Chocolate Goat’s Milk Ice Cream
Last year I was fortunate enough to be sent some incredible chocolate by the Askinosie chocolate company (you can read about them on my post here). Of all the chocolates, my favorite one was their “Dark Milk” chocolate made with Goat’s Milk. I’d never had anything called “dark” milk chocolate nor had I ever had a chocolate bar made with goat’s milk. I was instantly smitten.
I love goat’s milk cheese, but my previous tasting of ice cream made with goat’s milk left me less than impressed. It was a vanilla flavor and honestly, was too “goaty” (is that even a real word?) for my taste. But as soon as I had the chocolate made with goat’s milk and knew I wanted to make something with that flavor profile in a dessert and decided to work with ice cream first.
When I looked online, I was surprised there weren’t that many recipes out there for ice cream made with goat’s milk so I figured I would just alter my tried and true standard ice cream recipe. This recipe is an egg-based custard and usually has cream and whole milk. I didn’t want to use 100% goat’s milk, however, because I was concerned about the texture coming out too hard or icy once frozen (who remembers “ice milk” from their childhood?). I settled on a ratio of 3:1 for goat’s milk to cream and the texture was soft enough to scoop once frozen.
I’m very happy with the way it came out. The chocolate is perfect and the goat milk flavor, while there, is not overpowering. I didn’t add any, but I think this ice cream would be great with chocolate chunks incorporated at the end or perhaps toasted hazelnuts.
Recipe: Chocolate Goat’s Milk Ice Cream
Chocolate Goat's Milk Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 3 cups goat's milk*
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3.5 oz good quality dark chocolate chopped
- 5 each egg yolks
- 3/4 cup sugar split, 1/4 c. and 1/2 c.
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
- Put the goat's milk, heavy cream, 1/4 cup of the sugar, and the chopped chocolate into a heavy-bottomed pot. Bring to a simmer, whisking the chocolate so that it melts and incorporates into the milk. Turn off the heat.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and 1/2 cup of sugar. Whisk a cup of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks and sugar. This will temper the eggs and help prevent them from curdling (turning into scrambled eggs) in the hot milk. Whisk in another cup and then pour that mixture back into the pot with the remainder of the milk mixture.
- Turn the heat back on medium-low and cook, stirring, until the mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat and strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. Whisk in the vanilla.
- Cool thoroughly in the refrigerator, stirring occasionally until cold. This can be done the day before you want to make ice cream to ensure the mixture is ice cold before going into the ice cream machine.
- Freeze according to your ice cream machine's directions.
Notes
I use this Cuisinart 1.5 Quart Ice Cream Maker Ice Cream Machine (Amazon affiliate link). It works very well and I even keep the empty bowl in my freezer so I can make ice cream at a moment’s notice.
47 Comments
Mom
It WAS good. Salted caramel chips.
Nan@tastingoutloud.com
I wish I liked goat’s milk and goats milk cheese – but I don’t. Has to do with taking care of a neighbor’s goats when I was a kid. Goat’s milk smells like the goats did back then. Bad memory.It’s a bummer. The ice cream looks wonderful though!
Sara
Wow! This looks delicious. Do you have a great place to buy organic goat’s milk in LA?
formerchef
Sara- I bought the goat’s milk at Fresh & Easy, but Trader Joe’s also sells it. Not sure if it is organic or not.
Beth
Great post and pictures! Looks like your experimentation and hard work paid off.
Chez Us
Oh this sounds great. I remember the first time I had goat’s milk – I was probably about 13 and freaked out that I was drinking goat’s milk but we made it into a creamy mac and cheese – it was amazing. I can just imagine how creamy this came!
Traca | Seattle Tall Poppy
What a crazy coincidence! I’ve been sitting on a shipment of Askinosie for months, waiting for a special occasion. Yesterday, with the sun pouring in my room and a good book at hand, I decided it was special enough. I savored a bar of the Dark Milk Chocolate, refusing to chew & letting the squares dissolve on my tongue one by one. This particular chocolate has a bit of a tang to it already (fermentedness?), with lovely notes of berry and citrus. It would be perfect with goat milk! Good call.
formerchef
Traca-Yes, the Askinosie dark milk chocolate was my favorite. And that tangy taste is the goat’s milk in the ingredients!
Traca | Seattle Tall Poppy
Hey, thanks for pointing that out. I looked at the lable and it’s true…powdered goat’s milk. Interesting choice, no? I’ve got a couple of their other chocolates. The white chocolate has that familiar waxy consistency, but the flavor is deeper with toffee notes. In fact, the color is not strictly white. Looking forward to trying the others!
Heather on her travels
Interesting combination – if the taste of goat’s cheese is anything to go by I wonder if it would taste a bit like yoghurt
TripleScoop
That ice cream looks great. Never tried to use goat milk before. I’d like to try some of that chocolate you had in a double chocolate chip ice cream.
A Ice Cream Maker
Wow! This looks incredible! I love your pics too! I’ve never tried goats milk ice cream – but you make it look delicious!
