Matcha Ice Cream is the perfect refreshing sweet treat on a hot day. This recipe has a deep intensity and creamy texture that instantly takes me back to Japan. If you want to know what authentic Japanese green tea ice cream tastes like, this is for you.
Green tea is one of the most popular flavors for sweets in Japan, especially in the form of ice cream. I’ve been living in the U.S. for over 15 years now, and I admit that it’s been hard to find green tea ice cream that tastes authentic to what I enjoyed growing up. The majority of what I’ve tried is either way too sweet or overly creamy, masking the delicate flavor of the tea itself. Also, with matcha ice cream, there should never be a need for any artificial coloring or flavors.
If you want to know what true Matcha Ice Cream (抹茶アイスクリーム) tastes like, I have just the recipe for you. The flavors instantly bring me back to Japan whenever I have this ice cream.
What Does Matcha Ice Cream Taste Like?
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.
This homemade ice cream recipe accentuates the deep intensity of matcha flavor and is rich in texture. That’s how matcha ice cream tastes in Japan! It should not be overly creamy or milky like what you’d expect from some commercial ice cream brands which downplay the distinct matcha character. In short, expect intense matcha in authentic Japanese ice cream. No weak matcha flavor here.
Since matcha ice cream contains caffeine, consider it the perfect hot weather pick-me-up!
Matcha vs. Green Tea
Yes, both types of traditional Japanese teas come from the same plant (Camellia sinensis). But what sets them apart?
You will find that matcha (抹茶) is more expensive and sold in small canisters as a finely ground powder. This is because matcha is made using only shade-grown tea leaves, meaning the leaves never encounter direct sunlight (resulting in a darker shade of green due to increased chlorophyll production). Only the finest buds are hand-picked, de-stemmed, and stone-ground to become the vibrant green powder that we find in stores.
Green tea (緑茶), on the other hand, is cultivated from leaves that have been left in the sun. This type of tea is often found in tea bags or sold as loose leaf. The flavor is lighter than matcha. It’s still earthy, but it is much less intense because it’s not as concentrated.
To learn more about matcha and how best to store it, please read this post.
Ingredients for Matcha Ice Cream
My Matcha Ice Cream recipe is super simple. It only takes 4 simple ingredients to make— and eggs are not necessary!
- Matcha (Green tea powder)
- Half-and-Half or Milk & Cream (more on this below)
- Sugar
- Salt
5 Tips for Making Matcha Ice Cream
Tip #1: Buy the right matcha
When purchasing matcha, you’ll notice there are often three types: ceremonial, premium, and culinary grade.
High-grade matcha (ceremonial and premium) is used for drinking and tends to have a bright, vibrant green hue. The “lower grades” are used mostly for culinary purposes, such as this recipe.
Premium quality matcha rarely goes on sale. Even if it does, do not buy in big volume because you need to use it in 2-3 weeks once you open the package. Matcha oxidizes and turns to yellow-green color as time passes. Unless you’re running a commercial bakery, I wouldn’t buy a big bag of matcha for home use.
Even in Japan, matcha is considered an expensive ingredient because of the care required for cultivation.
Tip #2: Half-and-Half vs. Milk & Cream
When I shared this original recipe in 2011, I used Half-and-Half (an American dairy product that is an equal blend of whole milk and light cream) to make the recipe.
Since then, I learned that many of you, who live outside of the U.S., don’t have access to this product, so I’ve included other options for you in this updated recipe. There are 4 options:
- Option 1: 2 ¼ cups (540 ml) whole milk + ¾ cup (180 ml) heavy cream – I used this for my video/recipe below
- Option 2: 3 cups (720 ml) Half-and-Half
- Option 3: 2 cups (480 ml) low-fat milk + 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
- Option 4: 1 ½ cups (360 ml) whole milk + 1 ½ cups (360 ml) light cream
Reference: The Kitchn
Tip #3: Freeze your ice cream bowl
Before diving into making the ice cream, be sure to freeze your ice cream bowl for 24 hours beforehand. If it’s not cold enough, you may end up with liquid even after 30 minutes of churning. If you are not using an ice cream maker, please read this post for helpful tips.
After having this ice cream maker for several years, we invested on this ice cream maker and really love it. We don’t have to worry about reserving a space in the freezer to store the ice cream bowl before making ice cream any more. It’s much more convenient now to make homemade ice cream.
Tip #4: Make Matcha Paste
Matcha is a fine powder and you can’t add it to the large volume of liquid because the powder becomes lumps as soon as it absorbs moisture. Therefore, when you mix matcha with liquid (milk mixture in this recipe), you have to make matcha into the paste form before adding to the large volume of liquid.
