This homemade Beer ice cream recipe is something you NEED to make! Creamy chocolate ice cream, infused with pasilla chile and Mexican beer, creates a rich and creamy dessert that is perfect for summer.
Bohemia Beer originally sent the recipe and beer for creating Chocolate Chile Bohemia Ice Cream but when I remade it I couldn't find the beer in stores so I used a different beer.
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This Unique Ice Cream is full of flavor
Beer Ice Cream, with a hint of spice and cinnamon, is unexpected and totally delicious.
This Mexican-inspired ice cream recipe is a unique boozy dessert that's great for Father's Day, adult birthday parties or any time you need a quick and easy dessert with complex flavors.
My family traveled to a beach in Loreto, Mexico every summer growing up. And Mexican beer is a quick way for me to take a daydream back there.
Related: Beer Brownies
Beer is great in all kinds of recipes so when I saw this recipe for Chocolate Chile Beer Ice Cream, I wanted to give it a try.
Plus the recipe calls for some Mexican chocolate which I adore. I love the combination of rich chocolate and spices like cinnamon. Plus a little heat?! Yes, please.
Making homemade chocolate ice cream isn't too difficult even for a novice like me. There are a few extra steps to this recipe, but it's all worth it. The end result is super flavorful.
Let me say, right off the bat, you'll need to freeze your ice cream maker bowl. This isn't something that can be done last minute so if you're planning to make this in the next few days, go freeze it right now. I'll wait...
Ingredients
- pasilla negro chile
- half-and-half
- Mexican Chocolate
- semi-sweet chocolate
- egg yolks
- sugar
- heavy whipping cream
- vanilla
- Bohemia beer
I found the chile in the international foods aisle at my grocery store. It was not called exactly as it is written above. The pasilla chile or chile negro is dried with dark, wrinkled skin. It will look like the photo above and usually come a few to a package.
The chile is a mild to hot in temperature and has a yummy smoky flavor.
Mexican chocolate is easy to find at most grocery stores. Look for it near the Mexican spices. You may also be able to find it near the hot chocolate. Abuelita is the most recognizable.
But there are probably more flavorful options in specialty stores. It's usually sold in thick discs and contains cinnamon and other spices. I freaking love it.
All the other ingredients are pretty straightforward and easy to find. They're things you typically find in a homemade ice cream recipe.
Except for the beer. That's what makes this recipe extra special.
What kind of beer should I use?
I prefer Mexican beer. I feel like the underlying flavors pair really well with the Mexican chocolate and chile.
Bohemia is golden in color and has a tasty flavor on its own. But as I mentioned above, I couldn't find Bohemia so I grabbed another dark Mexican beer.
The smoky pasilla chile with a bit of heat paired with bitter chocolate with hints of spices come together perfectly with the beer to create a glorious dessert.
How to Make Beer Ice Cream
Toast the chile
Use a knife and remove the veins and stem from the chile. Slice open one side of the chile and scrape out the seeds.
In a small skillet heated over medium, toast the chile, pressing it flat against the skillet with a metal spatula until it is very aromatic—about 10 seconds per side.
Steep the milk with chocolate and chile
Place chile in a small saucepan and add the half-and-half, Mexican chocolate and the semi-sweet chocolate.
Heat over medium until steaming (but not boiling) and chocolate is melted. Remove from heat.
Cover and let steep for 10 minutes, then pour into a blender jar and process until the chile is completely pureed. (Take caution when blending hot liquids!!!)
Make the custard
Set up a 4-quart saucepan, filled halfway with water, into which you can nestle a 3-quart stainless steel bowl.
Bring the pot of water to a boil over high heat while you’re preparing the custard base. Reduce the temperature under the pot of boiling water to maintain a gentle simmer.
In the 3-quart stainless steel bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until thoroughly combined, then whisk in the chile-infused chocolate mixture.
Set the bowl of custard base over the simmering water and whisk frequently, scraping down the sides of the bowl regularly with a rubber spatula, until the mixture thickens noticeably, about 5 minutes.
The custard is sufficiently cooked when it reaches 180 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.
You can also test it by dipping a wooden spoon into the custard, then running your finger through the custard: if the line holds clearly, the custard has thickened sufficiently.
For the finest texture, strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a clean bowl. (I'm typically too lazy for this. If you have texture issues, you may want to take this step.)
Fill a large bowl halfway with ice. Nestle the bowl of strained custard in the ice bath. Whisk the mixture until it is completely cool. Refrigerate if not using immediately.
Stir the heavy cream, vanilla and Bohemia into the base.
Turn it into homemade chocolate ice cream infused with beer and chile
Freeze in an ice cream freezer according to the manufacturer’s directions.
When done in the ice cream maker, scrape the beer ice cream into a freezer container and freeze for several hours to firm.
