Matcha chip ice cream is earthy yet sweet and completely dairy free! To make this creamy dairy free ice cream you will need an ice cream maker as that is the BEST way to achieve creamy perfection in this frozen dessert.
What is Matcha?
Matcha is a Japanese green tea. The main difference between normal green tea and matcha is that while green tea leaves are used to simply infuse hot water, matcha green tea leaves are steamed, dried and ground into a powder before being added to hot water. The process results in matcha green tea being more ‘potent’ as tea drinkers are now ingesting powdered leaves vs. the leaves simply infusing the hot water.
Is matcha healthy?
Because matcha tea contains all the nutrients from the entire tea leaf, you get the maximum antioxidants benefits found in green tea. Other health claims as reported by Healthline.com include:
- Live Protection
- Brain Function Booster
- Cancer prevention
- Heart Healthy
- Weight Loss Enhancer
Matcha has gained in popularity over the last few years and can be found in a range of edibles with the most popular being matcha coffeehouse style drinks.
How Do You Make Matcha Chip Ice Cream?
If you are interested in trying matcha, dairy free ice cream is a great place to start! I had tried matcha before, but had not really been keen on this green tea variety (or hipster tea as my son calls it 😂) until I made ice cream with it!
The creamy coconut milk and coconut cream combined with sugar, vanilla and chocolate chips makes matcha a delicious creamy cool frozen vegan dessert perfect for a warm summer day.
Do I need an ice cream maker?
For this recipe, I highly recommend an ice cream maker. I have the 1 1/2 quart ice cream maker from Cuisinart. (tip: look on Facebook marketplace, you can usually find someone selling one for a garage sale price!) I truly believe homemade ice cream turns out creamier in the ice cream maker than in no churn style recipes.
A word to note about ice cream makers though! When you use an ice cream maker to make frozen desserts, you need to plan in advance! Your ice cream freezer bowl needs to be in the freezer at least 24 hours before putting your dairy free mixture in it to churn. You also need to chill your mixture for up to 24 hours. Both your ice cream base and mixture must be VERY cold are your ice cream maker will churn and churn but never turn into ice cream. (learn from my past mistakes! 😅)
What are the ingredients in Matcha Chip ice cream?
The awesome thing about homemade ice cream is you really do not need a lot of ingredients! Here is what you will need for homemade dairy free matcha chip ice cream:
- Unsweetened Coconut Cream
- Unsweetened Lite Coconut Milk
- Granulated Sugar
- Pure Vanilla Extract
- Matcha Green Tea Powder
- Dairy Free Mini Chocolate Chips
Blend Coconut Milks with Sugar and Vanilla 
Dissolve Matcha Coconut Milk 
Blend All Ingredients
How to Make Dairy Free Matcha Chip Ice Cream
This is a very easy dairy free ice cream to make! Just remember before churning it into ice cream your ice cream bowl + dairy free ice cream mixture must be chilled completely – at least 24 hours!
To make this dairy free matcha ice cream, you will need to first blend your coconut milks with sugar and vanilla. Next, take a portion of your coconut cream mixture and dissolve your matcha in the milk. This is best done by heating it on the stove. You are essentially making a matcha steamer!
Next, pour your heated up matcha mixture back into the blender and blend well. Pour your mixture into a container and chill for 24 hours.
Remove your ice cream bowl from freezer, place onto ice cream base, pour chilled dairy free matcha mixture into the bowl and churn for 25-30 minutes.
After your ice cream is churned, fold in dairy free mini chocolate chips. Spoon your ice cream into freezer safe containers and freeze for a 1-2 hours.
How does Matcha Chip Ice Cream hold up in the freezer?
While homemade ice cream is best ate the same day, this recipe will make more than enough for a few servings. I love to freeze my matcha chip dairy free ice cream into individual 1/2 cup freezer safe containers. I then store this in the back of my freezer so it does not develop as many ice cream crystals on the lid.
If you do not eat all of this dairy free ice cream the same day, it will keep in the freezer for a few weeks. To eat it, I would let it sit out for 1/2 hour to an hour (depending on how warm your house is) so it achieves a ‘soft serve’ consistency.
I hope you enjoy this Matcha Chip dairy free ice cream as much as I did! I can now say I am matcha tea fan, as long as there is enough cream and sugar 🤣.
If you make this dairy free ice cream, I would love to know! Tag @badtothebowl on social media.
If you LOVE dairy free ice cream, be sure to check out our dairy free ice cream round up and our chocolate pudding dairy free ice cream recipe!
Vegan Matcha Chip Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups lite coconut milk , 13.5 oz. can
- 1 1/2 cups coconut cream , 13.5 oz can
- 1/2 + 1/8 cup granulated cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons matcha tea powder , ground
- 1/2 cup dairy free chocolate chips
Instructions
- Put ice cream base bowl in freezer and freeze for at least 24 hours.
- In blender combine both coconut milks, sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Blend well.
- Remove 1/2 of the coconut milk mixture from blender and place in small saucepan. Heat up on stovetop, but do not boil. Slowly whisk in matcha tea powder until dissolved completely.
- Pour the tea mixture back into the blender and blend well. Pour all of ice cream mixture into refrigerator safe dish and cover. Chill well up to 24 hours.
- Remove ice cream bowl from freezer and place on ice cream maker base. Pour chilled matcha mixture into freezer bowl and churn ice cream for 20-30 minutes.
- After the churning is completed, place ice cream in freezer safe bowl (s) and freeze for 1 – 2 hours. This is best eaten the same day, but can be frozen up to a few weeks. If freezing for the longer period, remove from freezer 1/2 to 1 hour before eating to get a ‘soft serve’ consistency.
