Lavender Ice Cream (Printable)

Fragrant floral ice cream with culinary lavender in a rich custard base

# 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 - Purple food coloring (optional)

# 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 flavor. Return the infused milk to the saucepan.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until pale and slightly thickened.
04 - Slowly pour the warm lavender milk into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly to temper the eggs.
05 - Pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the custard thickens and coats the back of the spoon (about 170°F). Do not let it boil.
06 - Remove from heat. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla extract. Add food coloring if desired.
07 - Pour the 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, about 2-4 hours.
09 - Serve scoops of lavender ice cream garnished with extra lavender buds or edible flowers, if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The texture is incredibly silky, almost like a French custard melted into cold sweet perfection
  • Lavender is subtle enough that skeptics become converts after one bite
  • It feels elegant and restaurant worthy but comes together with basic pantry tools
02 -
  • Overcooking the custard is the number one mistake. Pull it off heat the second it coats the spoon.
  • Steeping time matters. Fifteen minutes gives you gentle floral notes, anything longer starts tasting like perfume.
03 -
  • Toast the lavender buds in a dry pan for 30 seconds before steeping to wake up their essential oils
  • If you accidentally overdo the floral flavor, stir in some additional cream and vanilla to mellow it out

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