Scoop&Slush

Chocolate Ice Cream

Deep, dark, and properly chocolatey. Cocoa whisked into a sweet cream base, frozen, and spun into scoops that taste like the best parlor chocolate, only fresher.

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Chocolate Ice Cream
Ninja CreamiPrep
5 minFreeze
24 hrMakes
1 pint · 4 servings

Why you’ll love this

This is the pint chocolate lovers measure all others against; it is dark, smooth, and deeply cocoa rich without a single chunk to distract you; scoop it plain, stack it in a cone, or let it melt over warm brownies. Simple, classic, and hard to share once you start.

What you’ll need

A few simple ingredients for a big, delicious idea.

Cream cheese
Cream cheese
Cocoa powder
Cocoa powder
Granulated sugar
Granulated sugar
Vanilla extract
Vanilla extract
Heavy cream
Heavy cream
Whole milk
Whole milk

Chocolate Ice Cream

Ninja CreamiPrep 5 min24 hr

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Soften the cream cheese

    Put the cream cheese in a large bowl that is safe for the microwave and warm it for 10 seconds, just until soft.

  2. Whisk to a frosting

    Add the cocoa powder, sugar, and vanilla extract and whisk for about 60 seconds, until the mixture turns smooth, dark, and thick, like frosting.

  3. Add the cream and milk

    Pour in the heavy cream and whole milk slowly, whisking as you go, until everything is fully combined and the sugar has dissolved.

  4. Freeze the pint

    Pour the base into an empty CREAMi pint, put the storage lid on, and freeze for 24 hours on a level surface.

  5. Process on Ice Cream

    Take the pint out of the freezer, remove the storage lid, and set the pint up in the machine. Run the ICE CREAM program.

  6. Serve, or add a mix in

    Scoop and serve right away. Or, for a loaded pint, spoon a hole down the center, drop in your mix in, and run the MIX IN program before serving.

Nutrition guide

The nutrition scoop

Per serving · 1 of 4 servings from one pint

  • Fat 62%
  • Carbs 32%
  • Protein 6%

A happy middle: real treat flavor without going over the top.

Total fat 20 g
Carbohydrates 23 g
Protein 4 g
of which sugars 21 g
Saturated fat 12 g 62% daily value
Cholesterol 70 mg 24% daily value
Sodium 55 mg 2% daily value
Dietary fiber 1 g 4% daily value
Calcium 105 mg 8% daily value
Vitamin C 0 mg 0% daily value

Where the calories live

The heavy cream brings the biggest share of the calories here, about 56 percent of the batch, with the granulated sugar next in line.

The bright spot

Most of the flavor rides on the heavy cream, and the numbers stay in treat territory rather than meal territory.

Want a lighter scoop

Swap half the heavy cream for whole milk. The spin stays creamy and every serving lands noticeably lighter.

Estimated from the ingredients exactly as written, using standard reference values for each ingredient. Your brands and swaps will shift the numbers a little. Daily values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Make it your own

  • Start with the base recipe, then swap one ingredient at a time.
  • Try a different topping after processing.
  • Keep notes so you can revisit your favorite combination.

Texture tips

  • A level, fully solid freeze gives the smoothest spin.
  • Freeze CREAMi bases level and completely solid.
  • For SLUSHi, check compatible liquids and minimum sugar requirements.

Frequently asked questions

What changes for the Deluxe pint?

Scale every ingredient up: 1 tablespoon plus 1½ teaspoons cream cheese, 3 tablespoons cocoa powder, ½ cup granulated sugar, 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream, and 1½ cups whole milk. Freeze the Deluxe pint for 24 hours, then choose TOP, FULL, or BOTTOM before you select ICE CREAM.

Can I make it dairy free?

Yes. Swap in vegan cream cheese for the cream cheese, unsweetened coconut cream for the heavy cream, and unsweetened oat milk for the whole milk. Whisk the coconut cream until smooth before you add the remaining ingredients.

What mix ins go well with chocolate ice cream?

Edible cookie dough chunks and mini chocolate chips are the classics here. Add them after the ICE CREAM run: spoon a hole about 1½ inches wide down the center of the pint, drop the mix in into the hole, and run MIX IN.

Why cocoa powder instead of melted chocolate?

Cocoa powder stirs straight into the warm cream cheese base, so the chocolate flavor runs evenly through every spoonful and the base stays perfectly smooth for freezing.

How do I store leftovers?

Smooth the top flat with a spoon, put the storage lid back on, and return the pint to the freezer on a level surface. Before serving again, set the pint up in the machine and run ICE CREAM once more.