Homemade Chocolate-Dipped Ice Cream Bars: Crispy Chocolate Coating

Everything tastes better on a stick! Try these 3-ingredient chocolate-dipped ice cream bars — they’re simple, customizable, and perfect for summer.

Did you have a favorite summer treat as a kid? For me there were many — orange creamsicles, slushies, and what we called “revels”: vanilla ice cream on a stick coated in chocolate. Making your own chocolate-dipped ice cream bars at home is fun because you can use any ice cream flavor you like. These bars are straightforward, customizable, and require just a few ingredients.

For the photos here I used four flavors: vanilla bean, matcha, salted caramel, and strawberry. I loved the salted caramel best, but the great thing is you can experiment with any combination of ice cream and mix-ins.

How to make chocolate-dipped ice cream bars

You only need three main ingredients: ice cream, chocolate, and a little coconut oil to get a crisp chocolate shell. There are two easy ways to prepare the ice cream for the molds:

• Use softened store-bought ice cream — let it sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes so it’s scoopable but not melted.
• Or use a no-churn ice cream base and pour the mixture into molds before it fully freezes.

Fill popsicle molds with the scoopable or pourable ice cream, pressing it in so there are no air pockets. Freeze the molds for about 40 minutes, then insert sticks and continue freezing until the bars are very firm — I recommend at least 4–5 hours or overnight for best results.

When the bars are fully frozen, melt semi-sweet chocolate with a bit of coconut oil until glossy and smooth. The coconut oil thins the chocolate for dipping and helps the shell harden with a nice snap once frozen. Remove the bars from the molds (running the mold base under warm water helps them release) and place them on a baking tray lined with wax paper. Keep the tray in the freezer between dips.

Dip each bar one at a time into the melted chocolate, covering up to the stick, then return it to the freezer right away. Repeat until all bars are coated. Freeze for another hour to set the chocolate. For longer storage, transfer fully frozen bars to a sealed freezer bag; they’ll keep well for up to two months.

Which chocolate should you use?

Semi-sweet chocolate chips work great and are convenient. If you prefer, use higher-quality baking chocolate or chocolate bars for a richer flavor. White chocolate makes a sweet alternative — just be sure to temper or add a little coconut oil so it sets properly.

Storage and tips

After dipping and setting, store bars in a freezer bag or airtight container. Properly sealed, they will stay good for a couple of months, though they rarely last that long in our house!

Quick tips:

• Freeze the filled molds until the ice cream is rock-solid before dipping to avoid melting and keep the coating thin and even.
• Use wax paper (not parchment) on the tray; these bars can stick to parchment.
• Silicone molds make it easy to pop the bars out, but any popsicle mold will work.

Enjoy these easy, customizable chocolate-dipped ice cream bars on a hot day — they’re a simple way to make summer even sweeter.

Chocolate Dipped Ice Cream Bars

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4.8 from 17 reviews

• Author: Katherine | Love In My Oven
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 10 bars