Masala Chai Ice Cream (coconut milk and tofu base)
The word chai literally means tea in many languages, but here in the U.S. it typically refers to a hot, spiced black tea mixed with milk and sugar. Sometimes it’s called masala chai, literally meaning “mixed-spice tea.” Anything that’s already sweet and creamy is a great candidate for an ice cream flavor, so masala chai ice cream makes perfect sense.
Chai spice blends vary a lot. My blend is inspired by possibly the best cup of chai I’ve ever had, from Musaafer, a wonderful Indian restaurant in Houston. As I was enjoying my cup of chai at the end of my meal, I thought: this can’t be hard to make! I need to be able to drink this any time I want! I immediately turned to the internet, as one does, and found a blog post from an Indian cook who listed the spices she uses in her chai. She didn’t list quantities, but she gave me a great starting point. (I would link to her blog, but unfortunately I’ve lost it and can’t seem to find it again.) After a little experimenting, I had a cup of chai pretty darn close to Musaafer’s. Shortly after that, I started working on the recipe for masala chai ice cream.
I love all things chai-spiced, but I often see products advertised as “chai” flavor, that don’t actually taste like tea. They just have the spice flavor. This masala chai ice cream contains actual tea, and you can taste it! Adding too much water to ice cream ruins its texture, so I’ve used powdered, instant tea. I like the flavor of this tea from One Organic [affiliate link]. It’s great for all kinds of baking, but also good enough to drink on its own.
A few tips on the spices: If your ginger is very strong and spicy (like Penzeys’ ginger, for example) you might want to reduce the amount slightly. Similarly, if you’re freshly grating your nutmeg, it will be extra strong and you won’t need as much. I’ve designed this ice cream to taste just like I like my chai: strong, highly spiced, and not too sweet. Of course, feel free to adjust the spices to your own taste.
I’ve used protein powder (collagen powder in this case) to increase the protein and reduce the sugar, without sacrificing texture. For more details on how that works, click here.
Masala Chai Ice Cream (coconut milk and tofu base)
This recipe calls for collagen powder, which doesn't affect the flavor, but does give the ice cream a dense, silky, gelato-style texture. Other protein powders (unsweetened, unflavored) will work too. Check the notes below for advice on making substitutions.
The base uses coconut milk and silken tofu, which lowers the fat content compared with a pure coconut milk base. But we need to add some fat back in for texture purposes, so I've chosen canola oil as a healthy fat and a neutral flavor.
Makes ~1 quart
Ingredients
Instructions
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INFUSE THE COCONUT MILK WITH SPICES
In a large sauce pan on the stove, whisk together the coconut milk, sugar, honey, salt, instant tea powder, and spices. Over medium-high heat, bring the mixture to a boil, whisking occasionally, then turn off the heat.
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ADD REMAINING INGREDIENTS
Add all the remaining ingredients (tofu, canola oil, collagen, and xanthan gum). Use your whisk to break up the tofu and start to blend everything together, but don't worry if it's still lumpy, because we're about to...
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BLEND
Blend in the sauce pan with an immersion blender or transfer to a standard blender and blend thoroughly, scraping down the sides with a spatula, until you can no longer see white specks of tofu. This might take a couple of minutes!
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CHILL
Transfer to a container and chill in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight.
For a quicker chilling time, place the bowl containing your mixture in an ice bath (a larger bowl containing ice water) for a few hours. Stir the mixture occasionally. As the water in the ice bath warms up, pour off some water and add ice to keep the mixture chilling as quickly as possible.
Ideally, the mixture will be about 40 degrees when you churn it. When your mixture is fully chilled, it will be thick like pudding because of the tofu. Don't worry, it will churn just fine (but fast!).
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CHURN
Before you start churning, set up everything you'll need to quickly transfer the ice cream from the machine into a container for freezing. I use a knife to scrape down the dasher (or paddle) and a wooden spoon to scoop out the ice cream.
Set up your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions. Scoop your mixture into the ice cream maker and churn. Because this mixture is thicker than many ice cream bases, it churns more quickly than most. In my machine the perfect churning time is 7 minutes, but your experience may vary.
It's finished churning when it looks like soft-serve and is pulling away from the sides of the canister.
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STORE
When the ice cream has finished churning, scoop it as quickly as possible into your storage container. Cover it with plastic wrap or parchment paper, if using. (Placing a sheet of parchment paper between the container and lid will help prevent frost, or you can press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the ice cream.) Put the container in the freezer. The ice cream will be fully firm in a few hours.
Note
Protein powder substitutions:
You can use any unflavored, unsweetened protein powder you want. Whey, collagen, and egg white work the best. Vegan protein powders can work too, but sometimes create a chalky texture. Because different protein powders have different textures, the same volume of different powders may weigh different amounts. Weighing is the best method for ensuring you get the 65 grams the recipe calls for, but here are some estimates for using a cup measurement:
- 65 g collagen powder = 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons
- 65 g whey protein = 1 scant cup
- 65 g egg white protein = 3/4 cup
- 65 g soy protein = 1 cup
Optional additions:
- 1-2 tablespoons of alcohol -- Adding alcohol improves the texture and scoopability of the final product and gives a little kick of extra flavor. Rum, vodka, or a complementary flavor of liqueur would be good choices.
Suggested toppings/accompaniments:
- Whipped cream
- Ginger snaps
- Caramel sauce
Recommended equipment (may contain affiliate links):
- My ice cream maker (2 qt)
- Newer version of my ice cream maker (2 qt)
- Well-reviewed less expensive ice cream maker (1.5 qt)
- Insulated ice cream container
- Heat-proof spatula
- Immersion/hand blender
- Ice cream scoop
Recommended ingredients (may contain affiliate links):