Hojicha Pudding (Printable Version)

Aromatic roasted green tea meets silky custard for an elegant Japanese dessert.

# What You'll Need:

→ Custard Base

01 - 2 cups whole milk
02 - 1/2 cup heavy cream
03 - 2 tablespoons hojicha loose leaf tea or 2 hojicha tea bags
04 - 1/4 cup granulated sugar
05 - 2 large eggs
06 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Garnish

07 - Whipped cream
08 - Roasted tea leaves or cocoa powder

# How to Make It:

01 - In a saucepan, combine milk and heavy cream. Heat over medium heat until just below simmering, approximately 180°F, without allowing it to boil.
02 - Remove from heat and add hojicha tea leaves or bags. Steep for 5 to 7 minutes, then strain through a fine mesh sieve to remove solids.
03 - In a mixing bowl, whisk together sugar and eggs until the mixture becomes pale and smooth.
04 - Gradually pour the warm hojicha-infused milk into the egg mixture while whisking constantly to prevent curdling.
05 - Stir in vanilla extract until fully incorporated.
06 - Pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a clean saucepan to ensure a silky, smooth texture.
07 - Cook over low heat, stirring continuously with a spatula, until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Do not allow it to boil.
08 - Remove from heat and pour into serving glasses or ramekins.
09 - Allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours until the pudding is fully set.
10 - Top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of roasted tea leaves or cocoa powder if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It tastes like a luxury dessert but comes together in about thirty minutes of actual work.
  • Hojicha's roasted flavor feels sophisticated without being pretentious or difficult to source.
  • The texture is pure comfort—silky enough that it melts on your tongue but structured enough to feel intentional.
02 -
  • Boiling the cream or milk at the beginning will scald it and create a slightly burnt flavor that lingers through the whole dessert—stay vigilant with your heat.
  • Room temperature eggs make an enormous difference; if yours are cold straight from the refrigerator, sit them on the counter for fifteen minutes first.
  • The custard will look slightly thinner than you expect when you remove it from heat, but it continues to set as it chills and will reach perfect spoon-coating consistency by morning.
03 -
  • Buy your hojicha from a Japanese market or specialty tea vendor rather than generic grocery store options—the quality difference is immediate and worth the small effort to source it properly.
  • If your custard breaks or becomes grainy during cooking, strain it through cheesecloth and whip a bit of softly whipped cream into the cooled pudding to rescue the texture.
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