Nancie (Ladyexpat)
Sounds fantastic, looks yummy!
I came here via. Wanderfood Wednesday. If you have a moment check out my Wanderfood Wednesday……http://budgettravelerssandbox.com/2010/03/wanderfood-wednesday-avocado-juice/
Jenn AKA The Leftover Queen
Both the chocolate and your ice cream sound amazing. I love goat milk treats!
kathy
😀 It’s funny when it’s your first time to taste fresh goat’s milk. You’ll imagine that milk came from that goat’s udder.
Well that chocolate icecream looks good. Happy Easter!
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Linda Clapp
We own and operate a small Grade A goat dairy. Our first time customers are always suprised at the clean fresh taste of our cheese, milk and ice cream. Any goat milk product should never taste “goaty” if proper sanitation procedures are followed and the goats are heathy. We give out free samples of all our products at our local farmer’s market to end the myth of “goaty” goats milk. We try to promote local products and educate the public about the many health benifits of goats milk.
Momofmany
Amen, sister! We also run a small dairy goat farm. Everyone that tastes our milk loves it! No “goaty” flavor here. 🙂 The key is to cool it quickly and not heat it. I was wondering if you have tried this recipe. My only hesitation is the heating process.
Angela
Thanks Linda for informing folks that goat’s milk should not taste “goaty” or “tangy”. It’s sweet and delicious. The taste of fresh raw goat’s milk is almost identical to fresh raw cow’s milk. Goat’s milk is the closest to human milk and it even has the same ph hence the reason goat’s milk soap is highly beneficial to our skin. Goats are very sanitary animals. Has anyone ever seen the back end of a goat look messy and dirty like on a cow? Goats do not like the rain, the mud, insects, or to walk or lay in manure. If you’d like to learn more about the many benefits of clean, sweet goat’s milk you can read more here: http://www.abundalife.com/goats.asp Goat milk ice cream is amazing as is goat milk fudge.
Kristen
Made this today but added a bit of gelatin, only used goat milk, and added some peanut butter at the end. Was delicious and creamy.
mitra
hi
i want all the new recipes.
thanks
Meggan
I have a child that cannot have dairy,egg products or sugar. I have begun using goats milk and wish to try the goats milk ice cream recipe. Is there any suggestion you might have for substitute ingredients? Thank you!
formerchef
Unfortunately, I don’t have any suggestions. While it might be possible to leave out one of those three things, leaving them all out and substituting other ingredients will create something alltogether different. You can leave out the sugar, for example, but that will alter the texture of the ice cream, making it much harder. Using a sugar substitute may taste similar, but it doesn’t have the same chemistry and the texture will not be the same. You won’t be able to use the chocolate because it has sugar in it too, changing the flavor.
claire
hi ya my son is allergic to eggs,milk,soya,gluten and others so i know how hard it is ,but i make goats ice cream for him (he is now 14) so thought this might help,
3 x cup goats milk
1/2 cup of honey
dash/pinch of salt
1 -1/2 teaspoon vanilla essance
mix all to gether in a saucepan, slowly heat up stirring all times,keep going untill simmering do not let it boil keep stirring for 3-5 mins,take of the heat, put in a container that you can seal,once room temp place in fridge for 3 hours,then use a ice cream maker for mix up,should look like a thick milk shake,put in small pots,and freeze,all done
hope this helps
Meggan
Claire,
Thank you so much! I will definitely try this and appreciate hearing from you! It is hard trying to figure out alternatives for these sensitive little guys. Thanks again.
Ms. Glaze
Great recipe, and you’re right there are not a lot of goat milk ice cream recipes out there. Hard to come up with a creamy result without the cream. But I would like to clarify something: unpasteurized goat milk is NOT goaty at all. I drink it fresh in the morning. It is the pasteurization process that makes it taste goaty and I can’t tell you why this is true, but it is.
Gloria moulton
Hi Everyone
This is new for me, to post on your wall that is. We have goats and love the milk, raw. We have tasted goats milk from different farms and then look at what the goats are fed. There is a BIG difference in the tast of the milk when the goats get tasty sweet pellets and GOOD hay not weeds. Yes goats love weeds, but if you want sweet tasting milk watch what goes in because it does affect what comes out in the milk. Just like a mother that breast feed her baby. The pictures look very tasty so I’ll have to try the ice cream. As we love ice cream and get more milk then what we know what to do with, and yes we do cheese. Thank You Gloria
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Heidi
I’ve read several recipes that add a bit of unflavored gelatin to get the proper smooth n creamy consistency. I think I’ll try this using my goat’s milk. It does depend on what the animal is fed, I concur. Our doe got into pine needles last season. Yuck! I’ve also read that goat breeds vary in the quality of their milk. We have Toggenburgs and their milk is stronger than other breeds. Adding a touch of lemon juice to recipes seems to cut out any aftertaste.
