Reviewed by: Takahiro Sugiyama (CEO, meguri Inc.)
For cafés already serving matcha lattes, an obvious next step is matcha ice cream, matcha soft serve, or an affogato with matcha poured over ice cream. You can use the same matcha as for drinks, but frozen desserts come with their own decisions: how much matcha, how to mix it, and how to keep the machine clean. We checked official recipes from Japanese and US tea companies and food companies, and public documents from each country.
What are matcha ice cream and matcha soft serve?
Matcha ice cream is an ice cream mix (the liquid before freezing) made with milk or cream, with matcha mixed in and then frozen. The conditions for calling a product “ice cream” are set by law in each country, and Japan’s categories do not carry over abroad as they are.
Japan splits it into 3 types by dairy content
Japan’s “Ordinance on Milk and Milk Products Concerning Compositional Standards, etc.” defines frozen foods containing 3.0% or more milk solids (milk with the water removed) as “ice cream products” and splits them into 3 types.
| Japanese type | Milk solids | Of which milk fat | Bacteria count (per 1g) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ice cream | 15.0% or more | 8.0% or more | 100,000 or less |
| Ice milk | 10.0% or more | 3.0% or more | 50,000 or less |
| Lacto ice | 3.0% or more | No requirement | 50,000 or less |
The same ordinance also requires the raw materials of ice cream to be heated at 68°C for 30 minutes, or sterilised by a method at least as effective. These Japanese names are the rules for selling in Japan, so a shop abroad uses the names that fit its own country’s rules on the menu.
Rules in Thailand, the US and Singapore
Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health Notification No. 354 (2013) splits ice cream into 5 types: made from milk, made with fats other than milk fat, mixed with fruit or other foods, liquid or powdered, and made from water and sugar. Milk ice cream (ไอศกรีมนม) must contain at least 5% milk fat by weight and at least 7.5% milk solids other than milk fat.
Under US federal regulations (21 CFR 135.110), ice cream has at least 10% milkfat and, as a rule, at least 10% nonfat milk solids (milk solids other than milk fat), and there are also minimums such as weight per gallon. Under Singapore’s Food Regulations, Ice-cream has at least 5% fat and at least 7.5% non-fat milk solids, and part or all of the milk fat may be replaced by other edible fats or oils. Dairy ice-cream has at least 10% milk fat and at least 7.5% non-fat milk solids, and Milk-ice has at least 2.5% milk fat and at least 7% non-fat milk solids. Products made from water and foods such as fruit juice are set out separately as Frozen confections (Regulations 126 to 129).
Soft serve and hard ice cream
According to the ice cream textbook of the University of Guelph in Canada, the mix freezes while taking in air inside the freezer (a machine that chills and stirs at the same time), and when it comes out about half of its water is frozen. Almost the only difference between soft serve and hard ice cream is whether it is drawn into cones at this point, or into packages for further hardening. Air can make up as much as half of the volume.
Matcha amounts in official recipes
In official recipes that give grams, matcha was in the 3% range of the milk and cream combined. Many recipes use tablespoons or teaspoons, so convert to grams when you set your shop’s recipe.
7 official recipes compared
| Source | Type | Matcha | Main ingredients | Matcha vs liquid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyoritsu Foods (Japanese baking ingredients company) | With eggs and gelatine, 4 servings | 10g (2 tbsp) | Milk 100ml, cream 200ml, 2 egg yolks and 2 egg whites, granulated sugar 50g + 50g | About 3.3% |
| In Pursuit of Tea (US tea retailer) | No eggs, about 1L | 25g | Cream 2 cups, milk 1 cup, sugar 3/4 cup | About 3.5% |
| Fukujuen (Kyoto tea company) | With egg yolks | 1 tbsp | Milk 300ml, cream 100ml, 3 egg yolks, sugar 75g | No grams given |
| AIYA America (US arm of an Aichi matcha maker) | No eggs, about 1L | 4 tsp (sifted) | Cream 2 cups, milk 1 cup, sugar 2/3 cup plus 2 tbsp | No grams given |
| SharkNinja (appliance maker, for its ice cream machine) | No eggs | 2 tbsp | Cream 3/4 cup, milk 1 cup, sugar 1/3 cup, cream cheese 1 tbsp | No grams given |
| Jugetsudo (US site of a Tokyo tea shop) | No ice cream machine | 2 tbsp | Cream 2 cups, 1 can (14oz) condensed milk, water 400cc, sugar 80g, cornstarch 1.5 tbsp | No grams given |
| Arbor Teas (US tea retailer) | No ice cream machine | 2 tbsp | Cream 1 1/4 cups, condensed milk 2/3 cup | No grams given |
The percentages are our own calculation: grams of matcha divided by milk and cream combined, taking 1 cup as 240ml.
