Double Chocolate Ice Cream

A scoop of double chocolate ice cream in the container.

Made with cocoa powder and real chocolate, this is a decadent double chocolate ice cream! This is my go-to recipe for ice creams with a chocolate base, like rocky road or chocolate Oreo ice creams. You can turn this recipe into a triple chocolate ice cream by adding mini chocolate chips or a fudge swirl.

One of my favorite things about this recipe is that it’s really easy to customize: Just by changing the type of chocolate (semisweet, bittersweet, or dark), you can get really different flavors! For an all-around balanced ice cream, I recommend using semisweet chocolate. Bittersweet chocolate is richer but less sweet, with almost coffee-like notes.

I like to make my ice cream batches a little small to allow plenty of room for plenty of mix-ins (just like with my vanilla bean frozen custard). I’ve tried this chocolate ice cream with mini marshmallows and chopped almonds to make a rocky road ice cream with great success. Or, you can make this ice cream plain to make it easy to sandwich between oatmeal chocolate chip cookies!

A second scoop of double chocolate ice cream is added to an ice cream cone.

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Ingredients for Double Chocolate Frozen Custard

Double chocolate ice cream is made with both cocoa powder and semisweet chocolate for extra chocolatey flavor! This chocolate ice cream recipe has a custard base for super creamy scoops and is churned to perfection in an ice cream maker. I’ve listed common substitutions where possible with each ingredient below:

  • Granulated sugar. In addition to sweetening the chocolate frozen custard, sugar also lowers the freezing point of ice cream and helps make the final product nice and creamy.
  • Whole milk. This is the place for indulgence—whole milk contains enough fat to make ice cream creamy. Using lower fat milk will give you an icier result.
  • Heavy cream. The fat in heavy cream is essential to give us that creamy frozen custard with a perfectly scoopable consistency.
  • Cocoa powder. To make this ice cream double chocolatey, I use both cocoa powder and real chocolate. Look for unsweetened cocoa powder—regular or Dutch-processed will both work.
  • Vanilla extract. I normally recommend using vanilla bean paste in ice creams, but you can’t really taste or see the difference in this dark chocolate ice cream. I would save your premium ingredients (see why vanilla bean paste is more expensive) and use regular vanilla extract.
  • Salt. Just a pinch helps balance and enhance all the flavors.
  • Egg yolks. Tempering eggs is an extra step, but I absolutely love the texture of frozen custard over a simple uncooked ice cream base, like my cherry pie ice cream.
  • Semisweet chocolate. I’ve tested this recipe with bittersweet, semisweet, and dark chocolate, and semisweet chocolate was my favorite. The batch made with bittersweet chocolate wasn’t quite sweet enough for me, though my husband really enjoyed it—he said it tasted like a really dark chocolate bar!
Ingredients for double chocolate ice cream on a quartz counter.
Double chocolate frozen custard is made with both cocoa powder and semisweet chocolate.

How to Make Homemade Double Chocolate Ice Cream

If you’ve never made a custard-based ice cream before, you’re in good hands! Frozen custard, which is made with tempered egg yolks, is my favorite kind of ice cream. It makes for a super creamy chocolate ice cream without xanthan gum, tapioca, or other stabilizers. I include plenty of tips and instruction in the recipe card itself so that even beginner bakers should have success when following the directions.

If you’d like to watch a short video on how to make this chocolate frozen custard (which is better than the Cuisinart chocolate ice cream recipe!), you can watch the one on my YouTube channel below:

Equipment for Making Ice Cream at Home

You will need to use an ice cream maker for velvety smooth frozen custard. I use Cuisinart’s 1.5-quart ice cream maker, but you can also use the KitchenAid ice cream bowl or a fancier compressor model. It is possible to make traditional chocolate ice cream recipes in a Ninja Creami, but I don’t have one myself to test them.

I like to store my ice cream in long, reusable ice cream containers with silicone seals. The seal keeps the ice cream fresh, and the length makes it easy to get picture-perfect scoops of ice cream for cones and bowls. And, as a bonus, these ones come with stickers to label your ice cream!

If you don’t already have an ice cream scoop you like, my husband found this heavy-duty ice cream scoop a few years ago, and it’s been our go-to ever since.

How to Make the Chocolate Custard Base

First, combine heavy cream, whole milk, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and half of the sugar in a medium pot over medium heat. Stir occasionally to help disperse the cocoa powder throughout the mixture.

