No-Churn Earl Grey Ice Cream

Ever since I gave up on my KitchenAid ice cream maker, I’ve been making no-churn ice cream non-stop. I’ve done tin-roof, matcha and hojicha in the past. I’ve been wanting to do a No-Churn Earl Grey Ice Cream…

Because my favourite ice cream flavour comes from a local shop that makes a fantastic London Fog (Earl Grey). I remember the first time I had it — the ice cream was creamy and had just the right about of bergamot and earl grey tea.

As an earl grey lover (I’ve got recipes for Earl Grey Nama Chocolates, Earl Grey Bergamot Loaf, Earl Grey Milk Jam and more), I wanted to mimic that intense flavour with my Earl Grey Ice Cream recipe.

WHAT IS NO-CHURN ICE CREAM?

Ice cream is traditionally made by churning air into a custard mixture. No-churn ice cream removes the actual churning (which can be a time-consuming process), and alleviates the need for special equipment (ie: ice cream maker).

3 MAIN INGREDIENTS

You need 3 main ingredients for this no-churn ice cream:

• heavy whipping cream (36% or higher)
• sweetened condensed milk
• earl grey tea (a good quality tea makes the difference)

When whipped up, the heavy cream gives the ice cream its signature creamy texture. The sweetened condensed milk acts as the “custard” and the two are folded in together.

Anything additional is up to you — you can add flavours or ingredients to your liking. In this case, earl grey tea is the flavouring. I like the ease of tea bags, since you can steep them in the tea and remove the bags easily. You can use tea leaves instead and strain them as well.

Notice that there’s no eggs and no custard base involved with this type of ice cream.

OTHER INGREDIENT MUST-HAVES

• Culinary Bergamot oil is my must-have ingredient for this ice cream. It is the main flavouring in earl grey tea, but adding in the oil really amps up the flavour and fragrance of the tea. (Note: DO NOT use an essential oil!) 
• Pure vanilla extract is another flavouring that I like to add to the ice cream. Alcohol-based extract is what I prefer for this application since it helps make the ice cream softer and easier to scoop due to its lower freezing point.

HOW TO MAKE EARL GREY ICE CREAM

To make my No-Churn Earl Grey Ice Cream, we’re going to heat the heavy cream with the earl grey tea the night before. This gives the infused cream a chance to mingle with the tea.

It’s important to let the cream cool and chill completely before whipping it up the next day.

Once the tea-infused cream is whipped to a semi-soft peak, we’ll add in the sweetened condensed milk, and other flavourings.

Whip the cream up to stiff peaks.

Then transfer the mixture to a freezer-safe container and freeze for a few hours.

And voila, ice cream is done!

OTHER ICE CREAM RECIPES

Be sure to try out these no-churn ice cream recipes:

Espresso Bean Ice Cream

Hojicha Ice Cream

Matcha Ice Cream

Let me know if you try out this recipe — tag me on Instagram @siftandsimmer — I’d love to see your recreations!

Print Recipe

4.88 from 8 votes

No-Churn Earl Grey Ice Cream

A simple and delicious recipe for No-Churn Earl Grey Ice Cream, with notes of bergamot oil. Creamy and decadent, made without an ice cream maker.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time10 mins

Chilling Time6 hrs

Total Time6 hrs 25 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: earl grey, earl grey ice cream, ice cream, london fog ice cream, no-churn, no-churn ice cream

Servings: 12

Calories: 125kcal

Author: Michelle | Sift & Simmer

For accuracy and precision in baking recipes, use weight (metric) measurements when available.

Ingredients

• 5 Earl Grey tea bags
• 320 ml heavy whipping cream
• 120 ml condensed milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp culinary bergamot oil

Metric | US Customary

Instructions

• Heat cream in a small sauce pot and add the tea bags. Bring cream a gentle simmer, remove from heat and steep the tea bags for 10 minutes. Gently press on the tea bags to extract as much of the tea and transfer to a clean jar to cool completely.
• Place the tea-infused cream into the fridge overnight.
• The next day, add the tea-infused cream into a stand mixer bowl and whip until semi-soft peaks.
• In a bowl, mix together the condensed milk, vanilla extract and bergamot oil.
• Take about ⅓rd of the whipped cream and fold it into the condensed milk mixture using a spatula. Continue to fold in the rest of the cream until incorporated.
• Give it a couple more whisks until stiff peaks.
• Transfer to a clean jar and freeze for at least 6 hours.

Notes

Note: Colour and flavour of the ice cream will intensify overnight.

Do not use essential bergamot oil. Use a culinary/edible food-safe bergamot oil for baking. 

Nutrition

Calories: 125kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 23mg | Potassium: 58mg | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 419IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 1mg

Did you try this recipe?Mention @siftandsimmer or tag #siftandsimmer!