Chocolate Peppermint Ice Cream (no churn recipe)

If you love the taste of chocolate peppermint bark and you’re looking for an easy to make, completely delicious treat this Christmas, you’ll LOVE this no churn ice cream recipe. This chocolate peppermint ice cream is so creamy, smooth and chocolatey, with cool crunchy peppermint bits and rich dark chocolate chunks. It tastes like a cup of peppermint hot chocolate, and it’s simply perfect when you’re craving something cold and refreshing. You probably have everything you need already in your pantry, so let’s make some ice cream for the holidays!

Looking for more recipes like this? Don’t miss this pink peppermint candy cane ice cream, chocolate peppermint North Pole cake, and hot chocolate cake with homemade marshmallows.

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Ingredients

• Sweetened Condensed Milk. The sweetened condensed milk adds body and creaminess to no churn ice cream, as well as sugar, so no other sweetener is needed. Don’t confuse sweetened condensed milk with evaporated milk, as they are completely different ingredients.
• Cocoa Powder. Choose a good-quality cocoa powder with a rich chocolate flavor. It doesn’t have to be Dutch processed, but I prefer that for all my baking and desserts. For today’s recipe for chocolate peppermint ice cream, I used Drost cocoa powder, which has a rich, deep chocolate flavor that’s just delicious. Since cocoa powder can sometimes be lumpy, be sure to sift it first, before whisking it into the sweetened condensed milk.
• Vodka. Vodka is tasteless, so it doesn’t affect the flavor of the ice cream, but the alcohol lowers the freezing point of the ice cream, resulting in a smoother, creamier texture. You can certainly leave it out, if you prefer.
• Vanilla + Peppermint Extract. Vanilla and peppermint extract add flavor. Use anywhere between 1/2 – 1 teaspoon peppermint extract, depending on how strong you like the flavor.
• Heavy Whipping Cream. The whipped cream adds fat and richness to no churn ice cream, for a fluffy, creamy texture.
• Crushed Peppermint. In addition to the peppermint extract, crushed peppermint adds more flavor, and a nice crunch.
• Chopped Chocolate. The chocolate chunks add great texture to this ice cream. I like to use dark chocolate, but you can use semi-sweet, or even milk chocolate, if that’s what you like.

No churn ice cream is so quick and easy to make! You’ll have this chocolate peppermint ice cream done in just a few minutes. The hardest part is waiting for it to freeze so you can taste it!

Instructions

• In a large bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, cocoa powder, vodka, vanilla and peppermint extract. The mixture will be thick.
• In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer (stand or hand-held) to whip the cream until soft peaks form.
• Whisk 1/3 of the whipped cream into the sweetened condensed milk mixture to loosen it up. Fold another 1/3 of the whipped cream in until mostly combined. Add the last 1/3 of the whipped cream, as well as the chopped candy canes and chocolate. Fold everything together, leaving a few streaks of white (leaving some streaks of whipped cream is just for looks, since it will give the ice cream a swirly brown and white look that’s really pretty).
• Transfer the ice cream to lidded ice cream containers, and freeze until firm, about 6 hours.

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