I like to use a spatula to press the cocoa powder to the sides of the pot to help break up any clumps. The cocoa powder will mostly dissolve once warmed, but if large clumps remain, you can strain the mixture. Once the cream is steamy (but not boiling), remove from heat.

Next, whisk together egg yolks and the remaining sugar in a large, heat-safe bowl. This will start off feeling pretty gluey and looking very yellow, but as more air is incorporated into the batter, it will turn airy and pale yellow. It usually takes 2-3 minutes, depending on the size of your bowl and your whisk.

It’s important to do this little step, as it helps the eggs heat more evenly once the warm cream mixture is poured over it.

Tempering the Egg Yolks

Next, pour the warmed chocolate cream into the ribboned yolks one or two Tablespoons at a time, whisking constantly. Once that cream has been fully incorporated, add another splash of the chocolate cream and stir until combined.

Repeat this process until at least half of the chocolate cream has been added to the ribboned yolks. Then, pour the tempered yolk mixture into the pot with the rest of the chocolate cream. Scrape the bowl with a spatula to get any remaining liquid into the pot, then return to medium heat.

Finish Cooking the Chocolate Custard

Cook the chocolate custard over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has thickened slightly. A thermometer should read 170°F/75°C.

Remove the custard from heat and add your semisweet or dark chocolate pieces to a large, heat-safe bowl. I use the same bowl I made the custard in, but you are welcome to use a clean bowl or wash it in advance, if you prefer.

Pour about ¼ cup (60 ml) of the warm custard over the chocolate, then whisk together until totally melted, 1-2 minutes. Stir in the remaining chocolate custard until combined. Then, cover and chill for at least 4 hours, or until the bottom of the bowl is cold to the touch.

Tip: How long the chilling takes depends on the size of your bowl. Using a larger bowl with a greater surface area will chill the custard faster; a smaller bowl will take longer for the center of the custard to chill. Keep the custard refrigerated and churn into ice cream within a day for best results.

How to Churn Double Chocolate Ice Cream

Right before adding the custard to the ice cream maker, place your ice cream container in the freezer. (I use these ones.) This will prevent the ice cream from melting on contact during transfer later.

Let the ice cream churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions, until the ice cream forms rounded domes above the sides of the paddle. Because this chocolate custard is pretty thick, it doesn’t take as long to churn as other ice creams—usually closer to 10-15 minutes.

Then, remove the empty container from the freezer. Use a heavy-duty spatula to transfer the ice cream into the cold container. It can take some effort to get all the leftover bits frozen to the sides of the canister, so a heavy-duty spatula that won’t break is ideal.

Place a lid on the container and freeze the ice cream for at least four hours, or until fully set, then enjoy!

A Secret for Scoopable Homemade Ice Cream

As I shared earlier, this ice cream is a little thicker than most custards. It doesn’t take as long to churn because of that, so you’ll want to keep an eye on it around the 10-minute mark.

Non-compressor ice cream makers tend to get loud as the ice cream churns. If your ice cream maker operates similarly to mine, it will start to make more noise once the ice cream gets thick. You will be able to tell that the ice cream is fully churned if you can see large, rounded domes above the paddle of your ice cream maker. See the images below for an example.

Mix-In Ideas for Homemade Chocolate Frozen Custard

  • Add mini marshmallows, chopped almonds, and fudge pieces or mini chocolate chips for rocky road ice cream.
  • Add a fudge swirl or mini chocolate chips for triple chocolate ice cream.
  • Add crushed Oreos to make a chocolate Oreo ice cream.

FAQs about Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream

How much ice cream does this homemade chocolate ice cream recipe make?

This recipe makes a little less than 2 quarts. That will give you enough room to add in up to ½ cup of toppings and mix-ins if you’d like!

Can I add mix-ins to this homemade double chocolate ice cream?

Absolutely! See the section above this for ideas.

I have a lot of egg yolks. Can I add more than four egg yolks to this recipe?

Yep! It will be pretty rich with the chocolate in the mix, but you’re welcome to use up to six egg yolks total if you need to use up a few.

Does this homemade ice cream scoop easily?

It’s a little firmer than my vanilla ice cream, but it still scoops fairly easily. I have a few tips on getting super scoopable homemade ice cream two sections above this one.

Other Recipes You May Enjoy

Custard-based ice creams are my favorite! The recipe that started it all was my French vanilla frozen custard. Then, it was followed by my pumpkin pie frozen custard, made with pumpkin puree and pie crust pieces. For summer, I made a black cherry frozen custard, with softened cherries and a cherry jam swirl.