Source: Fukujuen, “抹茶レシピ” (Matcha recipes, in Japanese) https://shop.fukujuen.com/n/matcha-recipe/
What the table shows
There are recipes with egg yolks (Fukujuen) and recipes with only cream and milk (In Pursuit of Tea, AIYA America). The recipes without an ice cream machine (Jugetsudo, Arbor Teas) use whipped cream and condensed milk to hold air, then set in the freezer.
The weight of 1 tablespoon of matcha changes with whether it was sifted and how fine the powder is. In a shop, weigh in grams rather than spoons, and record it.
Setting your shop’s standard (our approach)
Start test batches at about 3% of the liquid, try 2 or 3 different amounts, and compare colour, bitterness and sweetness. Record the chosen recipe in grams and scale it to the size of each batch. Recipes for baked goods and cream are compared in Matcha for Baking.
Mixing matcha without lumps
What the official recipes have in common is that they do not pour all the liquid onto the matcha at once, and combine it first with a little liquid or with sugar. Yamamasa Koyamaen says that sifting matcha makes it less likely to form lumps and easier to whisk.
Work it into a paste with a little warm liquid
Fukujuen adds 2 tablespoons of warm milk and cream and works it in so there are no lumps, then adds 2 more tablespoons once combined. This then goes into the egg yolks beaten with sugar. Making a paste first and then spreading it is the same as how matcha is dissolved in How to Make a Hot Matcha Latte.
Mix it with sugar first
Kyoritsu Foods mixes matcha well with granulated sugar, then adds the warm milk and egg yolks. In Pursuit of Tea also mixes sugar and matcha first, then slowly pours in the cream to make a paste. Jugetsudo mixes sugar, matcha and cornstarch, adds water and cooks until thickened.
Turn it into a syrup first
Shops that prepare a batch every day can also add a syrup made from matcha and sugar to the mix. How to make and store it is in How to Make Matcha Syrup. Whisking matcha into a cold liquid is covered in How to Make Matcha Cold Foam.
How to make matcha soft serve
Matcha soft serve is made either by adding matcha to a soft serve mix, or by using a ready-made mix that already contains matcha. Either way, the basics are to leave no lumps before it goes into the machine, and to keep the mix cold.
Adding matcha to a plain mix
Add matcha, worked into a paste with a little of the mix, to a plain (such as vanilla) soft serve mix. For the amount, the matcha-to-liquid ratio in the table above is a starting point.
There is a hygiene point when adding powdered matcha to a mix that has already been heat treated. The description of Ezaki Glico’s patent application (JP 2008-253173 A) says that powdered matcha cannot be heat sterilised enough for food production, so it occasionally contains coliform bacteria, and there was a risk of the product testing positive for coliforms. The company applied for a method in which the dairy mix and the matcha are dissolved separately, and the matcha dissolved in water is sterilised at a high temperature for a short time before the two are combined. If you add matcha to a mix that has already been pasteurised, check the microbiological test results of the matcha you buy.
Ready-made matcha soft serve mix
In the US, powdered soft serve mixes containing matcha are also sold. For example, a powdered mix sold by Cappuccino Supreme is made up from a 3.2lb (about 1.45kg) bag with water to 1 gallon (about 3.8L), and the instructions say to keep it at 41°F (about 5°C) or below. With a ready-made product, the shop cannot choose the origin or grade of the matcha in it.
Keep the mix cold and use it up
Keep the mix in the machine cold. According to the handbook by Japan’s soft serve industry bodies, machines with a heat treatment function cool the mix quickly after heat treatment and hold it at 10°C or below. The FDA Food Code gives soft serve mix and milk in a dispensing machine as examples of food for which date marking is impractical, and allows a method approved by the regulatory authority to be used instead. Decide by when an opened mix must be used up, and keep a record.
Machine cleaning and food hygiene: what each country’s documents say
How often a soft serve machine is cleaned depends on the type of machine and what the manufacturer specifies. Japan has a handbook from industry bodies, but what we could confirm in public documents from the US, Singapore and Thailand were general rules on pasteurising dairy, temperature and cleaning equipment.
US FDA Food Code
The Food Code is a model document that US states and local governments use as the basis for their rules for food businesses. The 2022 edition says the following.
