Vanilla Chai Spice Orange Custard Ice Cream

Aug 18, 2026 · By VanillaGoods

Dessert Ice cream frozen desserts Origin: Tahitian Vanilla: Extract Medium

Scoops of vanilla chai spice orange custard ice cream in a ceramic bowl

This French-style ice cream uses an egg-yolk custard for a rich, smooth texture and a long vanilla finish. It combines black tea infused with cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and a restrained touch of clove. Orange adds flavor and texture. Best with Tahitian vanilla (floral, cherry, anise); any pure vanilla works.

Prep 25 min

Cook 15 min

Chill 8 hr

Total 8 hr 40 min

Servings 8

Diet —

Ingredients

Adjust yield

servings

2.0 cups (480.0 ml)heavy cream
1.0 cup (240.0 ml)whole milk
¾ cup (150.0 g)granulated sugar
6.0 (108.0 g)large egg yolks
⅛ tsp (0.75 g)fine sea salt
2 ¼ tsp (11.25 ml)VanillaGoods vanilla extract
4.0 tsp (8.0 g)Assam black tea leaves
¾ tsp (2.0 g)ground cinnamon
1.0 tsp (2.0 g)ground ginger
¾ tsp (1.5 g)ground cardamom
⅛ tsp (0.26 g)ground cloves

Flavor Accent

2.0 tsp (4.0 g)finely grated orange zest

Make it at home

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Instructions

Set a fine-mesh sieve over a clean bowl. Warm the cream, milk, and half of the sugar in a saucepan until steaming. Add the Assam tea and chai spices to the dairy, remove from the heat, steep 5 minutes, then strain and return the dairy to the saucepan before tempering the yolks. Whisk in the ground cardamom while the dairy is warm. Whisk in the ground cinnamon while the dairy is warm. Whisk in the ground ginger while the dairy is warm. Small bubbles may appear around the edge, but the dairy should not boil.
Whisk the finely grated orange zest into the warm dairy until evenly dispersed before tempering the yolks. The accent should be evenly distributed with no visible pockets.
Whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar and salt until the mixture is smooth and slightly lighter in color.
Slowly whisk about 1 cup of the hot dairy into the yolks. Return the tempered yolk mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. The custard is ready at about 170°F (77°C), when it lightly coats the back of a spoon and a finger drawn through it leaves a clean path.
Immediately strain the custard into the clean bowl and stir in the vanilla. Set the bowl over an ice bath and stir until the custard is no longer hot. Cooling it quickly protects the texture and shortens the time it spends warm.
Cover and refrigerate the custard for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, until completely cold.
Churn in an ice cream maker according to the machine's instructions. Transfer to a shallow freezer container. Stop churning when the ice cream is thick and holds soft ridges like soft serve.
Freeze for at least 4 hours before scooping. For easier scooping, let the container stand at room temperature for 5 minutes before serving.

Tips

Optional add-in: fold 95 g toasted almonds, pecans or pistachios (cooled and chopped) into the finished dough or batter just until evenly distributed.
Vanilla bean paste swaps 1:1 for the extract and adds visible vanilla seeds; for a whole bean, use the seeds of 1 bean in place of 2 teaspoons of extract.
Best vanilla for this: Tahitian (floral, cherry, anise), or Madagascar (rich, creamy, classic). Any pure vanilla works.

Recipe FAQ

How long does it take to make vanilla chai spice orange custard ice cream?

Plan on 25 minutes of prep and 15 minutes of cooking, plus 8 hours to rest, chill, or cool. It makes 1 quart.

Can I use a different form of vanilla?

Vanilla bean paste swaps 1:1 for the extract and adds visible vanilla seeds; for a whole bean, use the seeds of 1 bean in place of 2 teaspoons of extract.

Estimated · per serving

Nutrition

Per serving = 1 of 8 servings this recipe makes.

344 Calories / serving

26.2g Fat

23.5g Carbs

5.0g Protein

22.3g Sugar

Whole recipe (8 servings): ~2752 cal · 210g fat · 188g carbs · 40g protein · 178g sugar

Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.

Per serving · 344 calories

What it takes to burn one serving

Brisk walking 65 min·3.8 mi·~7600 steps
Walking uphill or incline treadmill 47 min·2.4 mi·~4700 steps
Moderate cycling 35 min·7.0 mi
Swimming laps 48 min
Jogging 34 min·2.8 mi·~5450 steps
Stair climbing 32 min·~2900 steps
Dancing 56 min
Bodyweight circuit training 35 min
Cleaning, errands, or playing with the dog 80 min

Rough estimates for one serving, based on standard MET values at about 155 lb. Your own burn depends on body size, effort, and fitness. Shown for context only — food is not something you have to earn.