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By Katie Mae Stanley, Contributing Writer
This Mexican chocolate ice cream has the perfect balance of sweet and spice. The coconut milk makes is it extremely creamy, so you won’t even miss the dairy! This dessert is perfect for those days when you are craving Mexican Hot Cocoa but want to beat the heat. Spring is here to stay and cool days are slowly giving way to warm ones, which means it is now ice cream weather. But who am I kidding?! I eat ice cream year round – I just eat it more often now!
Chocolate ice cream has been a regular occurrence in my kitchen since the day an ice cream maker took up residence in my kitchen. Some days it is a basic tried and true favorite like my no frills chocolate coconut milk ice cream other days it’s a little more refined like the chocolate lavender ice cream (from my book Steeped).
Disclaimer: Some links are affiliate.
In Mexico hot chocolate is a favorite, especially in the winter. I knew that I needed to find a way to enjoy this treat when warmer weather came our way. Enter this Mexican hot chocolate inspired icy treat. The key is in the type of cinnamon used, in Mexico, Ceylon is the only type of cinnamon you will find for sale. It has more delicate, complex, and sweeter flavor than its cousin Cassia that you commonly find in the States. It is also better for your health, especially if you have children. The second key ingredient is the round bricks of Mexican chocolate. You can find the popular “Abuelita” in most store but I prefer to use Tazo, an amazing organic and direct trade product. Taza offers many different flavors of chocolate but for this recipe I used the chocolate cinnamon.
(Note from Kimi: I love my ice cream maker! With summer coming, now is a great time to invest in one. It allows you to make healthier ice creams, and also allows you to make allergy-friendly ones too. I have an earlier version of this ice cream maker, and it’s still going strong!)
Other Ice Creams at the Nourishing Gourmet
- Lemon Earl Grey Sorbet
- Chai Coconut Milk Ice Cream
- Halve Ice Cream with Tahini and Honey
- Decadent Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream
- Double Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream

- 2 cans coconut milk (full-fat)
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 rounds of Taza cinnamon chocolate (2.7 oz) (See link in text above)
- ¼ cup sucanat
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 vanilla beans
- 1 TBS vanilla extract (optional)
- ¼ tsp salt
- Cut the vanilla beans lengthwise. With the tip of a knife scrap out the vanilla "caviar" (insides of the bean). Set both aside until ready to use.
- In a small sauce pot, bring the coconut milk, cinnamon sticks, "caviar" and pods to a simmer. Continue to simmer for five minutes. Turn off heat, and slowly stir in the sucanat until dissolved. Cover and let infuse for one hour. Be sure not to let milk boil, if it does, it may curdle and a thin crust may form over the top.
- Strain the milk to remove the cinnamon sticks and vanilla pods.
- In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Reheat the infused coconut milk on low. Pour a couple of tablespoons of the infused milk into the egg yolks and whisk well. Gently pour the yolk mixture back into the saucepan of infused milk, whisking continuously while pouring. This will form a custard
- Cook the mixture over low heat, stirring continuously, scraping the bottom of the pot with the heat-safe spatula. Stir until the custard thickens and coats the back of the spatula.
- Remove from heat. Add the chocolate rounds, cocoa powder, salt and vanilla extract (if using). Whisk until throughly combined.
- Pour into a glass dish. Cover the custard and chill completely in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.
- Once the custard is chilled, pour into your ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer instructions (about 20-25 minutes). Remove from the ice cream maker and place in a freezer proof container.