Treat yourself to creamy and refreshing homemade Yuzu Ice Cream made with yuzu jam (marmalade). This easy recipe strikes the perfect balance of sweet and citrus flavors with the unmistakable fragrance of this prized Asian fruit.
Yuzu (柚子), a small yellow or green citrus fruit, has become very popular in the United States for the past decade. Many professional chefs have started using this citrus fruit in many imaginative ways. In Japan, yuzu has been around for centuries and it is used extensively in various dishes. With a fragrance that is unmistakable, I simply adore any yuzu flavored foods and one of my favorites is creamy Yuzu Ice Cream.
Easy Yuzu Ice Cream You Can Make At Home
Yuzu is originally from China, but it’s mostly used in Japanese and Korean cuisines. Yuzu’s flavor is tart but it has an amazing aroma; therefore, it is rarely eaten as a fruit. Instead, we use its aromatic zest and juice just like how we use lemon for recipes.
I know fresh yuzu is very hard to find outside of Japan and Korea so I thought of using other yuzu products. I like to use bottled yuzu juice for my cooking, but this is also not easy to find if you don’t have a Japanese grocery store nearby. My third option was Korean Yuzu Tea (Yuja Cha, Citron Tea). You can find this product in most Korean and Asian/Japanese grocery stores. Although it is called yuzu “tea,” it’s more like yuzu jam or marmalade. The marmalade is typically made from yuzu fruit including the zest, so it works perfectly for yuzu ice cream.
The ice cream recipe is very easy and the custard is pretty similar to other ice cream recipes I have. The resulting ice cream has the perfect balance of sweet and refreshing citrus flavor. I hope you give it a try especially if you love yuzu!
See More Japanese Flavored Ice Cream:
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Yuzu Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 4 large egg yolks
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
- 4 Tbsp yuzu jam (marmalade) (plus more for garnish; you can make my Yuzu Marmalade recipe; I used yuzu “tea“ from the Korean market)
- ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
Instructions
To Freeze the Ice Cream Bowl (at least 24 hours prior)
- If you‘re using an ice cream maker that requires you to pre-freeze the bowl (like this one), make sure to freeze it for at least 24 hours. If it’s not cold enough, you may end up with liquid even after 30 minutes of churning. I use an ice cream maker that does not require pre-freezing the bowl. If you don‘t have an ice cream maker, I hope this post helps.
To Make the Ice Cream Mixture
- Gather all the ingredients.
- In a mixing bowl, beat 4 large egg yolks and ¾ cup sugar at medium-high speed until fluffy (it’ll take about 2–3 minutes).
- In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups whole milk to a simmer (don‘t let the milk boil).
- SLOWLY add the warmed milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly at the lowest mixer speed (pour in one spoonful at a time at the beginning). Once the mixture gets warmed up, slowly pour in the rest of the milk and mix it all together.
- Transfer the custard mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula until thick enough to coat the back of the spatula, about 4–5 minutes or so. NEVER let the custard boil because your custard will turn into scrambled eggs.
- Pour 1 cup heavy (whipping) cream into a medium-size glass bowl. Set it over a larger bowl filled with ice. Use a fine-mesh strainer to strain the custard mixture into the bowl of heavy cream.
- Whisk in 4 Tbsp yuzu jam (marmalade) and ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Stir until cool over the ice bath. Then, chill the custard thoroughly in the refrigerator.
To Churn the Ice Cream
- Pour the custard into your ice cream maker and churn the mixture according to the manufacturer’s instructions, usually about 25 minutes. Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and freeze until firm.
To Serve
- Scoop the Yuzu Ice Cream into individual bowls and garnish with yuzu tea. Enjoy!
To Store
- You can keep it in the freezer for up to 2 weeks, but enjoy it sooner for the best flavor and color and to avoid the formation of ice crystals on the surface.
Hi there in step 7 you mention to chill custard thoroughly in refrigerator. How long is that for? Before putting it into ice cream maker. Thanks!
Hi Winnie! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
For chilling the ice cream mixture, at least 2~4 hours would need it, depending on where you place it in the refrigerator. You can also leave it overnight.
We hope this helps!
I have a question. In the picture of the long container with the ice cream scoop, what is the type of container being used?
Hi William! Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post!
Nami used a loaf pan; https://amzn.to/2ZleenJ
We hope this helps!
I prepared my first batch last night, using the yuzu marmalade I made (using the recipe found here) the night before. Turned out excellent! Very smooth and creamy, with a well integrated – but not overpowering – yuzu flavor and finish. My total yield after putting the custard through the ice cream maker was enough to fill a 5 cup storage container.
