Homemade Chocolate Magic Shell

With only two ingredients, homemade chocolate magic shell is a fun and simple way to dress up your ice cream! Instructions for making it in the Instant Pot are included.

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Homemade Chocolate Magic Shell is a fun, creative way to dress up you ice cream. Have you ever heard of it? It’s a special chocolate coating that quickly hardens on your ice cream, leaving you with a crackly, thin layer of chocolate topping. Whether it’s a fancy sunday (or is it sundae?), an ice cream cake, or just a regular little scoop, magic shell automatically makes ice cream better.

This Vanilla Bean Ice Cream is the perfect scoop for homemade chocolate magic shell. It’s got such a deep flavor, and compliments the flavor of chocolate so well. As Ina says, vanilla makes chocolate taste more like chocolate. And she’s right about everything, isn’t she?

How to Make Homemade Chocolate Magic Shell

Place the coconut oil and dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Use a metal or glass bowl if using a double boiler or instant pot, and a glass bowl if you’re using the microwave.

Double Boiler Method:

• Put 1″-2″ of water in the bottom of a pot that’s slightly smaller than the bowl your chocolate and coconut oil is in.
• Put the water on a burner over medium low heat and allow it to come to a simmer. It should be steaming and bubbling lightly, but not boiling.
• Place the bowl of chocolate over the simmering water and allow it to melt completely. Stir it occasionally to help it melt evenly.
• Once the chocolate has melted completely, your magic shell is ready to use! Pour it over ice cream and allow it to harden before eating.

Instant Pot Method:

• Place 1″-2″ of water in the bottom of your Instant Pot liner (the metal pot that goes inside) and push the saute button and making sure it’s on the high setting. 
• Allow the water to come to a simmer. It should be steaming and bubbling lightly, but not boiling.
• Place the bowl of chocolate over the simmering water and allow it to melt completely. Stir it occasionally to help it melt evenly.
• Once the chocolate has melted completely, your magic shell is ready to use! Pour it over ice cream and allow it to harden before eating.

Click here to see the Instant Pot that I have. Mine is large (and I actually doubled the recipe for these photos), but a small Instant Pot (like this 3 qt.) would work well too!

Microwave Method:

• Place the glass bowl with chocolate and coconut oil in the microwave and heat it for 30 seconds.
• Remove the bowl from the microwave and stir the chocolate thoroughly.
• Repeat microwaving at 15 second intervals, stirring after each, until the chocolate has melted completely.
• Once the chocolate has melted completely, your magic shell is ready to use! Pour it over ice cream and allow it to harden before eating.

Recipe Notes and Tips

• Make sure to use regular coconut oil, not fractionated coconut oil. The fats in fractionated coconut oil have been treated in a way that prevents them from hardening, which means that your magic shell won’t harden either.
• If you want to add sprinkles or other toppings to the magic shell, do it immediately after drizzling. Once the chocolate hardens, they’ll all just bounce right off!
• If you have leftover magic shell, store it in an airtight container or bag in a dark, cool place. Simply reheat it over a double boiler (stovetop or Instant Pot) or in the microwave, and it’s ready to use again!

Can I make Magic Shell With Milk Chocolate?

Yes, you absolutely can! Semisweet or dark chocolate is the most traditional kind for magic shell, but you can also use milk chocolate or white chocolate if those are the flavors you prefer.

How Does Magic Shell Work?

Despite the name, Magic Shell isn’t actually….magic. It’s science! Which is even cooler, right?

The secret to magic shell is the coconut oil. It’s full of saturated fat, which hardens quickly when it gets cold. So, when it hits the ice cream and chills, you get a crackly, hard layer of chocolate coating. The fats in chocolate also harden, just not as quickly

And thankfully, there’s no actual witchcraft involved.

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