Matcha Ice Cream

To Freeze the Ice Cream Bowl (at least 24 hours prior)

1. If you‘re using an ice cream maker that requires you to pre-freeze the bowl (like this one), make sure to freeze it for at least 24 hours. If it’s not cold enough, you may end up with liquid even after 30 minutes of churning. I use this ice cream maker that does not require pre-freezing the bowl. If you don‘t have an ice cream maker, I hope this post helps.

To Make the Ice Cream Mixture

1. Gather all the ingredients.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine the ingredients for 3 cups milk mixture and turn on the heat to medium low. Here, I use option 1 with 2¼ cups whole milk and ¾ cup heavy (whipping) cream. Alternatively, you could use option 2 with 3 cups half-and-half; option 3 with 2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk and 1 cup heavy (whipping) cream; or option 4 with 1½ cups whole milk and 1½ cups light cream or coffee cream.
3. Add ¾ cup sugar and ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt to the milk mixture and whisk together. Heat until the sugar is dissolved, then turn off the heat. Remove the saucepan from the heat if you see small bubbles around the edges of the pan. NEVER let it boil.
4. Next, make a paste with the matcha powder. Place 5 Tbsp matcha (green tea powder) in a medium bowl. Then, add 3–4 Tbsp of the heated milk mixture to the matcha bowl. Stir it with a silicone spatula until the matcha completely absorbs the liquid and no lumps remain. Tip: Matcha is a fine powder that will float and never dissolve if you add it to a large volume of liquid at once. To prevent lumps, we must first make a paste with the powder, starting with only a small amount of liquid. Let the powder completely absorb the liquid while you stir to work out any lumps. Make sure your matcha paste has no lumps before you add more small additions of liquid. When you eventually achieve a smooth and thick liquid, you can add it to the rest of the milk mixture.
5. Next, add another 3–4 Tbsp of the milk mixture to the bowl and stir until the matcha absorbs the liquid.
6. For the third time, add another 3–4 Tbsp of the milk mixture to the bowl and stir. The mixture will start to become pasty. Stir and mash the paste to incorporate any dry lumps of powder.
7. For the fourth time, add another 3–4 Tbsp of the milk mixture and stir to further loosen up the paste. Continue to work out any lumps as you go.
8. Add a final 3–4 Tbsp of the milk mixture to the bowl and stir. Now, the matcha mixture should be a thick liquid with no lumps. Tip: If your matcha is not yet a smooth and thick liquid, continue to add and incorporate more small additions of the milk mixture until it reaches the right consistency.
9. Transfer the matcha mixture into the milk mixture and stir together.
10. Change to a whisk and combine this matcha ice cream mixture well. Then, prepare an ice bath and a bowl (I use this 8 cup measuring cup with a spout) that can sit in the ice bath. Set a fine-mesh sieve over the bowl or measuring cup. Next, pour the ice cream mixture through the sieve.
11. Press and strain any matcha lumps left in the sieve. Let the ice cream mixture cool on the countertop. When the mixture has cooled, cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. IMPORTANT: If you don‘t chill the mixture thoroughly, the ice cream maker will not produce an ice cream consistency.

To Churn the Ice Cream

1. My ice cream maker doesn‘t require pre-freezing, but the machine needs to run for 15 minutes until the interior bowl is -33ºF (-36ºC). When your ice cream maker bowl is ready to use, whisk the matcha ice cream mixture one last time.
2. Transfer the mixture to the ice cream maker bowl and churn according to the manufacturer‘s instructions.
3. After 25 minutes, when the mixture is thickened and not moving, turn off the ice cream maker.
4. Transfer the “soft“ ice cream into an airtight container. Freeze until the ice cream is firm and the flavor develops, at least 4 hours.

To Serve

1. Scoop the ice cream and serve in a small bowl.

To Store

1. You can keep it in the freezer for up to 2 weeks, but enjoy it sooner for the best flavor and color and to avoid the formation of ice crystals on the surface.