My wife’s only comment was that it was a little bit on the sweet side for her – so maybe next time I make it I’ll use a little less sugar since there is plenty in the marmalade. Perhaps the off-the-shelf yuzu teas have less sugar than the marmalade too?
Hi Brandon! Thank you for trying this recipe and for your detailed feedback. I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it. I remember the store-bought yuzu tea is pretty sweet…but I haven’t had it for a while so my memory could be wrong…
Hello Nami-San!
I recently bought yuzu juice and dried yuzu zest peels, I was wondering how I can make yuzu ice cream but without the custard part.
HI Malisa! Well… yuzu ice cream requires custard/cream. What you can make is yuzu sorbet? https://www.justonecookbook.com/yuzu-sorbet/
Hi Nami,
Thank you for this recipe. I’m dying to try it as I’m a big fan of yuzu.
Given that I have access to yuzu juice here I would like to use that instead of the yuzu tea. If I were to use straight yuzu juice, do you know how this would affect the recipe and whether I would still use four tablespoons?
Thank you for your help.
Hi Yomow! I’m so happy to hear you like Yuzu and you can get yuzu too!!! Awesome.
Hmm, tough question. Yuzu juice alone is very sour while here in this recipe I use more like Yuzu Marmalade (https://www.justonecookbook.com/yuzu-marmalade/). It’s a lot of trouble to make that to make this ice cream. I think you will need a lot of yuzu juice and zest and additional sugar to replicate this yuzu ice cream flavor. I don’t know how much you will need as I had never tested it with real yuzu juice… sorry…
Is there any steps i need to modify using the kitchenaid stAndmixer ice cream tool for this recipe?
Hi Christina! Sorry I don’t have one, so I am not sure, but KA should have the instructions on how to use it. So please follow it. 🙂
Hello Nami
Do u have a yuzu sorbet recipe to share, please?
Thank you!
Hi Gina! Yes and here it is:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/yuzu-sorbet/
My friends and I enjoy this tea when we are ill. Today is Sumo Sunday – and we always get together to watch the matches over some delicious food. I made this ice cream for today – but may not be sharing it due to the typhoon. I guess I’ll have to console myself with a dish of ice cream! (I was going to compliment it with the Yuzu chuhai.)
Hi Lydia! I drink this tea when I’m ill or have throat ache. 😀 But that made me so addicted that it’s my night time drink sometimes…while blogging. I hope you enjoyed this ice cream! 🙂 I want to join your Sumo Sunday – sounds fun with delicious food!
I live in South Carolina and I have three Yuzu trees in my yard. Maybe 40-50 fruit on them now and they are turning yellow. If anyone wants some, I can send a few by mail or ship them if someone wants to help with the shipping cost. I hate to waste these, but no one around here knows what they are. I make vinaigrette, marmalade, and Yuzu cakes but I also have Ichang Lemons and tangerines more than I can possibly use.
Hi Steve! Yuzu cake! That sounds so delicious! It’s wonderful that you get yuzu in your yard and thank you so much for your kind offer, too! I know who to contact when I need fresh yuzu. 🙂
This looks delicious, Nami! Thank you for sharing 🙂
BTW: where did you get the ice cream bowls in the photo? They’re beautiful!
Thanks 🙂
-jenny
Hi Jenny! Thank you so much. 🙂 Those are sake cups – it was one of those (cheap) Japanese sake set that I bought from Japanese ceramic store in the U.S. I’m glad you like them. I wanted to serve this ice cream with more “Japanese” styling and my husband suggested these sake cups. Hehee.
As I now have an ice cream machine I want to try your Yuzu Ice Cream recipe. The problem-where on earth can I get Yuzu around here. Well, I was over at Inno Bakery, yes a Korean Bakery, and there on a shelf was a jar of Yuzu Tea. Thanks to you I know what it is and will be trying your recipe!
I’m glad I talked about the Yuzu Tea! Most Korean stores carry it as they drink it often (melt the marmarlade in hot water). Hope you enjoy yuzu ice cream. So delicious! 🙂
The color of the yuzu ice cream is so pretty! Seeing the photos that you posted makes me want to go out and get some ice cream now… =) Thanks for sharing the recipe for another fantastic summer treat!
Thank you very much Kimmi! Often I do have cravings by reading food blogs. 🙂 Enjoy the rest of summer!
So can we use fresh yuzu juice in place of the yuzu tea? Will it change the flavor? We have fresh yuzu from a tree from my Uncle’s house. Thanks for all your oishii recipes!
Yuzu tea is like marmalade texture, and very sweet. If you use fresh yuzu, make sure to add some honey to sweeten. 🙂 I’m so jealous of your uncle’s yuzu tree!