Hojicha Ice Cream (Printable View)

Silky frozen dessert featuring nutty roasted green tea in a creamy custard base with elegant caramel notes.

# 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

# How To Make It:

01 - In a saucepan, combine milk and heavy cream. Heat over medium heat until steaming but not boiling.
02 - Add hojicha tea to the hot cream mixture. Reduce heat to low, cover, and steep for 10 minutes to infuse the roasted tea flavor.
03 - Pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve, pressing the tea leaves to extract maximum flavor. Return the strained infusion to the saucepan.
04 - In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks with granulated sugar and salt until 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 and prevent curdling.
06 - Pour the tempered yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining hojicha-infused milk, stirring to combine.
07 - Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon, approximately 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 manufacturer instructions until the mixture 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 hojicha flavor is sophisticated but approachable, tasting like caramel and roasted nuts without being heavy.
  • It's a legitimate ice cream that uses proper custard technique, so you actually feel like you've made something special.
  • It pairs beautifully with everything from fresh fruit to mochi, making it the kind of dessert that works year-round.
02 -
  • The ice cream maker is not optional—you need it to keep ice crystals small and create that creamy texture, and hand-stirring every 30 minutes for hours just isn't the same.
  • Chilling the custard fully before churning is essential because warm custard will only partially freeze in the machine and turn out grainy instead of smooth.
  • The tempering step with the eggs isn't just technique theater—skipping it or rushing it means you'll end up with scrambled eggs floating in your ice cream, and there's no coming back from that.
03 -
  • If you can't find loose leaf hojicha, use hojicha powder and whisk 2 tablespoons directly into the cold milk before heating—no steeping needed, and the flavor is actually more concentrated.
  • Keep your ice cream maker bowl in the freezer overnight before churning because a super cold machine gives you smoother, less grainy results in less time.
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