Tip #5: Refrigerate the Matcha Milk Mixture
To facilitate the churring properly, you have to chill the ice cream mixture in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. I consider this the hardest part of ice cream making!
Other Ice Cream Recipes:
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Matcha Ice Cream
Video
Ingredients
- ¾ cup sugar
- ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 5 Tbsp matcha (green tea powder) (1 Tbsp matcha is 6 g)
- 3 cups milk mixture (pick one option below)
For the Milk Mixture
Option 1 (I use this in the recipe and video):
- 2¼ cups whole milk
- ¾ cup heavy (whipping) cream
Option 2:
- 3 cups half-and-half (an American dairy product of equal parts whole milk and cream that contains 10.5–18% milkfat)
Option 3:
- 2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
- 1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
Option 4:
- 1½ cups whole milk
- 1½ cups light cream or coffee cream
Instructions
To Freeze the Ice Cream Bowl (at least 24 hours prior)
- 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
- Gather all the ingredients.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Next, add another 3–4 Tbsp of the milk mixture to the bowl and stir until the matcha absorbs the liquid.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Transfer the matcha mixture into the milk mixture and stir together.
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- Transfer the mixture to the ice cream maker bowl and churn according to the manufacturer‘s instructions.
- After 25 minutes, when the mixture is thickened and not moving, turn off the ice cream maker.
- 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
- Scoop the ice cream and serve in a small bowl.
To Store
- 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.
Nutrition
Editor’s Note: The post was originally published on August 15, 2011. The blog content and images have been updated and a new video has been added to the post in August 2021.
I love green tea ice cream but I feel this recipe called for too much matcha!! Could have cut the quantity down to only one tbs and it still would have been pretty strong…
Hi Sam! Usually green tea ice cream in Japan tastes just like this, which has more green tea flavor than sweet creamy taste. However, after living outside of Japan for sometime, I understand a lot of people prefer less green tea flavor as that’s how it’s sold here… You’re welcome to reduce the amount of green tea powder to your liking. If anyone prefers green tea ice cream just like what you can get in Japan, I highly recommend to keep the amount (and use good quality matcha). 🙂
Hi there!I LOVE your blog! My ice cream is churning now, and I tasted a spoonful and it is delish! I had some green tea ice cream at Haggen Daaz in Kaohsiung and it was delish, but way too sweet for me. I remember the taste of the green tea ice cream from Little Tokyo in Los Angles as a kid! I love all things Matcha! I bought 300 grams of culinary matcha in Taiwan and even some powdered Matcha Milk for lattes! I will be making some green tea mochi next to make some mochiko!
Thanks again, great recipe!
Thank you Leesa! I’m glad to hear you liked the ice cream! Thanks for the kind feedback. 🙂
I made this last spring and absolutely loved it! I got David Lebovitz’s ice cream recipe book for Christmas this year, and even though I love his recipes, I will always use this one for green tea ice cream instead of the book – it was so wonderful and the colour of the ice cream was very cheerful.
Hi Michelle! I’m so happy to hear you like this recipe as much as I do! This is my go to recipe for all year around! 🙂
I just finished making the mixture for this recipe, it is literally the best green tea ice cream I have ever tasted. I tried only just the mixture and thought whoa, how could this be enough!!! I went ahead and make another batch so it can be churn all at once!! Thank you sooooo much for sharing this recipe
Hi Rita! I’m so happy to hear you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! I am really happy with this recipe, too. It’s really close to the green tea ice cream we get in Japan. 🙂 Thank you so much for trying this recipe! 🙂
This recipe is VERY good. It turned out so good that people commented that it tasted like it was purchased.
The only downside to it is that matcha is expensive to buy in my city, at least a decent quality one.
Hi Kevin! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! I really, REALLY love this green tea ice cream recipe and use it ALL THE TIME! It’s too bad that GOOD matcha is always expensive. 🙂
delicious results with this recipe!! excellent without eggs, my kids loved it!!! THANKS for posting!!
Hi Daniel! I’m so glad your ice cream came out well. Thank you so much for trying this recipe! 🙂
This looks really delicious, thanks! As I’m vegan, I’ll try to make a vegan version using soya and coconut cream. Will let you know if it’s successful!
Hi Liz! Please let me know how it turns out. I’m curious, and I’m sure others would love to know! Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Hi Nami,
Tried this recently and it was awesome! Truly delicious.
Thank you so much for a great recipe. I will be trying the black sesame ice cream next.
Keep up the great work.
