Homemade Matcha Ice Cream is the perfect refreshing sweet treat on a hot day. This matcha ice cream is rich, smooth, and has an amazing zen-earthy green tea flavor. It’s easy to make at home, and you only need six ingredients!
In this blog post, we’ll guide you through a simple and delightful recipe for homemade matcha ice cream using an ice cream maker. With the perfect balance of sweetness and the distinctive taste of matcha, this frozen treat is sure to become a favorite.
This rich and creamy matcha ice cream (green tea ice cream) is one of my favorite ways to enjoy matcha. Matcha ice cream has a refreshing and delightful flavor characterized by its earthy and grassy essence, complemented by a slight bitterness from the matcha powder and delicate sweetness from the sweetened condensed milk. The creamy and smooth texture adds to the refreshing sensation, while the umami flavor provides a rich and memorable experience.
Why Matcha Ice Cream is Worth Making at Home
Matcha has become a global phenomenon—swirling into lattes, baked into cakes, and of course, churned into ice cream. Like I do in my previous post, I made Matcha Cloud Peach Latte, Strawberry Matcha Crepe Cake and Matcha Croquant Choux…… and still I have the matcha ceremonial grade here. So, I think about making in homemade ice cream which is effortless and such a nice choice for the weekend.
That’s why making own matcha ice cream at home is a game-changer. You get a dessert that’s not only more flavorful and cleaner-tasting but also a celebration of the matcha itself. Whether you’re a matcha enthusiast or simply love crafting unique treats in your kitchen, this recipe will quickly become a favorite. And, don’t forget to give strawberry or other tart berry jam to match with this earthiness taste of matcha. You’ll thank me later!
Ceremonial grade vs culinary grade matcha powder
There are two main types of matcha, ceremonial grade and culinary grade.
Ceremonial grade matcha is more concentrated, higher quality, and usually a more vibrant green than culinary matcha powder. It has a fresh and sweet taste that would be lost during cooking or baking. It’s meant to be consumed directly or made into a drink with hot water. This higher grade usually comes at a much higher price point than culinary grade matcha.
Culinary grade matcha is meant to be used in cooking and baking. It’s usually a duller, yellow-green colour and the taste is more earthy and slightly bitter. Culinary grade matcha is designed to be added into food where it can withstand heat and being combined with other ingredients without losing its flavour.
Generally, For this ice cream, I used ceremonial grade matcha powder just because I needed to use rest of my matcha lol, besides I want to empty the stock. Also, I need quite a bit of matcha powder to achieve a strong taste when combined with the cream.
The ideal flavor of this refreshing treat should be a perfect balance of earthy, sweet, and slightly bitter. Because matcha is much more concentrated than regular green tea, you often don’t need much to experience its robust profile.
Moreover, one of my favorite things about making homemade ice cream is that you can easily adjust the flavors to fit your taste. You can make this recipe more or less sweet, or you can make it have a stronger or milder matcha flavor. So, hurry up let’s make this homemade Matcha ice cream!
Equipment
- Ice cream maker
Ingredients of Homemade Matcha Ice Cream
- Matcha Powder ceremonial grade: The star of the recipe. It provides that vibrant green hue and authentic matcha flavor—delicate, grassy, and umami-rich. You can use both culinary-grade matcha powder and ceremonial-grade matcha powder. I use ceremonial grade will make an ice cream with a fresher taste and greener colour. Don’t forget to adjust the amount of matcha powder to taste if you’re using ceremonial grade matcha powder.
- Heavy Cream; Note that this recipe uses a bit more heavy cream than my classic no-churn ice cream; it provides creaminess and richness to the ice cream to be whipped into a thick mixture, until stiff peaks form.
- Milk: This will create the thick base of the ice cream. Milk is an essential ingredient; it adds sweetness and contributes to the creamy texture. This is where you get your sweetness and keep it from being gritty. Whole milk is best for ice cream, although you can compensate for lower fat percentages by decreasing the milk a bit and adding some extra cream to make up for it.
- Sugar: Since the taste of matcha is slightly bitter, I add sugar here to make the ice cream perfect but not overly sweet. gives just the right amount of sweetness in combination with the matcha.
- Egg Yolk: You can skip the egg, too. I add some to add tender texture, since I will use an Ice cream maker. Used for a custard-style ice cream. They add richness and stabilize the mixture for a silky finish.
- Vanilla Extract: A splash of vanilla is a must for this matcha ice cream! If you have some homemade vanilla extract, feel free to use it here. I love pairing matcha and vanilla together as it mellows out the earthiness of the matcha.
How to Make Homemade Matcha Ice Cream
Start by placing the egg yolks and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer on high speed, whisk the mixture until it becomes smooth, fluffy, and pale in color. This step helps incorporate air and gives the ice cream a creamy, light texture.
Next, reduce the mixer speed to low. Gradually pour in the heavy cream and milk, continuing to mix until everything is just combined. Don’t overmix, this is just to blend the liquids evenly.
Pour the entire mixture into a medium saucepan. Heat over low heat while stirring constantly with a spatula or wooden spoon. Keep stirring gently until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon this is your custard base. Once thickened, remove from the heat.
Sift the ceremonial grade matcha powder into a small bowl. Then, add about ⅓ cup of the hot custard mixture into the bowl. Whisk vigorously until the matcha is fully dissolved and smooth with no lumps.
Pour the smooth matcha mixture back into the saucepan with the rest of the custard. Stir until fully incorporated and evenly green.
Transfer the matcha custard to an airtight container. Let it cool slightly, then refrigerate overnight or at least 6 hours. This chilling phase helps deepen the flavor and improve the texture of the final ice cream.
Once fully chilled, pour the mixture into your ice cream maker. Churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions, usually 20–25 minutes, until the mixture thickens and increases in volume.
Transfer the churned ice cream into a clean, airtight container. Smooth the top, close the lid, and freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight until scoopable.
Serving Suggestions
Now, it’s time to serve! Here are a few ideas to elevate your dessert:
- Top with sweet red beans (anko) for a traditional Japanese-style twist.
- Pair with mochi bites or rice crackers for a contrast in texture.
- Drizzle with condensed milk or white chocolate sauce.
- Serve in a black sesame cone for a stunning color and flavor combo.
- It also works beautifully as a side to matcha brownies, dorayaki, or even on its own with a crisp matcha cookie.
- Serve with my homemade strawberry fruit rolls up, perfect combination between burst fresh berries and zen bitter matcha ice cream!
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Homemade Matcha Ice Cream
Equipment
- ice cream maker
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Matcha Powder ceremonial grade
- 2 cup Heavy Cream
- 1 cup Milk
- ¾ cup Sugar
- 4 Egg Yolk
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk egg yolk and sugar with a hand mixer over high speed until smooth, fluffy and light in color.
- Change the speed to low then gradually pour the heavy cream and milk into the bowl and whisk until just combined.
- Pour the mixture into a saucepan then heat over low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture is thicken like a custard. Remove from the heat.
- Sift matcha powder into the bowl then add 1/3 cup of the mixture and mix well until no lumps.
- Add matcha mixture into the ice cream mixture and stir until well combined.
- Transfer the mixture into an airtight container then refrigerate overnight.
- Pour the chilled mixture into an ice cream maker and churn according to the machine instructions or until the mixture thickens and double the size.
- After churning, pour the ice cream into an airtight container and freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight before serving.
