There’s chai, and then there’s chai you can eat with a spoon. Our friends Roxy & Ben (@roxyandben) have turned a fragrant, spice-packed brew into a Vegan Chocolate Chai Ice Cream that tastes every bit as good as it sounds.
Made with rooibos, coconut, cacao and vanilla, this ice cream is indulgent and completely plant-based. The chai is brewed in the Loka Chai Maker before being folded through the chocolate base, frozen into cubes and blended until smooth and velvety.
It’s the kind of recipe you’ll want to keep a batch of in the freezer for warm afternoons, after-dinner treats or your next summer BBQ.
Chocolate Chai Ice Cream
Makes: 1 x 1L pot / Serves 8
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 30 minutes, plus freezing time
What you’ll need
For the chai:
- ½ thumb fresh ginger, peeled
- 4 cardamom pods
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp peppercorns
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 10 cloves
- 1 tsp rooibos tea leaves
For the ice cream:
- 1 x 400ml tin full-fat coconut milk, cream and water combined
- 1 x 210g tin sweetened condensed coconut milk
- 8 tbsp cacao powder
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 250ml vegan double cream
Equipment:
- 4 ice cube mould trays
- Food processor
- Pestle and mortar
- Electric or handheld whisk
How to make it
1. Prepare the spices
Add the ginger, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, fennel seeds and cloves to a pestle and mortar. Bash until broken down.
2. Brew the chai
Transfer the spices to your Loka Chai Maker and add the rooibos tea leaves. Pour in the coconut milk and bring to a gentle boil, then cook for 5–7 minutes.
Pour the chai into a glass jug and leave to cool slightly before transferring it to the fridge to cool completely.
3. Make the chocolate base
Pour the sweetened condensed coconut milk into a mixing bowl with the cacao powder and vanilla extract. Whisk until fully incorporated and smooth.
4. Whip the cream
Pour the vegan double cream into a separate mixing bowl. Whip with a handheld or electric whisk until stiff peaks form.
Gently fold in the chocolate condensed milk mixture until fully incorporated.
5. Bring it all together
Once the chai has completely cooled, pour it into the chocolate cream mixture and gently fold until combined.
6. Freeze
Spoon the ice cream mixture into four ice cube trays and freeze until completely solid. The cubes will need at least four hours in the freezer, but overnight is ideal.
7. Blend and serve
When you’re ready to serve, remove the frozen ice cream cubes from the freezer and leave them to thaw for around one minute.
Push the cubes into a food processor and blend for a few minutes until smooth and velvety. Serve immediately for a softer texture.
For a firmer scoop, transfer the blended ice cream to a freezer-friendly container and return it to the freezer for a few hours before serving.
