Hojicha Ice Cream (Printable Version)

Creamy Japanese ice cream infused with roasted green tea for a nutty, caramel-like dessert experience.

# What You'll 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

# Directions:

01 - Combine milk and heavy cream in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat until steaming but not boiling.
02 - Add hojicha tea to the warm cream mixture. Reduce heat to low, cover, and steep for 10 minutes to infuse flavor.
03 - Pour mixture through a fine mesh sieve, pressing the tea leaves to extract maximum flavor. Return infused liquid to saucepan.
04 - In a separate bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, and salt until pale and slightly thickened.
05 - Slowly pour approximately 1 cup of warm hojicha mixture into the egg yolk mixture while whisking constantly to prevent scrambling.
06 - Pour the tempered egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan containing the remaining hojicha cream.
07 - Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon, reaching 170 to 175 degrees Fahrenheit.
08 - Strain the custard into a clean bowl. Cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours until completely chilled.
09 - Transfer the chilled custard into an ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer instructions.
10 - Transfer churned ice cream to an airtight freezer container and freeze for at least 2 hours before serving.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It tastes sophisticated and restaurant-quality, but the technique is genuinely forgiving once you understand the custard.
  • Hojicha has this mysterious nutty depth that makes people pause and ask what they're tasting, which never gets old.
02 -
  • Tempering the yolks is non-negotiable—if you pour warm custard directly into yolks without whisking, you'll have scrambled egg ice cream, which is sadly not the vibe.
  • Don't skip the chilling step after cooking; warm custard churns into a grainy, icy texture instead of smooth and creamy.
03 -
  • If hojicha powder is all you can find, whisk 2 tablespoons directly into the warm milk instead of steeping loose leaves—it works beautifully and sometimes tastes even more concentrated.
  • An instant-read thermometer is your friend here; it removes the guesswork from the custard stage and guarantees creamy results every time.
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