Homemade Matcha Soft Serve with a Waffle Cone
抹茶ソフトクリーム
Makes about 1 quart · Prep: 30 minutes · Cook: 10 minutes · Rest: at least 4 hours · Total: about 4 hours 40 minutes
I know the upside-down cone looks slightly ridiculous, but you have to give it a chance! The matcha is grassy without tasting bitter, the ice cream stays soft enough to pipe, and the cone gives you something crisp to break into every few bites. Plus, it looks like considerably more work than it is.
Use culinary-grade matcha that you would happily drink in a latte. Oh! Chill the cups before you start piping. Soft serve waits for absolutely no one.
Ingredients
Matcha soft serve
- 1½ cups whole milk
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 2 tablespoons nonfat dry milk powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons culinary-grade matcha powder, about 12 grams, sifted
- 2 tablespoons hot water, about 175°F
- 1½ cups cold heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
To serve
- 6 waffle cones or sugar cones
- Chilled paper cups or small bowls, optional
Instructions
- 1
Freeze the ice cream canister
If your ice cream maker uses a freezer canister, freeze it for the full time recommended by the manufacturer, usually 18 to 24 hours. Put the serving cups in the freezer too. A properly frozen bowl is the difference between soft serve and cold matcha soup.
- 2
Make a smooth matcha paste
Put the sifted matcha in a small bowl. Add the hot water and whisk in a quick zigzag motion until smooth and lightly foamy, with no dry pockets. Do not use boiling water; very hot water can make matcha taste harsh.
- 3
Heat the milk base
Combine the whole milk, sugar, corn syrup, dry milk powder, and salt in a medium saucepan. Whisk over medium heat for 4 to 6 minutes, until the sugar dissolves and the milk is steaming. Do not let it boil.
- 4
Add the matcha
Take the saucepan off the heat. Whisk in the matcha paste, then add the cold heavy cream and vanilla. Blend with an immersion blender for 20 seconds, or whisk very thoroughly, so the matcha stays suspended in the base.
- 5
Chill the base
Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. Set that bowl in a larger bowl of ice water and stir until cool, then cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. The base needs to be completely cold before churning.
- 6
Churn until soft
Churn the matcha base according to your ice cream maker's directions, usually 18 to 25 minutes. Stop when it holds ridges from the paddle but still looks softer than scoop-shop ice cream. Soft serve should bend; it should not pour.
- 7
Pipe the soft serve
Spoon the ice cream into a large piping bag fitted with a wide open-star tip. If it slumps immediately, put the filled bag in the freezer for 10 minutes. Pipe into the chilled cups in a slow spiral, building each ring directly over the one below it.
- 8
Add the waffle cones
Set one cone upside down in each swirl and press only far enough for it to stand. Serve immediately. For scoopable matcha ice cream, transfer the churned base to a covered container and freeze for 2 to 3 hours instead of piping it.
Shortcuts and substitutions
No ice cream maker
Whisk the matcha with 2 tablespoons hot water. Stir it into one 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk with the vanilla and salt. Whip 2 cups cold heavy cream to medium peaks, fold it into the matcha mixture, and freeze in a shallow covered pan for 4 to 6 hours. Let it soften for 10 minutes before piping. The texture is richer than churned soft serve, but the flavor is very close.
No corn syrup
Use 2 tablespoons mild honey or add 2 more tablespoons sugar. Corn syrup keeps the frozen texture especially smooth, but the recipe will still work without it.
Matcha and vanilla swirl
For the two-color cup, pipe a small layer of softened vanilla ice cream into each chilled cup before adding the matcha. Keep the vanilla layer low so the matcha still gets most of the attention.
Recipe notes
Choose matcha for flavor, not ceremony
A fresh culinary-grade matcha is ideal here. Ceremonial matcha is expensive and its subtleties get muted by dairy and sugar. Avoid powder that looks olive-brown or smells dusty; the ice cream will taste the same way.
Why dry milk powder helps
Dry milk adds milk solids without extra water, which gives homemade soft serve a fuller body and slows melting. It is useful, but you can leave it out if you do not keep it around.
Storing leftovers
Freeze leftover matcha ice cream in a shallow airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Press parchment directly against the surface and let the ice cream soften at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before scooping.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is matcha soft serve?
Matcha soft serve is a Japanese-style frozen dessert flavored with finely ground green tea powder. It has the creamy texture of soft ice cream with matcha's grassy, gently bitter flavor.
What kind of matcha is best for matcha ice cream?
Use a fresh culinary-grade matcha with a bright green color. It is made to stand up to milk and sugar and costs less than ceremonial matcha. Sift it before mixing so the finished ice cream has no powdery lumps.
How do you keep matcha ice cream from tasting bitter?
Use fresh matcha, mix it with hot rather than boiling water, and measure carefully. Too much matcha or stale powder creates a dry bitterness that extra sugar cannot fully cover.
Can I make matcha soft serve without a machine?
Yes. A whipped-cream and sweetened-condensed-milk base makes a good no-churn version. It will be richer and slightly denser than machine-churned soft serve, so let it soften briefly before piping.
Why is my homemade soft serve melting so fast?
The base, machine bowl, piping bag, or serving cup may be too warm. Chill the base for at least 4 hours, freeze the canister completely, and use cold cups. Homemade soft serve also melts faster than commercial versions because it contains fewer stabilizers.
More recipes to try
Save this recipe, and any recipe from anywhere, in Shio.
Get Shio