Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 01/21/23
Chocolate chip ice cream

The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 5 mins
Chill and Freeze: 3 hrs 55 mins
Total: 4 hrs 20 mins
Servings: 8 servings
Yield: 1 quart

Eating a cone of your favorite ice cream flavor is surely one of the most beloved memories from your childhood, when a family trip to the ice cream place was a favorite summer activity. Although the flavors of ice cream come by the thousands, and there is no wrong one—or is there?—nothing beats a heaping scoop of chocolate chip ice cream. Our recipe for this popular ice cream flavor is a version of the chocolate-flecked stracciatella gelato, which is rich, smooth, full of flavor, and filled with abundant pieces of chocolate that are evenly found through all scoops of ice cream and not clustered in big chunks.

For our recipe, we use Lyle's Golden syrup, a sugarcane-based rich and thick syrup that's widely used in baking and candy making. If you can't find Lyle's locally, use light or dark corn syrup, although Lyle's is easily available online. With this addition, the ice cream comes out with a unique and wonderful flavor.


The ingredients are few, so top quality is recommended. If possible, use vanilla paste and organic eggs and milk. The measurements provided make about one quart of ice cream, enough for eight half-cup servings—or likely fewer because this ice cream is too good not to have a double scoop!

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Ingredients

  • 2 cups heavy cream

  • 1 cup whole milk

  • 2/3 cup sugar

  • 1/3 cup Lyle's Golden Syrup, or corn syrup

  • 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste, or 1 scraped vanilla bean or 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

  • 6 large egg yolks

  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

  • 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, or 1/2 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Steps to Make It

Make the Custard

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for chocolate chip ice cream recipe gathered

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  2. Combine the heavy cream, milk, sugar, and golden syrup in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. If using a vanilla bean, scrape the seeds into the mixture. If using vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste, it will be added later in the process. Place the pan over medium heat and warm up until it begins to boil.

    Heavy cream, milk, sugar, and golden syrup in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  3. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the salt. 

    Whisk the egg yolks with the salt

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  4. Remove the cream mixture from the heat. While whisking the egg yolks, gradually pour about 1 cup of the hot cream mixture into them.

    Whisk the cream mixture with the egg mixture

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  5. Whisk the egg and cream mixture back into the saucepan and place the saucepan over low heat. Cook and stir​ until the mixture reaches 170 F to 180 F. The eggs are safely cooked when they reach 160 F, when the custard coats the back of a spoon, or 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract if you didn't use the vanilla bean. Remove from heat.

    Add the egg mixture to the cream mixture in the pan

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  6. Pour the mixture into a stainless steel or glass bowl. Allow to cool off slightly before covering and refrigerate it for at least 3 hours, or until thoroughly chilled.

    Custard in a plastic covered bowl

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

Churn the Ice Cream

  1. Place a 1-quart bowl, container, or pan in the freezer so it will be cold when you are ready to fill it with the ice cream. Pour the chilled custard mixture into the ice cream machine and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions. 

    Custard in the ice cream maker

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  2. About 20 to 30 minutes before the ice cream is ready, chop the chocolate.

    Chop the chocolate

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

Prepare the Chocolate

  1. Place chopped chocolate in a bowl or pan over simmering water. Stir in the vegetable oil and continue heating until melted. Allow the chocolate to cool slightly.

    Melted chocolate over a double boiler

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  2. Pour the melted chocolate into a small food storage bag, press most of the air out, and seal the bag. If necessary, dip the sealed bag of chocolate in hot water to keep it from thickening or hardening.

    Melted chocolate in a plastic bag

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  3. When the ice cream is soft frozen, or about the texture of soft-serve, around 20 F, snip a tiny piece of the corner off of the chocolate bag. Drizzle the chocolate into the churning ice cream in a relatively steady and gradual stream. As the chocolate is churned into the ice cream, it will harden and form the chocolate chips. Continue until all of the chocolate is used.

    Add melted chocolate to the ice cream in the ice cream maker

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  4. Transfer the ice cream mixture to the cold container and cover tightly. Freeze until solid.

    Chocolate chip ice cream in a plastic container

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  5. Enjoy.

What is "coating the back of a spoon"?

When the mixture "coats the back of a spoon," it forms a coating which, when you run your finger through it, will leave a clear path that does not run together or drip.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
472 Calories
34g Fat
34g Carbs
9g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 472
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 34g 43%
Saturated Fat 19g 97%
Cholesterol 233mg 78%
Sodium 127mg 6%
Total Carbohydrate 34g 12%
Dietary Fiber 2g 6%
Total Sugars 31g
Protein 9g
Vitamin C 0mg 2%
Calcium 110mg 8%
Iron 3mg 15%
Potassium 241mg 5%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)