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Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream

Homemade chocolate ice cream with dark, fudgy flavor and a dense, velvety churned texture. This chocolate custard ice cream is cooked to 175°F, strained smooth, then chilled and churned for a rich cocoa scoop.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
chilling + freezing 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 35 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chocolate custard base
  • 2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.5 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 4 oz dark chocolate finely chopped
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 0.25 tsp salt

Equipment

  • 1 ice cream maker
  • 1 saucepan
  • 1 fine mesh sieve

Method
 

Cook the chocolate-cream base
  1. In a saucepan, whisk cocoa powder with 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar, then whisk in the heavy cream and whole milk. Heat over medium, whisking continuously, until the mixture is steaming and fully combined.
  2. Add the finely chopped dark chocolate to the steaming cocoa mixture and whisk until fully melted and smooth.
Make and cook the custard
  1. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar until pale and slightly thickened.
  2. Slowly whisk the hot chocolate cream into the egg yolks to temper, then return the mixture to the saucepan.
  3. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard coats the back of a spoon and reaches 175°F.
Chill and churn
  1. Strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve, then stir in the vanilla extract and salt.
  2. Cool completely over an ice bath, stirring occasionally to prevent a film from forming.
  3. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight until very cold.
  4. Churn in an ice cream maker, then freeze until firm.

Notes

Pro tip: temper the yolks slowly and keep the custard cooking gentle—stir constantly and stop at 175°F for a thick, dense texture. Refrigerate churned ice cream up to 2 weeks; for best texture, freeze up to 2 months (yes, freezer-friendly). For a lighter option, substitute half the heavy cream with whole milk, though the ice cream will be slightly less rich.