Fudge Ripple Chocolate Ice Cream (no churn)

The only cure for a hot, sticky summer is deliciously fudgy, creamy, cold chocolate ice cream. Take my word for it, one bite of this no-churn fudge ripple chocolate ice cream and you’ll be hooked all summer long!

double scoop of chocolate ice cream in waffle cone

For more incredible no-churn ice cream recipes, check out my posts for Mixed Berry Ice Cream, Salted Caramel Ice Cream, and Hot Fudge Ripple Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream.

I had a fever, and the only cure for it was chocolate ice cream. Okay I didn’t have an actual fever, but I was hot. We were all hot. We had just spent the 4th of July in the mountains, and, while it was fun, we were so sweaty and gross, but in the best of ways!

The night before we left, instead of packing a picnic lunch and making sure we had a change of clothes and I had adequate sleep, I decided to whip up this chocolate ice cream recipe instead. And we were all so glad we had it to come home to!

Why This Recipe Works

Easy, quick, delicious, plus more reasons to make this ice cream today!

No-churn — Machine-free ice cream is a game-changer! Time-saving, and just as creamy and delicious, this will become your go-to ice cream method from now on.

Simple ingredients — From cocoa powder, vanilla, salt, heavy cream and a few other easy-to-find ingredients are all that’s needed to pull this delicious chocolate ice cream recipe.

Fast — It only takes about 30 minutes to whip together the ingredients and layer them in a pan. Freeze overnight and have for breakfast if you want (I won’t judge!).

Customizable — Use homemade or store-bought hot fudge, and add in any other ingredients you want: chopped maraschino cherries, walnuts or peanuts, mini marshmallows or chocolate chips — make the ice cream your own!

Here’s How You’ll Make It

Whisk together the condensed milk, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and salt in a large bowl.
Get out another bowl to whip up the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. You can use a hand mixer or do this by hand.
Fold the heavy cream into the chocolate mixture with a spatula.
Pour half of the cream/chocolate mixture into the bread loaf pan.
Then, drop the hot fudge by spoonfuls into the ice cream, using about half of it. Swirl the hot fudge with the back of a knife.
Add the second half of the cream/chocolate mixture into the loaf pan, and repeat adding the hot fudge to the cream, using up the other half.
Cover the loaf pan with plastic wrap and pop it in the freezer for 8 hours or overnight.

Ideas For Ice Cream Mix-Ins

I mentioned some ideas above about great ideas for mix-ins above, but here are some other ingredients I like to add to ice cream:

Nuts: slivered almonds, walnuts, peanuts, macadamia nuts, pistachios, and pecans are all delicious in ice cream.
Dried or candied fruit: cherries, raisins, apricots, mangoes, and pineapple all add unexpected taste and texture to ice cream.
Sauces: hot fudge is king here, but I also love adding in melted peanut butter, butterscotch, caramel, and even marshmallow fluff.
Cookies: Crunch up some Oreos, Nutter-butters, chocolate chip cookies, animal crackers, graham crackers, or any other cookie you love and mix the pieces right in!
Candy: M&M’s, rainbow sprinkles, Reese’s cups or pieces, Heath bars, Kit-Kat, and Twix are some of my favorites!

Expert Tips

To get the most out of this chocolate ice cream recipe, try these expert tips!

Whipping cream whips up much faster if it’s nice and cold and your bowl is also nice and cold. That’s why I put a glass bowl in the freezer for about 5-10 minutes before I whip. I also leave the cream in the fridge till the very last second. Cold cream + cold bowl = more time saved!

Consider making this fudge ice cream into rocky road by adding in 1 cup of marshmallows and ½ cup of peanuts or chopped almonds while you’re swirling in the hot fudge.

Or, if you prefer, skip the hot fudge and add caramel sauce and a ½ teaspoon of fine salt for some salted caramel swirl!

Help the ice cream set up faster by also freezing the container you’re letting it set up in (in my case it was a bread loaf pan).
Speaking of loaf pans, I suggest freezing your ice cream in a loaf pan because it makes for easy scooping, and perfect ice cream scoops to boot!

To store any leftover ice cream (I am not sure exactly what leftovers are in this house), I hear it’s best to wrap the top tightly to avoid freezer burn. So if you have a top for your loaf pan, awesome, otherwise cover with plastic wrap, or put ice cream in a container with an air-tight lid before storing another couple of days or so.

Best Dessert Recipes

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a rating below!

In a large bowl whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and salt.
In a second bowl (preferably a chilled glass bowl) whip heavy cream until stiff peaks form (a hand mixer on medium-high speed will speed this up but it can be done by hand!).
Gently fold heavy cream into the chocolate mixture.
Pour half of the ice cream into a bread loaf pan.
Drop half of the hot fudge sauce by spoonfuls onto the ice cream, gently swirl in with a knife a few times.
Repeat with remaining ice cream and hot fudge sauce.
Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 8 hours or overnight. Scoop and serve!

Whipping the cream: the colder your cream and bowl, the faster it will whip up! Put a glass bowl in the freezer for 5-10 minutes before starting and wait to take the heavy cream from the fridge until the last minute. Use a hand mixer on medium-high speed to really speed things up! Rocky road: stir in 1 cup marshmallows and 1/2 cup peanuts or chopped almonds. Salted caramel swirl: swap out the hot fudge sauce for caramel sauce + 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt! Other add-ins: chocolate chips, sprinkles, nuts, marshmallow cream, crushed graham crackers.