Black Ice Cream Recipe - Ice Cream From Scratch (2024)

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Black Ice Cream is a delicious, trendy and fun recipe that you can make at home! This dark, goth-inspired ice cream recipe is a little bit spooky and perfect for Halloween. And it’s made using a traditional French ice cream method so that it’s wonderfully rich and creamy too.

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We’re making homemade black ice cream with activated charcoal! It’s a super fun recipe, and the resulting creamy black vanilla ice cream has a dark, moody, inky color that is unusual and a treat to eat.

You can also try our recipe for Black Licorice Ice Cream, if you’re a fan of that old-fashioned flavor.

Why You’re Going to Love This Black Ice Cream Recipe

Naturally Colored – The first iterations of black ice cream that have been so trendy were made with squid ink. That’s not an ingredient that’s easy to find, so we’re using activated charcoal instead. This lets us get the super dark color without any artificial food dyes or seafood additives.

Easy French-Style Ice Cream Recipe – Like so many of our easy ice cream recipes, this one is made using the classic French custard method. It’s rich and creamy, made with egg yolks and cream. Instructions for making a no-churn black ice cream are also down below.

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Ingredients Needed

  • Activated Charcoal – This flavorless powder adds a dark black color to the ice cream. You can often find this at your local drugstore, or it can be ordered online.
  • Egg Yolks – Egg yolks are the base of our ice cream– they add richness and help create a thick custard base.
  • Granulated Sugar – Granulated sugar sweetens the ice cream.
  • Milk and Cream – We’re using milk to make the custard and cream to thin the custard into a pourable ice cream base. For the best texture, don’t substitute lower-fat milks.
  • Salt – Salt helps balance out the sweetness of the ice cream.
  • Vanilla – This black ice cream is vanilla-flavored, but you can add other flavor extracts if you like.

How To Make Ice Cream Black

We’ve chosen to add an inky black color to this ice cream recipe using a natural ingredient: activated charcoal powder. Charcoal is an ingredient in whitening toothpastes, face masks, and in medicine, so for most people, it’s safe to eat.

Please note that activated charcoal can interact with the absorption of some medications– contact your physician if you have questions about consuming activated charcoal.

You can also color ice cream black with black gel food coloring, extra dark cocoa powder, squid ink, or a combination of these blackening ingredients!

For the complete list of ingredients and instructions on how to make homemade black ice cream, please see the recipe below.

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Ice Cream Storage Tips

Store this homemade Black in the freezer in an airtight container with a piece of parchment paper or wax paper pressed on top for up to one month.

Tips for Making This Black Ice Cream Recipe

  • Use quality ingredients –You’ll enjoy the best ice cream when you make it with high-quality ingredients.
  • Chill out –If possible, always start with chilled ingredients.
  • Don’t skimp on the fat –High-fat milk and cream are essential when making homemade ice cream. Opting for a low-fat option often leads to icy ice creams and inconsistency in the texture.
  • Don’t skimp on the sugar –Sugar not only adds sweetness to homemade ice creams, it also helps with the texture.
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No Churn Black Ice Cream Directions

Chill a shallow container or a loaf pan in the freezer while you mix the ice cream ingredients. Pour the ice cream mixture into the prepared pan and freeze for 3-4 hours. Stir the ice cream every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours to help add air. This will help create a creamy, smooth texture.

Black Ice Cream Add-Ins

You can add anything to this ice cream that you enjoy! The base flavor of the ice cream is vanilla, so it’s ready for your creativity!

Halloween sprinkles are perfect with this spooky black ice cream! You can also serve scoops of black ice cream with scoops of Orange Ice Cream to make a Halloween-themed sundae.

More Fun Homemade Ice Cream Recipes

  • Easy Lime Ice Cream
  • Blackberry Ice Cream
  • Tutti Frutti Ice Cream
  • Butter Brickle Ice Cream

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Did you make this Homemade Black Ice Cream Recipe? Leave a Comment Below letting us know what you thought and if you added any additional add-ins.

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Easy Black Ice Cream Recipe

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Black Ice Cream is a trendy and fun recipe that you can make at home! This dark goth ice cream recipe is spooky and perfect for Halloween.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Additional Time 10 hours hrs

Total Time 10 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Course French Style Custard Base Ice Cream Recipes

Cuisine Dessert

Servings 10 Servings

Calories 237 kcal

Ingredients

  • 4 large egg yolks
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 ½ cups whole milk
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 ½ cups heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons activated charcoal

Instructions

  • Freeze your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

  • In a large heatproof bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and granulated sugar until well combined.

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  • Add the milk and salt to a small saucepan set over medium heat and warm it just until steaming.

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  • Slowly pour the warm milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, and then transfer the mixture back to the saucepan and return it to medium heat.

