This creamy Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream is made easily with seven ingredients, like cream, mint flavoring, and chopped chocolate in your ice cream maker. This is one of my favorite ice cream flavors.
We are huge ice cream fans, so we make a lot of ice cream, especially in the summer months. Sometimes, we make super easy, no-churn ice creams, and sometimes, we make batches in our electric ice cream maker.
No matter how we make it, ice cream is always a sweet, creamy, delicious summer treat! If you like ice cream as much as we do, try coffee ice cream, chocolate ice cream, strawberry ice cream, and raspberry ice cream.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
See the complete list of ingredients below on the recipe card.
- Vanilla extract: just a touch to enhance all the flavors
- Mint extract: not peppermint extract. For optimal taste, use mint extract and not peppermint extract. It may be a little harder to find, but it makes a huge difference in mint ice cream. Mint extract is a mixture of spearmint and peppermint, while peppermint extract is just peppermint.
- Salt: to enhance flavor
- Green food coloring: if desired for that bright green color
- Semisweet chocolate: semisweet or milk chocolate. Always use a good-quality chocolate bar. I like to use a combination of very finely chopped semisweet and milk chocolate. Remember to chop it fine so bits of it melt in your mouth.
How to make Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
This is the summary version; see the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients and the instructions.
Whisk the half-and-half and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the cream, mint extract, vanilla extract, salt, and a little green food coloring, if desired. Pour the mixture into the bowl of your ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
After about 20 minutes, add the finely chopped chocolate. Now, churn for another 5-10 minutes. Then, check the ice cream as it is possible to over-churn it. Spoon the ice cream into a freezer container and press plastic wrap right onto the top surface of the ice cream to prevent ice crystals from forming. Chill in the freezer for several hours.
Preparation Tips
- Don’t cut down on the fat. Fat is what gives ice cream its smooth, creamy texture.
- This ice cream needs to be churned for about 25-35 minutes; however, you should check it after 25 minutes because it can be over-churned.
- Use good-quality semisweet, dark, or milk chocolate. Chop it finely so the chocolate melts in your mouth. Big chunks of chocolate are too hard to bite into when frozen.
- Food coloring is not a must, but it gives it that familiar mint color we are accustomed to.
More Sweet Treats
Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups half n half
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ teaspoons mint extract
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 4 –5 drops green food coloring
- 3 ounces Ghirardelli semisweet chocolate finely chopped
- 1 ounce dove milk chocolate finely chopped
Instructions
- Whisk together half and half and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Whisk in cream, vanilla extract, mint extract, sea salt, and a little bit of green food coloring if desired.
- Pour the contents into the bowl of your ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. After 20 minutes, add the chopped chocolate. Churn for an additional 5-7 minutes before checking the ice cream, as it is possible to over-churn ice cream.
- Spoon the ice cream into an airtight container and press plastic wrap right onto the top surface of the ice cream to prevent ice crystals from forming. Freeze for several hours.
Notes
Nutrition
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Karyn M
Made my first batch of mint chocolate chip ice cream ever from this recipe and I am absolutely loving it! I didn’t bother with the food coloring as it doesn’t make any difference to me. I used vanilla paste instead of the usual vanilla from a bottle and cut down the salt to a pinch as I feel sea salt is too salty of a taste for my liking. I also used just semi-sweet mini chocolate chips (4ounces) and we all loved the results! Will be making this again and again! Thanks!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Karyn! I am so glad that everyone loved the ice cream. This is my favorite ice cream with my chocolate ice cream being a close second.
Janet Lee Oresick
I have not made this recipe yet but just reading the recipe tells me that it will taste great! I have a question though. Some recipes call for Xanthan Gum. I believe it adds creaminess. Any need for that here? Have you used it before in any ice cream recipes? Thanks!
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Janet Lee. I have not used it before. I did read up on it briefly. It does sound like it makes ice cream creamier.
Joan
This is an amazing recipe. I worried that there were no eggs, but it was still very creamy. Everyone loved it. Thank you
Beth Pierce
The pleasure is all mine, Joan!
Cheryl
Delicious! We loved this recipe. All of your measurements were perfect for our Cuisinart 2 qt ice cream maker. And thank you for your notes explaining the difference between Mint flavoring and Peppermint flavoring. Definitely a game changer!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Cheryl! I am happy to hear that you loved the mint chocolate chip ice cream!
Frank
Love the mint flavor and tried it before many times. This is one of our go to summer recipes. Thank you for sharing!
Sonia
I absolutely love the sound of this homemade Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream! Using natural flavours and avoiding any artificial ingredients is such a great idea. Plus, with only seven simple ingredients, it sounds like it’s easy to make too. I can’t wait to try this recipe out and see if it also becomes my new favourite ice cream flavour!
Edmond
This is my favorite flavored ice cream and my favorite recipe for it. It is delicious everytime and so easy to make.
Zab
So smooth and creamy. My favorite flavor of ice cream and even better than the local ice cream shop. Well done!
Cathy
My favorite ice cream recipe. So tasty and easy to make. I make this at least four times every summer.
Olga
Mmm, love this ice cream! Thanks for the delicious recipe. It is one of my favorites and I make it at least 4 times during the summer months