Green Tea Ice Cream With Chia

Matcha green tea ice cream, that is homemade, easy and refreshingly flavorful. Add chia seeds for an interesting texture. Here we also have tips for making no-churn or instant green tea ice cream.

Matcha Green Tea Ice Cream

If you like the taste of matcha in lattes, frappes, milk shakes and more, you are going to absolutely love this ice cream. With the recipe here, you can make it the traditional way or add your own touches.

Just like coffee ice cream, this green tea version is deliciously sweet with a hint of bitterness to it. In addition to that, matcha tastes a bit earthy, grassy and has an intense tea flavor.

What is Matcha?

Matcha is a fine powder made from green tea leaves that are harvested from plants grown in shade for about 3 to 4 weeks. The slow growth results in increased levels of chlorophyll, turning the leaves a darker green. There is also higher production of theanine.

Recipe Ingredients

Matcha Green Tea Powder, Milk, Heavy Cream, Corn Starch, Sugar or Honey, Chia Seeds, Salt 

• Matcha Green Tea Powder:
  • Buy properly packed culinary-grade matcha powder of a good brand, online, at supermarkets or health food stores with a fast turnover.
  • Look for stores that sell in bulk for best price and freshness. Prices can vary from $4 to $20 for an ounce if you are not careful.
  • Make sure that it is 100 percent pure Japanese matcha powder that is vibrant green in color. You don’t need the expensive ceremonial grade.
  • Check the expiration date and store opened pouches in refrigerator. For optimal flavor and color, use the powder as soon as possible.
• Milk: I use whole dairy milk. But you can try other plant based milks too.
• Heavy Cream: You need this for the fat content which provides the creamy texture. Check below for healthier options.
• Corn Starch: For thickening the milk I use corn starch for most of my ice cream recipes. Especially here, I prefer not to have the eggy flavor, as we don’t add other fragrant flavors.
• Sugar or Honey: You could use only sugar or honey or mix the two. Make sure to use honey that has a very mild flavor, as we want to keep the tea flavor prominent. 
• Chia Seeds: I use black chia seeds for a contrast in appearance.
• Salt: This helps enhance sweetness and flavor in ice cream recipes.

A drizzle of chocolate sauce, fresh fruit slices, chopped nuts or wafers add a delightful variation to a plain green tea ice cream. It tastes amazing just as it is too.

How to Make Green Tea Ice Cream

*Full recipe at the end of blog post.

• Chia: Combine milk with chia seeds and let it soak overnight.
• Milk Custard: Cook milk and sugar with corn starch to make a thin custard.
• Add Matcha: Mix some custard with green tea powder to make a thick liquid and add it back to remaining custard. Strain it through fine sieve.
• Chill: Cool the mixture; stir in salt and heavy cream. Refrigerate overnight.
• Freeze: Run the mixture in ice cream maker. Add dollops of chia seed pudding in the end and/or sprinkle dry chia seeds.

Use soaked chia seeds for a soft crunch or plain chia seeds for a hard crunch.

Variations

This matcha green tea ice cream is vegetarian, gluten free, egg free, nut free, soy free and low-sodium. I am sharing some suggestions below, some of which I have not tried.

• Vegan/Dairy Free: You could try using coconut milk and coconut cream. There are also vegan heavy whipping creams. Plant based milks are often thinner and have less fat content. You can enrich the milk with walnuts as I do in this banana nut ice cream, but it may add a mild flavor to it.
• Refined Sugar Free: Try maple syrup or honey (only mildly flavored) instead of sugar. These sweeteners will still add sugar to the recipe, and provide just a small amount of other nutrients. 
• Healthier: 
  • Use only one cup of cream and increase the milk in the recipe. 
  • Enrich the milk with walnuts as mentioned above. 
  • Replace ½ cup cream with avocado. You may not need to use corn starch to thicken the milk if you use this option. Just blend the avocado with milk and it will thicken. 
  • Bananas can be used to replace some sugar and sweeten ice cream, but it also imparts some flavor.

Tips and Notes

Soft Ice Cream: To make ice cream soft, you need the optimal amount of sugar or honey, fat, thickeners and equipment. Use the gelato setting in your ice cream machine for a denser and creamier ice cream. Check more elaborate tips for that in this Persian ice cream recipe post.

Easy No Churn Ice Cream: 

• The easiest and quickest way to do this is to combine store bought vanilla ice cream with matcha green tea powder. Freeze and serve.
• Using condensed milk: Whip 2 cups of heavy cream until stiff peaks. Then gradually fold in a can of condensed milk. Stir matcha powder. Freeze the mixture. Stir it every half hour to break the ice crystals until frozen and creamy.

Storage: I like to place a piece of parchment paper on top of the ice cream and store in these Tovolo ice cream containers to prevent ice crystal formation. If possible, store it in the door section of your freezer as the temperature there is slightly warmer.

