You don’t need to make an egg custard and you don’t need an ice cream maker to make no churn chocolate ice cream. There isn’t a trace of an ice crystal crunch either. If you leave it to get fully frozen, take it out at least half an hour before you want to eat it and let it soften a little on the side. Or, my husband gives it a little blast in the microwave, because he’s too impatient to wait!

Before you freeze it, have a portion as a mousse, super thick and unctuous

How to make old fashioned home made chocolate ice cream

To make this no churn chocolate ice cream, I use double (heavy) cream, sweetened condensed milk, thick Greek yogurt and cocoa powder.

The double (heavy) cream is whipped until it has soft peaks. This type of cream gives a lovely silky smooth texture. I like to cut the richness a little by using equal amounts of thick Greek yogurt, and I like the very slight tang it gives the ice cream. If you don’t like that, just substitute with more cream.

Condensed milk is then added, straight from the can and mixed in very well.

When the cocoa is added it must be sieved in. If it isn’t, stubborn little lumps remain in your lovely ice cream and simply refuse to dissolve into the mixture.

Make sure everything is very well mixed, then taste. Does it need more cocoa? If so, making sure to sieve it in, add a little more, mix, taste and repeat.

When you’re happy with your home made chocolate ice cream, pile it into a freezer proof container and pop it into the freezer. That’s it you’re done. No fancy machine needed, no taking it out and stirring it to prevent ice crystals.

You might like to keep a portion or two in the fridge and use as a lovely chocolate mouse. It’s seriously good! If you’d like some mousse once your chocolate ice cream is already frozen, simply take out from the freezer what you’d like and leave it to defrost completely.

How to make dark chocolate ice cream

This chocolate ice cream recipe is for a darker chocolate version as it is because that’s what my husband likes. If you like your dark chocolate ice cream even stronger than this, sieve in a little more cocoa, mix it all in well, taste and see if it as you like it. Need a little more still? Repeat the sieving, mixing and tasting until it is just right.

If you prefer a milk chocolate ice cream, just reduce the amount of cocoa. Start by sieving in half the amount of cocoa at the initial mixing stage. Stir it all in well, taste and see if it is as you like it. Needs a little more? Sieve in a spoonful or two, mix, taste and repeat until you have it as you prefer.

What other flavours of no churn ice cream can I make?

This was so successful, lots of other flavours occur.

• I’ve got several packets of cheap dried apricots in the cupboard, make a paste with some of those and that would be fab.
• You could dissolve some coffee powder in the yogurt and make a coffee ice cream. This is the favourite of a friend of mine, and is quite hard to find
• Or how about a few fresh raspberries or strawberries.
• Or some fresh figs if you have a tree.
• Or damson purée from foraged fruit.
• Or blackberry purée from autumn fruits stashed in the freezer. I would sieve out the pips first
• Toast some sweetened breadcrumbs and stir into a mix flavoured with vanilla.
• Make a peach or mandarin purée using the value tinned fruit, drained.
• You could use any of the flavours to make a ripple type one by stirring the flavouring through the condensed milk / yogurt / cream mixture.
• Soak some mixed dried fruit overnight in strong tea or some kind of booze for a tutti frutti.
• Add a little splash of liquer, so a Baileys version, or rum and raisin, or raspberry and whiskey for a Scottish themed flavour.
• A good dollop of black treacle and a big handful of walnuts crunched up into small pieces is a fantastic home made ice cream
• Pomegranate molasses gives a lovely sharp option, i really liked that one
• Stir through some cooked, pureed orange peel for a glorious orange flavour ice cream

Oh and I’m sure there are many other flavours too. I wasn’t sure how much cream I’d need, so I got two 300ml pots, another two flavours won’t be long in coming

If you’ve made some ice cream and used half the tin of condensed milk, Zoe Morrison at Eco Thrifty Living has pulled together 11 different ways to use it up, including this wonderful looking fudge

Home made ice cream without condensed milk

I had a conversation with a chef and one of the things she said was that she used to make ice cream in the hotel where she worked using just cream and a jar of good strawberry jam.

So I tried a batch with half whipped double cream (300ml) , half full fat Greek yogurt (300ml) and half a jar of some fancy pants marmalade bought at a farmers market and never used. The best before date was 2008!!!!

Usual method, whip the cream, stir in the yogurt, add enough marmalade so that it tastes right. Result was stunningly gorgeous. The sugar from the marmalade was the perfect amount, but if the jam you used wasn’t, just add some granulated sugar until it’s sweet enough.

I had some plum and apple jam in the cupboard from 2013, that was delicious. It was surprisingly sharp and would need a smooth and creamy one to go with it

Using jam along with condensed milk, makes the mix too sweet, so this is perfect to use up jam, lemon curd etc. Well worth trying with the value stuff too to keep the price down

Surprisingly sharp plum jam no churn ice cream