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This mint chocolate chip ice cream recipe is truly the best! It’s got the perfect minty flavor, with rich chocolate chunks and creamy texture. A reader and family favorite!
Why we love this recipe
Are you a mint chocolate chip fan? Then let us introduce you to…the best homemade Mint Chocolate Chip recipe! This one’s pretty darn perfect, in our opinion. The flavor is fresh and beautifully minty, the texture is beautifully creamy and scoopable, and it’s studded with bittersweet chocolate chunks perfectly dispersed into every bite.
This recipe holds loads of nostalgia for me as it’s my childhood favorite: so this homemade version is my dream come true. We’ve cracked the code to making this popular ice cream flavor at home! My 4-year-old self would be proud.
Featured reader comments
A few readers helped to test this mint chocolate chocolate chip ice cream recipe before we shared it here. Here’s some of what they had to say:
- “The mint flavor was the perfect amount and the bittersweet chocolate was an excellent complement. The texture over storage time was completely consistent – tastes delicious, scooped perfectly. 100% will make again!” -Nicole
- “My husband told me, ‘This is exactly what I look for in mint chocolate chip ice cream. It’s the perfect level of mint and the right ratio of chocolate: I get some in every bite. I kindly request you make this again!'” -Brianna
Ingredients in mint chocolate chip ice cream
Mint chocolate chip ice cream is a peppermint ice cream base mixed with chocolate chips or chunks. If you’re a purist like us, you’ll expect it to be a lovely shade of mint green, though it can be anywhere from white to neon green. This ice cream flavor has quite the fan following: I’ve been one since I was 4 years old. So we designed this recipe to taste like what you’d expect from a purchased pint: but even better. Here’s what you’ll need for this mint chocolate chip ice cream recipe:
- Whole milk
- Heavy cream
- Cornstarch
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla and peppermint extract
- Green food coloring
- Bittersweet chocolate
- Neutral oil
A few ingredient notes
There are a few things to note about ingredients for this mint chocolate chip recipe. Here’s what to know:
- Make the color as green as you like, or omit the food coloring. To us, mint chocolate chip ice cream should be mint green. But if you’re a purist about food coloring in your desserts, we get it. Omit the food coloring and it tastes just as good! The color will look pretty extreme before churning but it evens out afterwards.
- Peppermint extract is very strong. All you need is ½ teaspoon here. You’re welcome to use more, but we found it had an aftertaste of alcohol with more extract.
- Use the vanilla extract too! Using only peppermint extract tastes a little one note. Add the vanilla extract and it balances out the flavors. (Trust us!)
For the chocolate
This mint chocolate chip ice cream recipe is special not just because of the minty flavor. For me it’s the chocolate. Pouring melted chocolate into the cold ice cream achieves the stracciatella effect with irregular pieces: after you try it once, you’ll never go back! Here’s what to note about this method:
- Straciatella is the name of a gelato flavor with a vanilla base and irregular-shaped shreds of chocolate (inspired by the Italian soup of the same name). Traditionally melted chocolate is poured into the ice cream towards the end of churning, where it solidifies and then gets broken into very small pieces.
- How to do it? In this recipe, we add melted chocolate to the cold ice cream after churning and stir with a spoon (instead of continuing to churn). This achieves large chocolate chunks instead of the very fine chunks in straciatella.
- Adding a bit of oil to the chocolate makes the chocolate pieces have a softer, easier to bite texture. (It’s similar to Graeter’s ice cream chocolate chunks, if you are familiar with this brand!) Of course, you can skip the melting altogether and just stir in chocolate chunks…but this method is 100% worth it.
Required equipment: ice cream maker
This mint chocolate chip ice cream recipe does require an ice cream maker. However, this is the only way to make “real” ice cream at home. (Most no-churn ice cream recipes use sweetened condensed milk as a shortcut.) You’ll find this piece of equipment a great investment you can use to make sorbets, sherbet and ice cream year round. There are two main types of ice cream makers to try:
- Freezer bowl ice cream maker (inexpensive). Find any sort of freezer bowl ice cream maker for the most economical choice. Here’s the 2 quart freezer bowl ice cream maker we use; it’s a little more expensive but it’s held up well. Make sure to freeze the base of the ice cream maker overnight before making this recipe.
- Automatic ice cream maker (expensive but easy to use). Do you make ice cream often? You might want to consider this automatic ice cream maker, which is larger and more expensive. However, it requires no pre-freezing, so you can make ice cream any time you please! You can also make multiple batches back to back without needing to freeze the base again.
How to make mint chocolate chip ice cream (basic steps)
This mint chocolate chip ice cream recipe uses the classic method making ice cream: make a custard, churn it in an ice cream maker, then freeze to “ripen” the texture. Here’s what you’ll need to do (or jump to the recipe below):
- Make the custard (5 minutes): Simmer the cornstarch, whole milk and sugar 4 to 5 minutes. Then add the heavy cream, more milk, vanilla, peppermint extract, food coloring, and salt.
