Stock your freezer with this rich, creamy, and rich rocky road ice cream recipe! A silky chocolate ice cream base mixed with walnuts, chocolate chips, and mini marshmallows takes this ice cream to another level. Cool off all summer long with this from-scratch rocky road.

A white bowl filled with rocky road ice cream with a spoon in the right corner.

The History

Rocky road ice cream originated in Oakland, California where two ice cream makers hold a claim to the name. In 1929 Dreyer’s created a chocolate ice cream mixed with almonds and chopped marshmallows and dubbed it rocky road. Around the same time, Fenton’s, another ice cream maker in Oakland, created an ice cream with a chocolate base mixed with a rocky road-style candy bar.

Despite having competing origin stories the ice cream holds one notable importance. Rocky road ice cream was one of the first ice creams to feature a blend of mix-ins making it incredibly difficult to make and manufacture since more mix-ins increase the ice cream temperature and can cause a more icy frozen finish.

Baker notes

No ice cream maker? No problem! Check out our tutorial on how to make ice cream without an ice cream maker so you can get churn-quality ice cream every time!
Storage: Keep your ice cream stored in a wide, flat airtight container. This allows for a speedy freeze and reduces the size of the ice crystals while the ice cream freezes, leaving it nice and creamy.
Shelf-Life: This creamy rocky road ice cream keeps for up to 2 months in the freezer for ultimate flavor and freshness.

Serving Suggestions

As if this chocolate ice cream could get any better, here are a few ways we love to dish it out and dress it up!

Serve it in a waffle bowl!
Top with from-scratch whipped cream.
Pour from-scratch hot fudge over the top to serve.
Scoop over a warm brownie.

Common questions

Frozen Desserts to Try Next

Skip the store-bought and make your own rich and creamy rocky road ice cream at home! Packed with mini marshmallows, chopped walnuts, and chocolate chips this from-scratch ice cream is an absolute dream!

Photography by Lauren Grant.

Rocky Road Ice Cream

Yield: 1 quart
Prep: 40 minutes
Total: 40 minutes

Ingredients

2 cups ( 476 ml ) heavy cream
3 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
5 ounces ( 141.75 g ) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup ( 244 ml ) whole milk
¾ cup ( 150 g ) sugar
Pinch of salt
5 egg yolks
½ teaspoon ( 0.5 teaspoon ) vanilla extract
1 cup ( 75 g ) miniature marshmallows
1 cup ( 117 g ) walnuts
½ cup ( 90 g ) chocolate chips

Method

Warm 1 cup of the cream with the cocoa powder in a medium saucepan, whisking to thoroughly blend the cocoa. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer at a low boil for 30 seconds, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate, stirring until smooth. Then stir in the remaining 1 cup cream. Pour the mixture into a large bowl, scraping the saucepan as thoroughly as possible, and set a mesh strainer on top of the bowl.
Warm the milk, sugar, and salt in the same saucepan. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.
Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula (and reaches 170 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer). Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the chocolate mixture until smooth, then stir in the vanilla. Stir until cool over an ice bath.
Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. (If the cold mixture is too thick to pour into your machine, whisk it vigorously to thin it out.) Once the ice cream has finished churning, fold in the marshmallows, walnuts and chocolate chips.

Notes

No ice cream maker? No problem! Check out our tutorial on how to make ice cream without an ice cream maker so you can get churn-quality ice cream every time!

Swapping out the nuts. Use pecans, almonds, or peanuts if you do not have walnuts. Alternatively, if you do not want nuts, substitute with additional chocolate chips and mini marshmallows.

Storage: Keep your ice cream stored in a wide, flat airtight container. This allows for a quicker freeze and reduces the size of the ice crystals while the ice cream freezes leaving it nice and creamy.

Shelf-Life: This creamy rocky road ice cream keeps for up to 2 months in the freezer.

Photography by Lauren Grant.