A rich double chocolate macadamia ice cream made with coconut milk. This easy homemade dairy-free ice cream is perfect for summer or anytime you're craving ice cream.
Chocolate Ice Cream Recipe
This chocolate ice cream recipe really delivers on chocolate. It's dairy-free, egg-free and refined sugar-free, but big on flavor. The chocolate ice cream base is rich and creamy — the perfect backdrop for chocolate chips and macadamia nuts.
And it also works for other flavor variations. Try this chocolate ice cream with your favorite add-ins or experiment with one of these options:
- crumbled baked brownies
- cookie dough (this pecan cookie dough would be awesome and it's egg-free!)
- chopped cherries or raspberries
- toasted coconut flakes
- cacao nibs instead of chocolate chips for a bittersweet crunch
- or just swap out the macadamia nuts for another nut like almonds to give it a different spin
The possibilities are endless. I like to switch it up and add something different every time I make homemade ice cream.
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This method of making ice cream is so easy. There is no cooking needed, just throw everything in the blender. The coconut milk is what makes this chocolate ice cream so creamy. And combining it with the soaked cashews balances the coconut flavor so you really just taste the chocolate. Using a high-speed blender makes the chocolate ice cream base perfectly smooth.
The hardest part about making this ice cream is waiting for the mixture to chill before pouring it into the ice cream maker. So I like to make the ice cream “batter” in the morning and let it chill out in the fridge until I'm ready for it. Then just give it a quick whisk and pour it into the ice cream machine.
The chocolate chip and chopped macadamia add-ins take this chocolate ice cream version over the top, giving a nice texture and crunch. Depending on the instructions for your ice cream maker, you can add the chocolate chips and nuts before freezing or just before your ice cream is finished churning.
Most of the time I will let the ice cream machine run while we eat dinner so we can have soft serve ice cream for dessert. But if you like your ice cream firmer or want to get pretty scoops like in the photo, just put the finished ice cream in the freezer until it's firm enough to scoop.
Easy homemade chocolate ice cream
- 1 cup filtered water
- 1 cup cashews soaked overnight and drained
- 1 13.5- ounce can organic coconut milk
- 1/2 cup local raw honey or maple syrup
- 1/3 cup organic raw cacao powder
- 1-1 /2 teaspoons organic vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/3 cup dairy-free mini chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup chopped macadamia nuts
- Add water, cashews, coconut milk, honey, cacao powder, vanilla and salt to high-speed blender and blend on high for 2 minutes. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
- Mix chocolate chips with chopped macadamia nuts. Put in freezer until needed.
- Once ice cream mixture is chilled, freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. Add chocolate chips and macadamia nuts for last 5 minutes of churning.
For vegan: use maple syrup in place of honey
More dairy free dessert recipes
Just made this ice cream!!! OMG! So delicious and easy to make! Thanks so much for sharing!
Yay! I love this ice cream too! We had family in town last week and I made it twice because everyone loved it so much 🙂
I have never made ice-cream and I don’t own an ice-cream maker. Any recommendations for an ice-cream maker that is not too expensive and not too noisy? I would love to make this ice-cream for company that I am having over the weekend.
Hi Celeste, here is a link to the ice cream maker I have. It is a little noisy – I usually turn it on in the kitchen while we eat out on the deck. 🙂
We are traveling out of country now, but look forward to trying this when we get back home in a few days. Sounds yummy!
Looks yummy! Think I could use cashews instead of macadamia nuts? I don’t have any macadamia nuts 🙂
Hi Hannah, I like the flavor of the macadamia nuts with the chocolate, but you can try adding your favorite nut instead.