Hi Ai Mei! Thank you for trying this recipe out! I’m so happy you liked it. Isn’t it simple and delicious? Hope you enjoy black sesame ice cream as much as green tea ice cream. 🙂
I love your recipe!
I’m a huge fan of matcha green tea and living in Dubai seeing any ice cream of that beautiful color have me running into the staff with excitment thinking it’d be Matcha Flavour…too sad for me it’s all Pistachio!
I tried melted high quality Vanilla ice cream and whisk Matcha power into it just for a quick fix but never get a proper flavour like what I had in Japan or in Thailand (we made as decent flavour as ones from HagenDaz)
Just recently I bought small pot of Hagendaz Matcha from Japan and refreeze it in Dubai….the flavour is there but it’s just like having a frozen Matcha Latte! Thank you again for all these lovely recipe!
Hi Mae! Haha, I often make mistake too – when it’s green, my first thought is GREEN TEA!!! 😀 I’m so happy to hear you like my recipe, and thank you so much for writing! 🙂
I just made this matcha ice cream right now. It is fantastic and I love there is no egg in it! It was very easy to make and the consistency is great. I just leave it out on the countertop a couple of minute before scooping so it gets a bit softer to scoop. I also used very high quality matcha which I think makes a difference. 🙂 I know some people get a lower quality for ice cream and smoothies but I love the taste of the good stuff. Thanks for this wonderful & simple recipe! (I used the whole milk and heavy cream combo because that’s all I had on hand)
Hi Maddie! So glad you liked it. This is my favorite ice cream to make (I love matcha and this is super easy to make!). I agree about the quality of matcha. Even the color of matcha can tell the grade, too. 🙂 Thank you so much for the feedback!
Hi Nami,
I tried to recipe (without ice cream maker – followed the recommended link). It turned out very well 🙂
Thanks for a great recipe!
Hi Josie! I’m happy to hear it turned out well! Thank you so much for your feedback!
Oh P.S. Haagen Dazs green tea ice cream in Japan is different and tastes better than one from the US. More matcha taste for one in Japan. 🙂
I love green tea ice cream! Thank you for providing the recipe! I mixed in Oreo cookies and made into a green tea cookies n’ cream ice cream. Yum! I just made your awesome black sesame ice cream as well. SO good! Itsumo arigatou gozaimasu! 😀
Hi Aya-san! Thank you so much for your feedback! Yay! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed both green tea ice cream and sesame ice cream! Thanks for writing! 🙂
It’s good to hear someone comment on what real matcha ice cream tastes like in Japan. I’ve never been, but I’ve always found the extra creamy versions with eggs too Americanized or custardy. The only one I like is made by a Japanese restaurant in California, it’s dark green, almost bitter and amazing.
Over the years I’ve tried a lot of recipes, and the one I’ve been using for 10 years is 1 cup milk, 1 cup cream, 1/3 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon matcha (which I always up to 2 tablespoons or more) 😉 When I found your recipe, it felt as if I had confirmation of authenticity. Thank you.
Hi Kat! I was happy too to find this macha ice cream recipe. I love matcha and I’ve tried matcha ice cream at different restaurants and bought different brands of ice cream, but they are all too creamy like you said. I make this matcha ice cream all the time and it’s one of the easiest and most authentic matcha ice cream I found. It brings me back to Japan right away! 🙂
Thank you so much for your kind comment. 🙂
Hello,
Just a note to say that your recipe is churning in my ice cream maker right now. I tasted it and it is おいしい! Strong matcha flavour and not too sweet. I think my guests are in for a treat.
Thanks for posting this recipe. My next try will be black sesame.
Jennifer
Hi Jennifer! Oh I’m so happy to hear you liked the green tea ice cream!! 🙂 Hope you will enjoy the black sesame ice cream too. 🙂
Hello,
A year ago I bought matcha powder while I was abroad because we don’t have it where we live. I haven’t had the chance to use it – is it still useable? The packaging has no expiry date on it since it was filled from a larger bucket. If I can still use it, how long will it keep?
Thanks!
Hi! I wasn’t sure so I did a little bit of research (in Japanese). It looks like it’s recommended to use within 120 days if the bag is in a tin can and 90 days if it’s in the box. If the powder is directly in the can, then it’s even shorter, 30 days. It has to be in an air tight container so that the powder won’t change color and lose the quality. Some recommends to put it in the fridge. This is “best before” date, so I don’t think it’s harmful to use it. Check the color of Matcha. Are they still vivid green? The high quality matcha has very nice vivid green color while low grade is dull green color. Hope it’s still useable…