This lavender ice cream recipe combines a few simple ingredients together, including culinary lavender, to produce the creamiest, most-delicious homemade ice cream. Cooling the ice cream in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours before churning is the secret behind its creamy texture. Ready to eat after 8 hours of freezing.
This lavender ice cream recipe is one of my favorite from scratch ice cream recipes. Lavender is one of my favorite ingredients of all time. In its aromatic form, it has the most calming, floral scent, but in its culinary form is where it really shines. Lavender adds such a subtle flavor to dishes, especially desserts, and pairs well with flavors like citrus and and honey. I love everything about it. I hope you enjoy this updated recipe! If you love this recipe, check out my durian ice cream and stracciatella ice cream recipes as well!
Tools you will need
- Ice cream machine – This is literally the best purchase I’ve ever made. I love my ice cream machine so much. It’s a great investment if you love ice cream as much I do.
- 2 mixing bowls – One for whisking the eggs and one for cooling the cream before churning the ice cream.
- Spatula – I used a spatula to mix the cream after I add the egg and sugar mixture into the cream. The reason for this is that it controls the amount of bubbles that appear in the cream.
- Sauce pan – Used for heating up the cream.
- Whisk – I would highly recommend using a whisk to combine the eggs and sugar. You want to whip the eggs and sugar until it reaches a smooth and creamy texture.
- Fine mesh sieve – I use a fine mesh sieve to strain the cream back into the sauce pan, so there are no lavender flowers remaining in the cream.
Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments
- Whole milk & Heavy Cream – Adds creaminess and richness to the ice cream.
- Culinary lavender flowers – Culinary lavender is the source of the flavor in this recipe. Make sure to use culinary lavender, not aromatic lavender.
- Vanilla extract – Adds flavor to the ice cream. A good substitute would be vanilla paste. My favorite vanilla is from Nielsen Massey.
- Egg yolks – Egg yolks add richness and creaminess to the ice cream.
- Sugar – White sugar adds sweetness to this recipe. I would not substitute sugar with other ingredients for the best results.
Making lavender ice cream recipe
First heat the heavy cream and whole milk until it’s warm. Pour into a medium-sized bowl with the culinary lavender and steep for 30 minutes. If you want a stronger lavender flavor, steep for longer. While the lavender is steeping, mix the egg yolks and sugar together until it has a smooth consistency. Once the lavender is done steeping, strain the cream back into the sauce pan. Heat until hot and smoke is being emitted from the cream. Turn off the heat.
Add 1/4 cup of the hot cream to the egg mixture and mix until it is a uniform yellow color. You are raising the temperature of the egg mixture, so it doesn’t cook when mixed with the rest of the cream. Pour the egg mixture into the sauce pan and turn the heat back on. Heat the cream until it reaches 170 degrees F. A good way to test if the cream is done is to coat the back of the spoon and draw a finger through the cream. If the trail created doesn’t break, it should be done.
Cool the cream down to room temperature and then put it in the fridge to cool down completely. It should be in the fridge for about 6-8 hours. After it cools down completely, pour cream into the ice cream machine and churn for 15-20 minutes. The finished ice cream should be slightly harder than soft serve. Freeze in the fridge over night before serving.
Tips on how to make the perfect lavender ice cream
Use culinary lavender, not aromatic lavender
Culinary lavender is used for cooking and aromatic lavender is used for things like candles. The biggest different between culinary and aromatic lavender is the amount of oil. Culinary lavender will have less oil, so the lavender flavor will be more subtle.
Temper your eggs
Just like in creme brûlées, it is important to temper your eggs for the cream. Add 1/4 cup of hot cream to your egg and sugar mixture. Whisk until everything is well combined and no white streaks remain. Now, it is safe to add your egg mixture to the hot cream.
Make sure your cream is cold before churning
You will get better results if your cream is cold. Put your finished cream into the refrigerator for 6-8 hours before churning. This is a long time, but the colder your cream is, the creamier the texture of your ice cream will be.
