You are going to love this no-churn creamy Earl Grey ice cream. It is officially my favorite no-cook homemade ice cream flavor! Get a tea kettle started so you can brew some Earl Grey tea :-).
If you love ice cream as much as we do, you will want to check out all of my Best Gluten Free Ice Cream recipes, I include a couple of gluten free ice cream cone recipes as well!
Our family recently visited a new ice cream place in the Pruneyard called Tin Pot Creamery. It is a small local ice cream shop that makes interesting small-batch ice cream flavors.
(This post is NOT sponsored, I just love their creativity with ice cream flavors!!). One taste of their creamy Earl Grey ice cream and I was hooked. It had hints of Earl Grey spices and was lightly sweet. I just knew I needed to try to re-create these flavors in a creamy no-churn recipe.
What is no-churn ice cream?
No-churn ice cream is my newest addiction. It fits my criteria of being easy to make and I consider it my ice cream for when I am feeling lazy. No-churn ice creams are not cooked on a stove before freezing.
This kind of ice cream is made typically with heavy cream and flavors that are whipped into whipped cream and then you fold in your favorite toppings aka mix-ins.
It doesn't get any easier than this. From the blender, you pour your ice cream mixture into a freezable container and freeze. A few hours later you have thick, creamy ice cream!!
If you love this easy no-churn ice cream recipe, you will want to also try these gluten free ice creams: Caramel Chocolate Chip and Lemon Curd ice cream recipes.
Earl Grey tea is a black tea with a unique flavor. This flavor comes from bergamot oil, which has a slight citrus flavor. Earl Grey is believed to have lots of health benefits, as well as a nice boost of caffeine. I like Earl Grey tea because it has less caffeine than a cup of coffee, so it is a nice afternoon pick me up.
Keep in mind there are a lot of Earl Grey teas out there. Quality is important. You want a reputable tea company and not a cheap tea. I say this after watching a tea episode of Alton Brown. When tea is being processed for sale, tea manufacturers sift the tea into many grades, depending on the size of the leaf.
The cheapest teas are mostly tiny pieces of leaves and a lot of tea "dust". More expensive teas have big pieces of tea leaves in the bags.
I am convinced that Earl Grey is the best tea to make no-churn ice cream. It has cinnamon and other fun flavors that just blend in perfectly with the creaminess of the whipping cream and condensed milk.
Condensed Milk Types:
Condensed milk is available with dairy, or without (coconut-based). I love the way the slight coconut flavor works with the Earl Grey tea, so that is why I used this.
One thing I love about this ice cream recipe is that you don't have to add extra sugar. There is enough sweetness from the condensed milk to make this ice cream perfect.
I used a condensed coconut milk for this recipe. If you can't find it, that is fine. Use the regular variety. I love the way the slight coconut flavor works with the Earl Grey tea, so that is why I used this."
Everyone will love this easy no-cook homemade ice cream. You don't need a fancy ice cream maker to make this no-churn ice cream recipe, though you can use one if you prefer!
My kids make this recipe with our Vitamix. (You can also use a blender.) They sort of call this Vitamix ice cream...probably because you just dump everything in and it takes care of everything except the freezing part.
The first step to making this ice cream is to steep three Earl Grey tea bags in a cup of hot water. I steep the tea for at least 10 minutes so that it not only gets a strong flavor, but the tea also cools down more making it easier to whip with the cream. The stronger the tea the better the flavor of the ice cream!
Can you use decaffeinated tea to make this recipe?
You can use either caffeinated or decaffeinated tea to make this ice cream recipe. Many prefer to use decaf tea if they are going to serve this to their kids, or enjoy this ice cream in the evening/night.
Instructions:
Add all of your ingredients in the Vitamix or blender and whip until thick. See how the whipping cream helps this no-churn ice cream get really thick and creamy?
Pour the ice cream mixture into a freezer safe container and cover with plastic wrap. I like to use metal bread pans for storing my ice cream in the freezer. Freeze for 3-4 hours. Scoop and enjoy.
You can serve this ice cream in these Gluten Free Cookie Bowls, or make these fun DIY Gluten Free Waffle Cones. You can also try a homemade milkshake!
More delicious no-churn ice cream recipes to try:
- Pumpkin Chocolate Cookie Chunk Ice Cream
- No-Churn White Chocolate Raspberry Ice Cream
- Fresh Vegan Plum Sorbet
- Dairy Free Coconut Ice Cream Affogato
Tools:
- A blender or Vitamix. You can easily make this recipe with a mixer, but it will take a little longer to whip up the cream.
- Your favorite variety of Earl Grey tea.
Earl Grey No Churn Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 14 ounces condensed milk
- 1 cup Earl Grey tea
- 2 pints whipping cream
Instructions
- Heat a cup of water and add three bags of Earl Grey tea. Allow to steep 5 minutes.
- Allow the tea to cool down for 10 minutes.
- Add all ingredients to a Vitamix or blender. Mix until the cream is thick.
- Pour into a bread pan or other freezer safe container and freeze for 3 hours.
Nutrition
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James P
Just made this last night with my kitchen aid mixmaster and it’s absolutely amazing. Thank you!
Sandi Gaertner
I am so glad you liked it James. Thank you so much!
MangoAngel
Just a note: brew/steeping tea extra-long does nothing to make it stronger. The amount of tea leaves used is what adds to the strength of the tea’s flavor. Brewing/steeping for longer than 3-5 minutes doesn’t make it stronger, it just makes the tea much more astringent and bitter.
So if anyone has trouble with the tea tasting bitter in this recipe, I’d recommend making a stronger brew by using more tea leaves, and steeping no more than 5 minutes, max, to avoid any bitterness.
Carole
Hi there. I am attempting to make this recipe but with sweetened condensed cow’s milk rather than coconut. So far it is not going my way. The mixture never thickened up in the Vitamix. I am now freezing the mixture for an hour and will attempt to whip it up again.
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Carole, did you use heavy whipping cream? It should pretty much turn to whipped cream in the Vitamix.