Crispy Tempura Ice Cream
Tempura ice cream is a Japanese dessert with the perfect balance between hot and cold. Frozen ice cream balls are covered in tempura batter, then fried until golden brown and crispy.
Equipment
- Cling wrap or foil
- Shallow bowls
- Large pot
- Slotted spoon
Ingredients
Ice cream
- 1 pint vegan vanilla ice cream ($1.96)
Coating
- 10-12 slices soft-crust bread, see notes for options* ($1.86)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour ($0.07)
- 1 cup cold water
- ¼ cup corn starch ($0.08)
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs ($0.44)
- 3-4 cups neutral vegetable oil for frying
Garnishes optional
- Powdered sugar
- Chocolate drizzle
- Caramel sauce
- Coconut whip
- Fresh fruit
Instructions
Ice cream
- Using an ice cream scoop or spoon, scoop out balls of ice cream and lay them out on a parchment-lined baking sheet or plate. Place them in your freezer to harden for about 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, cut the crusts off the pieces of bread. With a rolling pin, flatten each one as much as you can.
- Once the ice cream balls are hard, add one to a slice of bread and wrap it around tightly. If one piece doesn’t cover the ball fully, wrap another piece around.
- Cover with aluminum foil or cling wrap, and twist it closed until it is tight. Place back in your freezer for a minimum of 1 hour, or overnight.
Tempura
- Heat vegetable oil in a deep pot over medium. If you have a thermometer, the temperature should be at 370-375 degrees F.
- Mix the flour, corn starch, and cold water in a shallow bowl and add panko crumbs to a separate bowl.
- Remove one ball at a time and unwrap it. Dip the ball in the bowl of batter and roll it around until fully coated. Transfer it to the bowl of panko crumbs and roll it until fully coated. Place it back in the freezer while you repeat the same steps for the rest.
- Cook the ice cream balls for about 60-70 seconds each, or until the outside layer appears golden. Transfer to a wire cooling rack over a baking sheet to get rid of excess oil. Serve immediately while hot with garnishes of choice. Happy eating!
Notes
- Use a thermometer — It's important to maintain a consistent oil temperature when frying the ice cream. Use a deep-fry thermometer and keep the oil near 375 degrees F.
- Cold batter — Make sure the water is cold, and mix the batter just before frying to help the batter stick and prevent a dense texture.
- Don't rush the steps — The ice cream needs to be hard before you fry it, so let it freeze for the recommended times to prevent a melted mess!
- Keep them frozen — Place the pre-cooked ice cream balls in your freezer while you cook 1-2 at a time.
- Use a slotted spoon — To help lower the ice cream balls in and remove them without burning yourself, use a slotted spoon.
- *Vegan Hokkaido milk bread, vegan brioche-style bread, white bread, or sponge cake all work for this recipe.
- Optional ingredients are not reflected in the price or calories of our recipes.
- We calculate nutritional information for our recipes with Cronometer.
- Recipe cost calculations are based on ingredients local to us and may vary from recipe to recipe. All prices are in USD.
- The oil used for frying is not included in the total cost calculation.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 386kcal | Carbohydrates: 64.1g | Protein: 10.6g | Fat: 9.4g | Saturated Fat: 4.5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2.2g | Trans Fat: 0g | Sodium: 344.1mg | Potassium: 225.6mg | Fiber: 3.3g | Sugar: 15.9g | Vitamin A: 249.9IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 156.8mg | Iron: 3.2mg
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