Homemade Lavender Ice Cream
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Keeping things extra sweet today with this super creamy, extra delicious Homemade Lavender Ice Cream! It’s everyone’s favorite unique ice cream flavor…just made better and easier. The base is made with 6 really simple ingredients, cream, dried lavender, sugar, whole milk, vanilla, and a little dash of salt. Oh, and if you choose to add a little splash of dye, this ice cream becomes a beautiful pastel purple to recreate the color of lavender…But, my favorite part? This perfectly sweet, lightly floral, ice cream takes only minutes to prepare, requires zero eggs, and all you need is an ice cream machine to ensure the smoothest, most delicious treat! You really can’t beat this ice cream, it’s delicious and so super simple.
About The Recipe
It’s officially Friday! And, I know it’s still technically winter, but I can’t wait for the spring and summer months. There’s just something so comforting about that time of year. It might just be that there’s more sunshine, but I am an absolute sucker for all those pretty and warmer days ahead.
And, even though we’ve been kinda leading up to summery recipes already, I decided to truly kick things off with this lavender ice cream! Because what screams spring/summer more than flowers and ice cream?
When my mom and I headed into the grocery store the other day, I saw some of the most beautiful lavender. And if there’s one thing you should know about me…it’s that I absolutely love lavender. It’s one of those scents that have always made me happy. It’s honestly something that can almost always bring me comfort. So, naturally, we bought some!
I really was just thinking about keeping it around to keep my room or something smelling good, but then I remembered all the times I was out with friends a few years ago. I had a friend who would always order a lavender flavored drink or sugary treat if there was one.
She would always make me and my other friend try it…and I really wanted to love them. I just didn’t. They either never had any flavor or tasted…soapy?
I know, it sounds weird! But it’s the truth. A lot of the time, it almost tasted like I was trying to eat a bath product.
So, years later, I’m ready to give it another try! I’m just gonna do it my own way this time.
And I’m so glad I did! This ice cream is everything I ever wanted a lavender flavored treat to be! It’s sweet, floral, and seriously delicious. Oh, and no soapy taste! Which was really important to me when I was developing this.
I was so afraid of the soap flavor, even after I had tried it. I was shocked that it genuinely tasted like what I always imagined lavender should taste like. Sweet, comforting, floral. It’s probably my new favorite ice cream…pretty much ever!
Ingredients
- Heavy Cream
- Whole Milk
- Culinary Lavender
- Granulated Sugar
- Salt
- Vanilla Extract
- (optional) Food Dye
Intructions
In a small pot, combine the heavy cream, whole milk, lavender, and sugar. Place over medium-low heat and bring to a light simmer, stirring frequently to ensure the sugar dissolves. Take off the heat and let the mixture stand for 15 minutes.
Strain out the lavender.
Stir in the vanilla and salt.
Pour the ice cream base into your ice cream machine. Follow freezing instructions. Mine takes about 30-45 minutes to reach soft serve.
If you would like the purple swirl, transfer half the ice cream into a glass bowl and add about 1 drop of blue dye and 1 drop of red dye. Adjust the amount as necessary to achieve the color you wish for.
Spoon the purple ice cream base and the original alternately into a freezer safe container. Swirl together with the back end of a spoon. Freeze until solid.
Different Types of Lavender & Which One To Use
This was something that took a lot of research for me to find out. What I didn’t know was how many different varieties of lavender there are! Each one unique in flavor and taste, but also there are some that are much better than others. For this recipe, I used the variety commonly known as, “Miss Katherine”.
The Miss Katherine variety is much sweeter and more floral in taste compared to some. There are many that have an earthy flavor, cinnamon-y, or even bitter! So, be on the look out on what variety you might be purchasing.
Coloring Options
I don’t often like to use food dye. I just knew I wanted this ice cream to be a beautiful pastel purple with white swirls running through it. It’s what I had in my head the moment I came up with the idea for making this ice cream.
But if you’re like me and don’t love using dye, I highly recommend using something like butterfly pea flower powder. You could also use smashed berries to give this ice cream a very light purple, but it will change the flavor of the ice cream.
How To Store
After freezing, keep this ice cream in a freezer safe container. I highly recommend an ice cream container because they do make scooping out the ice cream so much easier!
When you make this Homemade Lavender Ice Cream, leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.
Homemade Lavender Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 Tablespoon culinary lavender
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 drop red food coloring, optional
- 1 drop blue food coloring, optional
Instructions
- Combine whole milk, heavy cream, lavender, and sugar in a 2 quart pot.
- Heat over medium-low heat until a light simmer, but not boiling.
- Remove from heat.
- Let stand for 15 minutes.
- Strain out lavender.
- Stir in vanilla and salt.
- Pour into ice cream machine.
- Freeze according to packaging instructions.
