No Churn Chocolate Cherry Ice Cream is homemade ice cream made with maraschino cherries, cherry juice, chopped chocolate, and a swirl of fudge sauce. Besides how flavorful this is, my other favorite part about this recipe is that no special equipment is needed! Once I made my first batch of Vanilla No Churn Ice Cream, I knew I had to make more flavors! You will not believe how creamy and delicious these no-churn ice creams are. Try at least one this summer (Blueberry Ice Cream, perhaps?). I know you (and anyone else who tries it) will be impressed!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Heavy Whipping Cream: Heavy whipping cream (heavy cream) is a liquid with 36-40% fat. This will be whipped up into a cream to use in the ice cream. Start mixing at a slow speed so you don’t get sprayed with cream!)
- Maraschino Cherries: Both the cherries and the maraschino cherry juice will be used in this recipe. The more cherry flavor, the better! Especially for all of you who love chocolate-covered cherries!
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: Check the labels carefully when buying sweetened condensed milk; do not use evaporated milk. Sweetened condensed milk is used in place of granulated sugar in many no-churn ice cream recipes for some sweetness.
- Chocolate: Look for an 8-ounce bar of semi-sweet chocolate to chop up and add to the ice cream. If you are using chocolate chips, you will need about 1 1/4 cups chips.
- Hot Fudge Topping: Hot fudge topping is richer and thicker than chocolate syrup and tends to become solid as it cools. In a pinch, you could substitute chocolate syrup, but it will have a less intense chocolate flavor and the texture will be different.
No-Churn Ice Cream vs. Machine-Made Ice Cream
No-churn ice cream is easy to prepare, requires no special equipment, and offers quick, customizable results. Usually, sweetened condensed milk is used in place of granulated sugar. The no-churn method is great for homemade desserts without an ice cream maker! And trust me, no one will be able to tell that you didn’t make the batch without an ice cream machine. It’s so good! I would not continue to make more flavors if it wasn’t super creamy and popular!
How To Store Chocolate Cherry Ice Cream
There is no need to buy a fancy ice cream container to store homemade ice cream, unless you want to, of course! You can also use containers you have on hand. Here are some ice cream storage options:
- Any freezer-safe container
- An old ice cream bucket: Wash it out well and place a layer of plastic wrap on the top of the ice cream before adding the lid.
- A pan (like the one where you chilled the ice cream): If you leave the ice cream in the pan, cover the top with plastic wrap.
- Pie plate: Cover the top of the ice cream with plastic wrap.
How Long Will No Churn Ice Cream Last In The Freezer?
If no-churn ice cream is well-sealed, it should last a couple of months in the freezer. (However, once people know how good it is, it will not last long at all!) Keep it stored near the back of the freezer; once you see it’s freezer-burned, it is probably a good idea to throw it out.
No Churn Chocolate Cherry Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 cups (476 g) heavy whipping cream
- 1 jar (16 ounces) maraschino cherries, chopped, divided, juice reserved
- 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 bar (8 ounces / 226 g) semi-sweet chocolate, chopped, divided
- ⅔ cup (203 g) hot fudge topping, store-bought or homemade, divided
Instructions
- Place a 10×7-inch pan in the freezer to chill.*
- To the bowl of a stand mixer, add the heavy cream. Start mixing at the lowest speed, and then gradually increase speed to medium until the cream starts to get thicker. (The gradual progression prevents you from spraying yourself with cream.)
- The cream will thicken and start to peak. Mix on high speed until the cream is thick and stiff. This happens quickly, so watch it closely! Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the reserved cherry juice, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla. Mix until well combined.
- Fold in the whipped cream until well combined and no streaks remain.
- Add cherries and chocolate, reserving about 2 tablespoons of each for topping.
- Pour about ½ of the ice cream mixture into the chilled pan.
- Drizzle ⅓ cup of hot fudge over the ice cream layer.
- Top the fudge with the rest of the ice cream. Drizzle with the remaining ⅓ cup of fudge. (You should have a layer of ice cream, a layer of fudge, and a second layer of ice cream, topped with the rest of the fudge.)
- Using a knife or skewer, gently swirl the fudge sauce through the ice cream. It is okay if the fudge sauce sinks a little. Top with the reserved chocolate and cherries.
- Cover the pan with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 6 hours or until firm.
Notes
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What the Test Kitchen had to say about this recipe:
Autumn
I loved this flavor of our no-churn ice cream! The rich chocolate flavor combined with the cherries is just perfect. I love that it's so easy to make without needing an ice cream maker.
Elizabeth
Even though I am not a huge fan of chocolate covered cherries (you may have noticed that in my other reviews, too), this ice cream is so creamy and delicious. I still can't believe ice cream can be this good without a machine.
Bella
I’m always on the lookout for easy dessert recipes, and this no-churn chocolate cherry ice cream is a winner! The chocolate base is super creamy and the cherries add a nice burst of flavor.
Annabelle
The texture of the ice cream is creamy, and the cherries add a lovely burst of flavor. It’s a bit rich, but if you’re a fan of chocolate and cherry together, you’ll really enjoy this.
Selena
Absolutely loved this no-churn chocolate cherry ice cream! The combination of chocolate and cherries is classic, and this recipe nails it.
Could you use almond extract or amaretto liquor instead of vanilla
I use almond in my cherry pies. Have seen commercial ice cream made with amaretto flavor
Love these recipes
I haven’t had time to make this but I will. I reading these recipes and want to make all of them. My only problem is I don’t know how to keep your recipes so they’re where I can find them again…I have to write all of them down.
My local store only sells cherries in 10 oz jars so determining the amount of cherry juice needed from the two jars I assume was my downfall. I have made many no churn ice creams with heavy cream and condensed milk, this one was too soft even after more than seven hours of freezing. Would love to know how many oz of juice is in the larger jar. (I separated the cherries and juice to measure each individually and then used ratios/proportions and scale to know how much to add from the second jar)