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    Home » Recipes » Desserts

    No-Churn Rocky Road Ice Cream

    By Chula King · August 19, 2022 · Updated October 12, 2022 Leave a Comment

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    No-Churn Rocky Road Ice Cream is velvety smooth and amazingly delicious. It takes minutes to make and doesn’t require an ice cream maker. The chocolate ice cream itself uses only three ingredients with several additional ingredients added for the ever-popular Rocky Road Ice Cream.

    Rocky Road Ice Cream.

    About Rocky Road Ice Cream

    Rocky Road Ice Cream traditionally includes chocolate ice cream with nuts and marshmallows added. There are differing accounts as to the actual origin of Rocky Road Ice Cream.

    One source credits the creation of Rocky Road Ice Cream to William Dreyer from Oakland California. In March of 1929, Dreyer added cut-up walnuts to chocolate ice cream. The walnuts were later replaced by almonds.

    According to one source, the ice cream was named Rocky Road “to give folks something to smile about in the midst of the Great Depression.” Another source credits the name to the lumps and bumps created by the nuts.

    Today it’s very easy to add different ingredients to ice cream. When the ice cream was developed, however, the addition of ingredients like nuts and marshmallows proved difficult because of the freezing techniques at the time.

    Rocky Road Ice Cream was revolutionary at the time because it was one of the first to incorporate mix-ins and extend beyond the traditional chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry flavors.

    Whatever the source, Rocky Road Ice Cream quickly because a sensation with different variations on a theme such as the use of different nuts and the addition of chocolate chips.

    Ingredients: Here’s What I Used

    Ingredients for no-churn rocky road ice cream.

    For the Ice Cream: To make the chocolate ice cream, I only needed three ingredients: heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, and unsweetened cocoa.

    For the Mix-ins: To transform the chocolate ice cream into Rocky Road Ice Cream, I used mini marshmallows, toasted almonds, and mini chocolate chips.

    Here’s How I Made The No-Churn Rocky Road Ice Cream

    The beauty of the no-churn method is that it doesn’t require an ice cream maker. Rather, all it requires is an electric mixer.

    1. I started by mixing the sweetened condensed milk and unsweetened cocoa in a bowl. Once the two ingredients were well mixed, I set them aside.
    Mixing together sweetened condensed milk and unsweetened cocoa.
    1. Next, I beat the heavy cream with my electric mixer until stiff peaks formed.
    Beating heavy cream with electric mixer.
    1. To lighten the sweetened condensed milk/cocoa mixture, I folded in about a cup of whipped cream.
    Mixing together sweetened condensed milk/cocoa mixture with some of the whipped cream.
    1. After that, I carefully folded in the lightened sweetened condensed milk/cocoa mixture to the remaining whipped cream.
    Folding the lightened mixture into the remaining whipped cream.
    1. Once the chocolate ice cream was well mixed together, I folded in the mini marshmallows, toasted almond pieces, and mini chocolate chips.
    Adding mini marshmallows, toasted almond pieces and mini chocolate chips.
    1. Finally, I transferred the Rocky Road Ice Cream to a chilled 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan. I covered the pan with aluminum foil and placed it in the freezer for at least 6 hours.
    Rocky Road Ice Cream ready for the freezer.

    The No-Churn Rocky Road Ice Cream was amazing. The rich chocolate ice cream was velvety smooth with just the right amount of mini marshmallows, toasted almond pieces, and mini chocolate chips. Yum!

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Can different nuts be substituted for almonds?

    Pecans and walnuts are perfect substitutes for almonds.

    Can regular chocolate chips be used in place of mini chocolate chips?

    I would avoid using regular chocolate chips. Once frozen the chocolate chips become quite hard making it somewhat difficult to bite into the larger chocolate chips. If you don’t have the mini chocolate chips, I would just use the marshmallows and the nuts.

    Does the no-churn method work for ice cream?

    An ice cream machine increases the volume and lightness of the ingredients by incorporating air into the ice cream mixture during the churning. The no-churn method also incorporates air into the ice cream mixture as the whipping cream is beaten. Specifically, as the cream is whipped, its volume increases with the incorporation of air and it becomes lighter. Therefore, you have the same principle at work.

    What type of cocoa was used in this recipe?

    I used Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa which is Dutch processed. However, feel free to use regular unsweetened cocoa or another brand of Dutch-processed cocoa.

    Other No-Churn Ice Cream Recipes

    If you want to skip the hassle of using an ice cream machine for making ice cream treats, consider one of these amazing recipes.

    • Chocolate Dipped No-Churn Ice Cream Cones
    • No Churn Roasted Strawberry Ice Cream
    • Choco Tacos (Copycat)
    • No-Churn Chocolate Butter Pecan Ice Cream (with Video)

    I hope you liked this recipe for No-Churn Rocky Road Ice Cream as much as I do. If so, please consider rating it and leaving a comment. Also, if you’d like to receive notifications of new posts by email, enter your email address in the Subscribe box.

    Thank you so much for visiting Pudge Factor. I hope you’ll come back!

    No-Churn Rocky Road Ice Cream.

    No-Churn Rocky Road Ice Cream

    No-Churn Rocky Road Ice Cream is velvety smooth and amazingly delicious. It takes minutes to make and doesn't require an ice cream maker. The chocolate ice cream itself uses only three ingredients with several additional ingredients added for the ever popular Rocky Road Ice Cream. 
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Freezing Time: 6 hours
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 557kcal
    Author: Chula King

    Ingredients

    • 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
    • ½ cup (1.5-ounces) unsweetened cocoa (See Tip 1)
    • 2 cups (16-ounces) heavy whipping cream
    • 1 cup (1.6-ounces) mini marshmallows
    • 1 cup (4-ounces) almond pieces, toasted (See Tip 2)
    • ½ cup (3-ounces) mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (See Tip 3)

    Instructions

    • Place 9 x 5 x 3-inch metal loaf pan in freezer to chill.
    • Mix together the sweetened condensed milk and unsweetened cocoa. Set aside.
    • In a large bowl, beat the heavy cream on high until stiff peaks form.
    • Fold in about a cup of whipped cream to sweetened condensed mixture with a rubber spatula until well combined. Then fold the lightened mixture into the whipped cream until well blended. 
    • Fold in mini marshmallows, toasted almonds and mini chocolate chips to the chocolate ice cream.
    • Transfer ice cream to chilled loaf pan. Cover and freeze for at least 6 hours.

    Chula’s Expert Tips

    1. I used Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa which is Dutch processed. However, you can also use regular unsweetened cocoa.
    2. To toast the almond pieces, place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for 8 minutes. Watch carefully to ensure that the almonds don’t burn.
    3. I would not use regular sized chocolate chips. The mini chocolate chips can be omitted.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 557kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 85mg | Sodium: 87mg | Potassium: 505mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 1015IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 233mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment below and/or give this recipe a rating. On Instagram? Take a picture and tag @pudgefactor or #pudgefactor.

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    Filed Under: Desserts, Frozen Treats, Labor Day

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