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Honey Lavender Ice Cream

Honey lavender ice cream with pale lilac color and a silky custard base. This floral ice cream is gently heated to infuse lavender, strained smooth, churned, then frozen until firm.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
chilling + freezing 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 35 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: French-American
Calories: 508
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Heavy cream
  • 2 cup heavy cream
Whole milk
  • 1 cup whole milk
Honey
  • 3.75 tbsp honey Use culinary honey for a clear sweetness.
Dried lavender buds
  • 2 tbsp culinary dried lavender buds Use food-grade lavender buds.
Egg yolks
  • 5 egg yolks
Vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
Salt
  • 0.25 tsp salt
Purple food coloring (optional)
  • 1 purple food coloring Optional, for a lavender hue.

Equipment

  • 1 ice cream maker
  • 1 saucepan

Method
 

Infuse the lavender
  1. Combine heavy cream, whole milk, honey, and culinary dried lavender buds in a saucepan and heat until steaming.
  2. Remove from heat, cover, and steep for 15-20 minutes, then strain out the lavender buds.
Make the custard base
  1. Reheat the infused cream until steaming, then slowly whisk it into the egg yolks to temper them.
  2. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, until it reaches 175°F, then strain again to keep it smooth.
  3. Stir in vanilla extract and salt until fully combined.
Color (optional)
  1. Add a drop of purple food coloring if desired for a lavender hue.
Chill, churn, and freeze
  1. Cool the custard completely, then refrigerate for 4 hours.
  2. Churn in an ice cream maker until thick, then freeze until firm.

Notes

Pro tip: Strain twice—first after steeping and again after cooking—so the lavender flavor stays aromatic while the texture remains creamy. Refrigerate finished ice cream up to 3 days; for best quality, freeze up to 2 months (thaw in the fridge 10-15 minutes before serving). For a dairy-light swap, use half-and-half in place of whole milk and reduce honey slightly to maintain balance.