On a spur-of-the-moment whim last Sunday, my mom and I decided to attend an Oakland A’s baseball game. We purchased season tickets for the past two years, but because we skipped this season, we’ve start to go through withdrawals… We let three weeks go by since our last baseball game, and that was far too long!
We picked seats in our favorite section (just beyond the A’s dugout and even with the bag at third base), directly on the aisle to avoid climbing over other fans for bathroom and concession stand breaks. After greeting our favorite usher with big smiles and hugs, we settled in to cheer on our boys with the rest of the crowd.
As a pitchers’ duel (aka a low-scoring game, for those of you not quite as obsessed with baseball as I am!), we saw plenty of spectacular defensive plays from both teams. Diving catches, leaping grabs, speeding fastballs, line-drove comebackers… It felt like we applauded for something amazing at every other at-bat (oops… every other player’s turn, if you aren’t familiar with baseball terms!), which really worked up our appetites!
With the temperature above 80°F and not a cloud in the sky, vendors walked up and down the aisles offering plenty of cold, refreshing treats to the fans sweltering in the heat. Snow cones, iced tea, frozen lemonade, bottles of soda… But as huge chocoholics (I inherited that from my mom!), the chocolate malts, Häagen-Dazs dark chocolate ice cream bars, and Nestlé ice cream drumsticks really caught our eye!
Although the fans around us readily caved and purchased those sweets, Mom and I tried to summon the willpower to avoid the temptation. Although it felt virtually impossible…
It was a lot easier when I remembered I could make a batch of this Ultimate Healthy Chocolate Ice Cream when we returned home! It’s rich, smooth, and creamy, just like anything you’d find at an ice cream parlor. It’s also super easy and quick to make — and secretly full of protein!
I think I’ll celebrate that with another scoop! 😉
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST HEALTHY CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM
For the base of your healthier ice cream, you’ll use Greek yogurt and 2% milk. If you’ve been around AHB for a while, you know how much I love Greek yogurt! It’s thick and creamy, making it perfect for this ice cream, and it also adds a big protein boost. One cup of Greek yogurt contains about 21g of protein!
I highly recommend that you use 2% milk, as the recipe calls for. This is because ice cream needs a certain amount of fat in order to be smooth and creamy. Without it, your ice cream would be grainy and icy. I explain more about that (and why it’s so important!) over here.
Note: I do not recommend substituting almond milk or cashew milk. These have a high water content, so they would have the same effect on your ice cream’s texture as nonfat or 1% milk.
For the chocolate flavor, you’ll mix in cocoa powder. Yes, just regular unsweetened cocoa powder—no melted chocolate! I wanted to make this ice cream recipe as easy as possible for you to whip up. You’ll add in a full ½ cup of cocoa powder, so your ice cream will still taste very rich and decadent.
Tip: I don’t recommend substituting Dutched or special dark cocoa powder. These have a different acidity level, which can affect the flavor and consistency of your ice cream. They also tend to make this ice cream taste more muted and bland, compared to the really decadent and rich flavor of regular unsweetened cocoa powder.
To sweeten the ice cream, you’ll use another one of my favorite ingredients: liquid stevia. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that’s clean eating friendly, and it’s highly concentrated. You’ll only need 1 ½ teaspoons for this entire batch of ice cream—that’s the equivalent of ¾ cup of sugar! This is the kind that I buy because I love its sweet flavor, and I don’t notice any strange aftertastes like with some other stevia products. You can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores, but I usually buy it online here because that’s the best price I’ve found. (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)
There’s one last important ingredient in this ice cream base. Eggs act as a natural “glue” that helps hold together traditional ice cream bases and therefore create that perfect smooth, creamy texture. Because we’re skipping the eggs (I’m impatient and don’t want to heat my ice cream base—I just want to eat my frozen dessert as soon as possible!), you’ll use a different “glue” called xanthan gum. You can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores, as well as online. Do not skip the xanthan gum. Your ice cream will taste icy and hard without it. (You can read more of my nerdy explanation of that here!)
Now all that’s left is to turn on your ice cream maker (I own this one — it’s really inexpensive and I love it!), pour in that chocolaty milk mixture, wait for 20 minutes or less, and…
Serve yourself a big scoop! And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees that I’ll see the notification from you! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your ultimate healthy chocolate ice cream!
The Ultimate Healthy Chocolate Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups (270mL) 2% milk (see Notes!)
- 1 cup (240g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ½ cup (40g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured like this – and see Notes!)
- 1 ½ tsp liquid stevia
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp xanthan gum
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- The night before you plan on making your ice cream, place the bowl of an electric ice cream maker in the freezer. Freeze for at least 12-16 hours.
- Add all of the ingredients to a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer for 1 minute or until very frothy.
- Working quickly, remove the ice cream maker bowl from the freezer. Place it on the ice cream maker, attach the paddle and the lid, and turn it on. With the ice cream maker turning, pour in the milk mixture. Let the ice cream maker churn for 15-20 minutes or until the ice cream is frozen and has reached your desired consistency. For the best texture and taste, serve immediately.
