Like a lovely cup of freshly brewed tea this earl grey ice cream is deliciously fragrant and aromatic. Perfect for your next tea party, or just because!
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Is there anything better than a wonderful cup of freshly brewed Earl Grey tea? This Earl Grey tea ice cream has all those lovely fresh, aromatic flavors of Earl Grey and turns it into a wonderful creamy ice cream with a distinctive and unique taste. Like a warming cup of milky Earl Grey tea but in a refreshing ice cream treat.
What does Earl Grey ice cream taste like?
Earl Grey ice cream tastes like a cup of earl grey tea with milk. Earl Grey is a black tea that's flavored with bergamot orange oil. It has a distinctive floral taste that a reminiscent of light sweet oranges.
How much caffeine is in Earl Grey ice cream?
It very much depends on how much Earl Grey tea is actually in the ice cream. To give a very rough example the average cup of Earl Grey that's seeped for five minutes has approximatly 50mgs of caffeine per cup. So if you're one liter (33 fl oz) container of ice cream has the equivalent of 'one cup of Earl Grey tea' that's 50gms across the whole container, or about 6ish mgs per ½ cup serve. To put that in context you're average cup of instant coffee has about 62mgs of caffeine per cup.
Some homemade ice cream can have significantly more Earl Grey tea than this and there for total caffeine. This homemade earl grey tea ice cream recipe for example has the equivalent of nine cups of Earl Grey tea in it for maximum flavor, so more like about 54mgs of caffeine per serve. Defiantly not one for kids!
Or if you're in the mood for more delectable ice cream check out my full collection of Cuisinart ice cream maker recipes (that work well in other brands ice cream makers too!).
Ingredients
Earl grey tea: a good quality earl grey tea is essential for this ice cream for maximum flavor and aromats. I used teabags because its easier to keep the tea out of the ice cream, which can made it gritty. You could use loose leaf tea instead if you prefer, but you may need to steep the tea for less time, and strain the milk really well, preferably through a sieve lined with cheesecloth, or you ice cream will be grainy and unpleasant.
Thickened cream: I use thickened cream in Australia which as a fat content of about 34%. You could also use heavy cream or heavy whipping cream which is similar.
Milk: this recipe uses full fat milk with a fat content of about 3.5%.
White sugar: white sugar is best in this recipe. You could use castor sugar if you prefer. I don't recommend using other types of sugar, they will be hard to dissolve and will compete with the flavors in this ice cream.
Tapioca starch: is a natural and accessible way of both thickening and stabilizing the ice cream. If you can't get tapioca starch you can use arrow root powder or corn flour in the same volume.
Glucose syrup: also called confectioner’s glucose. You can get in from specialty baking shops, online and some supermarkets. A small amount of glucose syrup helps lower the freezer point of ice cream and improves the texture and scoop-ability of the ice cream.
You can substitute with the same amount of light corn syrup or powdered dextrose. Measure carefully, preferably using a digital kitchen scale, and don't add to much or your ice cream will melt in a red hot minute!
How to make earl grey ice cream
Put the tapioca starch into a small bowl. Measure the milk and transfer two tablespoons to the bowl with the tapioca starch and mix to form a slurry.
If you teabags have strings on them you can remove them first, taking care not to open up the tea bags while doing so. Put the milk into a small saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the tea bags and stir gently to help brew the tea. Turn the pot off and leave to steep for five, stirring gently occasionally. Remove the teabags, put into a small sieve over the post and gently press down to squeeze out rest of the brewed milk.
Add the cream, sugar and glucose syrup. Stir well and return to a simmer. Mix the tapioca starch slurry well then add it to the pot and stir well. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Strain the mix into a heat proof jug to help remove any stray tea leaves. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least four hours, preferably over night.
Put your ice cream storage container in the freezer to chill. If using a self churning machine, turn it on about ten minutes before you churn your ice cream. Other wise take the churning bowl out of the freezer right before churning.
Pour mix into ice cream churner and churn. It will be the consistency of soft serve when done. Eat immediately or transfer to chilled container and freeze for four hours or until firm.
How to serve
To serve this earl gray ice cream make your self a lovely cup of tea, scoop the ice cream into a bowl and enjoy!
How to store
This ice cream will keep best in an airtight container in the freezer for up to two weeks. After this it may start to become icy but will still taste delicious.
Have you made this recipe? Tell me how it went in the comments below and tag me on instagram so I can see your delicious creations! @keep_calm_and_eat_icecream
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📋 Recipe
Earl Grey Ice Cream
Equipment
- ice cream churner
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons (5gms) tapioca starch
- 1 & ½ cups (375mls) full fat milk
- 9 Earl grey tea bags
- 2 cups (500mls) thickened cream
- ½ cup (110gms) white sugar
- ½ tablespoon (15gms) glycose syrup
Instructions
- Measure the milk and put into a small saucepan. Add the tapioca starch to a small bowl. Take two tablespoons of milk from the saucepan and add it to the tapioca starch. Mix to form a slurry.
- Gently heat the milk until just starting to simmer/bubble around the edges. Turn off the heat and add the tea bags. Steep for five minutes, stirring gently occasionally to help the bags steep.
- Remove the teabags from the milk. Add to a small strainer and gently press down over the pot to squeeze out the brewed tea.
- Add the cream, sugar and glucose syrup. Return milk tea to a gentle simmer, stirring to dissolve the syrup and sugar.
- Add the tapioca starch slurry and mix well. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Strain into a heatproof container to help remove any stray tea leaves. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least four hours, preferably overnight.
- Put your storage container in the freezer to chill. If using a self refrigerating ice cream churner switch on about ten minutes before churning, otherwise take the churning bowl out of the freezer right before churning.
- Churn the ice cream. It will be the consistency of soft serve when done.
- Transfer to pre chilled container. Cover and freeze for about four hours until firm, or over night.
- To serve remove from freezer, scoop and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate based on an online database. The nutritional content of ingredients may vary by brand. If you require accurate nutritional information, you should calculate this based on the specific brands and products you are using.
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Amanda says
Oh, my gosh this looks so good. I love all the ways you can play with Earl Grey tea - ice-cream sounds so fun but elegant and the same time. A beautiful recipe.
Sarah Brooks says
Thanks Amanda! Yes Earl Grey tea just makes me think of lovely English garden parties, which this would be perfect for 🙂
Andrea says
Looks like the perfect ice cream to enjoy for a dinner party or with a warming winter dessert. Yum!
Sarah Brooks says
Thanks Andre. Its certainly something deliciously different to wow your guests with 🙂
Sylvie says
Love the sound of tea ice cream, it looks absolutely delicious and so refreshing!
Sarah Brooks says
Thanks Sylvie. Refreshing but also aromatic, like a lovely warm cup of milky tea at the same time 🙂
Cheng says
Hi Sarah,
Was wondering when you add the thickened cream to the mix? Just before you churn it or after you take the warm tea milk mixture off the stove?
Thanks.
Sarah Brooks says
Hi Cheng, good pick up, you add the cream with the sugar and glucose syrup. I've updated the recipe card, thanks!
Jaimie says
Oh how divine! What a gorgeous recipe, thank you for sharing xx