Lavender Ice Cream Recipe

Last Updated on January 27, 2026 by becky

A homemade lavender ice cream recipe made with lavender-infused whipping cream, milk, and vanilla bean paste. The best lavender vanilla ice cream!

Why Make This Lavender Ice Cream Recipe?

If you’ve been following Baste Cut Fold 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.

This recipe requires just eight ingredients, and comes together with minimal effort. Plus it’s totally eggless, so no time spent cooking or tempering the ice cream base (or, depending on where you are and when you’re reading this, time spent trying to find a carton of eggs that cost less than a new TV!)

Pair homemade lavender vanilla ice cream with shortbread, sugar cookies, or fresh blueberries. Turn it into a lavender vanilla milkshake. Pile it high in a homemade ice cream cone. (I think this would be sensational in a cone dipped in white chocolate!) Or, enjoy a scoop or two with a big dollop of lavender whipped cream on top.

Ingredients for Making Lavender Vanilla Ice Cream

To make this lavender ice cream recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Whipping Cream – Or heavy cream, in the US. Look for a milk fat percentage around 35-36%.
• Dried Lavender – Choose lavender buds clearly marked as “edible” or “food grade.” For more on selecting and working with dried lavender, see my notes below. (And save the rest—they’re perfect for making lavender simple syrup, or for garnishing mugs of lavender hot chocolate.)
• Whole Milk – I recommend whole milk for the creamiest ice cream.

• Granulated Sugar – Granulated sugar sweetens the ice cream base. If substituting caster sugar or superfine sugar, measure 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 2 vanilla pods) rather than extract. I recommend the Nielsen-Massey brand.
• 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 – A small amount of flavorless alcohol, like rum or vodka, helps to inhibit freezing, so your ice cream remains creamy and scoopable rather than icy and hard. To learn more about how and why I add alcohol to homemade ice cream, read my notes below.
• Fine Sea Salt – A small amount of fine sea salt cuts the sweetness of the granulated sugar.

Selecting and Working with Dried Lavender

To flavor the ice cream base, you’ll start by infusing culinary dried lavender into whipping cream (heavy cream, for my US readers!) 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 some of my other recipes, like 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.

Adding Alcohol to Homemade Ice Cream

If you haven’t made homemade ice cream before, you might be wondering why the ingredients list includes alcohol, especially for something that isn’t a “boozy” recipe.

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 always add a small amount of flavorless alcohol to my ice cream bases. (I prefer plain vodka, but rum works, too.) 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 from this recipe, 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.

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

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.

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!

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