Hojicha Ice Cream (No Churn & No Condensed Milk)
Roll over matcha, it’s time to make way for hojicha – Japanese roasted green tea. This no-churn hojicha ice cream is smoky and toasty with subtle caramel notes. Made with Greek yoghurt and honey rather than condensed milk, it has a fresher flavour and lighter finish that complements the roasted tea beautifully. Whipped double cream gives it a wonderfully smooth, creamy texture. It’s quick to make, but needs several hours to freeze.
I love trying new ingredients and this one is certainly a new one on me. I’ve enjoyed several cups of hojicha now as well as the odd iced hojicha latte. It brings a new set of flavours to my palette, but ones I’m really starting to appreciate. The ice cream is something else and CT can’t get enough of it.
Dive Right In
- What Is Hojicha
- What Flavours Pair With Hojicha
- Why You’ll Want To Make Hojicha Ice Cream
- No-Churn Hojicha Ice Cream
- Ingredients, Additions and Substitutions
- How To Make Hojicha Ice Cream
- More Recipes Made With Tea
- Keep In Touch
- Pin It
- The Recipe
What Is Hojicha
Hojicha is a Japanese green tea, which isn’t actually green in colour. It’s dry roasted rather than steamed. This turns the tea brown and gives it a naturally nutty, toasty flavour with notes of caramel. It’s pronounced hoh-jee-cha, with the hoh elongated.
It was discovered in Kyota, Japan in the 1920s when a local tea merchant experimented with leftover tea leaves by roasting them. It caught on. To produce it, mature tea leaves and stems of Bancha and sometimes Sencha are roasted at 160–180°C.
Unlike matcha green tea, hojicha is relatively low in caffeine. This is due to the roasting process which reduces the amount of caffeine, bitterness and acidity in comparison with non-roasted green tea. A typical cup of hojicha contains roughly 7-20mg of caffeine whereas matcha contains 60-70mg. Coffee contains the most of all, roughly 80-100mg.
Hojicha is smoother and less bitter than matcha with a more rounded flavour. If you like coffee, you’ll probably enjoy it. In Japan it’s often consumed after a meal to aid digestion or as a relaxing afternoon or evening drink.
Like other green teas, it’s rich in antioxidants and has many benefits. In addition, hojicha is rich in pyrazine, a component that improves blood circulation, reduces sensitivity to cold, relieves fatigue and relaxes the body. (Ref:PubMed)
It started life as a loose-leaf tea and that’s still its most common form. However, it’s becoming increasingly available as a powder, which means hojicha lattes are on the rise. Use the powder just as you would matcha; it’s great for baking too.
I’ve used the powder for this hojicha ice cream recipe. It’s stoneground ceremonial grade and comes from Uji, Kyoto via Hojicha Lab. And it’s significantly cheaper than matcha.
If you’re interested in trying it, Hojicha Lab are offering Tin and Thyme readers an exclusive 20% discount off any order. Just use the discount code THYME20.
This isn’t a sponsored post. Hojicha Lab sent me some tea to try, but all opinions are my own. If I didn’t think this was a worthwhile ingredient, I wouldn’t have used it for this recipe.
What Flavours Pair With Hojicha
To complement or enhance hojicha’s smoky, woody and caramel notes, pair it with ingredients that echo its warm, nutty character or add a contrasting freshness. Try any of the following:
- Roasted nuts – especially hazelnuts, almonds and pecans, which enhance hojicha’s natural nuttiness.
- Brown sugar and caramel – these bring out its deep, toasted sweetness.
- Honey – adds floral sweetness while softening hojicha’s smoky notes.
- Chocolate – particularly milk chocolate or dark chocolate, which work well with roasted tea flavours.
- Sesame – toasted sesame and black sesame complement hojicha’s nutty character.
- Sweet spices – both vanilla and cinnamon round out hojicha’s earthy notes and add warm, sweet tones.
- Whisky – its warm, woody character pairs naturally with hojicha.
In my hojicha ice cream, honey and vanilla enhance the tea’s natural sweetness, while brown sugar ties in nicely with its caramel notes. Greek yoghurt adds a gentle tang that balances the richness of the cream and the depth of the roasted tea.
Why You’ll Want To Make This Hojicha Ice Cream
- No ice cream maker required – This easy no churn recipe comes together in minutes, then the freezer does the hard work.
- Distinctive roasted tea flavour – Hojicha brings warm notes of toast, caramel and a hint of smokiness for a sophisticated frozen dessert.
- No condensed milk – Greek yoghurt and honey create a fresher flavour and lighter finish without sacrificing creaminess.
- Wonderfully smooth texture – Whipped double cream keeps the ice cream rich, creamy and easy to scoop.
- A refreshing change from matcha – If you enjoy Japanese tea flavours, hojicha offers a mellow alternative that’s lower in caffeine and less grassy than matcha.
No-Churn Hojicha Ice Cream
Whilst I’m looking forward to experimenting further and creating more hojicha recipes, I’m feeling rather wedded to this no-churn ice cream at the moment. It’s perfect with all this hot weather we’ve been getting.
I’ve made it a little sweeter than I do my fruit ice creams in order to balance out the roasted tea’s smoky and slightly bitter notes. And I think I’ve got it spot on. If you think it’s too sweet though, by all means cut down on some of the honey or brown sugar.
