This easy sous vide chocolate ice cream is perfect for the chocolate lover in your life. It's full of rich milk chocolate flavor and a silky texture you cannot beat!
A few weeks ago, I was whipping up some homemade sous vide ice cream and my son walked into the kitchen. I braced myself for the inbound conversation.
He's 9, outspoken and totally hilarious. He is just like his mother. ha!
After filling him in on what I was up to, I made the mistake of asking him what flavor I should try next.
"Mom. My chocolate monster wants chocolate ice cream."
I mean, my monster heard his monster, and now there are 2 of them wanting chocolate ice cream. How do you not make it happen?
This sous vide chocolate ice cream recipe is dedicated to the inner chocolate monster.
Jump to:
Tips + Tricks
No. 1 --> New to sous vide? Check out my in-depth sous vide 101 guide. You may pick up a few new tips and tricks!
No. 2 -->I choose to cook my ice cream base in mason jars rather than in bags for a couple of reasons, mostly, I find it easier to use a couple of mason jars than take out my vacuum sealer. That said, if you want to use vacuum bags, the recipe does not change!
No. 3 -->Make SURE to freeze your ice cream bowl before you even think of starting! I've done this multiple times, gotten my chocolate ice cream base completely ready and realized my ice cream maker is still sitting in the pantry! DOH!
No. 4 -->If you don't have an ice cream maker, check below for two ways to make this sous vide ice cream without one! One uses a food processor and the other uses nothing but a bowl, a spoon, and some elbow grease!
No. 5 -->I always wrap a folded towel around my ice cream bowl. Once the ice cream base is in the mixer, it gets a "blanket" to help keep it cool in my warm, warm house!
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Key Ingredients
Heavy cream:Heavy cream is also called whipping cream and depending on where you're located or the brand purchased, this can be anywhere from 33 to 36% milkfat. Any of these will work in your ice cream recipe.
Egg yolks:Much like in creme brulee, egg yolks add a creamier mouthfeel and a thicker, silky texture. They are definitely a must!
Chocolate: This recipe includes both chopped milk chocolate bar and dutch process cocoa. You can swap the milk chocolate for dark if you prefer dark chocolate! Dutch process cocoa has a milder flavor and is more easily dissolved in liquids, so it's recommended to use dutch process over regular cocoa powder.
Alcohol: Alcohol doesn't freeze, so it is added, optionally, to the ice cream base to help prevent the ice cream from freezing too hard. I use a beautiful red wine barrel-aged whiskey in this recipe, but vodka, or even homemade vanilla extract would work!
How To Make Sous Vide Chocolate Ice Cream
MAKE THE BASE:
- In the jar of your blender or food processor, combine the milk and the chocolate bar. Blend until the chocolate bar is pretty well pulverized. Turn off the blender.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the jar of the blender, then blend again until just combined. Do not over blend or you'll make whipped cream. The mixture will not be completely smooth, but the sous vide will take care of that!
- Pour the ice cream base into clean mason jars. Fill only until the base of the threads. Blending it incorporates air into the ice cream base so you'll need at least two 500ml jars and 1 250ml or larger jar for the remainder. The air will settle out during cooking.
- Wipe the rims with a clean cloth if any ice cream has dripped, then close the jars finger tight. My trick for getting my jars finger tight is to set the jar on my counter and with only one hand tighten the band until the whole jar starts to rotate, then I add another 1/4 turn. An overtightened jar can burst or buckle because it won't allow the air to escape. Set the jars aside.
- Fill your sous vide water bath with hot tap water, then slowly lower the jars into the water bath. Adding the jars while the bath is not at full temperature reduces the likelihood of broken jars.
- Set the sous vide to 175f and allow it to preheat with the ice cream base in the water bath.
- Cook the ice cream base at 175f for 1 hour.
- Once cooked, use a jar lifter to carefully lift the jars out of the water bath. Place them on a wire mesh rack or hot pot holder on the counter for 30-60 minutes, until slightly warmer than room temperature.
- At this point, you can speed up the cooling process, or you can pop the jars in the fridge until later (24-72 hours).
- If you want to make ice cream immediately, place the jars in a sink and slowly fill with lukewarm water. Once the jars are in the water, add a few handfuls of ice to the water bath. Monitor the ice bath, adding ice as required until the jars are well chilled.
- If you want to make ice cream at another time, place the room temperature jars into the fridge and chill the mixture until ready to use. Use your base within 3 days.
MAKE THE ICE CREAM:
- When ready to make ice cream, operate the ice cream maker based on your ice cream manufacturer's directions.
- Serve the soft, freshly made ice cream immediately, or transfer to an airtight freezer container and serve once hardened, in 2-3 hours.
No Ice Cream Maker? No Prob!
There are many ways to make ice cream no-churn, here are the two that I feel work best.
- Transfer the chilled custard to a freezer ziplock bag. Freeze the ice cream flat until completely solid. Then break it into small chunks and process it in your food processor until completely smooth.
- Pour the chilled custard into a large mixing bowl. Place the bowl in your freezer, and every 30 minutes, remove the ice cream and stir vigorously until the ice cream is completely frozen.
More Sous Vide Recipes To Love
- Sous Vide Whole Chicken
- Sous Vide Prime Rib
- Sous Vide Chicken Breast
- Sous Vide Ice Cream
Batch + Storage Information
Batch:
This sous vide chocolate ice cream recipe makes just over 1 liter of fresh, delicious ice cream!
