Mint Chocolate Chip
intro
Creamy, cool no-churn mint chocolate chip ice cream loaded with rich dark chocolate shavings, made with fresh mint for a bright, clean flavor without artificial aftertaste.
Ingredients
Steps
Steep fresh mint
Place chilled heavy cream and packed fresh mint leaves in a small saucepan over low heat (burner setting 2/10). Warm for 5 minutes until tiny bubbles form along the pan edges, do not bring to a rolling boil. Remove the pan from heat, cover with a lid, and let the mint steep for 20 minutes to extract bright, herbal mint flavor.
Strain and chill cream
Pour the mint-infused cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium glass bowl, pressing firmly on the wilted mint leaves with a spatula to extract all flavored cream; discard the spent mint leaves. Cover the bowl tightly with a lid and chill in the refrigerator for 2 full hours until the cream reaches 4°C (39°F) or colder.
Whip infused cream
Pour the fully chilled mint-infused cream into a large, cold mixing bowl. Whip with an electric hand mixer on medium-high speed (setting 6/10) for 2 to 3 minutes until stiff, billowy peaks form that hold their shape when the beaters are lifted. Stop whipping immediately once peaks form to avoid turning the cream into butter.
Combine ice cream base
In a separate small bowl, stir together the chilled sweetened condensed milk, pure peppermint extract, fine sea salt, and optional 1 drop of natural green food coloring until fully uniform. Gently fold the condensed milk mixture into the whipped cream in 3 equal additions, using a silicone spatula to cut through the center of the mixture and fold over the top to preserve airiness and avoid deflating the cream.
Fold in chocolate shavings
Set aside 2 tablespoons (15g) of the finely chopped dark chocolate shavings for topping. Add the remaining 105g of chocolate shavings to the ice cream base, folding gently with 3 to 4 light turns of the spatula to distribute the chocolate evenly without deflating the base.
Freeze until firm
Scrape the finished ice cream mixture into a 9x5 inch (23x13cm) metal loaf pan, smoothing the top into an even layer with the spatula. Sprinkle the reserved 15g of chocolate shavings across the surface. Cover tightly with plastic wrap pressed directly against the ice cream surface to prevent ice crystals, then freeze on a level middle freezer shelf for 6 hours until completely firm and scoopable.
Tips
2.Press plastic wrap directly against the surface of the ice cream before freezing, rather than just covering the pan top, to block air exposure and prevent grainy ice crystals from forming on the surface.
3.For a more intense herbal mint flavor without artificial aftertaste, skip the peppermint extract and double the fresh mint amount to 30g (1 cup packed) during the steeping step.
OMG this no-churn mint chocolate chip is a total game changer! I don’t have an ice cream maker and have been dying to make a good mint version at home, and this came out perfectly creamy, no icy chunks at all. My kids devoured half the pan in one sitting after our taco Tuesday family dinner last night. 10/10 will be making this all summer long!
Wait, has anyone tried adding a little extra dark chocolate instead of semi-sweet? I’m a huge dark chocolate fan and wondering if that throws off the sweetness balance at all? Also, does this hold up well if I make it for a neighborhood potluck this weekend?
Bro this is SO good. I’m a total beginner in the kitchen and I was shocked how easy this was — like, literally mix a few things and stick it in the freezer? I was convinced I’d mess it up somehow. Used fresh mint from my windowsill planter and it tasted way better than the store bought stuff that has that weird artificial mint aftertaste.
Saved this for a last minute weekend treat and it did not disappoint! My twins are obsessed with mint chocolate chip and they kept asking for seconds (and thirds, oops). I added a tiny drop of green food coloring just to make it look like the classic store bought version they’re used to, and they thought I bought it from the fancy ice cream shop downtown. Win for mom!
Made this in my dorm mini fridge freezer? Wait, honestly I thought it wouldn’t work because my freezer is kinda janky and ices over everything, but it still turned out creamy! I split a can of condensed milk with my roommate, grabbed heavy cream from the campus market, and crushed up some Andes mints to mix in instead of plain chocolate. 10/10, cheap, easy, perfect for late night study snacks.
Took this to our church potluck last Sunday and people were begging for the recipe! I will say, I let it freeze for almost 10 hours because my fridge runs a little warm, so the timing note in the recipe was super helpful to adjust for. Only tiny thing is I wish the mint flavor was a little stronger for my taste — any tips for amping that up without it tasting like toothpaste?
Made this for my daughter’s birthday cookout this weekend and it was a huge hit. I was manning the grill all day so I loved that I could prep this the night before and not have to mess with it while I was cooking burgers and hot dogs. The chocolate chunks are the perfect size, no wimpy little chips here. Will absolutely be adding this to our regular summer cookout rotation.
So happy this recipe is naturally gluten free! I have celiac and so many store bought mint chocolate chip ice creams have weird cross-contamination risks, so making it at home means I can enjoy a big bowl without worrying. The texture is so rich and creamy, I didn’t even miss the fancy premium brand I usually splurge on. Great for meal prep too — I scooped single servings into little containers to grab when I want a sweet treat after work!
Wait, can I use mint extract instead of fresh mint? My grocery store was completely out of fresh mint this week and I’m really craving this. I don’t want to wait to make it!