This seriously could be one of the best chocolate ice creams I have ever eaten. No joke. The spice was subtle and added a little texture (I didn’t use a sieve to get out the bits of chile skin – seriously that is adding a whole other step in and I am a lazy cook).
The beer, well, I couldn’t pick out a strong beer flavor at all. In fact, when I make this again, I will be adding more Bohemia or other Mexican beer.
In the end, the recipe wasn’t really that hard to make. Even with the custard. I was intimidated by the directions because I'm more of a dump cake recipe kind of girl.
The chocolate was rich and smooth and the perfect amount of sweetness. The whole batch of ice cream was completely eaten, none of it went to waste. YUM!
Tips
I like to use a darker beer that complements the flavors of chocolate and chiles. Beers like stouts and porters beers work well.
If the flavors of the beer and pasilla chile are not coming through enough, you can increase the steeping time to extract more flavor. You can also use more chiles or crush them slightly to release more of their flavor.
If your ice cream is too grainy, it may because the chocolate wasn't melted properly. Make sure to chop the chocolate into small pieces and stir it into the hot cream mixture until fully melted and smooth.
Ice crystals can form if the ice cream mixture freezes too slowly or if there is too much air incorporated in the churning process. To prevent it, make sure your ice cream maker is properly pre-chilled before adding the mixture.
And try to avoid over-churning the ice cream. Once the ice cream reaches a soft-serve consistency, transfer it to a lidded container and press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface to minimize air exposure.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use any kind of beer in this recipe but I prefer a beer that is dark and rich and full of flavors.
Fresh chiles have a bit of a different flavor profile than dried. Plus the moisture content of fresh chiles can impact the overall taste and texture of the ice cream.
After preparing the ice cream base, pour it into a shallow, freezer-safe container and place it in the freezer. Every 30 minutes, take it out and vigorously stir or whisk the mixture to break up ice crystals until it reaches the desired consistency.
After churning the ice cream, you should transfer it to a lidded container and freeze it for several hours until it reaches the right consistency. This usually takes about 4-6 hours, but it may vary depending on your freezer and the size of the container. Keep an eye on it and check the firmness periodically by inserting a spoon to ensure it's ready to be served.
It was a fun little project to make a unique ice cream with beer in it. I think this would be an amazing chile dessert to serve at any party for an adult. It would pair well with a boozy cupcake.
There are many Mexican ice cream flavors but this beer ice cream recipe needs to be on your radar. It's full of rich chocolate flavor with hints of spice and heat. It's a decadent homemade dessert to share with friends.
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More ice cream ideas
- Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream is easy to make and has a fun crunch thanks to the candy pieces.
- Want to host an Ice Cream Party? You can find all my tips for set up and serving in this ice cream party post.
Printable ice cream recipe
Beer Chocolate Ice Cream with Chile
Ingredients
- 1 large pasilla negro chile stemmed, seeded, deveined
- 1 ⅓ cups half-and-half
- 2 ounces Mexican chocolate chopped into small pieces
- 3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chopped into ¼″ pieces
- 4 egg yolks
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 ⅓ cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 ½ teaspoon pure vanilla preferably Mexican
- ¼ cup Mexican beer
Instructions
- In a small skillet heated over medium, toast the chile, pressing it flat against the skillet with a metal spatula until it is very aromatic—about 10 seconds per side.
- Place in a small saucepan and add the half-and-half, Mexican chocolate and the semi-sweet chocolate; heat over medium until steaming (but not boiling).
- Remove from heat.
- Cover and let steep for 10 minutes, then pour into a blender jar and process until the chile is completely pureed.
- Set up a 4-quart saucepan, filled halfway with water, into which you can nestle a 3-quart stainless steel bowl.
- Bring the pot of water to a boil over high heat while you’re preparing the custard base.
- Reduce the temperature under the pot of boiling water to maintain a gentle simmer.
- In the 3-quart stainless steel bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until thoroughly combined, then whisk in the chile-infused chocolate mixture.
- Set the bowl of custard base over the simmering water and whisk frequently, scraping down the sides of the bowl regularly with a rubber spatula, until the mixture thickens noticeably, about 5 minutes.
- The custard is sufficiently cooked when it reaches 180 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.
- For the finest texture, strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a clean bowl.
- Fill a large bowl halfway with ice.
- Nestle the bowl of strained custard in the ice bath.
- Whisk the mixture until it is completely cool.
- Refrigerate if not using immediately.
- Stir the heavy cream, vanilla and Bohemia into the base.
- Freeze in an ice cream freezer according to the manufacturer’s directions.
- Scrape into a freezer container and freeze for several hours to firm.
Carmen says
Oh my! This sounds like something I might just have to try.
Sharon Garofalow says
Do it! So yummy!