Creamy Hojicha Ice Cream (Print Version)

Creamy, elegant ice cream with nutty roasted green tea flavor

# What You Need:

→ Dairy

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

→ Tea

03 - 3 tablespoons hojicha loose leaf tea or 4 hojicha tea bags

→ Egg Mixture

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

# How To Make:

01 - In a saucepan, combine 2 cups heavy cream and 1 cup whole milk. Heat over medium heat until steaming but not boiling.
02 - Add 3 tablespoons hojicha loose leaf tea to the hot cream mixture. Reduce heat to low, cover, and steep for 10 minutes to extract the nutty caramel flavors.
03 - Pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve, pressing the tea leaves gently to extract maximum flavor. Return the infused cream to the saucepan.
04 - In a separate bowl, whisk together 4 large egg yolks, 2/3 cup granulated sugar, and a pinch of fine sea salt until pale and slightly thickened.
05 - Slowly pour approximately 1 cup of the warm hojicha mixture into the egg yolk mixture while whisking constantly to prevent curdling and achieve proper tempering.
06 - Pour the tempered egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan containing the remaining hojicha-infused cream, whisking to combine thoroughly.
07 - Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon and reaches 170 to 175 degrees Fahrenheit.
08 - Strain the custard into a clean bowl through a fine mesh sieve. Allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours until completely chilled.
09 - Transfer the chilled custard to an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions until it reaches soft-serve consistency.
10 - Transfer the churned ice cream to an airtight freezer container and freeze for at least 2 hours before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The roasted tea flavor is subtle enough to feel luxurious but bold enough that you'll actually taste it—no guessing games here.
  • This recipe teaches you proper custard technique, which suddenly makes all your other ice creams feel more elegant.
  • It's naturally vegetarian and gluten-free (with label checking), so it works for almost any gathering.
02 -
  • The tempering step isn't just tradition—it's the difference between smooth custard and a bowl of scrambled egg soup, so don't rush it.
  • Hojicha's flavor is delicate; if you steep longer than 10 minutes, it can turn slightly bitter, so set a timer and respect it.
  • An ice cream maker makes this possible, but if you don't have one, you can freeze the custard in a shallow pan and stir it every 30 minutes for 3 to 4 hours.
03 -
  • If you can't find loose leaf hojicha, hojicha powder works—use 2 tablespoons and whisk it directly into the chilled milk instead of steeping, which gives you more control over texture.
  • Chill your ice cream maker's bowl overnight if possible; a properly cold machine means faster churning and smaller ice crystals, resulting in silkier ice cream.
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