Smooth, creamy and irresistibly rich Cherry Chocolate Ice Cream made with classic Italian Amarena cherries. This no-churn recipe is incredibly simple — about 10 minutes of active prep delivers silky, decadent ice cream with a delicious black forest character.
Amarena cherries are a wonderful Italian pantry item: tart, packed in a sweet syrup and perfect for desserts and cocktails. In this recipe they bring a lovely sour contrast to the chocolate base, creating a true black forest flavour.
The no-churn method makes this ice cream quick and accessible. The base combines heavy cream and sweetened condensed milk for that signature silky texture without an ice cream machine.
Simply dissolve cocoa in warm milk, cool the mixture, whip together with condensed milk, heavy cream and vanilla to soft peaks, fold in the cherries, then freeze until set.
See the recipe below for ingredient notes, step-by-step photos, tips, variations and a short video. For a printable version, scroll to the recipe section at the bottom.
Ingredients
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Sweetened condensed milk – essential for this no-churn ice cream. It sweetens and helps create the smooth, creamy texture. Do not substitute.
- Heavy cream (double cream UK) – use full-fat cream for the proper texture.
- Cocoa powder – choose a good-quality unsweetened cocoa for best chocolate flavour.
- Amarena cherries – sour Italian cherries preserved in sweet syrup. If unavailable, Maraschino cherries can be used, though they are sweeter and less tart.
Step by step photos and instructions
Add the cocoa powder and milk to a saucepan. Warm over medium heat, whisking until the cocoa dissolves and the milk just begins to simmer. Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool completely — it must be cold before you continue (photos 1 and 2).
When the cocoa-milk is fully cooled, combine it with the sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream and vanilla in a large mixing bowl or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk to soft peaks — be careful not to overwhip (photos 3 and 4).
Transfer the whipped mixture to a freezer-proof container, gently fold in the Amarena cherries, seal with a lid and freeze for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight, until firm (photos 5–8).
Recipe tips and FAQs
- Let the milk cool – ensure the cocoa-milk mixture is completely cold before combining with the cream or the texture will suffer.
- Don’t overwhip – stop at soft peaks for a light, creamy finish — overwhipping will make the texture grainy.
- Let stand before scooping – remove from the freezer 5–10 minutes before serving to make scooping easier and the texture creamier.
Stored well in an airtight container, this ice cream keeps for several months in the freezer; quality is best within 3–6 months.
More delicious ice cream recipes to try
Italian Desserts
Pistachio Ice Cream (Gelato al Pistacchio)
Italian Desserts
Stracciatella Gelato (No Churn)
Italian Desserts
Panettone Ice Cream (No Churn)
Italian Desserts
Italian Lemon Ice Cream with Limoncello
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Step By Step Photos Above
Most of our recipes include step-by-step photos, practical tips and short videos to help you get great results first time.
Amarena Cherry Chocolate Ice cream
By Emily
Ingredients
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk, (397g)
- 2.5 cups heavy cream, (600ml)
- 4 tablespoons cocoa powder, high quality
- ½ cup milk, (120ml)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup Amarena cherries, (110g)
Instructions
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Add the cocoa powder and milk to a saucepan. Heat over medium and whisk until the cocoa dissolves and the milk just starts to simmer. Remove from heat and cool completely.
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When cold, combine the cocoa-milk, sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream and vanilla in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment or in a large bowl with an electric whisk.
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Whisk until soft peaks form — do not overwhip.
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Transfer to a freezer-proof container, gently fold in the Amarena cherries, seal and freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight.
Video
Notes
- Let the milk cool – the cocoa-milk must be fully cold before combining with cream.
- Don’t overwhip – stop at soft peaks for the best texture.
- Let stand before scooping – allow 5–10 minutes out of the freezer for easier scooping.
- Storage – keeps 3–6 months in the freezer when well sealed.
- Serving – yields around 18 servings (about 1.2 kg / 2.6 lb total).
Helpful Info for All Recipes
- I use extra virgin olive oil in recipes unless otherwise noted.
- When using jarred tomatoes I prefer Cirio or Mutti for consistent flavour.
- Vegetable sizes are medium unless stated otherwise.
- All recipes are tested using a fan (convection) oven unless noted.
- Nutrition is automatically calculated and should be considered an estimate.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an approximation.