Hojicha Ice Cream

This ice cream has a subtle roasty tea flavor, making it a fun way to have your tea and eat it too!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Japanese

Keyword green tea, hojicha, ice cream, nut-free, tea, vegetarian

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Chilling Time 8 hours

Total Time 8 hours 20 minutes

Servings 8 scoops

Calories 201 kcal

In a medium pot, simmer the tea, cream, milk, sugar and salt until the sugar completely dissolves, about 5 minutes. Remove pot from heat. In a separate bowl, whisk the yolks until they're broken up.
Whisking constantly, slowly whisk about a third of the hot cream into the yolks, then whisk the yolk mixture back into the pot with the cream. Return pot to medium-low heat and gently cook until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (about 170F on an instant-read thermometer).
Cool to room temperature. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and discard the tea bags and any scrambled egg bits that get caught in the sieve. Press out any liquid that might be held in the tea bags back into the custard. Stir in the vodka.
Cover and chill at least 4 hours or overnight. If the ice cream base separates while it’s chilling, mix it back together and you’re good to go.
Churn in an ice cream machine according to manufacturers’ instructions; it'll look like really thick whipped cream when it's done churning. Transfer to a container (I like to use a long, shallow container because it helps me get better scoops than a pint container), smooth the top and cover. Freeze until solid.

Ice cream adapted slightly from Melissa Clark.

You don’t need to add the alcohol, but it helps make sure the ice cream has a softer, more creamy texture.