Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
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Fresh mint chocolate chip ice cream is super creamy and has the perfect amount of punchy mint flavor and lots of tasty mint chocolate. It’s an easy ice cream recipe that’s made by steeping fresh mint leaves in a traditional custard base. Either pull out your ice cream maker or opt for the no-churn version; either way, it’s delicious!
Fresh mint chocolate chip ice cream is super creamy, full of punchy mint flavor, and loaded with plenty of mint chocolate. I make it by steeping fresh mint leaves in a classic custard base, which gives it a bold, real mint taste without any artificial flavoring. You can use an ice cream maker or go the no-churn route — either way, it turns out delicious.
I’ve been making versions of this mint ice cream for years, and this one is hands-down the best. The mint flavor is fresh and pronounced, the texture is smooth and creamy, and the method has been refined so it’s surprisingly easy to pull off. If you love mint chocolate chip ice cream, this is the recipe you’ll want to keep on repeat.
Mint chocolate chip ice cream key ingredients
This mint chocolate chip ice cream uses a lot of familiar ingredients. Here are few extra notes to pay attention to:
- Whole milk – Don’t skimp and buy skim; this is not the time.
- Cream – You might call it heavy cream or whipping cream.
- Granulated sugar – If you want refined sugar-free ice cream, you could substitute coconut sugar but it will change the color of the ice cream and make it slightly brown.
- Eggs – This recipe calls for three eggs yolks, which is less than we often use. Since the mint flavor should really shine, we cut down on the number of egg yolks that we usually use. The result is ice cream that is creamy and full-bodied AND doesn’t mute the mint flavor.
- Mint leaves – It might seem like a lot but we love the strong minty flavor.
Are the egg yolks necessary?
You can make ice cream without eggs, but egg yolks make a big difference. The fat and protein add richness, improve the texture, give the ice cream more body, help it stay creamy in the freezer, and boost the flavor. If you’re craving real, scoop-shop–style ice cream, egg yolks are worth it.
What type of mint should I use?
There are hundreds of mint varieties, each with a slightly different flavor. Most grocery stores sell peppermint, which has a mild, familiar mint flavor and works beautifully in this recipe. If you have spearmint growing in your garden, it will give the ice cream an even more pronounced minty taste.
I often use a mix of the mint I have on hand. For the ice cream pictured, I used a combination of peppermint and Indian hanging mint, which adds a deeper green color. That said, I’ve made this recipe many times using only store-bought peppermint, and it’s always delicious.
What type of chocolate is best for mint ice cream?
Mint chocolate is my favorite choice for an extra boost of mint flavor. Chopping a mint chocolate bar yields a mix of fine shavings and larger chunks, adding texture. Mint chocolate chips work great, too. Dark chocolate pairs exceptionally well with mint, but if you prefer milk chocolate, go for it. This is one of those recipes where you really can’t make a wrong choice
Homemade Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 3 egg yolks
- 3 cups fresh mint leaves
- 4 ounces mint chocolate, chopped
Instructions
- Whisk the milk, cream, sugar, salt, and egg yolks in a small pot. Add the mint leaves and bring the pot to a gentle simmer over medium heat, whisking often. Remove the pot from the heat and let it steep for 1 hour.2 cups whole milk, 1 cup heavy cream, ⅔ cup granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon sea salt, 3 egg yolks, 3 cups fresh mint leaves
- Strain the cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and discard the mint. Place the bowl into your fridge until the cream is cold.
- Pour the cream into your ice cream maker and churn for 30 minutes, or until it is creamy and thick. Pour the chocolate in and let your ice cream maker run for another minute to mix the chocolate into the ice cream.4 ounces mint chocolate, chopped
No Churn Method
- Pour the chilled cream into a large baking dish and place it in your fridge. After 30 mintues, scrape the frozen cream with a fork and mix it around. Put it back into your fridge.
- Repeat this step of scraping and mixing the cream every 30 minutes for at least 2 hours, until the ice cream has formed and it is nice and creamy. Stir in the mint chocolate.4 ounces mint chocolate, chopped
Video
Nutrition
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I cook a lot and just started making ice cream and this one is by far our favorite! Even my neighbors who is a sous chef said this was his favorite ice cream! After I finished mixing and cooking the mint down with the milk I became side tracked and had to leave it in our fridge overnight. So glad I did because the mint flavor became amplified as well as left a beautiful mint color. I added dark chocolate chips to mine because I personally love dark chocolate. I will be adding this to my list of favorite ice creams to make. 10/10
I wanted to use the fresh mint I grew myself-3 cups is…POTENT. I should have used about half. Otherwise it’s great!
Hi! We LOVED your strawberry ice cream recipe, but this turned out a little on the icier side for us. I’m wondering why you add the oil and vodka to the strawberry ice cream, but not this one or your cookie dough one?
We were going for something a little lighter with this one. But for extra creaminess, you could add an extra egg yolk or the vodka and oil that is in the strawberry ice cream recipe!
This was a hit! We loved the minty, creamy ice cream. We will be making this again and again.
Mint chocolate chip is my favorite ice cream flavor. This homemade ice cream was creamy and delicious. I must experiment making it with both spearmint and peppermint leaves next time.
Howdy Kristen,
Great recipe! Mint chocolate chip is one of my favorites, so I was excited to try making my own with fresh mint from my herb garden. I muddled the mint a bit when I was infusing the milk and HOLY COW is the end result minty! I’m afraid it was too hardcore pow-in-your-face minty for the hubs and my 8-year-old, but as a mint aficionado, I loved it. I also melted the chips and spread the chocolate out on a parchment-lined baking sheet, froze it, and crumbled it into the ice cream instead of leaving them as chips. I like the texture of the chocolate better that way, personally. It came out great, super creamy, and MEGA minty. Thanks for the inspiration!
How neat to see posts from so close to home, I’m on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, in Sooke! I was wondering (admittedly I haven’t searched your blog so I’m just asking) what are you using for an ice cream maker? I see the recipe makes 1 L so it should work fine for me in my Cuisinart 2012 model, can’t wait, I’ve been pinning away!
Hey Colleen,
I love Sooke! I was there a couple years ago and it was beautiful. Spent a whole afternoon lying in the sun by the swimming holes in the river 🙂 I also have a new Cuisinart ice cream maker so the recipe should work perfect for you. I have had good luck with all the recipes I have tried in it so far. Just make sure no matter which recipe you use that you don’t fill it all the way up. The ice cream will expand as it cools and you’ll end up with a bit of a mess. I know from experience 🙂
I have to admit that I’m a little jealous that your mint is already up. Mine has just started, but not nearly enough to pick yet. Hope you love the ice cream as much as I did!
Hi there, I found your blog via the Food Bloggers of Canada. I’m from Ladysmith on Vancouver Island and am wanting to connect with bloggers closer to home. I love your photography and still have making my own ice cream on the bucket list of things to try! Yours looks amazing.
Hey Lyndsay,
Thank you so much! I definitely recommend buying an ice cream maker and making your own ice cream. It is so much better than store bought!
Btw I’ve bookmarked your blog. I also think it is great to see what other bloggers are doing close to home 🙂