It can easily be doubled, but your ice cream bowl will likely need to be refrozen for about 2-3 hours in between churning each batch. To overcome that, I simply churn one batch, remove the paddle (to wash) then pop the bowl into the freezer without rinsing for like 3 hours. Then I pull it out to churn the rest of it the ice cream!
Storage:
To store your ice cream, transfer the churned ice cream to an airtight freezer container and store it in the freezer for up to 3 weeks. I prefer to eat it right away, but I have a chocolate monster! LOL
Variations + Substitutions
Let your mind wander here! Anything that you love to combine with chocolate can pretty much get thrown into this ice cream!
- Rocky Road Ice Cream: fold in some coarsely chopped nuts and mini marshmallows!
- Heavenly Hash: fold in marshmallow creme, finely chopped nuts, and more chopped chocolate!
- S'mores Ice Cream: fold in mini marshmallows, graham cracker crumbles, and chocolate chips.
- Mexican Chocolate: while blending, add in 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon, a pinch of cayenne and a pinch of espresso powder.
Recommended Equipment
Sous vide -SOUS VIDE CIRCULATORSare awesome little units. They add the functionality of a whole new appliance to your kitchen while fitting in a drawer. I wasn't 100% sure I'd love sous vide, so I dipped my toe in with a reasonably priced Instant Pot Slim - and it's great! Check out my otherSOUS VIDE RECIPES!
Ice cream maker - I have and love a Kitchenaid Ice Cream attachment. It fits right in my stand mixer and works great without having another appliance to add to the collection.
📖 Printable Recipe
Yield: 1 liter
Sous Vide Chocolate Ice Cream
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Additional Time: 6 hours
Total Time: 7 hours 10 minutes
Sous vide chocolate ice cream is rich and decadent. And so unbelievably easy to make. You'll love this easy chocolate ice cream recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk (3%)
- 5 oz or 150g chopped milk chocolate bar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup dutch process cocoa powder
- 5 large egg yolks
- pinch of fine salt
- 2 tablespoons 80 proof rum, vodka, or whiskey.
- 2 cups heavy cream (33-36%)
Instructions
- In the jar of a blender or food processor, combine the milk and the chocolate bar. Blend until the chocolate bar is pretty well pulverized.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the jar of the blender, then blend again until just combined. This mixture will not be completely smooth, and that's ok. Avoid over-blending.
- Pour the ice cream base into clean mason jars. Fill only until the base of the threads.
- Wipe the rims with a clean cloth if any ice cream has dripped, then close the jars finger tight. Set the jars aside.
- Fill the sous vide water bath with hot tap water, then slowly lower the jars into the water bath.
- Set the sous vide to 175f and allow it to preheat with the ice cream base in the water bath.
- Cook the ice cream base at 175f for 1 hour.
- Once cooked, use a jar lifter to carefully lift the jars out of the water bath. Place them on a wire mesh rack or hot pot holder on the counter for 30-60 minutes, until slightly warmer than room temperature.
- At this point, you can speed up the cooling process, or you can pop the jars in the fridge until later (24-72 hours). If you want to make ice cream immediately, place the jars in a sink and slowly fill with lukewarm water. Once the jars are in the water, add a few handfuls of ice to the water bath. Monitor the ice bath, adding ice as required until the jars are well chilled. If you want to make ice cream at another time, place the room temperature jars into the fridge and chill the mixture until ready to use. Use your base within 3 days.
- When ready to make ice cream, operate the ice cream maker based on your ice cream manufacturer's directions.
- Serve the soft, freshly made ice cream immediately, or transfer to an airtight freezer container and serve once hardened, in 2-3 hours.
Notes
no ice cream maker?
There are many ways to make ice cream no-churn, here are the two that I feel work best.
- Transfer the chilled custard to a freezer ziplock bag. Freeze the ice cream flat until completely solid. Then break it into small chunks and process it in your food processor until completely smooth.
- Pour the chilled custard into a large mixing bowl. Place the bowl in your freezer, and every 30 minutes, remove the ice cream and stir vigorously until the ice cream is completely frozen.
Batch:
This sous vide chocolate ice cream recipe makes just over 1 liter of fresh, delicious ice cream!
It can easily be doubled, but your ice cream bowl will likely need to be refrozen for about 2-3 hours in between churning each batch.
Storage:
To store your ice cream, transfer the churned ice cream to an airtight freezer container and store it in the freezer for up to 3 weeks.
variations + substitutions
Let your mind wander here! Anything that you love to combine with chocolate can pretty much get thrown into this ice cream!
- Rocky Road Ice Cream: fold in some coarsely chopped nuts and mini marshmallows!
- Heavenly Hash: fold in marshmallow creme, finely chopped nuts, and more chopped chocolate!
- S'mores Ice Cream: fold in mini marshmallows, graham cracker crumbles, and chocolate chips.
- Mexican Chocolate: while blending, add in 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon, a pinch of cayenne, and a pinch of espresso powder.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
Lindt Classic Recipe Milk Chocolate Bar
Happy Belly Whole Milk
Domino Sugar, Granulated, 4LB Canister
Ghirardelli Unsweetened Dutch Process Cocoa
Large White Eggs, Grade AA, 18 Count
KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment
Happy Belly Heavy Whipping Cream
KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment
KitchenAid Artisan Series 5-Qt. Stand Mixer
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 552Total Fat: 41gSaturated Fat: 25gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 253mgSodium: 88mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 2gSugar: 34gProtein: 8g
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