- Cool the custard (30 minutes): Cool down the custard before churning it. We typically transfer the mixture to a large metal or glass bowl and place the bowl in a smaller bowl of ice water for 1 hour.
- Churn (25 minutes): Churn the ice cream in the ice cream maker.
- Add chocolate (10 minutes): Melt the chocolate and oil in the microwave. Place half the ice cream in a loaf pan, drizzle in the chocolate, and break it into pieces and stir in with a spoon. Repeat, then add the remaining half ice cream and repeat.
- Freeze for hard ice cream texture (at least 2 hours): Freeze the ice cream for 2 to 4 hours for a scoop-able, hard ice cream texture (or eat right away for soft serve).
More ice cream recipes
Want more inspiration for your ice cream maker? Here are a few of our favorite homemade ice cream recipes:
- Grab Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, with a vanilla base using the same chocolate method
- Go for our classic Vanilla Ice Cream, Chocolate Ice Cream, or buzz-worthy Coffee Ice Cream
- Opt for our Homemade Ice Cream, or go dairy free with Vegan Ice Cream
- Try Cheesecake Ice Cream or Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
- Opt for Rocky Road Ice Cream or Cookie Dough Ice Cream
- Opt for seasonal Peach Ice Cream, Lavender Ice Cream, or Peppermint Ice Cream
Dietary notes
This mint chocolate chip ice cream recipe is vegetarian and gluten-free.
Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream (Best Flavor & Texture!)
- Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes (including chill time)
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield: 1 quart 1x
Description
This mint chocolate chip ice cream recipe is truly the best! It’s got the perfect minty flavor, rich chocolate chunks, and creamy texture.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 ½ cups whole milk, divided
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 8 drops green food coloring
- 4 ounces (¾ cup) bittersweet chocolate chips*
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Instructions
Note: Make sure to freeze the base of your ice cream maker overnight before making this recipe.
- In a medium saucepan, slowly whisk the cornstarch into 1 cup cold whole milk, then whisk in the sugar. Apply medium heat and heat for 4 to 6 minutes, whisking frequently, until nearly simmering and the mixture thickens.
- Remove from the heat. Stir in the remaining ½ cup whole milk, heavy cream, salt, peppermint extract, vanilla extract, and green food coloring.
- Transfer the mixture to a large metal or glass bowl. Place the bowl in a smaller bowl of ice water for 1 hour, making sure not to splash any water into the ice cream (or even quicker, you can pour it into a 1-gallon zip-top bag, seal it, and place the bag in ice water for 30 minutes). Alternatively, simply place the bowl in the refrigerator and wait for 3 to 4 hours or until the temperature drops to 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Churn according to your ice cream maker instructions, about 25 minutes for soft serve consistency.
- When the ice cream is done churning, place the chocolate chips and oil in a dry glass measuring cup or bowl (make sure the cup or bowl are perfectly dry or the chocolate will seize). Microwave on High power for 30 seconds, then stir. Microwave another 30 seconds and stir. At this point it should be mostly melted with a few unmelted chunks: keep stirring until all the unmelted bits disappear and the chocolate is perfectly smooth. (If not, microwave in 10 second bursts until it is mostly melted.) You can also melt the chocolate on the stove on a double boiler: remove it from the heat just when the larger bits of chocolate melt.
- Transfer the churned ice cream into a loaf pan or storage container. Drizzle about ⅙ of the chocolate in lines over the entire surface, then wait for a few seconds until it starts to solidify. Use a spoon to stir the chocolate into the ice cream, creating irregular chocolate chunks and spreading them evenly throughout. Do this about 6 times until the entire amount of chocolate is incorporated. (It’s helpful to drizzle in lines and not one large chunk, which solidifies quickly and can be difficult to break apart. You can break up any very large chunks into smaller pieces using a spoon if you like.) The ice cream may melt a bit, which is expected: stir to incorporate everything and smooth the top into an even layer.
- Place the container in the freezer and freeze for at least 2 hours (or up to 4 hours), which “ripens” the ice cream and creates the hard ice cream texture. Store in a loaf pan with a parchment sheet over the top or a sealed container in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
*If you prefer, you can use chocolate chips or chopped chocolate and skip the melting with oil in Step 5 that achieves the stracciatella effect. But we highly recommend it!
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Frozen
- Cuisine: Ice Cream
- Diet: Vegetarian
The most amazing ice cream ever! The texture is perfect and the drizzled chocolate is definitely part of that. Don’t skip cooling the base or it will never freeze. (I tried and ended up making it the old fashioned way in a 9×13 pan and stirring it every hour). I also use half mint extract and half peppermint essential oil. The mint flavor is strong, but not overwhelming.