Salted Chocolate Olive Oil Ice Cream is deeply chocolaty and decadent. The punch from the salt and fruitiness from the olive oil make this ice cream unforgettable.
I was inspired to make Chocolate Olive Oil Ice Cream after a trip to a wonderful Brooklyn restaurant. The combination might sound odd at first, but no one would ever know there’s olive oil in this ice cream.
Ingredient Notes
- Chocolate- I think a bittersweet chocolate works best in this recipe, but semi-sweet chocolate can also be use.
- Olive oil- It’s very important to choose a good olive oil for this recipe. Use a fruity, extra virgin olive oil. One of my favorite brands is California Olive Ranch. I would use their everyday 100% California variety.
- Cocoa powder- I prefer a Dutch process cocoa which is darker and less acidic, but you can use whatever you have on hand.
- Salt- I use a finer salt for the ice cream base and a flaky salt for sprinkling on top.
Step by Step Process
To make this recipe, start off by heating up the milk and cream. Then, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until pale and creamy. Temper the eggs and add them to the pot with the milk.
Cook the ice cream base for 3-5 minutes, or until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Strain through a sieve into a large bowl with the chopped chocolate. Allow the chocolate to melt, and stir to combine. Slowly pour in the olive oil while constantly whisking.
Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate until chilled. Freeze in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Serve topped with flaky salt and enjoy!
Expert Tips and FAQs
- Make sure to choose quality ingredients. Good quality chocolate, olive oil and cocoa powder will make this ice cream that much better.
- Make sure your ice cream is properly chilled before you freeze it. If you put the custard base into the ice cream machine while it’s too warm, it might not freeze properly.
Some chocolate ice cream only contains cocoa powder and no actual chocolate. This recipe contains a combination of both which makes it rich and intensely chocolate flavored.
The flavor of olive oil ice cream will largely be affected by the type of olive oil used. Olive oil generally adds richness, fruitiness and sometimes a slight bitter aftertaste to the ice cream.
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- Matcha Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Milk and Honey Ice Cream
- Mango Lassi Popsicles
- Double Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
- Strawberry Balsamic Ice Cream
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Salted Chocolate Olive Oil Ice Cream
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings (1 quart) 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Salted Chocolate Olive Oil Ice Cream is deeply chocolaty and decadent. No one would guess the secret ingredient in this unforgettable dessert.
Ingredients
- 3oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped, plus more for serving
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 6 large egg yolks
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup cocoa powder (preferably Dutch process)
- ¾ tsp kosher salt (½ tsp fine salt)
- 6 tbsp good quality, fruity extra virgin olive oil
- Fleur de sel or other flakey salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Prep chocolate: Place chopped chocolate in a large heat proof bowl. Set a cooling rack and sieve nearby for later use.
- Heat milk base: Place milk and cream in a medium-sized pot. Warm over medium heat until mix comes to a gentle simmer. Stir in cocoa and salt.
- Beat eggs and sugar: While milk mixture heats, place yolks and sugar in a bowl. Whisk vigorously until mixture becomes pale yellow, thick and creamy, approximately 4-5 minutes.
- Temper eggs: After milk mixture comes to a simmer, ladle about ½ cup into the egg mixture while constantly whisking. Slowly whisk in tempered egg mixture in the pot with the remaining milk mixture.
- Cook ice cream base: Continue to whisk or stir constantly for 3-5 minutes or until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Strain: Pour cooked ice cream base through sieve into bowl with chopped chocolate. Allow to sit for 3-5 minutes so chocolate melts. Whisk to combine. Place bowl over cooling rack and cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.
- Add oil: Stream olive oil into ice cream base and whisk constantly until emulsified.
- Refrigerate: Once ice cream base has cooled to room temperature, cover and refrigerate for 4-6 hours or overnight.
- Freeze: Freeze ice cream using ice cream machine, according to manufacturer’s directions. Eat immediately (it will be like soft serve) or allow to further set up for at least 1-2 hours in the freezer. If frozen solid, allow ice cream to come up to room temperature for about 5-10 minutes before scooping.
- Serve: Scoop ice cream and serve topped with fleur de sel and chopped chocolate, if desired. Enjoy.
Notes
Semisweet chocolate would also work well in this recipe.
Store ice cream in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 2-4 months.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Simmer, Freeze
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ½ cup
- Calories: 330
- Sugar: 25g
- Sodium: 180mg
- Fat: 22g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 28g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 8g
So very tasty! I was already in the habit of eating chocolate ice cream with salted olive oil on top, so I had to try this. It’s rich and not too sweet, and the olive oil flavor is very subtle–it just makes the chocolate more interesting, it’s not identifiable as olive oil. I stirred in a few chopped roasted almonds for a sophisticated rocky road effect. Thank you for this recipe!
You are so very welcome, Erika! Thank you for the lovely comment. I agree. I’ll have to add almonds next time, too 🙂
I am excited to try this recipe however don’t have an ice cream maker, do you think if I just freeze with occasional stirring that this would be ok? Thanks Sabrina
Hi Kim! You can definitely make it without an ice cream machine. I just read an article that suggests allowing it to freeze for 90 minutes, giving it a thorough whisk. Repeat 45 minutes later and then every 30 minutes after that for a total of 3-4 hours (so basically whisking it 4-5 times). Just make sure the custard is chilled in the fridge before putting it in the freezer. Let me know if you get a chance to try it out 🙂
Can another sweetener be used other then sugar ( type 2 diabetes) Say stevia?
Hi Harold. You can certainly make ice cream with stevia or sucralose, but I wouldn’t use this recipe in that case. I just did a quick google search to compare recipes. It wouldn’t be a simple 1:1 substitute and I’m not sure if you would use the same process either as far as whipping the eggs and sugar together. It would be best to find a recipe online tested with a sugar substitute in it to make sure it would work out properly.
Here’s one with stevia and one with splenda:
https://ketopots.com/keto-chocolate-ice-cream
https://thesugarfreediva.com/homemade-sugar-free-chocolate-ice-cream/
can you make ss a custard and not as a n ice cream? can you use mae syrup as the sweetener instead of sugar
Hi Roseann! That’s a good question. You could eat eat as a custard without freezing it, but it may be slightly on the thin side. Custards usually contain more thickening agents. If you switch out maple syrup for the sugar, it would work well as ice cream, but be even thinner as a custard.
Delicious!
Hi Sabrina 🙂 this is a mouth-watering recipe and I’m really intrigued by the idea of adding olive oil to ice cream! But it seems to be missing in the actual recipe here. A truly ‘secret’ ingredient this olive oil is! 😉 Would you mind revealing how much and at which stage it should be added?
Hi Aleksandra!
Thank you so much for bringing that to my attention! I apologize for the mistake! I just added the missing step (#7) to the recipe card. I used 6 tbsp of olive oil. I whisk it into the chocolate ice cream base after it cools, before I put it in the fridge to further chill. Hope that helps!
Thanks Sabrina! I can’t wait to try your recipe soon! 🙂
Let me know how it turns out!