Rocky Road Ice Cream Recipe No Churn Carlsbad Cravings

Rocky Road Ice Cream Recipe

Before my homemade No-Churn Rocky Road Ice Cream Recipe, I always thought I needed an ice cream maker to make homemade ice cream or that it would be difficult or that it wouldn’t be as good as store-bought. I was wrong. Wrong. Wrong. I learned that the air normally incorporated into ice cream by churning in an ice cream machine is instead achieved by whipping heavy cream, and the classic custard is replaced by sweetened condensed milk to produce irresistible, homemade no churn ice cream every time. And of course, when I know how to make no churn ice cream, I am going to bring you my favorite ice cream – Homemade Rocky Road Ice Cream! I adore Rocky Road so much that I never buy it because it will call to me – nay, scream to me until it’s gone – eat me! Eat me! Eat me! And as soon as I made this homemade rocky road ice cream recipe, it proceeded to to do just that. And I don’t blame it. I actually thank it. Sorry, Patrick. More decadent Triple Chocolate Rocky Road for me. I am a Rocky Road ice cream connoisseur and this Rocky Road was some of the best – if not the best – I have ever had. So if you like chocolate ice cream, or marshmallows, or nuts even just a little, your taste buds will go crazy for this Rocky Road. It’s rich, creamy, chocolaty, packed with goodies in every bite and is sure to satisfy your Rocky Road cravings — or make you crave it more.

What Is in Rocky Road Ice Cream?

This is such an easy homemade ice cream recipe! Here are the rocky road ice cream ingredients you’ll need:

Chocolate: I used a mixture of bittersweet and semi-sweet chocolate. Milk: Any milk will work, but 2% fat or higher will result in the creamiest no churn ice cream. Sweetened condensed milk: Not to be confused with evaporated milk! Vanilla extract: Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor. Unsweetened cocoa powder: Regular cocoa powder works better than Dutch process in this recipe. Lemon juice: Doesn’t make the rocky road ice cream taste at all lemony. Salt: You need a pinch of salt to bring out the chocolate flavor and balance out the sweetness of the ice cream. Mini marshmallows: I used regular mini marshmallows, but I bet you could use flavored marshmallows too. Almonds: I buy roasted salted almonds to save myself the time needed to roast them myself. Chocolate chips: Any type of chocolate chips will work. Heavy cream: You must use heavy cream. Half and half or another substitute won’t work. Chocolate ganache: I’ve linked my simple 5-minute recipe in the recipe card below!

Ingredient Variations

If you only have regular marshmallows on hand, dice them into bite-sized pieces before mixing them into the ice cream. I used roasted almonds, but you can use any kind of roasted nut you like. If you like your ice cream on the super sweet side, use milk chocolate rather than semi-sweet or bittersweet.

How to Make Rocky Road Ice Cream

It’s so easy to make homemade ice cream without a machine! It starts by adding bittersweet chocolate and semisweet chocolate to hot milk and swirling to melt the chocolate then stirring in the sweetened condensed milk, marshmallows, roasted almonds and chocolate chips along with some cocoa powder, lemon juice and vanilla. You then whip heavy cream until soft peaks form then fold them together. That’s it! Well almost… You then proceed to swirl in chocolate sauce (I used my 5-Minute Silky Chocolate Sauce) so every bite is triple the chocolate delicious.

Tips for Making Rocky Road Ice Cream

To store this rocky road ice cream, any container will work as long as it is NOT glass. You can even divide among multiple containers. The shallower the container, the faster the ice cream will freeze and be ready to eat. Cover with plastic wrap or waxed paper pressed directly on the surface of the ice cream to help prevent ice crystals from forming.

Recipe Variations to Try

Add extra mix-ins. If you want to add in peanut butter chips, or any other sort of guilty pleasure, feel free! You CANNOT mess this ice cream up with add-ins as long as you follow the basic ice cream recipe.Use different nuts. I used almonds, but peanuts, cashews, macadamia nuts, etc. will all work! Use different chocolate chips. Any kind of baking chip will work in this recipe. White, milk, semi-sweet, bittersweet, you name it!

How to Store Rocky Road Ice Cream

This homemade rocky road ice cream should be stored in a metal or plastic container with a piece of plastic wrapped placed directly on top of the ice cream.

How Long Does Homemade Ice Cream Last?

Homemade ice cream will last about a month in the freezer. It won’t go “bad,” but it may form ice crystals over time. Kiwi was very disappointed that she couldn’t have any Rocky Road ice cream. Don’t worry Kiwi, it’s vanilla inspired next time.

Looking for More Summer Dessert Recipes?

Caramel Toffee Ice Cream CakePumpkin Ice Cream PieCoconut Oreo Cream Icebox CakeLemon Pots de CremeLemon Blueberry CakeFrozen Fruit SkewersFrozen Lemon Meringue PieCherry Cheesecake DipTriple Coconut Cake

Adapted from the No-Churn Ice Cream Cookbook