We present the first colloidal synthesis of Ge-doped ZnO nanocrystals, which are produced by a scalable method that uses only air and moisture stable precursors. The incorporation of tetravalent Ge ions within ZnO nanocrystals generates a surface plasmon resonance in the near-mid infrared, and induces a change in morphology, from isotropic spheroidal nanocrystals to rod-like, elongated structures with a distinctive c-axis orientation.