My Black Coffee Ice Cream recipe is the real deal — no namby pamby coffee flavor here! This homemade coffee ice cream recipe will satisfy your wildest caffeine cravings.
I don’t know about you guys, but the flavor of coffee ice cream always disappoints me. It’s never bold enough. To me it always tastes like that cup of coffee I accidentally poured waaaay too much cream into. Yuck. So I set out to make myself some of the real deal. I call it Black Coffee. It’s about as black as you can get it without leaving out the cream altogether, in which case you wouldn’t have ice cream 🙂
This is a simple ice cream recipe, no eggs or custard to worry about. I don’t find the extra steps add all that much, especially if you eat your ice cream the same day it’s made. I use a base of half and half, which cuts down on the calories a little. Every bit helps!
How did I do it? How did I cram so much caffeinated flavor into this ice cream? There are two secrets…one is powdered (instant) espresso. I used a hefty 6 tablespoons of it. The second secret might be a little more controversial. I used 2 tablespoons of extra dark unsweetened cocoa powder. It add color, richness, and blends with the coffee to emphasize the flavor. Yes, technically I should have mentioned that in the title, but really I don’t think the ice cream ‘reads’ as chocolate, it just brings out the essence of the coffee.
Its very similar to the way many chocolate recipes include a bit of coffee or espresso to bring out the chocolate flavor, only this time, it’s all about the coffee!
Which ice cream machine do I recommend?
I get asked all the time about what machine I use. I use and recommend Cuisinart. I’ve had my machine for years without any issues, I think because there are no fussy electronic parts to break down ~ it’s a simple motor that turns the freezer bowl for churning the ice cream and it works quickly and perfectly every time.
- The machine I use, and it’s the base model. It works great for ice cream, frozen yogurt, and sorbets, and makes all of them in about 2o minutes. Click HERE or click on the image for more info.
Reader Rave ~
“This is sooooo delicious! Probably the best I’ve ever made. Such amazing flavors. Instead of half & half I used Heavy Cream. My husband and I couldn’t stop licking the bowl, spatula & churn even before it went into the freezer to finish. If I eat this late at night I may need some Irish whiskey with it to help me sleep!!” ~ Dina
Black Coffee Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 cups half and half
- 6 Tbsp espresso powder , or instant espresso
- 2 Tbsp dutch process cocoa powder, Hershey's Extra Dark Cocoa Powder
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Put one cup of the half and half in a saucepan over medium heat and stir in the espresso, cocoa powder, and sugar. Heat and stir just until everything gets dissolved.
- Remove from heat and let cool. Add remaining half and half and vanilla and refrigerate until cold.
- Pour the mixture into your ice cream machine and process according to its instructions.
- Spoon the soft ice cream into a container and freeze.
- Homemade ice cream is best eaten the day it is made.
Nutrition
Need more caffeine? I’ve got you covered ~
- Irish Coffee Cheesecake Squares
- Turkish Coffee Shortbread
- Cardamom and Coffee Dirty Blondies
- Coffee Chocolate Chip Cookies
- The Hummer Cocktail
Thanks for pinning this Black Coffee Ice Cream!
Now this is coffee ice cream, what a treat!
Hi Sue, chocolate and coffee go so well together, this looks delicious!
This looks so awesome, Sue! And I agree with you – coffee ice cream is never strong enough. So I can’t wait to try yours. These pics are incredible!
Sue this looks incredible! I can practically feel the caffeine jolt just by looking at it. 😉 Pinned and can’t wait to try this!
Oh this ice cream looks so creamy and delicious! I agree that coffee and chocolate are perfect together – they compliment without overpowering. Yummy!
You had me at six tablespoons espresso powder. I imagine the ice cream was amazing!
Hi, I do not have an ice cream machine, what should I do within this section of the recipe?
Thanks, Jonny
Hey Jonny – there is a trick you can do but you will need a food processor or a super duper blender…pour the mixture in a large secure ziplock baggie and lay it flat on a baking sheet— then put it in the freezer until frozen solid. Remove it, break apart the frozen mixture so it can fit in a food processor and process until creamy. Serve right away or return to the freezer to firm up.
Hey Ladies! If you have kids or just want a good work out, you can pour the mix into quart size baggies and then place that baggie into a gallon size bag and shake shake shake 🙂
BTW Sue, my new husband and I are very excited to make this for our “date night” tonight!
I forgot to mention, add ice to the gallon bag after placing the smaller baggie sealed with ingredients inside
Fun!! I love the low tech method 🙂
Sue, I would love this for breakfast, lunch and dinner! 🙂 It looks amazing!
I love coffee ice cream though have not made it myself. I think adding the chocolate flavor would amplify the coffee to deliver that bold flavor we love! Love the pics!
This looks so good, Sue! I love coffee ice cream, and you are right, most don’t have enough coffee flavor. I can’t wait to try this!