Beth
Thanks for this recipe! I have dairy goats and make chevre. I found this page searching for goat milk ice cream recipes, but I’m trying to find an alternative to the heavy cream, as we lack a cream separator. I have heard of using mild chevre or cream cheese in place of the cream, but can’t find any info on this idea. Anyway, thanks again – I can’t wait to try this. Btw, in regards to the mild or strong milk – we find we can’t get our cheese “goaty” enough for most palates! Tog and Saanen breeds. Bucky milk makes a nicely goaty chevre. So, our definition of the quality of the milk is a little different from those who want a mild-flavored milk. On good hay and grain our does produce milk so mild most cow-milk fanatics can’t taste the difference.
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rachel
I just made this and it is devine. Even though we used milk chocolate chips. I was wondering if this would be a base recipe for goats milk ice cream if I omit the chocolate. If I wanted to do it just vanilla then would I increase the vanilla extract to a tbs? I am new to this all but it is such a great way to use up the milk I get from my goat. Is there a stead fast rule to how much fruit you add if you wanted a strawberry one? Thank you so much!
formerchef
Rachel-So glad you liked it! Lucky you for having your own goat too! Yes, I would think you can use it for a base. I have a recipe for strawberry ice cream and I would assume you could use the same ratio of liquid to fruit; https://www.formerchef.com/2010/06/07/homemade-strawberry-ice-cream/
dennis geers
Hi
bummer that you recipe contains cream .. my youngest son cannot have diary product especially cream (the cow version) but can have the goat version.. we have in ireland a cream based on plan oils tastes the “same” ish to cream planning to trial that
Erin
this was such a fabulous recipe my ice cream came out so delicious! On the goat milk it all depends on where you get your milk and from what kind of goat and what they feed their goats! Ours are fed strictly grass with 2 handfuls of grain every day and both my nubien and my saan/boer produce very mild sweet milk. So just shop around if you are finding milk that is a little on the pungent side!!!
Angie
I agree that the pasteurized goat milk that you buy at the store does have a “goaty” flavor to it, but I actually learned to like the taste of it. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I started raising my own dairy goats, that fresh goat milk tasted just like cow’s milk, but better. Come fall when we have to dry our girls off, I am so bummed that I have to start buying cows milk again.
Rachel
Angie:
I freeze my goat milk. If you freeze it right after you cool it, then when it is unfrozen it is nice and creamy! I freeze in quart size ziploc bags and then lay it on it’s side till frozen. Just be careful because the sides are razor sharp once frozen and unfreeze it in a bowl. Hope this helps you, I know it helps us to stay in milk.
Amanda
I just made goat’s milk ice cream using your recipe yesterday – it was wonderful. I am wondering if there would be an alternative to using solid unsweetened chocolate though. I chopped up the chocolate in a small “mincer” thinking it would make it easier to combine with the milk in the saucepan. It took a very long time for the chocolate to melt and I was worried the milk would get scorched. I suppose I could have melted the chocolate via microwave first (?). Any ideas/alternatives for solid chocolate?
Thanks.
formerchef
Hi Amanda-
The recipe actually calls for dark chocolate, not unsweetened. While both will melt, the dark chocolate should melt quickly in the milk (because it has some milk-fat in it). Maybe that was the problem? Were you specifically trying to use unsweetened? If so, then yes, try (carefully) melting it in the microwave first and then whisking it in. I know when I’ve used unsweetened in the past, it’s always melted with butter or oil so I think the missing fat might be the issue.
Gina
We use fresh raw goatmilk and really it only ever tastes “goaty” when our does are in heat – which is 4-36 hours out of the month.
sam
Hi,
Does the egg yolk have to be mixed in with the hot milk? I am wondering because I have read that egg yolks just get mixed in with the cold milk and cream and then put into the ice cream maker. Will this change the texture in any way? or is this just preference?
Thanks so much,
Sam
formerchef
Yes, cooking the eggs with the milk causes it to thicken and become a custard which when frozen, gives a nice and smooth texture to the ice cream. In addition, cooking the eggs makes it safer to eat than leaving them raw (which I personally would not do). I’ve seen ice cream recipes with frozen cream and milk, but not uncooked egg.
Karen Thurston
Ok, so 10 years and a few months past your original post of this recipe, I accidentally had ultra pasteurized goats milk on my hands. I meant to make cheese, but can’t do it with ultra pasteurized, so set about finding other uses for it and came across your recipe. I made it it according to your recipe although I used .scharffenberger 62% unsweetened Semisweet-Dark-Chocolate-Baking-Bar. I’m guessing your chocolate may have been sweetened? But I tasted the custard while it was still warm and felt it was a good sweetness for me and forged ahead. LOVE how this came out. I did let it chill overnight and had a nice thick custard going into the ice cream maker. It came out amazing. Especially after I garnished with some toasted unsalted hazelnuts and a drizzle of chocolate syrup. Reminded me of my favorite “Bacio” gelato! Definitely will make again and put into my recipe favorites! Thank you for giving me a positive moment in 2020!!!
formerchef
Thank you!! That is so lovely to hear! You just made my day. Your ice cream sounds like it was delicious!
Suzanne
This looks so good! What a great way to use up and store goats milk!
Vanessa
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
formerchef
About the same as any other homemade ice cream.