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  • Cook, stirring constantly, for 3-5 minutes or until the custard has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.

  • Pour the custard through a fine mesh sieve and whisk in the heavy cream, vanilla, and activated charcoal.

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  • Cover the ice cream base with plastic wrap (make sure the plastic wrap is touching the surface of the ice cream so it doesn't form a skin) and place it in the fridge until chilled– at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.

  • When the ice cream base is well chilled, churn it until it has a soft serve consistency. In my Kitchenaid Ice Cream attachment, this took about 15 minutes.

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  • Transfer the soft serve ice cream to a loaf pan and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Freeze until solid– at least 6 hours– and then scoop and enjoy.

Notes

    • Activated charcoal is flavorless but adds the dark black color to the ice cream. You can often find this at your local drug store, or it can be ordered online.

Keyword black ice cream, black ice cream recipe

Black Ice Cream Recipe - Ice Cream From Scratch (2024)

FAQs

How do you make black ice cream? ›

In a medium-size saucepan, on medium-low, mix milk, condensed milk, starch, honey, vanilla extract, cacao powder and charcoal. Don't let this mixture come to a boil. Pour mixture into a bowl, cover and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour before making ice cream.

What is black ice cream made of? ›

An ice cream made from pure virgin coconut shell activated charcoal. An ice cream that tastes like vanilla, but is black in color and changes the color of the tongue (only for an hour or so) has been launched. This ice cream is made from pure virgin coconut shell activated charcoal.

How do you dye ice cream black? ›

Activated Charcoal: Activated charcoal can be used to create black dishes and desserts like ice cream, but should be used with caution due to its ultra-absorbent properties.

What is the secret ingredient to ice cream? ›

The cream cheese helps create an ice cream with a denser, smoother texture. As explained by TASTE, cream cheese acts as a stabilizer in ice cream, preventing water from seeping out of the milk and cream as well as preventing the formation of ice crystals that detract from ice cream's creaminess.

What flavors are in black ice cream? ›

Black ice cream tastes strongly like coconut. It specifically tastes like coconut ash, however. It is made from a combination of coconut cream, coconut flakes and coconut milk. What flavor is purple ice cream?

What makes black ice black? ›

Black ice forms when a thin layer of moisture freezes into a hard slick surface on a roadway. It cannot be seen—which is why it is called “black ice.” It is extremely dangerous. If caught by it, keep your foot off the brake pedal and steer into the direction of the slide.

Why does ice cream turn black? ›

An outbreak of a greenish-black discoloration of chocolate ice cream has been described. It was caused by ferric tannate which was formed by the soluble iron or rusty cans reacting with the tannins in the cocoa. Not all cocoa will produce this dis- coloration with ferric salts.

Is black ice cream good for you? ›

Should you be eating charcoal ice cream: If you are on some prescription medicine you should certainly avoid charcoal ice cream. Moreover it can also reduce the available nutrient from the food you eat it should no eaten on regular basis. However it is worth trying and you can have it once a week or so.

Can you get black ice cream? ›

Buzz over black ice cream served at New York City's Morgenstern's started making the rounds about a year ago, and it has officially made it west to a shop called Little Damage in L.A. The flavor they are calling Black Roses is said to taste a little like chocolate with a hint of charcoal, which makes sense when you ...

What food coloring mix makes black? ›

Start by combining blue, red, and green dyes in equal amounts. Add additional drops of red and green. You will likely need to add additional drops of red and green (a bit more red than green) to reach a truly inky black.

What are the 3 most important ingredients of ice cream? ›

If you have ever made ice cream, you already know what goes into it, ingredients such as milk, cream, and sugar. But there is one main ingredient that you may not have thought about, probably because you can't see it—air.

What thickens homemade ice cream? ›

Egg Yolks: The most traditional thickening agent, egg yolks contain natural proteins and fats that contribute to a rich and luxurious texture in custard-based ice creams. Cornstarch: Often used in non-custard ice creams, cornstarch mixed with milk helps thicken the base and create a smooth mouthfeel.

What makes black ice black ice? ›

Understand that black ice is like regular ice.

It is a glaze that forms on surfaces (especially roads, sidewalks, and driveways) because of a light freezing rain or because of melting and re-freezing of snow, water, or ice on surfaces.

How is black ice formed? ›

Black ice forms when rain or snow falls. Whenever the temperature climbs above freezing, some will melt. When the temperature freezes again, ice will form. Although less common, black ice can form from dew or fog developing and then temperatures falling below freezing.

How to make black soft serve ice cream? ›

In a large bowl, combine heavy cream, half & half, sugar, activate charcoal (avoid consuming more than 100 grams of activated charcoal), 2 tablespoons mint extract, and at least 4 tablespoons black food coloring (more food coloring might be needed depending on concentration).

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