I don’t like the taste of coffee so I drink a lot of herbal teas. I only recently found out that green tea (and chocolate!) contains caffeine. Maybe the little energy kick I get from it is what makes it appeal so much to me?
Well, ice cream is definitely a pick me-up, so this green tea variety is sure to give you a boost!
You might have had green tea in bags but not tried matcha powder. Matcha is a type of finely milled green tea grown in the shade and which is traditionally used in the Japanese tea ceremony. It’s this shading process which turns the leaves darker and results in higher levels of caffeine and antioxidants than found in other teas. The matcha lattes, cakes and smoothies you might have come across aren’t traditional recipes but matcha has a delicious, unique flavour that’s perfect for desserts.
I used Clearspring Organic Matcha Green Tea Powder for my ice cream, a premium grade variety and smoother and less bitter than others I’ve tried so I highly recommend it. Note that if you use other varieties you might want to add more or less to taste.
A full review of Clearspring Snacks is coming up tomorrow!
I’ve seen various matcha ice cream recipes about but they’re usually either not vegan or high in sugar and so I ruled them out. I’ve also seen matcha banana soft serve which I’m sure is delicious but I wanted mine to be a little richer, and scoop-able! Cashews are a staple in my pantry as they blend up into creamy, dreamy sauces and I decided they’d work well here.
I used frozen bananas for their natural sweetness and a little drizzle of agave and blended them with cashew cream for my thick ice cream base. A touch of matcha is all you need for the distinctive flavour and pretty shade of green. Finally, a few mint leaves in the mix add a little “somethin’ somethin’” too so if you have them available to you definitely use them.
Look at that pretty green colour!
Raw Vegan Green Tea Ice Cream:
I made this WITHOUT an ice-cream maker and it was still luscious and creamy, although you need to leave it out for 5-10 minutes for it to be scoopable. Using an ice-cream maker would be preferable but mine takes up so much space in the freezer that I rarely use it!
1C Cashews, soaked
3/4C Water or non-dairy milk
4 Bananas, frozen and broken into chunks
5-6 Mint leaves
1T Agave nectar
1 1/2t Matcha (Green Tea) powder
1/4t Xanthan gum OR 1/2T Vodka (stops it being too solid)
Blend cashews and water in a high powered blender until smooth. Blend in frozen bananas. This might take a little time depending on how powerful your blender is, but stop and scrape down the edge several times to get everything incorporated. Add in matcha powder, mint leaves and agave and blend again. Finally add xanthan gum or vodka and blend for a final time. Pour into a freezable container (I used a loaf pan) and cover tightly. Freeze for several hours until solid.
Serves 4-6
Have you tried Matcha before? How do you like to use it?
Love the ice cream - esp that you don’t use an ice cream machine - though I avoid xanthum gum but wonder if something like agar might work - I have used that in ice cream before.
I am not a huge fan of green tea but I think I have had it a few times lately - I don’t like coffee or regular tea - something about it doesn’t agree with me but it isn’t the caffeine - I always say that is why I need chocolate - for a caffeine hit
Hi Johanna, glad you like the look of the ice cream
I read about using xanthan gum to avoid iciness here http://www.thekitchn.com/xanthan-gum-in-ice-cream-should-you-care-171518. and decided I was ok with such a tiny amount.
I don’t know if you avoid starches all together as I think tapioca starch could be an appropriate substitute? Or, as I mentioned a little dash of alcohol would do the same job.
I love the colour of your ice cream and I haven’t tried matcha powder before. I’m not a green tea drinker - not because I don’t like it - it just doesn’t like me! My husband, however, loves it, this would make a great treat for him!
Like Johanna, I’m not a great lover of xanthan gum, it’s in all gluten free baked goods and I’m always on the look out for an alternative. I read somewhere that a pinch of cream of tartar can help - though I’ve never tried it. I rather like the idea of the vodka, I’ve never heard of that before - very interesting!
I’ve not heard of the cream of tartar trick. Something to look into. Thanks for sharing!
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Ooh, this makes me super happy! I love green tea ice cream, but I’ve never attempted to make it myself. And a vegan version is even better!
Thanks Kiersten
I love teas, especially matcha. We make a lot of ice cream at home and I just made matcha with coconut milk yesterday! Ha!
Love your vegan version with cashews
It’s so delicious isn’t it?! I would definitely make more ice cream, it’s just the ice cream machine takes so much space up in the freezer!
Oo I bet this would go down well at dinner parties - it sounds really sophisticated and refreshing - or just an excellent treat on a hot day! I’ve had African matcha, particularly a fan of the White matcha but I’ve only once had the Japanese version which is strange since it’s commonly heard of but no where near as common as regular Green tea. That said it was in a sweet bun rather than a liquid form so I’m still not sure what Green matcha tastes like - will save this recipe for reference, thanks!
Thanks for commenting
It was seriously tasty, sadly it’s all gone now though…
I’ve never heard of African matcha but will have to look into it now you’ve mentioned it.
I love matcha! It’s so hard to find it actually here in the U.S., there is one tropical flavor at Trader Joe’s, but it tastes like crap! Is the product available in the U.S., hopefully Spain while I’m there? The ice cream looks really good! Love the greenish color!
That’s lame
Their products are available to order in Europe but no in the US I’m afraid.
Mmmm, cashew-based ice creams are my favorite. They’re so ridiculously decadent. And I love that this recipe doesn’t require an ice cream maker! Thanks for sharing at Raw Foods Thursdays!
Heather
You’re right, cashew ice cream is so darn good. There’s a raw café in London whose cashew based lucuma + maple pecan ice cream is my favourite ever!
Looking at this recipe and having time to think about it a little made me realize that I could probably end up with something similar if I grind up my green roiboos tea to a fine powder. I really can’t do caffeine, so that, along with not needing an ice-cream maker, would make this recipe doable for me. The nice thing about roiboos is that its flavor seems to be very close to regular tea.
Sure, why not? I’ve no idea what green roiboos tea tastes like or how strong it is so I couldn’t advise on how much to add. I love the taste of green tea but dislike “regular” black tea though.
Green Roiboos tastes a lot like regular green tea, but I happen to like the flavor a lot better. I think what’s better about Roiboos teas is that you don’t get the tannins that are present in regular tea that tend to make it bitter.
My daughters gave me a bag of green tea powder and I haven’t done much with it but this recipe really looks like something that would do it justice. Cheers for sharing and in anticipation of that delicious flavour AND it being vegan
That’s great! I hope you make and enjoy the ice cream
I need to make something else with matcha soon. Love the stuff.
Yeah but I am loath to just drink it when it costs so much here so I try to use it in gorgeous tasty things like your icecream. Cheers for sharing