Japanese Matcha Ice Cream
An eggless green tea ice cream that tastes like Japan's, not America's: earthy, sweet and a little bitter, with a generous five tablespoons of matcha.
Green tea is one of Japan's favorite sweet flavors, and ice cream is where it shows up most. Just One Cookbook's Namiko Hirasawa Chen built this recipe because most versions she tried in the US were too sweet or too creamy and hid the tea; she aims for a balance of earthy, sweet and slightly bitter, with no coloring needed. Wikipedia's green tea ice cream article says matcha ice cream was served at court luncheons in the Meiji era and that Meiji Dairies sold one under the Lady Borden brand in 1983. Häagen-Dazs Japan added green tea in 1996, according to a 2016 SoraNews24 report marking 20 years. Japan's other famous frozen export, mochi ice cream, has a DISPUTED birthplace (see Rules).
Why it works the kitchen science
Paste first
Matcha does not dissolve; working it into a little warm milk at a time breaks up every clump, so the ice cream is smooth and evenly green.
No eggs
Without yolks the tea's grassy bitterness comes through clearly instead of being muffled by custard.
Step by step
- Step 1
Heat the milk and cream in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in the sugar and salt and heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Take it off the heat as soon as small bubbles form at the edge; do not boil.
- Step 2
Put the matcha in a medium bowl. Add 3 to 4 tbsp of the warm milk and stir with a silicone spatula into a smooth, lump-free paste.
- Step 3
Keep adding the warm milk 3 to 4 tbsp at a time, mashing out lumps after each addition, about 5 additions, until you have a smooth, thick green liquid.
- Step 4
Whisk the matcha mixture into the rest of the milk. Pour it through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl set in ice water, pressing out any lumps, and stir until cool, about 10 minutes.
- Step 5
Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, until thoroughly cold.
- Step 6
Whisk the base again and churn in an ice cream maker until thick and no longer moving much, about 25 minutes.
- Step 7
Pack into an airtight container and freeze at least 4 hours, until firm.
Japanese Matcha Ice Cream
Serves 6 · about 1 1/2 quarts (Just One Cookbook's yield) · 35 min total
Ice cream base
- 2 1/4 cups whole milk
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/8 tsp kosher salt
- 5 tbsp matcha (about 30 g), culinary grade is fine
Method
- Heat the milk and cream in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in the sugar and salt and heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Take it off the heat as soon as small bubbles form at the edge; do not boil.
- Put the matcha in a medium bowl. Add 3 to 4 tbsp of the warm milk and stir with a silicone spatula into a smooth, lump-free paste.
- Keep adding the warm milk 3 to 4 tbsp at a time, mashing out lumps after each addition, about 5 additions, until you have a smooth, thick green liquid.
- Whisk the matcha mixture into the rest of the milk. Pour it through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl set in ice water, pressing out any lumps, and stir until cool, about 10 minutes.
- Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, until thoroughly cold.
- Whisk the base again and churn in an ice cream maker until thick and no longer moving much, about 25 minutes.
- Pack into an airtight container and freeze at least 4 hours, until firm.
Adapted from Just One Cookbook's "Matcha Ice Cream" (Green Tea Ice Cream): (3/4 cup sugar, 1/8 tsp kosher salt, 5 tbsp matcha, 2 1/4 cups whole milk plus 3/4 cup heavy cream, a 4-hour chill, about 25 minutes churning, at least 4 hours freezing, 1 1/2 quarts). We keep the author's own milk and cream choice. The serving count is ours. Just One Cookbook. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (3)
Tips
- Matcha is caffeinated. Just One Cookbook says a serving has about the caffeine of a weak cup of coffee; go easy for children and caffeine-sensitive eaters, and cut the matcha to taste.
- Use opened matcha within 2 to 3 weeks; it turns yellow-green as it oxidizes (Just One Cookbook).
- Keeps up to 2 weeks in the freezer, but the color and flavor are best in the first few days.
- Other milk options from the source: 3 cups half-and-half, or 2 cups 2% milk plus 1 cup heavy cream.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Mochi ice cream is a Japanese invention. Disputed: Lotte sold Yukimi Daifuku, ice cream wrapped in mochi, in Japan from 1981 (Wikipedia; Lotte's corporate timeline), while Frances Hashimoto's Mikawaya in Los Angeles is credited with the US mochi ice cream in 1993 or 1994 (Wikipedia and Food Republic; sources differ on the year).
- Matcha ice cream is centuries old. Folklore: Wikipedia's Meiji-era court claim is the oldest we found, and it is thinly sourced; the documented commercial start is 1983.
- Matcha ice cream needs green coloring. Documented as false for this recipe: Just One Cookbook says real matcha never needs artificial color.
- Ceremonial matcha is required. Folklore: Just One Cookbook says culinary grade is what you cook with.
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