- Food-contact surfaces of equipment and utensils used with food needing temperature control are cleaned throughout the day at least every 4 hours. There are exceptions, such as containers kept at the set temperatures in storage, and equipment used in a refrigerated room (every 24 hours if the room is at 5°C or below) (4-602.11)
- It gives a frozen dessert machine as an example of cleaning in place (CIP), where detergent, rinse water and sanitising solution are run through the equipment (1-201.10)
- Frozen milk products such as ice cream must be obtained pasteurised (3-202.14)
Singapore Food Agency (SFA)
SFA’s guide to food retail licences says the requirements for a Food Shop licence, which covers premises such as restaurants and coffee shops, are in the “Food Shop Self-Checklist.” The conditions for temporary fair food stalls say that if fresh milk is used to make ice cream on site, the milk must be pasteurised and kept at 4°C or below, and unused milk or milk-based ingredients should preferably be thrown away at the end of each day. If your shop makes its mix from milk, this is a useful reference.
Thailand and Japan
Thailand’s Notification No. 354 requires ice cream, other than liquid or powdered types, to have its ingredients heated at 68.5°C for at least 30 minutes or at 80°C for at least 25 seconds, cooled straight away to 4°C, and frozen and kept at −2.2°C or below until sold. Japan’s ordinance also says ice cream ingredients are sterilised at 68°C for 30 minutes, or by a method at least as effective.
In Japan, a handbook by the Soft Cream Hygiene Association and the Japan Soft Cream Council (published on the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare website) says that soft serve served directly to customers in a restaurant is treated as prepared food and falls under the restaurant business licence. The same handbook says machines with a heat treatment function are heat treated every day using that function and taken apart and cleaned at the interval the manufacturer sets, while machines without that function are cleaned and sanitised every day. Which licence or standard applies to soft serve made in a shop differs by country and region, so check with your local health authority before you open.
Keeping matcha’s colour and aroma
According to Ezaki Glico’s patent application, matcha changes colour with light, heat and acid. Keep the time between adding matcha to the mix and serving short, and keep it out of the light.
Light, heat and acid fade the colour
The description of Ezaki Glico’s patent application says matcha discolours and fades under the influence of light, heat, acid and so on. It then says that dissolving matcha at a low temperature and then sterilising it at a high temperature for a short time improved its flavour and colour compared with earlier methods. How the green pigment loses magnesium and turns olive is explained in Matcha for Baking. What happens when matcha meets acid is in Matcha Lemonade, Tonic and Soda.
Adding colouring for more green?
The University of Guelph textbook says ice cream should have a delicate colour that suggests its flavour, and that too much colouring makes it look cheap.
What a shop can do (our suggestions)
- Once matcha goes into the mix, make only as much as you will use up that day
- Seal the matcha bag after opening, and keep it away from direct sunlight and lights
- Keep the time hard ice cream spends under display lights short
How to store opened matcha is covered in Matcha Shelf Life and Storage.
How to make a matcha affogato
A matcha affogato is a dessert of strongly whisked matcha poured over ice cream. Matcha takes the place of espresso. It works with either matcha or vanilla ice cream.
Official recipes compared
| Source | Matcha | Water | Ice cream |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tsujiri (Kataoka & Co.) | 6g | About 70°C, 70cc | Vanilla 100ml |
| Yamamasa Koyamaen | 4g (recommends its tea ceremony blends) | 70°C, about 50cc | No amount given |
| Chikiriya (Kyoto tea shop) | 4g | 30ml | Vanilla or matcha |
| Fukujuen | 3g (sifted beforehand) | 20 to 25ml | Vanilla, to taste |
Source: Tsujiri (Kataoka & Co.), “抹茶アフォガート” (Matcha affogato, in Japanese) https://www.kataoka.com/tsujiri/enjoy/recipe/affogato.html
Strength and serving
Matcha as a share of the water is about 8.6% for Tsujiri, 8% for Yamamasa Koyamaen and about 12 to 15% for Chikiriya and Fukujuen (our calculation). It is whisked stronger than the matcha in one latte and balanced against the sweetness of the ice cream. Yamamasa Koyamaen says that sifting matcha makes it less likely to form lumps and easier to whisk.
Whisk the matcha for each order and pour it on just before serving. A menu item that combines matcha with espresso is in How to Make a Dirty Matcha, and one blended with ice is in How to Make a Matcha Frappe.
Matching grade and matcha cost per serving
The guide for ice cream is drinking grade down to processing grade Toku-B, and the matcha cost per serving is compared as price per gram × grams used.
Which grade
Yamamasa Koyamaen, a Kyoto tea company, gives drinking grades down to processing grade Toku-B as the guide for ice cream and cream in its chart of matcha for food processing. For the affogato, Yamamasa Koyamaen recommends its tea ceremony blends. The differences between grades are in Matcha Grades.
