This No-Churn Chocolate Espresso Ice Cream requires no ice cream machine but is utterly satisfying in terms of coffee flavor!
If you’ve been following me on Instagram, you probably already know I recently acquired a secondhand Cuisinart ice cream machine with a built-in compressor. To say it has changed my life would be an understatement! I suppose it’s fair to say the days of no-churn ice creams around here are numbered, and yet I still wanted the chance to share this particular recipe for No-Churn Chocolate Espresso Ice Cream.
I realize not everyone has an ice cream machine so no-churn recipes are probably more useful to most. I have made some really great ones in the past as well, which you can explore on this page. But if I’m going to be honest here, the difference between a churned and a non-churned ice cream is pretty staggering, particularly when it comes to texture and consistency.
Nonetheless, making your own ice cream using either method will really open your eyes to the literally endless flavors you can create.
This No-Churn Chocolate Espresso Ice Cream is one I found on the Sift & Simmer blog. It has a very straightforward and simple flavor profile, literally coffee with some chocolate add-in’s at its core. But here is where one of the advantages of making ice cream at home comes into play: You have full control over the quality of the ingredients that you use!
I pretty much went all-out when I made this, adding in Lavazza instant coffee, chopped Auro chocolates, and some Villa Del Conte chocolate-covered coffee beans I found in the fridge. Fancy ice cream, am I right? It’s no wonder it tasted so good!
The ice cream has a beautifully full coffee flavor, with a pleasant sweetness that comes from the condensed milk. It’s not overly sweet however, and is satisfyingly coffee forward. The chocolate chunks give the ice cream another dimension that prevents it from being just coffee-tasting through and through. You get a little chunky chocolate break in between bites of coffee ice cream.
PS. I paired this ice cream with some equally delish Dried Green Mango Chocolate Chip Cookies. You can see the making of these recipes in the video below!
Recipe notes
https://youtu.be/cdvtmV0hIGQ
- Because this recipe is a no-churn one, manage your expectations when it comes to the texture of the ice cream. In my experience, no-churn recipes generally freeze a lot harder than churned ice cream. They also melt way faster! Still very satisfying to eat, if I do say so myself.
- Use very cold cream for this recipe! If you don’t use cold cream, you will not be able to whip it!
- Make sure to whip your cream to stiff peaks. You can do this by hand (very exhausting!) or using a machine, as I have. If you’re using a machine, make sure to watch the cream like a hawk. It only takes a milli-second for the cream to transform from stiff (what you want) to grainy and broken (what you don’t want). Avoid over-mixing and under-mixing the cream. Ideally, you want the cream to be aerated/fluffy and able to hold its shape when you lift your whisk.
- In case you over-whip your cream and it becomes grainy… You can salvage it by blending in a few Tablespoons more of unwhipped cream. To make sure you don’t overwhip again, mix in this extra cream by hand, using a whisk. After a few turns the cream will settle back to a fluffy state.
- Do not deflate the mixture during the last stages of folding! We want to maintain the aeration of the mixture so that it doesn’t freeze into one large hard block!
- Use your favorite instant coffee brand and chocolate brand as well. The entire point of making your own ice cream is so that you can put the things you like into it. So do not scrimp!
No-Churn Chocolate Espresso Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 250 mL heavy cream
- 120 grams condensed milk
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon Kahlua or other coffee liqueur, (optional but highly recommended)
- 2 Tablespoons instant coffee granules
- 80 grams semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped coarsely
- 40 grams chocolate-covered espresso beans, chopped in half (can be substituted with more chopped chocolate)
Instructions
- Into the bowl of a stand mixer, add the heavy cream and vanilla extract. Turn on the mixer and whip until stiff peaks form. Avoid over-whipping. You want an airy and voluminous whipped cream.
- In a separate bowl, combine condensed milk with instant coffee and Kahlua (if using). Using a spatula, add in about two scoops of the whipped cream into the condensed milk-coffee mixture. Stir until mixture looks lightened and a lot looser.
- Add in the rest of the whipped cream until fully combined. Mix using a folding motion, being careful not to deflate the mixture.
- Add in chopped chocolate and chopped espresso beans, then fold lightly until just distributed. Pour the mixture into container of choice.
- Press a piece of clingwrap or parchment right on the surface of the ice cream to prevent ice crystals from forming. Cover and place in the freezer to chill for at least 6 hours.
- Before eating, take ice cream out of the freezer and let sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes to make it easier to scoop. Enjoy!
Watch how it's made
Notes
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