Green Tea Ice Cream

Green tea ice cream is no newbie on dessert menus in America and among the Japanese. Although there are suggestions that this dessert appeared on the menu of the Japanese royals centuries ago, America is responsible for its modern origin.

You cannot mistake it for another owing to its characteristic green coloration and green tea flavor.

Enthusiasts of less sugary and healthier desserts find this variety of ice cream much accepted than its counterparts. Let’s say many people already know about the benefits of green tea, and getting to take it in ice cream form is more than welcome.

If you are looking to make yours, knowing its composition and how to prepare it would be on your mind. Besides, you may be concerned about what taking green tea ice cream could do to you. Not to worry, you’ll be discovering all of these in a moment as you keep reading this post.

What is the Composition of Green Tea Ice Cream?

Green tea ice cream isn’t just a mix of frozen green tea. Instead, it is simple ice cream with green tea powder (matcha) added for flavor and coloring.

Normally, green tea ice cream is made of cream, sugar, milk, eggs, and of course, matcha.

Meanwhile, this composition may vary from place to place as many try to shake things up themselves. You can find some containing banana and vanilla as well.

How many calories are in green tea ice cream?

The amount of calories in green tea ice cream depends on the composition and what you use to serve it. For instance, one 8 oz cup of green tea ice cream may contain up to 276 k/cal. While one large scoop may contain up to 185 k/cal.

Also, green tea ice cream with little sugar or milk will have fewer calories than the one rich in sugar or milk regardless of where you put it. For example, a large scoop with little sugar will have fewer calories than a medium or small scoop that is rich in sugar or milk.

Does green tea ice cream have dairy?

Diary is a product of mammalian milk. Therefore, green tea ice cream that is made of whole milk has a diary. However, you may choose not to use whole milk if you want something dairy-free and vegans-friendly. Instead, you can use coconut milk or walnut milk.

Is green tea ice cream caffeinated?

One of the main ingredients of green tea ice cream is matcha powder. Matcha powder contains caffeine even more than other types of green tea. And because of this, green tea ice cream is not free of caffeine.

Like other green tea, the caffeine content varies from brand to brand. According to information gotten from Sweet Reporter, Haagen Dazs, a brand of green tea ice cream, contains about 25 mg of caffeine per cup serving.

What Does Green Tea Ice Cream Taste Like?

Since the green tea is made predominantly of Matcha with cream and sugar, you should expect this ice cream to have a scintillating bitter taste with a note of sweetness, umami, and vegetal.

It is worth noting that the taste of this ice cream may vary from brand to brand, individual to individual depending on the type of ingredient used. For instance, some brands may use vanilla and banana while making the ice cream.

Some may even include mint or ginger or citrus fruits in the ice cream. However, no matter the type of ingredients used, you can’t rule out the bitter taste in it.

How to Prepare Green Tea Ice Cream?

Preparing your green tea ice cream isn’t difficult; as long you follow the steps described below. Just before you begin, keep handy the following ingredients.

Ingredients

• Eggs
• Milk
• Sugar
• Green tea powder (matcha) – any brand

The Recipe

1. Start by measuring some green tea powder (matcha) into a bowl. Normally, one tablespoon of matcha powder is enough. However, you can decide to add more depending on the volume and concentration of ice cream you want to produce. Ensure that the powder is free of lumps.
2. What follows is the addition of milk to the powder and whisking till it dissolves. Add more milk till you’ve achieved your desired concentration. For vegans, oat or coconut milk are perfect substitutes for dairy.
3. Afterward, pour the content into a pot and apply moderate heat to it for not less than five minutes. Stir occasionally to allow even distribution of heat in the mixture.
4. While heating, combine some sugar and eggs in a bowl and thoroughly mix to dissolve the sugar. Now take some of the content you are heating and gradually add to the egg mixture in your bowl. Stir as you pour. Do these until you’ve mixed both contents uniformly.
5. Meanwhile, you can skip the eggs if you want to make it vegan-friendly. In that case, you can add the sugar directly to the milk and matcha powder mixture and whisk together. Doing this will only make the mix lighter and, of course, icier.
6. After getting a well-mixed paste, pour the whole mixture back into a pot and heat again. Keep stirring while cooking for not more than five minutes. You would have a moderately thick paste by now.
7. Transfer the content into a bowl and allow it to cool down naturally before refrigerating. Let it remain in the refrigerator until it is chill enough. About three to four hours of refrigeration would do.
8. Remove from the fridge and pour the content into an ice cream maker. What’s left is to follow the instructions from the manual of your apparatus. Once churned, you have your ice cream, and you should scoop it into a freezer-safe container with a tight lid for storage.
9. Once frozen, your green tea ice cream is ready to serve.

You can check the detailed instructions here.

Benefits of Eating Green Tea Ice Cream

While eating ice cream is refreshing and relaxing, green tea ice cream has many more benefits. These perks largely come from the presence of matcha in it.

First, the ice cream is often plant-based, so everyone, including vegans, can take it. Matcha is rich in vitamin C and antioxidants. This makes it more beneficial to the overall health of the body including the immune system.

Taking it in any form, including your ice cream, guarantee you the same benefits as taking a cup of green tea.

Moreover, it is a known fact that green tea is high in caffeine which helps in improving brain function. So when you take some, even as ice cream, it makes you feel sharp and alert for a long while.

Unlike your normal ice cream, green tea ice cream can help aid digestion. This is because the ice cream contains caffeine which helps to speed up bowel movement.

The ice cream is also good for weight loss since it contains less amount calorie.

Side Effects of Green Tea Ice Cream

Nevertheless, taking green tea ice cream does not come without its side effects. Among them is the risk of taking too much of it, forgetting that it indirectly implies taking too much matcha green tea.

Medically, these can cause nausea and some signs of liver toxicity.

Again, since matcha has a bitter taste, you may require more sugar than necessary to sweeten the ice cream. That may increase your sugar intake beyond the level you often need.

Besides, there is the risk of introducing contaminants unknowingly into your confectionary. Contamination with heavy metals has always been a thing of fear for those taking matcha.

Although including green tea in your ice cream recipe boosts its nutritional content, the general downsides to taking ice cream still hold. These include high calories and excessive sugar content.

Bottom Line

Green tea is a super beverage, and taking it in ice cream makes it even more enjoyable. Be free to experiment with your culinary skills by being flexible with the ingredients.

Overall, green tea and ice cream both have their drawbacks which you must respect. So, while you should relish the knowledge that you are taking green tea with your ice cream, you should be careful not to be excessive in its consumption. Just keep it moderate.