Working out the matcha cost per serving
The matcha cost per serving is: price per kg ÷ 1,000 × grams used per serving. The matcha per serving in the official recipes is as follows (our calculation).
| Menu item | Matcha per serving | Matcha cost formula |
|---|---|---|
| Matcha ice cream (Kyoritsu Foods, 10g for 4 servings) | 2.5g | Price per kg ÷ 1,000 × 2.5 |
| Matcha affogato (Tsujiri) | 6g | Price per kg ÷ 1,000 × 6 |
| Matcha affogato (Yamamasa Koyamaen) | 4g | Price per kg ÷ 1,000 × 4 |
With an affogato, the cost of the matcha poured on top is added to the cost of the ice cream itself. Also count dairy, sugar, cones, cups, and the mix thrown away when the machine is cleaned. How matcha prices are set is covered in How Matcha Prices Are Set.
Sources
- Japan e-Gov Law Search, “乳及び乳製品の成分規格等に関する命令” (Ordinance on Milk and Milk Products Concerning Compositional Standards, etc., in Japanese) https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/326M50000100052
- Thailand Ministry of Public Health, Notification No. 354 (2013), “ไอศกรีม” (Ice cream, in Thai) https://exfood.fda.moph.go.th/law/data/complilation/Compi_354.pdf
- US Code of Federal Regulations, 21 CFR 135.110 “Ice cream and frozen custard” https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-135/subpart-B/section-135.110
- Singapore Food Regulations https://sso.agc.gov.sg/SL/SFA1973-RG1
- Singapore Food Agency, “Requirements for Licence / Permit for Food Retail” https://www.sfa.gov.sg/food-retail/licence-permit/requirements-for-licence-permit-for-food-retail
- US Food and Drug Administration, “FDA Food Code 2022” https://www.fda.gov/media/164194/download
- Soft Cream Hygiene Association and Japan Soft Cream Council, “ソフトクリームの衛生管理” 3rd edition (Hygiene management of soft serve, published on the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare website, in Japanese) https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/12401000/001532847.pdf
- H. Douglas Goff, “Ice Cream Technology e-Book” (University of Guelph), Freezing/Whipping of Ice Cream https://books.lib.uoguelph.ca/icecreamtechnologyebook/chapter/freezing-whipping-of-ice-cream/
- Same, Colour in Ice Cream https://books.lib.uoguelph.ca/icecreamtechnologyebook/chapter/colour-in-ice-cream/
- Ezaki Glico, JP 2008-253173 A “抹茶入りアイスクリーム及びその製造方法” (Matcha ice cream and method for producing it, in Japanese) https://patents.google.com/patent/JP2008253173A/ja
- Fukujuen, “抹茶レシピ” (Matcha recipes, in Japanese) https://shop.fukujuen.com/n/matcha-recipe/
- Kyoritsu Foods, “抹茶アイス” (Matcha ice cream, in Japanese) https://www.kyoritsu-foods.co.jp/recipe/622/
- In Pursuit of Tea, “Matcha Green Tea Ice Cream Recipe” https://inpursuitoftea.com/blogs/the-ipot-journal/matcha-green-tea-ice-cream-recipe
- AIYA America, “Matcha Ice Cream” https://aiya-america.com/matcha-ice-cream/
- SharkNinja, “Matcha Ice Cream” https://www.sharkninja.com/matcha-ice-cream/REC3850.html
- Jugetsudo USA, “Matcha Ice Cream (no churn)” https://jugetsudousa.com/matcha-ice-cream-no-churn/
- Arbor Teas, “Matcha Green Tea Ice Cream Recipe” https://arborteas.com/blogs/tea-recipes/matcha-green-tea-ice-cream-recipe
- Tsujiri (Kataoka & Co.), “抹茶アフォガート” (Matcha affogato, in Japanese) https://www.kataoka.com/tsujiri/enjoy/recipe/affogato.html
- Yamamasa Koyamaen, “抹茶アフォガードのレシピ” (Matcha affogato recipe, in Japanese) https://www.yamamasa-koyamaen.co.jp/enjoy/2019/post-7/
- Chikiriya, “抹茶アフォガート” (Matcha affogato, in Japanese) https://kyo-chikiriya.com/blog/recipe/%25recipe_category%25/matcha+affogato/
- Yamamasa Koyamaen, “加工用抹茶・他パウダー（業務用・製菓用）” (Matcha and other powders for food processing, in Japanese) https://www.yamamasa-koyamaen.co.jp/product/for-processing.html
- Cappuccino Supreme, “Matcha Soft Serve Mix 3.2 lb Bag” https://www.cappuccinosupreme.com/matcha-soft-serve-mix-3-2-lb-bag/
