Creamy Hojicha Green Tea Ice Cream (Printable Version)

Creamy, aromatic ice cream infused with roasted Japanese hojicha green tea for a unique dessert experience.

# What You Need:

→ Dairy Base

01 - 2 cups whole milk
02 - 1 cup heavy cream

→ Tea Infusion

03 - 3 tablespoons hojicha loose leaf tea

→ Custard Base

04 - 4 large egg yolks
05 - 2/3 cup granulated sugar
06 - Pinch of salt

# How-To Steps:

01 - Combine milk and cream in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat until steaming but not boiling.
02 - Remove from heat and add hojicha tea. Let steep for 10 minutes to extract roasted flavor.
03 - Strain mixture through a fine sieve, pressing firmly on tea leaves to extract maximum flavor. Discard leaves and return liquid to saucepan.
04 - Whisk egg yolks, sugar, and salt in a separate bowl until pale and creamy.
05 - Gradually pour warm hojicha mixture into yolks while whisking constantly to prevent curdling.
06 - Return mixture to saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with wooden spoon until thickened and coating the back of spoon, about 6-8 minutes. Do not boil.
07 - Pour through fine sieve into clean bowl. Cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours or until completely chilled.
08 - Process in ice cream maker according to manufacturer instructions until creamy consistency.
09 - Transfer to freezer-safe container. Cover and freeze at least 1 hour before serving.

# Helpful Tips:

01 -
  • The roasted tea flavor is unlike anything else in your freezer—people always ask what makes it so special
  • It strikes that perfect balance between sophisticated enough for dinner parties and simple enough for a Tuesday night craving
02 -
  • Tempering the eggs slowly is nonnegotiable—pouring hot dairy directly into cold yolks is how you end up with sweet scrambled eggs instead of silky custard
  • The custard thickening happens in the last 2 minutes of cooking, so stick close to the stove and stir constantly
03 -
  • If your hojicha flavor seems too subtle, increase the tea to 4 tablespoons next time—better to steep longer than to end up with a cream that barely tastes like tea
  • Always chill your custard completely before churning—warm base means ice crystals instead of that creamy gelato style texture

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