can it also be made without egg?
Yes. The cocoa butter from the chocolate already binds part of the mixture, so you can omit the egg yolks and use a little more chocolate instead. You then skip the entire saucepan step: warm the milk, melt the chocolate into it, stir in the sugar and cocoa powder, cool it, and churn. The result is darker, slightly less rich, and ready faster.
How do you make it stracciatella?
Melt fifty grams of dark chocolate au bain-marie and let it cool to lukewarm. Pour it in a thin stream through the churning machine just before the ice cream is ready, or through the ice cream you have just scraped loose for the last time. In the cold, the stream immediately sets into wafer-thin shards that break when scooped. Do not pour in too much at once; otherwise you will get a layer instead of shards.
Frequently asked questions
Why does homemade chocolate ice cream turn into a rock in the freezer?
Because chocolate itself brings cocoa butter and cocoa solids, which make the mixture firmer than a vanilla base. Therefore, use less cream and slightly more sugar than in a regular ice cream recipe, because sugar lowers the freezing point and keeps the ice cream scoopable.
Why are both cocoa powder and chocolate included?
Cocoa powder is almost completely defatted and adds color and depth, while the bar adds cocoa butter and therefore creaminess. With only powder, the ice cream tastes good but feels mealy; with only a bar, it is creamy but flat-tasting.
What percentage of cacao do you use for chocolate ice cream?
A bar between 55 and 70 percent is the most pleasant choice at home. Above 70 percent, the ice cream becomes firmer and drier; add a tablespoon of sugar then. With milk chocolate, halve the sugar in the recipe.
How do you make stracciatella ice cream?
Pour melted dark chocolate in a thin stream through the churning ice cream just before it is finished. It immediately sets into wafer-thin shards that break when scooped. Do it in small amounts; otherwise it will form a layer.
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