Lavender Ice Cream Recipe
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A homemade lavender ice cream recipe made with lavender-infused whipping cream, milk, and vanilla bean paste. Pair this lavender vanilla ice cream with lavender shortbread, sugar cookies, or fresh blueberries; turn it into a lavender vanilla milkshake; serve in a homemade ice cream cone; or enjoy with a big dollop of lavender whipped cream on top!
Why Make This Lavender Ice Cream Recipe?
If you’ve been following me for any length of time, you already know how much I love using lavender in my recipes. Lavender cookies, lavender coffee, lavender simmer pots, lavender simple syrup. Even lavender lemonade. You name it, I’ll give it a try.
In this lavender ice cream recipe, I’ve infused culinary dried lavender buds into heavy whipping cream, then blended the lavender-infused cream with whole milk, granulated sugar, vanilla bean paste, and a pinch of fine sea salt. Churned in an ice cream maker, this lavender ice cream is smooth, creamy, and lightly floral tasting, with strong vanilla undertones. It’s rapidly becoming one of my favorite lavender desserts for spring and summer entertaining. Plus it requires just eight ingredients, comes together with minimal effort, and is totally eggless, so no time spent cooking or tempering the ice cream base.
Ingredients for Making Lavender Vanilla Ice Cream
- Whipping Cream – Whipping cream (or heavy cream, in the US) forms the creamy ice cream base. Look for a milk fat percentage around 35-36%.
- Dried Lavender – To flavor the base, you’ll start by infusing culinary dried lavender into whipping cream. When purchasing dried lavender flowers, look for a product clearly labelled as edible, food-safe, or culinary grade. Do not use dried flowers intended for wreaths or potpourri—these may have been treated with preservatives or other chemicals. Dried lavender usually comes in huge bags, far more than you’ll need for a single batch of ice cream. I suggest using the leftovers to make my lavender simple syrup or lavender lemon cookies. It’s also a fragrant addition to simmer pots, like this rainbow potourri simmer pot where I’ve used the buds to add the purple color.
- Whole Milk – I recommend whole milk for the creamiest ice cream, but you can replace it with skimmed for a lower fat option. Just remember that the lower fat content will yield an icier, less creamy scoop.
- Granulated Sugar – Granulated sugar sweetens the ice cream base. You can replace it with another grainy white sugar like caster or superfine, but for precision, I recommend measuring by weight rather than volume.
- Vanilla Bean Paste – Vanilla is an important component in this recipe, so avoid cheap imitation flavorings, and opt for vanilla bean paste (or the scrapings of two vanilla pods) rather than extract. I recommend the Nielsen-Massey brand, but Rodelle, Simply Organic, or Taylor & Colledge are also good choices.
- Gel Food Coloring – I tinted my ice cream base with a very small amount of Chefmaster’s liqua-gel food coloring in Violet. (Use a knife or skewer to add the coloring, a teeny tiny bit at a time—too much and your ice cream will look more like grape or black raspberry, rather than lavender.) You can omit the food coloring, but keep in mind that without it, the natural color of this lavender-infused ice cream will be a pale greyish-brown.
- Alcohol – Commercially-produced ice creams contain ingredients designed to inhibit freezing. Without these, homemade ice cream can quickly turn into a solid block with an icy texture, making it less than ideal for scooping or eating. To prevent this, I add a small amount of flavorless alcohol to the base. Avoid strong-tasting alcohols, unless you want to influence the flavor of the ice cream—something like blueberry vodka or vanilla vodka could actually offer a nice complement to the lavender and vanilla. You can omit the alcohol, but the ice cream will freeze more solidly and with a less smooth consistency. You’ll also want to allow additional softening time before serving.
- Fine Sea Salt – A small amount of fine sea salt cuts the sweetness of the granulated sugar.
Lavender Ice Cream Recipe
- Total TimeAbout 17 hours (including chiling/freezing time)
- Yield750 grams 1x
A homemade lavender ice cream recipe made by infusing culinary dried lavender buds into whipping cream.
Ingredients
240 milliliters whipping cream (1 cup), plus more for topping up
5 grams dried lavender flowers (3 tablespoons)
360 milliliters whole milk (1 1/2 cups)
150 grams granulated sugar (3/4 cup)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
1 teaspoon vodka, optional, to prevent freezing
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
1-2 drops purple gel food coloring, optional
Instructions
In a small saucepan, gently warm the whipping cream and dried lavender until steaming. Do not boil.
Remove from heat. Allow mixture lavender to steep in the cream for at least 30 minutes, or up to 1 hour.
Pass the infused cream through a fine mesh strainer. Discard the lavender.
Re-weigh cream. If necessary, top up with extra cream. You should have 240 milliliters (1 cup) total.
In a large bowl, combine lavender-infused cream, whole milk, and granulated sugar. Whisk until sugar dissolves. Whisk in vanilla extract, vodka (if using), fine sea salt, and purple gel food coloring, if using.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours, or overnight.
Whisk chilled base briskly to recombine.
Pour into ice cream maker, with bowl frozen according to manufacturer’s instructions. Churn until thick and creamy, about 15-20 minutes. The consistency will resemble soft serve ice cream.
Scoop ice cream into a freezer-safe container. Freeze 2-4 hours, or until ice cream reaches scoopable consistency.
Store homemade ice cream in the freezer for up to one month. For a scoopable consistency, allow to stand at room temperature for 10-15 minutes prior to serving.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Chilling Time: 12 hours (base) + 4 hours (freeze)
- Cook Time: 15-20 minutes (churn)
- Category: Ice Cream and Frozen Desserts
- Method: Stovetop + Ice Cream Maker
Special Tools and Equipment
To make this recipe, I recommend gathering a few special tools. These include:
- Small Saucepan – You’ll need a small saucepan for infusing the lavender into the cream.
- Fine Mesh Strainer – A fine mesh strainer offers the easiest method for separating the lavender buds from the infused cream. (You can discard the buds after straining—you won’t need them for anything else.)
- Ice Cream Maker – I use and like this Cuisinart 1.5 quart ice cream maker. Freeze the bowl for at least 48 hours before churning, or store it in the freezer so you’re ready to make ice cream at a moment’s notice.
- Storage Containers – Store your homemade ice cream in a large plastic food storage container, reusable silicone ice cream containers, or cardboard pint containers, like these:
- Ice Cream Scoop – To scoop and serve homemade ice cream. I prefer a sturdy metal scoop, like this one.
- Hand Whisk – You’ll need a hand whisk to combine the ingredients for the ice cream base.
- Flexible Rubber Spatula – Use a rubber spatula to scoop the churned ice cream base into a storage container. Metal and hard plastic can scratch the delicate interior of the ice cream maker bowl.
Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions
To make ahead: You can infuse the cream up to 24 hours in advance, and refrigerate until ready to use. The ice cream base can be prepared and chilled for up to 24 hours prior to churning.
To store: Store homemade lavender vanilla ice cream in the freezer for up to one month. Prior to serving, allow ice cream to sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes, or until just soft enough to scoop.
Other Lavender Dessert Recipes You Might Enjoy
Lavender Sugar Cookies
Lavender Iced Coffee
Lavender Simple Syrup
Lavender Lemon Latte Cookies
Lavender Sugar Cubes
And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
