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!
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!!
I always lick the churn 😉 So glad you both loved this!
I was excited to make this ice cream. Sadly I could not find instant espresso at the store so I bought instant French roast. It turned out to be a little too bitter. I added a little more sugar to counter the bitterness. I usually use whipping cream and this is the first time I used half and half. It didn’t really thicken like what I am used to. The test will be tonight when I serve it to my friends.
Hope it works out for you Robbie, this particular recipe is supposed to be a little on the bitter side, like a cup of black coffee.
I came across this recipe while looking at the Dulce de Leche ice cream post last week and being a lover of all things coffee, I had to give it a go. And it was the bomb! It was so tasty and the consistency was perfect as well. Definitely a keeper as I don’t always have the best luck with homemade ice cream. BTW, I made my own half and half with heavy cream and milk and it still turned out great! Thanks!
Thanks for that feedback, Nancy, and I’ve had good luck with half and half, too, I’ll try that next time.
Would it be possible to use fat free half and half? I am anxious to try this recipe! I feel the same way about coffee ice cream!
I really can’t way whether that would work or not Pat, I’ve never had fat free half and half, sorry! Let us know if you try it 🙂
I’m always scared that my ice cream will be too hard to scoop after freezing so a slightly generous splash of Bailey’s might have found its way into this. Sooo good. Perfect amount of coffee flavor
I agree!
Oh my gahhhh. What is this ice cream voodoo you are working?! Love it.
I am also loving the chocolate. Coffee blooms chocolate so nicely; this is like the reverse! Smart trick!
i’ve never really like coffee ice cream but couldn’t define why; i think you just solved it for me! i always prefer my hot coffee black, so maybe that’s what i expect out of coffee ice cream too.
Would this be legal first thing in the morning? Sounds like super amazing way to wake up and start the day!
This looks incredible. I will definitely be making some very soon. Thanks Sue!!
Oh wow, this sound like my kind of ice cream! When given a choice, I always go for the darkest, richest chocolate ice cream 🙂