Serving Suggestions

Thaw the ice cream a bit until it softens. Scoop it out and serve it plain, with fresh fruit slices or wafers. 

It is amazing with hot chocolate sauce and chopped nuts. Try it with toasted coconut flakes and caramel sauce.

Nutrition Facts

Ice cream is a treat to be enjoyed in moderation.  There are some suggestions to make it lighter or healthier in the “variations” section above.

But this is perhaps one of those few ice creams that come with a heavy dose of antioxidants. Both green tea powder and chia seeds are amazing sources of antioxidants and other beneficial phytonutrients.

Matcha has nutrients found in green tea, but in greater amounts, because it is ground from whole leaves. It is a rich source of catechins, antioxidants, theanine and caffeine. Other health benefits include support of liver and heart health, cancer prevention, enhanced brain function and improved weight loss. 

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5 from 4 votes

Matcha Green Tea Ice Cream with Chia

Matcha green tea ice cream, that is homemade, easy and refreshingly flavorful. Add chia seeds for an interesting texture. Here we also have tips for making no-churn or instant green tea ice cream.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time11 mins

Chilling, Churning, & Freezing time4 hrs

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Course :Dessert

Cuisine :American

Servings: 12

Calories: 202kcal

Author: Roxana Begum

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 cups whole milk
• ▢ 2 tablespoons chia seeds black
• ▢ ¾ cup sugar or ⅔ cup honey
• ▢ 1½ tablespoons corn starch
• ▢ 3½ tablespoons matcha powder culinary grade
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1½ cups heavy cream

Optional

• ▢ Chocolate Sauce
• ▢ Fresh Fruit Slices
• ▢ Chopped Nuts
• ▢ Toasted Coconut Flakes
• ▢ Wafers

US Customary - Metric

Equipment

• ▢
  Saucepan
• ▢
  Ice Cream Maker

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Combine ½ cup milk and 2 tablespoons chia seeds and let it soak overnight in the refrigerator. Alternatively, soak only ¼ cup milk with 1 tablespoon chia seeds and add the other tablespoon directly to the prepared ice cream.
• Dissolve corn starch in ⅓ cup milk and stir well until smooth. Take the remaining milk and sugar (or honey) in a large saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium high heat. Lower the heat and whisk in the corn starch-milk mixture, stirring constantly. Simmer until it reaches a thin custard consistency or coats the back of a spoon. Turn off the heat.
• Take green tea powder in a small bowl. Add about ½ cup of hot custard, little at a time and stir it into a smooth paste first, using more custard as needed to make a thick liquid mixture.
• Add back the green tea-custard mixture into the milk custard and stir it thoroughly well. Take the pan off the heat and pass it through a fine mesh sieve and using a rubber spatula, push the solids back into the mixture.
• Combine it all well again and let it cool on an ice bath (by setting the saucepan in a larger bowl partially filled with ice and water).
• Stir in salt and heavy cream until well combined.
• Chill the mixture in refrigerator for several hours/overnight or over an ice bath.
• Freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Add dollops of chia seed pudding in the end just when the ice cream is starting to set. Sprinkle dry chia seeds on prepared ice cream, if you didn’t use all of it to make chia pudding.

Notes

1. Matcha Green Tea:
   • Purchase nicely packed culinary-grade matcha powder of a good brand, online, at supermarkets or health food stores with a fast turnover. Look for stores that sell in bulk for best price and freshness.
   • Make sure that it is 100 percent pure Japanese matcha powder that is vibrant green in color. You don’t need the expensive ceremonial grade.
   • Check the expiration date and store opened pouches in refrigerator. For optimal flavor and color, use the powder as soon as possible.
   • Use more matcha for more flavor. One tablespoon of the powder weighs 6 grams.
   • Refrigerate leftover matcha powder, nicely packed in its own and use it within 2 to 3 weeks.
   • To prevent lump formation, make the matcha paste adding small amounts of liquid gradually.
2. Chia Seeds: Use chia pudding for a soft crunch or plain chia seeds for a hard crunch.
3. Homemade Chocolate Sauce: Heat 2 to 3 tablespoons of milk (or cream) in a microwave and add 2 ounces of fine semi-sweet chocolate (I used ghirardelli) and stir until melted and smooth. Mix in 1 teaspoon of honey. 
4. Storage: Place a piece of parchment paper on top of the ice cream and store in an airtight container to prevent ice crystal formation. If possible, store it in the door section of your freezer as the temperature is slightly warmer.
5. Vanilla: I think green tea flavor by itself is the best, but if you wish, you can add 1 to 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract.
6. Gelato: If your ice cream machine has the gelato setting, use that for a denser, creamier and more flavorful result.
7. If your machine has an ice cream bowl, make sure to freeze it for 24 hours before using it.
8. For other variations, tips and serving suggestions, scroll up the page to the blog post.

Nutrition

Calories: 202kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 54mg | Potassium: 84mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 723IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 78mg | Iron: 1mg

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