Lavender Ice Cream (Printable)

A creamy frozen dessert infused with delicate floral lavender notes, perfect for elegant summer entertaining and refreshing treats.

# What you'll need:

→ Dairy

01 - 2 cups heavy cream
02 - 1 cup whole milk

→ Egg Mixture

03 - 5 large egg yolks
04 - 2/3 cup granulated sugar

→ Flavorings

05 - 2 tablespoons dried culinary lavender buds
06 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

→ Optional

07 - 1 drop purple food coloring

# Directions:

01 - Combine milk and lavender buds in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat until just simmering. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 15 minutes.
02 - Strain the milk through a fine mesh sieve to remove lavender buds, pressing gently to extract maximum flavor. Return the infused milk to the saucepan.
03 - Whisk together egg yolks and sugar in a separate bowl until pale and slightly thickened.
04 - Slowly pour warm lavender milk into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly to prevent curdling and temper the eggs.
05 - Pour mixture back into saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until custard thickens and coats the back of the spoon (approximately 170°F). Do not let it boil.
06 - Remove from heat. Stir in heavy cream and vanilla extract. Add food coloring if using.
07 - Pour custard through a fine sieve into a clean bowl. Cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
08 - Churn the chilled mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a lidded container and freeze until firm, approximately 2-4 hours.
09 - Serve scoops of lavender ice cream garnished with extra lavender buds or edible flowers if desired.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • The flavor hits like walking through a garden at dusk, subtle but unforgettable
  • Its become my go to when I need to impress without spending hours in the kitchen
02 -
  • I once used lavender from a craft store and ruined the entire batch, it was overwhelmingly perfumed and vaguely metallic
  • Overheating the custard is the most common mistake, when in doubt pull it off the heat earlier
03 -
  • The longer the lavender steeps, the stronger the flavor, but anything over 20 minutes can turn bitter
  • Room temperature custard freezes faster and more evenly than cold custard from the fridge

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