I know there’s only a month left of Summer but I couldn’t let this season go by without sharing my latest no-churn creation: blackberry lavender ice cream. Oh my goodness, this is everything I want in a floral ice cream. The perfect amount of lavender notes (not soapy AT ALL) paired with homemade blackberry preserves that rounds it out just right. It’s a little whimsical and fancy, yet so easy to whip up without an ice cream maker. If you’re looking to impress at your next gathering or make yourself a treat that you can enjoy for the next several days, this is it.
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This recipe requires a little more involvement than the average no-churn ice cream recipe, but it’s still way easier than a churned recipe. There are a couple elements that require a tiny bit of cooking, which I’ll explain below.
This lavender ice cream base is made without any extracts or syrups. Instead, it’s made by infusing heavy whipping cream with dried culinary lavender for the freshest flavor that isn’t at all artificial or soapy tasting. You’ll essentially simmer the heavy whipping cream, add the culinary lavender, let it steep, then cool it way back down and strain out the lavender before whipping it up into an ice cream base. I absolutely love how it turned out!
While the no-churn lavender ice cream would be amazing all on its own, I decided to add a ribbon of blackberry preserves. My neighbors had a surplus of blackberries, which pair SO well with lavender, so I took it as a sign. The preserves are so simple to make with only three ingredients: fresh blackberries, honey, and a little lemon juice. I cooked these ingredients together until the liquid reduced slightly, then cooled it down before swirling it throughout the lavender ice cream. It is heavenly and really rounds out the flavor.
I really wanted to make this ice cream purple (because lavender) but it turns out I didn’t have to use any food coloring! Instead, I added a little of the blackberry preserves to the lavender ice cream base which turned it a beautiful light purple. Such a fun little step in this recipe to use natural food coloring!
I could not stop eating this blackberry lavender no-churn ice cream during the photoshoot. It’s so pleasantly aromatic, light, and bursting with beautiful berry lavender flavor. The perfect balance of floral and fruity and I can’t wait for you to try it!
No-Churn Blackberry Lavender Ice Cream
Equipment
Ingredients
Lavender Cream
- 2 Cups (480ml) heavy whipping cream
- 2 1/2 tsp dried culinary lavender
Blackberry Preserves
- 1 1/2 Cups (210g) blackberries fresh or frozen
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1 tsp lemon juice
No-Churn Lavender Ice Cream
- 2 Cups (480ml) lavender cream (recipe above)
- 14 Oz sweetened condensed milk
- 1 Tbsp blackberry preserves (optional for color, recipe above)
Instructions
Make the Lavender Cream
- Pour the heavy whipping cream into a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Whisking occasionally, bring the cream to a simmer, then remove from the heat and stir in the dried culinary lavender.
- Pour the lavender cream into a separate airtight container and let it cool in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours, until it's very cold, before moving on with the ice cream portion of the recipe.
Make the Blackberry Preserves
- In a medium saucepan, add the blackberries, honey, and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally and mashing up the berries, until the mixture begins to boil. Continue cooking over medium heat until the mixture has reduced by 1/3, about 10-15 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and place into an airtight container. Let the preserves chill in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours before moving on with the recipe. The mixture will thicken as it cools.
Make the No-Churn Lavender Ice Cream
- Place a large metal bowl into the refrigerator to chill for at least 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, add the sweetened condensed milk and 1 Tbsp of blackberry preserves into a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Remove the large chilled metal bowl from the refrigerator. Place a fine mesh sieve over the bowl and pour the lavender cream into it so that the lavender is strained from the cream. Press down on the lavender in the sieve to collect as much cream as possible, then discard the lavender.
- Beat the strained lavender cream with a hand mixer (or using the whisk attachment on your stand mixer) on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes.
- Using a rubber spatula, fold one half of the sweetened condensed milk mixture into the heavy whipping cream mixture. When combined, gently fold in the rest of the sweetened condensed milk mixture in.
- In a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan, add 1/2 of the lavender ice cream mixture. Add about half of the preserves by spoonfuls and swirl them into the ice cream with a skewer or butter knife. Add the rest of the lavender ice cream mixture and repeat the preserves swirling process.
- Cover the loaf pan with aluminum foil and freeze for 6-8 hours, after which it should be semi-firm, scoopable, and ready to enjoy!
Notes
- The lavender cream can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week before using in the recipe.
- The homemade blackberry preserves can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
- The assembled ice cream is best stored in an airtight container (or in the loaf pan with aluminum foil cover) in the freezer. It will last for several months (if you can make it last that long).
Did you make this no-churn blackberry lavender ice cream? I want to know how it went! Let me know in the comments below and feel free to tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram to show me. I love to see what you create with my recipes!
Hi! Would any adjustments be needed to make this using an ice cream machine?
Would this be easy enough to double? If I did 4 cups of cream 5tsp of lavender or would I reduce the lavender a little?
You can absolutely double this! 4 Cups of cream and 5 tsp lavender will be perfect for that scale.