Be careful not to over churn
The maximum amount of time you should churn your ice cream is 20 minutes. The more you churn your ice cream, the harder it becomes. A done ice cream will have the consistency of something slightly harder than soft serve.
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How to Make Lavender Ice Cream at Home
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp culinary lavender flowers
- 5 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add whole milk, heavy cream, and vanilla extract to a medium pan. Heat cream until warm. Pour cream into a small bowl with the lavender flowers. Steep for 30 minutes.
- Add the egg yolks and sugar into a bowl. Whisk until a smooth consistency. Set aside.
- Strain the cream back into the pan. Heat cream until hot and smoke is being emitted from the cream. Turn off the heat.
- Add 1/4 cup of the hot cream to the eggs and whisk until it turns a smooth and uniform yellow color. The goal of this step is to raise the temperature of the eggs, so they don’t completely cook in the hot cream. Pour the eggs into the pan with hot cream.
- Turn the heat back on and heat the cream until it reaches 170 degrees F. A good way to test if it’s done is to coat the back of a spoon with the cream and pull your finger through the cream. A done cream should have a thick, smooth trail that doesn’t break. Take the cream off the heat.
- Cool the cream down to room temperature and then put it in the fridge to cool completely. The cream should be in the fridge for about 6-8 hours. This may seem like a lot but this creates a creamier texture.
- Pour the cream into an ice cream maker and churn for 10-15 minutes. The resulting ice cream should be slightly harder than soft serve.
- Spoon the ice cream into a freezer safe container and freeze overnight.
Notes
- Use culinary lavender, not aromatic lavender – Culinary lavender is used for cooking and aromatic lavender is used for things like candles. The biggest different between culinary and aromatic lavender is the amount of oil. Culinary lavender will have less oil, so the lavender flavor will be more subtle.
- Temper your eggs – Just like in creme brûlées, it is important to temper your eggs for the cream. Add 1/4 cup of hot cream to your egg and sugar mixture. Whisk until everything is well combined and no white streaks remain. Now, it is safe to add your egg mixture to the hot cream.
- Make sure your cream is cold before churning – You will get better results if your cream is cold. Put your finished cream into the refrigerator for 6-8 hours. This is a long time, but the colder your cream is, the creamier the texture of your ice cream will be.
- Be careful not to over churn – The maximum amount of time you should churn your ice cream is 20 minutes. The more you churn your ice cream, the harder it becomes. A done ice cream will have the consistency of something slightly harder than soft serve.
I just made this and it’s so good, even better than I expected! For the steeping I put the lavender in a mesh strainer and let that sit in the cream mixture. I let it sit a bit longer than 20 minutes just because I wanted the lavender flavor to be strong. And it is! Such a great recipe and so easy, thank you!
Hi Sophie! That is so great to hear. I’m so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
The home made ice cream will be dramatically better if the completed mix is held in the fridge overnight. Chilling the ice cream base overnight ensures it will churn into ice cream as fast as possible which results in smallest ice crystals for a creamiest ice cream. A temperature of below 50° F is needed.
Thanks for the insight! Definitely will try this next time I make ice cream!
I just made this ice cream for the first time. It is delicious and worth the effort!
A couple things I would do for next time: I will definitely steep longer than the 30 mins. because it didn’t have as strong of a lavender flavor as I would have liked. Also, I will reduce the amount of sugar ever so slightly.
I chilled the cream overnight, too which made the churning process go faster.
Husband said best ice cream I ever made! 🙂
Hi Lynne. Thank you for sharing your feedback for this recipe! I’m so glad you and your husband liked it!
Would omitting the eggs be too bad for this recipe? Would you have a substitution for it? Thanks!
Hi Cristina! I wouldn’t recommend omitting the eggs because that’s what makes the ice cream creamy. I’ve made ice cream in the past without the eggs, and the texture isn’t the same. It’s definitely possible though if you want to try it.