One word of warning, this ice cream has a rather a sophisticated flavour profile and is more suited to adults than children. So savour it well and rest assured the kids are unlikely to stage a freezer raid.
Although it’s not needed, a drizzle of honey over the top of an ice cream bowl gives it a somewhat luxurious air. I haven’t yet tried it with a drizzle of salted caramel, but I reckon that would be awesome. A scattering of toasted hazelnuts or chocolate shavings also works really well.
And if you’d like a little extra something, a crisp biscuit or tuile gives a crunchy contrast as does toasted sesame brittle. These sesame halva biscuits might be just the thing though.
My favourite way to eat hojicha ice cream is affogato style. Just scoop a ball into a shallow cup or bowl, sprinkle with crushed toasted hazelnuts, then pour hot hojicha over the top – delicious. It creates a gorgeous melty dessert that provides contrasting textures and highlights hojicha’s nutty, roasted character.
Ingredients, Additions and Substitutions
You only need six ingredients in total to make hojicha ice cream. I’ve talked plenty enough already about hojicha in the beginning of the post, so I won’t repeat myself here. The only other ingredient not mentioned below is vanilla extract.
Dairy
Greek yoghurt is fabulous in this recipe. It gives a slight tartness and feeling that the ice cream might even be good for you. Just make sure you use full fat.
Double cream is the other part of this dairy duo. Once whipped it gives an airy texture to the ice-cream as well as a smooth richness. If you can’t get hold of double cream, use heavy cream or whipping cream. It won’t be quite the same though.
Spices
To add a little extra warmth and depth, vanilla works really well. I use vanilla extract, but vanilla bean paste is also an option. If you fancy something a little spicier, try swapping the vanilla for a teaspoon of ground cinnamon. It has a similar warm, sweet profile.
Sweeteners
Both honey and brown sugar work well with hojicha, both offering a different flavour profile which helps to balance out the roasted tea’s earthy flavours.
As the tea has quite a strong flavour, just go with standard honey, there’s certainly no point using ones with a delicate taste. Just make sure it’s a nice runny honey, so you can mix it in to the yoghurt easily.
As for the brown sugar, you can use dark or light. I went with a light muscovado sugar.
How To Make Hojicha Ice Cream
As long as you have electric beaters, this recipe is incredibly easy to make. The difficulty comes in the waiting. It needs six hours or so to freeze.
Please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for exact method and quantities of ingredients used.
Step 1. Mix Yoghurt and Tea
Place the yoghurt in a small mixing bowl, then sift in the hojicha. The sifting is important to ensure that the powder doesn’t clump together and mixes in smoothly.
Add the vanilla and salt and stir until everything is well combined.
Add the honey and sugar and stir again until combined.
Step 2. Whip Cream
In a large bowl and using electric beaters, whip the cream until it peaks. Be careful not to over whip though or it will start to separate and you could end up with butter and whey.
Although you can do this with a hand whisk, it takes quite a long time and can be hard going.
Scrape the hojicha mixture into the whipped cream bowl and fold it in carefully until combined with no streaks remaining. You want to keep as much of the air in as possible. A large metal spoon is good for this.
Step 3. Freeze
Scrape the mix into a freezer-proof container, level the top (or not), then put the lid on. If you don’t have a lid, use cling film (plastic wrap).
Place in the freezer and leave to freeze for about six hours. It will keep well there for at least three months.
Remove from the freezer fifteen minutes before serving. See the no-churn hojicha ice cream section for serving ideas.
More Recipes Made With Tea
- Chai masala chocolate cakes: gorgeously egg-free
- Earl Grey fruit cake with orange icing
- Matcha chocolate chip cookies
- Matcha hot chocolate
- Simple tea bread: aka bara brith or barmbrack
- Triple layer matcha chocolate cake
Keep in Touch
Thank you for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this no churn hojicha ice cream, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. Do you have any recommendations or tips for using hojicha?
Please rate the recipe too. And do tag me @choclette8 on Instagram with your images, I really enjoy seeing your take on my recipes.
For more delicious and nutritious recipes follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard or Pinterest. And don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to my weekly newsletter. Or why not join the conversation in our Healthy Vegetarian Whole Food Recipes Facebook Group?
If you’d like more ice cream recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious and nutritious, of course.
Choclette x
Hojicha Ice Cream. PIN IT.
Hojicha Ice Cream (No Churn & No Condensed Milk)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 225 g Greek yoghurt full fat
- 10 g hojicha powder (2 tbsp)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 pinch sea or rock salt
- 75 ml runny honey
- 30 g muscovado sugar I used light brown
- 300 ml double cream
Instructions
- Place the yoghurt in a small mixing bowl, then sift in the hojicha. This is important so that it doesn’t clump together.225 g Greek yoghurt, 10 g hojicha powder
- Add the vanilla and salt and stir until everything is well combined.1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 pinch sea or rock salt
- Add the honey and sugar and stir again.75 ml runny honey, 30 g muscovado sugar
- In a large bowl and using electric beaters, whip the cream until it peaks. Be careful not to over whip though or it will start to separate and you could end up with butter.300 ml double cream
- Scrape the hojicha mixture into the cream and fold it in until combined with no streaks remaining.
- Transfer to a one litre (1 US quart) freezer-proof container, level the top, then put the lid on. If you don't have a lid, use cling film (plastic wrap).
- Place in the freezer and leave for at least six hours. It will keep well there for three months.
- Remove from the freezer fifteen minutes before serving.