Chocolate Sea Salt Ice Cream

This luscious Chocolate Sea Salt Ice Cream is the kind of indulgence you whisper about at the end of a long day. I don’t know what it is about sea salt ice cream that has me hooked, but I’m in deep now, and there’s no going back!

A horizontal photo of a freezer safe container on a wooden tabletop with a floral tea towel visible in the background.

Travel seems to inspire so many of my recipes. And this one was no different. My sisters and I visited Santa Fe, New Mexico recently, and while we were there we found a shop that served a chocolate sea salt ice cream just like this one. It was love at first bite, for me.

My older sister wasn’t a fan of the sea salt ice creams, but I would have happily increased the salt even more. I just knew that I had to recreate those ice creams when I got home. I’m happy to report that I’ve nailed them both now.

As it turns out, I like salted ice cream so much that I’ve started sprinkling salt over pretty much every scoop of ice cream I serve lately. If you think that sea salt and chocolate is a strange combination, then I can’t wait to introduce you!

Sea salt chocolate captures one of my absolute favorite combinations, salty and sweet. I always sprinkle Maldon sea salt flakes over desserts like these chocolate chip pudding cookies. It takes them from really good to downright glorious.

The most popular question I get is whether it’s possible to make ice cream without a machine. The answer is YES. You can make ice cream without a machine. Find the full directions here!

Chocolate sea salt ice cream has been scooped into a white serving dish over a wooden tabletop in this vertically aligned image.

Salted Chocolate Ice Cream

I’m really proud of the way that this salted chocolate ice cream turned out. I’ve worked on a lot of ice cream flavors. And, I feel like the more I work with ice cream, the more comfortable I am with trying new things, and dialing them in so that they are exactly what I want. I’m thrilled to be able to add this flavor to the long list of ice creams here on the blog.

With over 160 ice cream recipes here to choose from, there’s sure to be an ice cream for everyone! If you’re new to making ice cream, the best and easiest vanilla ice cream is a great place to start.

These are my favorite inexpensive containers for storing ice cream. They’re perfect for gifting (who doesn’t love homemade ice cream?) storage, re-using, etc. I write the flavors on the lids with a sharpie and it washes off with dish soap.

I have more ice cream scoops than I can keep track of at this point and I definitely play favorites. This ice cream scoop does the best job ever of cutting through firm ice cream and still delivers a pretty scoop. It gets bonus points for being one of the least expensive scoops I own as well.

Don’t miss our Ice Cream Maker Review for all the information you need to find the BEST Ice Cream Maker for your needs. Spoiler alert – our top-rated machine under $50 just might surprise you. It sure surprised me!

A vertically aligned photo of a scoop of brown ice cream in a white bowl on a tabletop with an open container of flake salt visible in the background.

Sweet and Salty Desserts

Looking for more sweet and salty desserts? You’ve come to the right place, my friend. I’ve got a long list of treats that showcase both sides of that delicious coin. Get out your big spoon, because this homemade salted caramel ice cream is rich, frosty perfection. And these salted chocolate chip cookies are giant bakery-style cookies with crisp edges and a perfectly chewy center. This is a cookie you absolutely must taste to believe.

There’s also sea salt pecan toffee, if you like sweet and salty with a crunch. And, don’t miss out on this irresistible, super fast recipe for caramel turtle bark.

In a large saucepan, combine the cream, cocoa, sugar, and salt. Whisk to combine and then heat over medium heat, stirring continually, until it comes together and begins to steam and simmer. If you wish, you may increase the heat, but continue stirring non-stop. Do not step away at this point.
Remove from the heat and immediately add the chocolate chips. Whisk until the chocolate has completely melted. Stir in the milk, vanilla, and salt. Cool and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight until completely cold.
Process according to your machine’s instructions. Serve immediately for soft-serve ice cream or transfer to a freezer-safe storage container and freeze until ready to serve. Top each serving with an extra sprinkle of salt, if desired.