Homemade chai ice cream starts with warm spices steeped in honey-sweetened cream, then churned into a fall-inspired, delightfully rich ice cream. It takes your favorite tea’s orange, clove, cinnamon, and fennel flavors and yields a delicious, frozen delicacy.
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Hot tea and French press coffee are some of my favorite drinks, especially during the cooler months. And there is something so calming about sipping a hot spiced rooibos latte or pumpkin spice latte.
Hearty food from scratch has my heart, but drinks take a close second. And if there were a competition, ice cream would be right up there with them.
So, I decided to take some of my favorite things – ice cream and chai – and put them together as a decadent dessert.
This ice cream transcends the seasons, so please enjoy it regardless of the temperature outside. It’s certainly a favorite summer ice cream recipe for our family, but we enjoy it just as much on a cozy evening in November.
The delicious, warm flavors are like your favorite fall diffuser blend or candle in a yummy, creamy dessert.
Scoop this ice cream atop some sourdough pumpkin cobbler or sourdough chocolate cake and we’re talking full-on autumn glee.
Why You’ll Love Chai Ice Cream
It’s a uniquely perfect blend: Cold with warm flavors, creamy but spiced, this ice cream is one-of-a-kind and so delicious.
It’s made with real food ingredients: No artificial ingredients here – our main ingredients are real milk and cream, fresh eggs, and local honey.
Simple but luxurious: The ingredients are so simple, but the depth of flavor lingers, and the consistency is luxuriously smooth and full.
Ingredients
Milk: Whole milk makes the richest, most delicious ice cream, but you can use lower-fat options, as well.
Cream: Another level of luxury here. You can use heavy cream or even half-and-half.
Honey: I love to use honey for sweetening recipes. It adds further flavor and a silky texture and is one of the healthiest options for sweets. Maple syrup is also a great option, and our favorite way to sweeten healthy homemade hot chocolate!
Black tea: Plain black tea works best here. Flavored teas can detract from the amazing spice blend you’re going to make! You can use bags of black tea or loose black tea leaves.
Spices: This recipe assumes you have a mortar and pestle or spice grinder (or even a coffee grinder) to make the spice blend for the most flavorful and aromatic results. If needed, you can use ground spices from the pantry.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Tools
Fine mesh strainer
Mortar and pestle or spice grinder
How to Make Delicious Chai Ice Cream
Step 1: Crush the cloves, fennel, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom, and cinnamon stick in a mortar and pestle to break them up and release their flavors.
Step 2: Combine whole milk, cream, honey, black pepper, lemon (or orange) zest, tea bags, and crushed spices in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer and stir well to dissolve the honey. Remove from the heat and allow the chai spices to steep in the mixture for 10-15 minutes (or longer). Taste test while it steeps to check the strength of flavor, and you can move on once it’s reached your preference.
Step 3: Strain the crushed spices, then return the milk mixture to the saucepan. Whisk egg yolks in a separate bowl. Gradually whisk 1⁄2 cup of the warm milk mixture into the egg yolks to temper and prevent curdling. Then, whisk the yolk mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for around ten minutes or until mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
Step 4: Pour the custard through a fine, wire-mesh strainer into a large bowl. Place the bowl in the fridge to cool for several hours or place the bowl over an ice bath and stir until the custard is very cold. Pour the cold custard into the ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
Step 8: Once ice cream has thickened, pour into a freezer-safe container and freeze for at least 4 hours before serving.
Tips
- If you have difficulty finding all the whole spices in your grocery store, you can alternatively use 3 to 4 of your favorite chai tea bags from the store.
- Taste your mixture as it steeps so you know when it has reached your desired level of chai flavoring.
- Quickly freezing the ice cream to the correct temperature will be the key to how smooth and creamy your final product will be.
- Ensure your ice cream machine canister is completely frozen before using it. Your custard mixture also needs to be fully chilled before churning.
- Honey is not only a better sweetener option than white sugar for the nutritional benefits, but it also gives a creamier texture to the ice cream and pairs well with the flavors of chai.
- Looking for a dairy-free option? Try this delicious pumpkin spice ice cream that’s sweetened with dates.
Recipe FAQ
There are variations of chai and its ingredients. Normally, you will find notes of orange or lemon, clove, hints of black pepper, fennel, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom, and cinnamon.
Store in a freezer-safe, airtight container for up to 2-3 months. Thaw for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Vanilla, coffee, and chocolate all pair well with chai.
Yes, chai has caffeine, but much less than is found in the same serving of coffee. Chai added to ice cream is significantly diluted and the caffeine is minimal.
More Sweet Recipes from the Farmhouse
- Sourdough Carrot Muffins
- Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream
- Sourdough Pumpkin Rolls
- Homemade Apple Pie
- Toasted Coconut Cookies
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
Chai Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon whole allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon whole fennel
- 1 whole nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon whole cardamom
- Half a cinnamon stick
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup honey
- Pinch black pepper
- zest of one orange or lemon
- 2 black tea bags
- 5 large egg yolks, large eggs
Instructions
- Begin by crushing the cloves, fennel, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom and cinnamon stick in a mortar and pestle.
- Combine whole milk, cream, honey, black pepper, lemon (or orange) zest, tea bags and crushed spices in a medium saucepan.
- Bring mixture to a gentle simmer and stir well to ensure honey is melted and all ingredients are combined. Remove from heat and allow chai spices to steep in the mixture for 10-15 minutes. Taste the mixture while it steeps until it reaches the strength of chai flavor you desire. Strain the crushed spices from the mixture and return the mixture to the clean pot.
- Whisk egg yolks separately in a small bowl. Gradually whisk 1⁄2 cup warm cream mixture to the egg yolks to temper the egg yolks. Then, whisk to combine yolk mixture into the remaining cream mixture in the medium saucepan.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, around ten minutes or until mixture thickens and coats a spoon. Pour custard through a fine, wire-mesh strainer into a bowl.
- Place the bowl in the fridge to cool for several hours before churning in the ice cream maker, OR place the bowl over an ice bath and stir until the custard is very cold.
- Pour the cold custard into the ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Once ice cream is churned, pour into a freezer-safe container and freeze for a minimum of 4 hours.
Notes
- If you have difficulty finding all the whole spices in your grocery store, you can alternatively use 3-4 tea bags of your favorite brand of store bought chai.
- Taste your mixture as it steeps so you know when it has reached your desired level of chai flavoring.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I have powdered spices except for nutmeg which I grate myself as needed.
Do u know equivalents? I’d love to make this.
Hi! I would love to know what ice cream maker you use and where is it made. I would like to buy a new one. Thank you!
Hi, I can answer this because I have the same machine. It’s a cuisinart ice cream maker. You freeze the insert beforehand and then assemble the machine before use. Cuisinart also has a “machine” version which has a freezing mechanism built into it. But I don’t believe it’s needed. I’m in Australia and they retail from anywhere between Au$110 – $150. So that would be something like $80usd.
Hi Lisa, I’ve just started the very controversial carnivore diet out of necessity to remove inflammation from my body with great results. I’ve modified your recipe for my son as he wants “carnivore ice cream” and just made it vanilla. I still added the honey because it needs to be sweet if he’s gonna eat it. Thanks for sharing your family treats.