Notes
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ The Ultimate Healthy Vanilla Ice Cream
♡ Healthier Cookies ‘n Cream Ice Cream
♡ Healthy Chai Spice Ice Cream
♡ Healthy Pumpkin Spice Latte Ice Cream
♡ Healthier Brownie Bark Mini Ice Cream Sandwiches
♡ Skinny Strawberry Cheesecake Frozen Greek Yogurt Sandwiches
♡ Healthy Cookie Dough Frozen Yogurt
♡ Lightened Up Mini Hula Pie Ice Cream Desserts
♡ Lightened Up Blueberry & Cherry Ice Cream Sandwiches
♡ Healthy Fudgy Triple Chocolate Cookies
♡ The Ultimate Healthy Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
Yay a chocolate ice cream recipe!! Now I may just HAVE to buy that ice cream maker (that I have no space for).
The only flavor of ice cream I eat is chocolate, I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve even tried something with zero chocolate. My favorite chocolate flavor is the kind with pieces of brownies and fudge. I have one last chocolate scone left, I wonder if I’d be able to break that up and add it in here. I’ll give the method without an ice cream maker a whirl and see how it goes.
I love your idea of adding the chocolate scone to the ice cream! That sounds absolutely delicious. I almost always go with something chocolaty when it comes to ice cream too — it’s practically mandatory for a chocoholic like me! 😉 I can’t wait to hear what you think of the ice cream Krithika!
I want to try your recipe as my first foray into making ice cream. Can I substitute 2% evaporated milk for the 2% lowfat milk in the recipe?
I’m honored that you’d like to try my recipe as your first homemade ice cream Evelyn! That means a lot to me. 🙂 I haven’t tried that particular substitution, but I think it should work. If you end up with leftovers to freeze and eat at a later date, they’ll probably be a little “icier” compared to this ice cream with 2% milk, but that should be the only difference. I can’t wait to hear what you think of them!
Why would 2% evaporated milk make the ice cream icier than 2% lowfat? Wouldn’t they have the same amount of fat? And if I don’t dilute the evaporatorated milk, wouldn’t there be more milk solids in it to give the ice cream more substance? Since I’ve never made ice cream, excuse me if what I say is way off base.
Oh gosh, you’re completely correct Evelyn!! I read your original comment too quickly and thought it said 0% evaporated milk. My apologies for the confusion!! 🙂 You should be completely fine with the 2% evaporated milk!
Hi Amy! Have you ever tried using guar gum? I’ve had luck in making ice cream/smoothies even more ice cream like when I use that with xanthan!
I actually haven’t worked with guar gum before, but it sounds like something worth trying! 🙂 I’m excited to hear what you think of the ice cream Erin!
What are you thoughts on using a 2% greek yogurt and cashew milk (just flip flopping the fat source)?
I still think that cashew milk contains too much water, which will cause the ice cream to have an icy and hard texture. I’m excited to hear what you think of it Katie!
Ooh 25 minutes?? That sounds just about right. It looks so fudgy too. I love it! I need it! But also going to a baseball game and getting Haagen dazz sounds good too. (I’m way too lazy to scroll up and see how to actually spell that. lol!
Why not have both Karen?? 😉 I’ll gladly come up and take you to a baseball game so you can get your Haagen-Dazs, and then we can make this homemade ice cream too! Deal? 🙂
Yet another PERFECT ice cream recipe to beat the heat! 🙂 My whole family LOVES ice cream, so this would be perfect to make when we don’t feel like buying some or having the kind that’s full of processed junk! If I can’t pronounce it, I don’t like to put it in my mouth haha! 😉
It sounds like our families would get along perfectly Marina — my family is just as obsessed with ice cream! 😉
Hi,
I’ve never commented before, but I have to about the ice cream. I made my own recipe last night and it was fabulous. I used canned coconut milk (high in fat), powdered cocoa, and liquid chocolate stevia. Just before serving, I added mini-chocolate chips and chopped pecans. SSSooooooo Gooooood!
That sounds delicious Leela! 🙂
your cookies will go a treat with this delicious ice cream…I love trying out your recipes using great new ingredients. Thank you for encouraging me to do so xoxo
You’re so sweet Beverly — thank YOU for trying so many of my recipes! ♥
Ice cream and baseball?? Sounds like a perfect day! So excited to make it, but I’m curious about the greek yogurt. Can you taste it in the end?
This ice cream tastes really rich and chocolaty, not tangy like Greek yogurt. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of it Ashley!
Mine tasted good at first but then had really weird bitter aftertaste, not pleasant at all! Do you know what it could be? I followed the same ingredients and quantities, except I used 3.25% milk and 2% greek yogurt.
Also making ice cream by hand for the first time has convinced me that I need to buy an ice cream maker 🙂
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Anna! If you’re up for a quick test, then stir 12-16 drops of the vanilla creme stevia into ¼ cup of your milk. Taste it, and see if it has the same bitter aftertaste. That will let us know whether your taste buds are more sensitive to the vanilla creme stevia than most people — or whether it’s something else! 🙂
Is there anything I can use to substitute the xanthan gum? Cornstarch? Gelatin?
I really don’t recommend substituting anything for the xanthan gum; I haven’t found an ingredient that provides the same texture for this ice cream. I’d love to hear what you think if you try it Alexa! 🙂