Fragrant cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves are steeped with black tea leaves to infuse each scoop of Chai Ice Cream with the classic flavor of chai tea.
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time15 minutesmins
3 hourshrs15 minutesmins
Total Time3 hourshrs45 minutesmins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6servings
Calories: 363kcal
Ingredients
6cardamom podslightly cracked open with the back of a spoon
12whole cloves
2cinnamon sticks
½-inchslice of fresh ginger
10black peppercorns
2bay leaves
1¾cupsheavy cream
1¼cupwhole milk
3tablespoonsloose black tea leaves (English Breakfast tea works well, as does decaf tea)
⅔cupsugar
⅛teaspoonkosher salt
Instructions
Place the cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick, ginger, peppercorns, and bay leaves in a medium-size saucepan. Add the milk and cream and bring to a low simmer. (DO NOT boil.) Remove from the heat, cover, and steep for 60 minutes.
Add the tea leaves and return to a low simmer. (DO NOT boil.) Remove from the heat and steep for 15 minutes. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove all the tea leaves and spices.
Rinse or wipe any lingering tea leaves out of the pan and pour the strained cream mixture back into the saucepan. Return to a low simmer. (DO NOT boil.) and add the sugar and salt. Heat, while stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the sugar dissolves.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool a bit before transferring to a jar or glass bowl and refrigerating until chilled - at least a couple of hours.
When ready to churn, whisk the mixture to combine again and pour into ice cream maker. Churn the ice cream according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer the finished ice cream to an airtight container and place it in the freezer until ready to serve.
Notes
This is a perfect soft serve straight out of the machine. It will remain scoopable though, after a few hours in the freezer for a firmer scoop.