Hojicha Ice Cream (Printable)

Creamy Japanese dessert with nutty roasted green tea flavor and smooth custard base

# What You’ll Use:

→ 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:

01 - In a saucepan, combine the milk and heavy cream. Heat over medium heat until steaming but not boiling.
02 - Add the hojicha tea to the hot cream mixture. Reduce heat to low, cover, and steep for 10 minutes to infuse the tea flavor.
03 - Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve, pressing the tea leaves gently to extract maximum flavor. Return the infused milk to the saucepan.
04 - In a separate bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, and salt until the mixture is pale and slightly thickened.
05 - Slowly pour approximately 1 cup of the warm hojicha mixture into the egg yolks while whisking constantly to gradually raise the temperature without cooking the eggs.
06 - Pour the tempered yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining hojicha-infused milk, stirring 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 to remove any cooked egg particles. 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 frozen and creamy.
10 - Transfer the churned ice cream to an airtight freezer container and freeze for at least 2 hours before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The sophistication sneaks up on you—it's elegant without demanding your attention or a fancy dessert menu to justify it.
  • It's naturally gluten-free and vegetarian, which means you're not sacrificing flavor for dietary preferences.
  • Hojicha's nutty, caramel notes mean you don't need vanilla or complicated additions to make it taste like something special.
02 -
  • The tempering step isn't just fancy technique—it's the difference between silky custard and scrambled eggs, so truly don't rush this and always whisk constantly.
  • If you're using hojicha powder instead of leaves, whisk it directly into the cold milk before heating rather than steeping it, so you avoid a grainy texture.
03 -
  • An ice cream maker is non-negotiable here—hand-churning won't give you the smooth, creamy texture that makes this special.
  • The absolute best flavor comes when you use real hojicha loose leaf tea and give yourself the full chilling and freezing time, so plan ahead rather than rushing.
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