25-Minute Healthy Chai Spice Ice Cream

 
My mom is superwoman. Every weekday, her alarm rings before 5 am so she can squeeze in a run, shower, and slip into a chic dress and heels before hopping in the car to drive to the office by 6:30 am.  

After her hour-long commute, she jam-packs her days as the head of the science team at the foundation where she works with meetings, phone calls, emails, writing grants, presentations, planning travel, and more. She truly throws her entire heart and soul into her job, and it shows! By the time she starts home on her two-hour commute (California traffic is horrendous, especially in the afternoons!), she somehow managed to complete a 10-hour workday in 8 hours or less.
 

 
There’s a reason my mom is my biggest role model!

As a special treat each morning (and to give her a little energy boost for the day ahead!), Mom makes herself a chai latte. She mixes it up at home using vanilla almond milk and her favorite chai concentrate, then pours it into a travel mug so she can slowly sip it on her drive to work. She started that daily routine about 10 years ago, and she always makes sure to fit in that chai latte, even if she’s on travel and has to order it from Starbucks instead!
 

 
So when Mom suggested that I turn her favorite drink into homemade ice cream, I immediately agreed and created this 25-Minute Healthy Chai Spice Ice Cream for her. It’s full of the same cozy spices as her lattes, and it’s just as smooth and creamy as the ice cream you’d buy from a traditional ice cream parlor. Even better, it’s full of protein and incredibly simple to make!

So I told Mom it was perfectly fine if she wanted to sneak an extra scoop. 😉
 

 
To make this healthier ice cream, you’ll use Greek yogurt and 2% milk as the base. If you’ve been around AHB for a while, you already know how much I love Greek yogurt! It’s thick and creamy, which makes it perfect for this ice cream base. Greek yogurt also contains a whopping 21g of protein per cup, as compared to regular yogurt with around 10g, so it gives this ice cream a big protein boost. Each serving contains nearly 8g of protein!

For the milk, I highly recommend that you use at least 2%. Ice cream requires a certain amount of fat to achieve that smooth and creamy texture. (I explain a lot more about how to achieve that perfect ice cream texture in this blog post, and I really suggest that you read it!) Do not substitute nonfat, 1%, almond, or cashew milk. These contain too much water and not enough fat, so your ice cream would have a hard and icy texture.
 

 
Instead of granulated sugar, you’ll sweeten this ice cream with another one of my favorite ingredients: liquid stevia. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that’s clean eating friendly, and it’s very concentrated. A little goes a long way—you’ll only need 1¼ teaspoons for this ice cream. That’s the equivalent of more than ¾ cup of sugar! This is the kind that I use because I love its sweet flavor and don’t notice any strange aftertastes like with some other stevia products. You can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores, and I almost always buy it online. (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)

Many traditional ice cream recipes include eggs to help thicken the ice cream and bind the other ingredients together, but… I’m impatient and want to eat my ice cream ASAP, so I’d much rather skip the cooking-the-custard step! So instead of eggs, you’ll use a special ingredient called xanthan gum to hold those other ingredients together and achieve that creamy texture. Do not skip the xanthan gum; your ice cream will taste icy and hard without it. You can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores, as well as online.
 

 
For that special chai flavor, you’ll add in cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and cardamom. My mom walked into the kitchen right after I measured all of those spices, and her face broke out into a huge smile. “It smells so cozy and delicious!” she exclaimed… And I totally agree! There’s something absolutely irresistible about spices in cold, freshly churned ice cream. This flavor has been my entire family’s favorite so far!

For the best texture, I highly recommend that you use an ice cream maker! This is the inexpensive one that I own, and I absolutely love it. My ice cream is always ready in just 20 minutes (or less!) after I’ve poured in the milk base, and it’s so easy to use.
 

 
Time for a scoop — or two! 😉 And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees that I’ll see the notification from you! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy chai spice ice cream!

25-Minute Healthy Chai Spice Ice Cream

© Amy's Healthy Baking

This is my mom’s new favorite ice cream! She loves the combination of the cold, sweet ice cream base with the cozy spices. She almost refused to share any with the rest of our family! The ice cream is best if eaten right after making it. It will turn somewhat icy and hard if left for too long in the freezer. (However, you can minimize that by letting it thaw on the counter for a few minutes or microwaving it for 10-30 seconds, depending on the wattage of your microwave, before enjoying at a later date!)

5 from 4 votes

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Ingredients 

• 1 cup (240g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1 cup (240mL) 2% milk (see Notes!)
• 1 ¼ tsp liquid stevia
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp xanthan gum
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground ginger
• ⅛ tsp ground cloves
• ⅛ tsp ground cardamom
• ¼ tsp salt

Instructions

• The night before you plan on making your ice cream, place the bowl of an electric ice cream maker in the freezer. Freeze for at least 12-16 hours.
• Add all of the ingredients to a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer for 1 minute or until very frothy.
• Working quickly, remove the ice cream maker bowl from the freezer. Place it on the ice cream maker, attach the paddle and the lid, and turn it on. With the ice cream maker turning, pour in the milk mixture. Let the ice cream maker churn for 15-20 minutes or until the ice cream is frozen and has reached your desired consistency. For the best texture and taste, serve immediately.

Notes

For more information regarding the ingredients and why they’re critical to achieving the smooth, creamy texture of the ice cream, please read my blog post here.

 

MILK NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: You can use higher percentages of milk (i.e. whole milk) or coconut milk if you prefer.

 

I do not recommend substituting nonfat milk, 1% milk, almond milk, or cashew milk. Any of these will result in ice cream with a less smooth and creamy texture.

 

STEVIA NOTES: For sweeter ice cream, increase the liquid stevia by ¼ to ½ teaspoon. (I highly recommend using it! It’s one of my favorite ingredients, and you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too! I buy it here because that's the cheapest price I've found.)

 

I have not tried substituting other sweeteners and do not know how they will turn out. If you prefer not to use the liquid stevia, you’ll need the equivalent of ½ to ¾ cup granulated sugar.

 

XANTHAN GUM NOTE: I do not recommend skipping the xanthan gum. Without it, your ice cream will taste icy and hard rather than smooth and creamy.

 

ICE CREAM MAKER RECOMMENDATIONS + NOTES: To achieve the best smooth and creamy texture, the ice cream should be made in an ice cream maker. This is the affordable one I own. If you don’t own one, use the method below (but keep in mind that the ice cream will turn out with a grainier and harder texture).

 

After about 10 minutes, I found that my ice cream started getting “stuck” and wasn’t churning around the ice cream maker. If that happens to you, carefully “help” it along by gently pressing down with a small spatula to get the ice cream moving around the ice cream maker’s bowl. (I did that very frequently for the last 10 minutes of freezing!)

 

NO ICE CREAM MAKER METHOD: After Step 2, add the mixture to an 8”-square baking pan, and place in the freezer, ensuring that the pan is flat and level. Freezer for 2-3 hours, vigorously stirring with a spatula for 2-4 minutes every 30 minutes to break up any chunks and mix air into the ice cream.

 

{gluten free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie, low sugar, higher protein}

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.

View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
 
 
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♡   Healthy Chai Spice Cinnamon Rolls