Hojicha Roasted Green Tea Milk Jam Spread

On our trip to Hawaii, I came across the Japanese grocery store Mitsuwa Marketplace and discovered a green tea, hojicha.

I bought a box of it to try in our hotel and needless to say, I was hooked.

WHAT IS HOJICHA? 

Hojicha is actually a roasted green tea. It gets its distinctive reddish brown colour which differs from other green teas such matcha, since the tea leaves are roasted over charcoal.

Because of the high temperatures during roasting, hojicha loses much of its caffeine content, which makes it a suitable tea for the elderly and children to consume.

That being said, it also loses much of its antioxidants and doesn’t contain as much polyphenols as matcha green tea.

I loved the deep, slightly smoky, caramel-like flavour that was from the hojicha that I purchased, so I returned the next day to grab a few more boxes to bring back home. 

I knew I wanted to make a concentrated, roasted hojicha milk jam that’s smoky and strong, similar to my Matcha Milk Jam and Earl Grey Milk Jam.

INGREDIENTS IN HOJICHA MILK JAM

There are only a few ingredients in my hojicha milk jam, which is mirrored on my original Matcha Milk Jam recipe.

You’ll need:

• hojicha tea powder: see below on my recommendation
• granulated sugar: adds a little sweetness
• whole milk: can’t have milk jam without milk!
• heavy cream: use a higher % milk fat (I like 36%) to add creaminess to the milk jam
• milk powder: adds flavour and thickening powder

HOJICHA POWDER 

UPDATED: I’ve recently gotten my hands on hojicha tea powder, and wanted to give an alternative version of this recipe. I originally created the recipe with hojicha tea bags.

Hojicha powder is concentrated and delivers that deep, roasted flavour much more easily without having to extract the tea via tea leaves. It’s convenient to use and a little bit goes a long way.

As you can see in the photos, it does produce a very rich dark brown and intensely flavoured milk jam. So if you can get hojicha powder, I would strongly recommend it. 🙂

As always, different tea brands will carry different strengths and flavours of the tea.

Note: If using tea bags, I found that 4 tea bags brought out the most intensity of the hojicha flavour, but you can play around with how many bags to use. 

HOW TO MAKE HOJICHA MILK JAM 

Combine the ingredients into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over low/medium heat.

Continually whisk until the mixture thickens. Patience is the key to success since you’ll need to keep whisking the mixture. 

Remove from heat and let cool.

Transfer the mixture to a jar and refrigerate.

HOW TO USE HOJICHA MILK JAM

Use Hojicha Milk Jam as a filling, a base, or even on top of toast.

Spread it between cake layers, or as a filling in buns.

Creamy, smooth, and flavourful, it’s the perfect spread that’s neither peanut butter nor fruit jam.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Can I store the hojicha milk jam at room temperature?

No, since this jam is homemade, store the jam in the refrigerator.

How long will the jam last?

Depending on how sterile your jar is, 1-2 weeks in the refrigerator.

Can I use non-dairy milk instead?

Yes, you can substitute whole milk with non-dairy milk, but be aware that your mixture may need more thickening as plant-based milks tend to be thinner.

For a vegan option, refer to my Vegan Matcha Green Tea Spread. I use canned coconut milk to thicken the spread. 

OTHER HOJICHA RECIPES YOU MAY LIKE

Hojicha Milk Jam

Hojicha Matcha Swirl Bread

Mini Matcha Hojicha Pancakes Cereal

No-Churn Hojicha Ice Cream

Hojicha Roll Cake

Let me know if you try out my recipe! I’d love to see your creations — tag me on Instagram @siftandsimmer or leave me a comment/rating below! Have you tried hojicha tea before?

Print Pin

Hojicha Roasted Green Tea Milk Jam Spread

Hojicha Roasted Milk Jam Spread is a creamy and delicious condiment full of tea flavour, great for spreading on toast or pancakes.

Course Breakfast, Condiment

Cuisine Asian, Japanese

Keyword cream, green tea, hojicha, jam, milk, spread

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 1 jar

Author Michelle | Sift & Simmer

Ingredients

• 4 hojicha tea bags or 1 Tbsp hojicha powder
• 3 tsp granulated sugar
• ½ C whole milk
• ½ C heavy cream
• 1 tsp dry milk powder

Instructions

• In a small saucepan, over low-medium heat, add the 4 hojicha tea bags or hojicha powder, granulated sugar, whole milk, heavy cream, and milk powder.
• Whisk periodically until mixture has thickened and reduced by half, about 20 minutes over low-medium heat.
• It should be smooth and creamy. A way to tell if it’s ready is when you scrape the mixture in the pot with a spoon or whisk, there should be a line that is visible, meaning it has thickened enough. If you scrape the pot and can’t see a line, continue whisking over heat.
• Once it has thickened enough, remove from heat. Let cool.
• Pour into a clean, sterile jar and refrigerate. The spread will be a little more thicker once it has cooled. Hojicha roasted green tea milk jam spread is best consumed in 1 week.

Notes

Note: Keep hojicha milk jam in the refrigerator.