- Spoon out half the ice cream base into glass bowl.
- Stir in food coloring.
- Alternately spoon purple ice cream base with original into a freezer safe container.
- Swirl together.
- Freeze until hard.
Notes + Tips!
- Double check the lavender and make sure it’s of the culinary variety. There are many different types and you don’t want to buy one that’s not meant for cooking! You should be able to find some at your local grocery store.
- This recipe is gluten-free and vegetarian!
- This recipe could also be served as a soft serve.
- There are a few different ways to go about coloring this ice cream. If you just want the ice cream to be purple, add your dye before freezing. If you want to marble it, add the dye to half the ice cream after it’s frozen. You could also not dye this recipe at all, if you don’t want to!
- Do not boil the milk mixture when you’re cooking it.
- Taste the ice cream base around 10 minutes of steeping. I don’t recommend letting it sit longer than 15 minutes.
where did you buy Miss Katherine lavender?
Hi Ronda! Most edible lavender sold in grocery stores is Miss Katherine. Just make sure you’re buying edible lavender, usually found on the baking aisle at most grocery stores.
Thank you. I plan to make your lavender ice cream this week for my granddaughter’s approval -she loves lavender edibles, beverages, body washes, blah, blah, blah- so will be my inspiration to include your ice cream with another recipe for a Lavender-Peach Shortcake for her granny’s & my 53rd wedding anniversary. Y’all have inspired me.
Thank you,
-Ric Rowe
Jacksonville, Illinois
Loved it and just made it last week. I may have steeped the lavender a little too long but it’s still good. I made a few adjustments (gel food coloring, honey and pistachos), and captured a picture.! #BakersTable
I grow, then dry, then prepare my own herbs. I just dried and pulverized my lavender to the same degree I pulverize sage for Rubbed Sage. Specifically done for this dessert.
Then I read the recipe again. What’s “culinary lavender?”
Hi Lynn! That’s a great question! Culinary lavender is a specific variety of lavender that is safe to consume. It has a milder flavor and aroma compared to other types of lavender, making it ideal for cooking and baking. It can typically be found with other dried herbs and spices in your local grocery store.
While you can certainly use dried lavender from your garden, it’s important to ensure that it’s a culinary variety. Some types of lavender can be quite potent and may not be suitable for consumption.
If you’re unsure about the type of lavender you have, I recommend starting with a small amount and tasting it to gauge its flavor intensity. You can always add more later if needed.
I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.
x, Caylie
Could you add fresh or frozen berries to this recipe? If so, do you have a recommendation on preparation and when to add them? I was thinking blackberries or blueberries!
Hi Brittany! You can stir the fresh berries in toward the end of freezing if you are going to serve it immediately. If you are planning to hard freeze the ice cream, don’t use fresh fruit. The water in it will cause the fruit to turn into ice. Your best bet is to cook the fruit before adding it. After the ice cream is done and before you put it in the freezer, swirl the fruit through. You can find instructions on how to do it at https://bakerstable.net/lavender-blackberry-white-chocolate-ice-cream-sandwiches or https://bakerstable.net/blueberry-cheesecake-ice-cream. Let me know if you have any more questions.
Hi. I’m a new follower and just
L💜VE the Lavender Ice Cream and the Lavender Truffles! I was looking for “Purple” food ideas for my baby girls Sweet 16th coming up in July. This is PERFECT! I’m excited to try them both and can’t wait to taste them both! Your vision of the Lavender is exactly what I think it should taste like to. I’ve always been afraid to taste it again, in fear of the “soapy” taste that I experienced one time also. It was AWFUL! 🤣 have never wanted to try it again until now and the “Purple” will be a bonus! Lol TFS & looking forward to more wonderful recipes!
Blessings & Friendship,
Erica
I love lavender ice cream and this recipe. I didn’t put in the food coloring, but the ice cream is delicious. Thank you for passing on your recipe.
Hi Rena! I’m so happy to hear you love this recipe 🥰 It’s definitely one of my favorites to make during the summer! x, Caylie
Probably my 4th time making this and it’s just perfect!! My husband loves this flavor so much. He says it reminds him of the Lavender Festival outside of LA he grew up going to as a kid. Great instructions that constantly comes out perfect!
Hi Maddie! That makes us so happy to hear, thank you so much 🥰!! We also have Honey Lavender White Chocolate Truffles and Vanilla Cupcakes with Blackberry Filling and Lavender Frosting that you and your husband might like, as well. We hope you find a lot more recipes to share and love on our blog! x, Caylie
You list salt and vanilla extract in the recipe, but nowhere in the instructions does it say when those should be added.
Hi Kelley! Thank you for letting me know 😊 The recipe card is now fixed. I hope you love this ice cream as much as I do!! x, Caylie