The Ultimate Coffee Ice Cream

Today we are going to combine two of my favorite things – coffee and ice cream! I am going to make one of the best coffee ice cream recipes I have ever tried. But I will warn you, this is a time-consuming recipe but very worth it.  There are several steps with long breaks in between.  If you are looking to make this for a special event, I would make the ice cream mix the day before and let it sit in the fridge until you need to make it. It tastes best fresh, right out of the ice cream machine. But it also stores well too.

Whatever flavor coffee you use to make this ice cream is going to be the dominant flavor.  I enjoy mixing it up and trying different coffee flavors so a great way to do that is with a sampler pack.  That way, you can try out several different flavors without committing to a whole case without knowing if you like it or not.

The sampler pack by Two Rivers is full of lots of variety. I had absolutely no repeats in the whole case! But my favorite coffee was the Vienna Mocha Chunk. I knew it would also make great ice cream! Slight hint of vanilla with chocolate undertones is a perfect ice cream flavor.


To make this coffee ice cream at home you will need the following –

3/4 C Vienna Mocha Chunk Coffee Grounds
2 C Whole Milk
1 C Sugar
6 Egg Yolks
2 1/2 C Heavy Whipping Cream
1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 bar Sweet Chocolate

Ice Cream Maker
Cheesecloth or Fine Mesh Strainer
Large Saucepan

This is my first time making coffee ice cream and my first time using eggs in an ice cream recipe but I have been told the egg yolks make for a much creamier, richer ice cream. And now that I have tasted it, I can honestly say it really does! I don’t think I will want to make ice cream without eggs ever again!

First, take a large saucepan, pour in the coffee grounds, milk and sugar. Heat it over medium heat while stirring it continuously.  You have heated it enough when there is a little steam coming off the mix. Then, remove it from the burner and let it steep for 30 minutes.

This next step can get messy. You need to strain your mixture and remove all the coffee grounds. You can use a cheesecloth or fine mesh strainer. I tried using a coffee filter and strainer and it was pretty messy. This was by far my longest and messiest step in the whole process.  Once you’ve strained the coffee grounds out, pour the mixture back into the saucepan.

Next, take a medium bowl and whisk the egg yolks until they are a pale yellow. Then gently mix them into the coffee mixture in the large saucepan.

While you are continuously stirring heat the mixture over low heat until it begins to thicken. This will take about 10 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when it starts to coat the back of the spoon.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and let it cool for 15 minutes. Be sure to stir it every so often while it’s cooling so it doesn’t develop a film on the top.

Once the mixture is cool it’s time to mix in the heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract with a whisk. Be sure to mix it well.


You can either pour your coffee ice cream mixture into your ice cream machine now or cover and refrigerate until you are ready to make it.

If you are using the Ice Cream Depot machine you are going to set the ICD to 15.

While the machine is turning your coffee ice cream mix into coffee ice cream it’s time to chop up the chocolate bar. I wanted large chunks so I did big chunks.

Once your ice cream is made it does taste best fresh. But if you have some leftovers I have found they store well in these containers. Keeps the freezer burn away!

As you are pouring your coffee ice cream into the container or serving dish, sprinkle the chocolate bar chunks in.

This ice cream really does taste like a gourmet ice cream you would find in an ice cream parlor.

Be sure to check out our other ice cream recipes too.

So to help you find the perfect coffee to make your first batch of coffee ice cream I am giving away the same sampler pack I tried! Be sure to enter below. The contest ends on February 29th. The winner will be notified via email and have 24 hours to respond or a new winner will be drawn.

Two Rivers Sampler KCup Giveaway