You can make triple chocolate ice cream sandwiches with this chocolate ice cream sandwiched between homemade chocolate chip cookies or my grandma’s oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

Dish Cleanup:

I rate my recipe cleanups on a scale of 1 to 5. 1 is only a handful of dishes, and 5 is everything including the kitchen sink.

This double chocolate ice cream recipe has a cleanup rating of 4. There’s a large mixing bowl, the ice cream canister, and a pot, in addition to a few measuring cups and utensils. There’s nothing too crazy, especially if you break this recipe up over two days. I recommend rinsing everything with the custard soon after use, or else you’ll have to soak or scrub at it when doing up the dishes later.

Dishes needed to make chocolate ice cream at home.
Due to the cooked custard, this double chocolate ice cream has a more intensive cleanup than an uncooked ice cream base.

Double Chocolate Ice Cream Recipe

Thanks so much for stopping by!
If you make this double chocolate custard ice cream and love it, please don’t forget to leave a five-star review.

Yield: about 1.5 quarts

Double Chocolate Ice Cream

A scoop of double chocolate ice cream in the container.

Rich and decadent, this double chocolate ice cream is made with both semisweet chocolate and cocoa powder for an incredibly smooth and chocolatey frozen custard. Add in your favorite mix-ins during churning to make this ice cream your own!

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Additional Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 50 minutes

Ingredients

  • ⅔ cup sugar (166 g), divided
  • 1 ½ cups whole milk (350 ml)
  • 1 ½ cups heavy cream (350 ml)
  • ¼ cup cocoa powder (20g)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5 ml)
  • pinch of salt
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 2 ounces semisweet chocolate (56 g), in small pieces
  • ½-1 cup of mix-ins, mini chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions

Making the Custard Base

  1. In a medium pot over medium heat, stir together half of the sugar (⅓ cup or 83g), whole milk, heavy cream, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Stir occasionally, pressing the cocoa powder against the side of the pot with your spatula to help break up any clumps. Heat for 8-10 minutes, until the cream mixture is warm, steamy, and just about to simmer. Do not let the mixture boil.
  2. Meanwhile, whisk together four yolks and the remaining half of the sugar in a large heat-safe bowl. Whisk until the yolk mixture becomes pale yellow and thick. This is known as the ribbon stage, where the mixture falls off the whisk in ribbons that are clearly visible on the top of the batter before disappearing back into the mixture.

Tempering the Egg Yolks

  1. Remove the warm cream mixture from heat and carefully pour about 1-2 Tablespoons (15-30 ml) into the yolk mixture at a time, whisking vigorously until incorporated. Repeat 1-2 Tablespoons (15-30 ml) at a time until you've added about half of the cream mixture.
  2. Pour the egg yolk mixture back into the pot with the cream mixture and return to medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon or reaches 170°F/75°C, about 5-10 minutes. Again, do not let the custard boil.*

Adding the Chocolate

  1. Place the chocolate in a large heat-safe bowl. (I always use the same one the egg yolk mixture was in, but you're welcome to use a clean bowl.)
  2. Pour about ¼ cup (60 ml) of the warm, cooked custard into the bowl with the chocolate, and whisk to combine until the chocolate has fully melted. Add the remaining custard into the bowl, and stir to combine. The mixture will be thick.
  3. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least four hours or up to one day, until the mixture is cold to the touch.

Churning the Chocolate Custard

  1. Once chilled, pour into a ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer's instructions, until the ice cream forms rounded domes over the paddle. It usually takes around 10-15 minutes for a thick custard like this. If desired, add in ½ to one cup of mix-ins, like mini chocolate chips, during the last five minutes of churning.
  2. For chocolate soft serve, enjoy right away. For traditional chocolate ice cream, transfer to an airtight container and freeze for at least four hours to allow the ice cream to firm up before serving.

Notes

*If the custard boils, the egg yolks may curdle. However, if it happens, it's recoverable: Simply pass the ice cream through a fine mesh strainer to catch any lumps before chilling.

The ice cream will have the best flavor and texture when eaten within a week. Store in the freezer in an airtight container for up to three months.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1 scoop

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 292Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 114mgSodium: 59mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 1gSugar: 24gProtein: 5g

The nutrition facts are estimated and may vary based on specific ingredients used.

I’d love to see how your chocolate custard ice cream turns out! Take a photo and tag me on Instagram @floralapronblog to share with me, or use the hashtag #floralapronbakes.

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