Hojicha Cheesecake Pie 

Updated Nov. 19, 2025

Hojicha Cheesecake Pie 
Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Sue Li. Prop Stylist: Sarah Smart.
Total Time
About 2 ½ hours, plus cooling and chilling
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
About 2 hours, plus cooling and chilling
Rating
4(73)
Comments
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A Japanese toasted green tea with warm, nutty flavor, hojicha is perfect for a sweet pie. This recipe calls for hojicha powder, which is readily available at Japanese grocery stores or online. The hojicha is mixed into a cheesecake filling and baked in a shortbread crust. Make sure to use a metal pie plate here so that the crust will come out golden brown.

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings

    For the Crust

    • cup/159 grams all-purpose flour
    • ½ cup/113 grams unsalted butter, cut into pieces, at room temperature
    • 3tablespoons sugar
    • 1teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)

    For the Filling

    • 2(8-ounce/226-gram) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
    • 2large eggs, at room temperature
    • ½cup/100 grams sugar
    • ¼cup/60 grams heavy cream
    • ½teaspoon kosher salt
    • ¼cup/24 grams hojicha powder
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

482 calories; 35 grams fat; 21 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 36 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 20 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 297 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Prepare the crust: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, butter, sugar and salt. Pulse until the mixture resembles large clumps of wet sand. Tip the dough mixture into a 9-inch pie plate — one made from metal yields a crisper crust — and, with your fingertips, press the dough into an even layer and push the dough up the sides and about ¼ inch on the rim. Refrigerate about 30 minutes, until firm, and up to 1 day.

  2. Step 2

    When you are ready to bake, heat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the prepared pie pan on a baking sheet and bake until the edges of the crust are very lightly golden, 22 to 25 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven and set aside to cool.

  3. Step 3

    Prepare the filling: Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees. Combine the cream cheese, eggs, sugar, heavy cream and salt in a food processor or blender, and blend until very smooth. Scoop out about ¼ cup of the cream cheese mixture and set aside.

  4. Step 4

    Add the hojicha powder to the remaining cream cheese mixture and mix to combine. Scrape the hojicha mixture into the prepared pie crust and spread into an even layer. Dollop the reserved plain cream cheese mixture onto the top of the hojicha mixture in different places and use the tip of a spoon or butter knife to swirl into a marbled pattern.

  5. Step 5

    Bake the pie until the edges are set but the center is slightly jiggly, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool to room temperature, then chill until ready to serve (the pie will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days).

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Ratings

4 out of 5
73 user ratings
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Comments

Why don’t you just use a recipe for a chocolate swirl cheesecake pie?

@anne it is roasted green tea.

What is hojicha? I never heard of this item before reading this recipe.

The first time I made this, it was the worst pie I had ever eaten. I assumed I had made a mistake the first time so I made it a second time making sure to double check every step of the recipe. It somehow came out worse.

I made this pie for Thanksgiving with at best mixed results. I took Hojicha tea and ground it to a powder (this may have been my mistake). The marbleized swirl was very faded which was a great disappointment and the flavor was very "tea-ish" and overwhelmed the cheesecake custard. Not at all as described. I need to keep things GF but the crust was my usual and definitely not the issue. Everyone tried the pie but the comment was consistently "interesting". Nobody finished a slice.

It looks beautiful and is super easy to make, but you better really love hojicha or you are going to be sorely disappointed. This “dessert “ is salty and savory but not in a good way It is also a bait and switch— confusing guests- because it looks like it should be chocolate, but when you bite into it, you have the idea that you are munching on grass in a field. Would not recommend.

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