This rocky road ice cream combines classic flavors—milk chocolate, marshmallows and almonds—with optional soft raspberry candies for extra color and brightness. It’s a no-bake twist on the beloved rocky road treat and makes a great freezer-friendly dessert for gatherings or bake sales.
Rocky road is one of my favorite no-bake desserts because it’s quick to assemble and uses pantry staples. This recipe starts with a creamy milk chocolate base, then folds in mini marshmallows and roasted almonds for the classic rocky road texture. I like to add soft raspberry candies for pops of color and tang, but feel free to swap them for your preferred soft candy or omit them entirely.
Ingredients
Milk chocolate: Milk chocolate melts are used here for a smooth, mild chocolate flavor. Use semisweet or dark chocolate if you prefer a more intense chocolate taste.
Marshmallows: Mini marshmallows work best. If using large marshmallows, cut them into small pieces so they distribute evenly in the ice cream.
Almonds: Roast the almonds for a crunchy, toasty flavor. You can substitute peanuts, Brazil nuts or omit nuts entirely for a nut-free version.
Soft candies (optional): Soft raspberry candies add color and a fruity note. Use any soft candy you like or skip them.
Full fat milk: Use whole milk (about 3.5% fat) for the best texture. Low-fat milk can make ice cream icier.
Thickened cream: Use thickened cream or heavy whipping cream (around 34% fat) for richness and smoothness.
Glucose syrup (optional): A small amount of glucose or light corn syrup improves scoopability by lowering the freezing point slightly. Measure carefully—too much will make the ice cream soft at room temperature. Powdered dextrose is an alternative.
How to make rocky road ice cream
If using a double boiler, bring the water to a gentle simmer.
Warm the milk in a small saucepan over low to medium heat. Separate the egg yolks from the whites; reserve the whites for another recipe.
Whisk the sugar into the yolks with an electric mixer until pale and creamy. Temper the yolks by adding warmed milk a little at a time, mixing well between additions.
Transfer the tempered yolk mixture to the top of the double boiler (or a heatproof bowl set over simmering water) and add the cream. Stir while gently heating.
Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl in the microwave in 30–60 second bursts, stirring between each burst until smooth.
Add the melted chocolate to the custard a third at a time, whisking thoroughly between additions to fully incorporate. Stir in the glucose syrup if using.
Cook the mixture for about 10 minutes over low–medium heat, stirring frequently. The custard is ready when it coats the back of a spoon and you can draw a line through it with your finger. Do not overheat or the eggs will curdle.
Remove the custard from the heat and let it rest for a few minutes, then transfer to a heatproof container. Cover and chill in the refrigerator until completely cold—at least four hours, preferably overnight.
Hot tip: If the eggs do scramble, remove from heat, let cool a few minutes, then blend carefully with an immersion blender until smooth. Return to low heat and continue stirring until thickened.
While the custard chills, dry roast whole almonds in a skillet over medium-high heat without oil until they begin to color. Remove immediately to prevent burning, then cool and roughly chop. Chop soft candies into quarters so they’re not too large in the finished ice cream.
Chill your storage container in the freezer. If you have a self-refrigerating ice cream maker, turn it on about 10 minutes before churning; if you use a freezer-bowl machine, remove the frozen bowl right before churning.
Churn the chilled custard according to your machine’s instructions until it reaches soft-serve consistency.
While churning, prepare the mix-ins: chopped roasted almonds, mini marshmallows, and chopped raspberry candies (if using).
Working quickly, layer the churned ice cream with the mix-ins in your chilled storage container: add one-third of the almonds, marshmallows and candies to the bottom, spoon in half the ice cream and mix gently. Add another third of the mix-ins, the remaining ice cream, and finally the last third of mix-ins on top. Press lightly to embed them into the ice cream.
Cover and freeze for about four hours or until firm.
How to serve
To serve, remove the container from the freezer, let it sit a minute to soften slightly if needed, then scoop. The ice cream is excellent on its own or topped with extra chopped chocolate, marshmallows and nuts.
How to store
Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to two weeks. After that, the texture may become a bit icier, but it will still taste good.
Have you made this recipe? Tell me how it went in the comments below and tag me on Instagram so I can see your creations!
Looking for more dessert recipes
Try other rocky road variations or chocolate treats for more inspiration.
- Tim tam rocky road
- Biscoff rocky road
- No-churn chocolate ice cream
- Chocolate sundae
- Milo icy poles
For more ice cream recipes suitable for household machines, assemble recipes that work well in most ice cream makers and adapt to your taste.
📋 Recipe
Rocky road ice cream
A creamy milk chocolate ice cream studded with marshmallows, roasted almonds and optional soft raspberry candies.
Ingredients
- 4 large egg yolks
- ¼ cup (55 g) white sugar
- 1 cup (250 ml) whole milk
- 2 cups (500 ml) thickened cream, heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup (175 g) milk chocolate melts
- 1 flat teaspoon (7.5 g) glucose syrup (optional)
- 2 cups (100 g) mini marshmallows
- 1 cup (150 g) natural or roasted almonds
- 1 cup (190 g) soft candies such as raspberries (optional)
Equipment
- Electric hand mixer
- Ice cream maker
Instructions
- If using a double boiler, bring the water to a gentle simmer.
- Warm the milk over low–medium heat.
- Separate egg yolks and whisk with sugar until pale and creamy.
- Temper the yolks by adding warm milk gradually, mixing well.
- Transfer to the double boiler, add cream and stir while gently heating.
- Melt the chocolate in short bursts in the microwave and stir until smooth.
- Add melted chocolate to the custard a third at a time, whisking thoroughly. Stir in glucose syrup if using.
- Cook about 10 minutes until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
- Chill the mixture in the fridge until completely cold, at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Dry roast almonds in a skillet until lightly browned, cool and roughly chop. Quarter soft candies if using.
- Churn the chilled custard in an ice cream maker until soft-serve consistency.
- Layer churned ice cream with almonds, marshmallows and candies in a chilled container: one-third mix-ins on the bottom, half the ice cream, another third of mix-ins, the rest of the ice cream, then top with remaining mix-ins. Press lightly to embed.
- Cover and freeze for about 4 hours or until firm.
- Scoop and serve. Enjoy!
Notes
Prep time: 15 mins. Cook time: 15 mins. Chilling time: 8 hrs 20 mins. Total time: 8 hrs 50 mins. Makes about 10 servings (approximately 2/3 cup each).
Nutrition (approx.)
Per serving: Calories 725 kcal; Carbohydrates 86 g; Protein 10 g; Fat 42 g; Sugar 63 g. These values are estimates and will vary by ingredient brands.
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