Chai Ice Cream

Name: Chai Ice Cream
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 8 h
Cuisine: Indian-inspired
Ingredients: 2 cups (480 ml) heavy cream; 1 cup (240 ml) whole milk; 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar, divided; 6 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed; 1 cinnamon stick; 4 whole cloves; 6 black peppercorns; 1 whole star anise; 3 thin slices fresh ginger (about 10 g); 3 black tea bags, preferably Assam or another robust black tea; 5 large egg yolks; 1/4 teaspoon (1.5 g) fine salt; 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract

Published by Fork Around & Find Out Kitchen — presented in the Lila editorial voice. Editorial standards

Quick Answer

Infuse cream and milk with whole chai spices, add the black tea only for the final few minutes so it does not turn bitter, then temper the spiced dairy into egg yolks. Cook the custard to 170–175°F, chill it thoroughly, churn, and freeze until scoopable.

Jump to Recipe

Chai ice cream works best when the spice tastes layered instead of dusty. Whole cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, star anise, and fresh ginger can steep in hot dairy long enough to give up their aroma without leaving grit behind. Black tea is less forgiving, so it joins the party near the end. Give it five minutes, then get it out before tannins turn the custard from fragrant to stern.

This is a cooked custard ice cream, which means the yolks are doing real structural work. They thicken the base, emulsify the dairy, and keep the frozen texture smoother than a lean milk-and-sugar mixture. The target is 170–175°F: hot enough to thicken safely and coat a spoon, but below a boil where the eggs can scramble. Chill the base completely before churning. An ice cream machine can freeze a cold custard efficiently; asking it to rescue a warm one is how you make expensive chai soup.

Prep25 minutes

Cook15 minutes

Total8 hrs

Serves8 servings (about 1 quart)

DifficultyMedium

Ingredients

Servings

2 cups (480 ml) heavy cream
1 cup (240 ml) whole milk
3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar, divided
6 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1 cinnamon stick
4 whole cloves
6 black peppercorns
1 whole star anise
3 thin slices fresh ginger (about 10 g)
3 black tea bags, preferably Assam or another robust black tea
5 large egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon (1.5 g) fine salt
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract

Instructions

1Combine the cream, milk, 1/2 cup of the sugar, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, star anise, and ginger in a heavy saucepan. Heat over medium until steaming and about 170°F, but do not boil. Remove from the heat, cover, and steep 15 minutes.
2Add the black tea bags to the hot spiced dairy and steep for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags without squeezing them. Strain the dairy through a fine-mesh sieve and discard the whole spices.
3In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and the salt until smooth and slightly lighter. Rewarm the strained dairy until steaming if it has cooled substantially.
4While whisking the yolks constantly, slowly pour in about 1 cup of the hot dairy. Pour the warmed yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining dairy.
5Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a flexible spatula and scraping the bottom and corners, until the custard reaches 170–175°F and coats the back of a spoon. Do not let it boil.
6Immediately strain the custard into a clean bowl, stir in the vanilla, and set the bowl over an ice bath. Stir until it drops below 70°F, then cover and refrigerate until at or below 40°F, at least 4 hours and preferably overnight.
7Churn the cold custard in an ice cream maker according to its instructions, usually 20 to 25 minutes, until it reaches a thick soft-serve consistency.
8Transfer to a freezer-safe container, press parchment directly on the surface, cover, and freeze for at least 3 hours. Let the ice cream stand at room temperature 5 to 10 minutes before scooping if it is very firm.

Nutrition Information

Estimated per serving: 1 of 8 servings.

340Calories

4 gProtein

23 gCarbohydrates

26 gTotal Fat

16 gSaturated Fat

0 gFiber

22 gTotal Sugars

110 mgSodium

225 mgCholesterol

Estimated from the ingredients and quantities in this recipe using standard food-composition values. Brand choices, trimming, cooking loss, optional ingredients, and actual portion size can change the numbers. How we calculate nutrition estimates.

Pro Tips

Crush the cardamom pods just enough to expose the seeds. Pulverizing whole spices makes the base harder to strain cleanly.
Tea and spices do not need the same steep time. The whole spices get 15 minutes; the tea gets only 5 so tannins do not dominate the dairy.
Use a thermometer for the custard. “Coats the spoon” is useful confirmation, but 170–175°F is the more repeatable target.

Substitutions

Assam tea → English breakfast or another robust plain black tea Use unflavored tea so the spice blend remains the main flavor.

whole star anise → omit it The ice cream will still taste distinctly chai-like from cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, pepper, and ginger.

vanilla extract → 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste Use the same amount for a slightly rounder vanilla aroma.

Storage Instructions

Keep tightly covered in the coldest part of the freezer, not the door, for up to 2 weeks for the best texture and spice aroma. Press parchment against the surface to reduce ice crystals.

Make Ahead

The custard base can be cooked and refrigerated up to 24 hours before churning. After churning, the ice cream needs at least 3 hours to harden, which makes it a natural make-ahead dessert.

Allergen Note

Contains milk and egg.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I keep chai ice cream from tasting bitter?

Do not steep the black tea as long as the whole spices. Let the spices infuse first, then add the tea for only about 5 minutes and remove the bags without squeezing them. Over-steeped black tea releases more tannins and can overpower the creamy base.

What temperature should the custard reach?

Cook the tempered custard to 170–175°F while stirring constantly. At that point it should lightly coat a spoon. Do not boil it; excessive heat can curdle the yolks and give the finished ice cream an eggy texture.

Can I use ground chai spice instead of whole spices?

Whole spices give a cleaner texture because they can be strained out. If ground spice is all you have, use it sparingly and expect a little sediment; avoid replacing the entire whole-spice blend spoon-for-spoon with a commercial powder because those blends vary widely in strength and sugar content.

Can I make this without an ice cream machine?

You can freeze the chilled base in a shallow metal pan and whisk or beat it vigorously every 30 to 45 minutes for several rounds as it freezes. The result will be denser and a little icier than machine-churned custard, but the flavor remains the same.

Why is homemade chai ice cream so hard straight from the freezer?

Home freezers are colder than ideal ice-cream serving temperature and this recipe does not use commercial stabilizers. Let the container sit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before scooping rather than adding extra liquid to the formula.