This Lavender White Chocolate Ice Cream recipe features a creamy lavender custard base studded with homemade lavender white chocolate truffles. This homemade lavender ice cream is perfectly floral and complemented by plenty of white chocolate.
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I made this ice cream in collaboration with Dairy Pure to showcase their Half & Half, but I have been wanting to develop this recipe long before that. When I was a kid, my dad took me to a popular ice cream chain for the first time and I picked out lavender white chocolate. I remember it being such a pleasing shade of purple and it was flecked with tiny white chocolate truffles. I have been wanting to recreate that treat for many years and this collaboration was the perfect opportunity.
My first homemade ice cream recipe I developed for this blog was Oat-of-this-Swirled Copycat Ice Cream based on my favorite Ben & Jerry’s flavor. My first venture into a floral-inspired ice cream was my Chamomile Ice Cream. Cold desserts, like ice creams, are perfect for playing with more intense flavors like florals because they become more delicate when eaten cold. They are a perfect opportunity for those who are apprehensive to try new or uncommon flavors.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- The lavender flavor is not too strong or soapy.
- This recipe uses real lavender to flavor the ice cream.
- White chocolate is a perfectly sweet compliment to the floral lavender.
Ingredients
- Half & half is the rich dairy base of the ice cream.
- Heavy cream adds even more richness.
- Granulated sugar sweetens the ice cream.
- Egg yolks enrich and thicken the custard.
- White chocolate flavors the custard.
- Vanilla bean paste and kosher salt balance the overall flavor profile.
- Lavender buds and lavender extract provide lavender flavor.
- White chocolate melting wafers are the base of the truffles.
- Purple food coloring adds a lavender hue.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and variations
Here’s how to customize this ice cream to your liking:
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- No white chocolate — omit the white chocolate without issue.
- No lavender — omit the lavender without issue.
- No lavender extract — If you do not have lavender extract, you can steep 2 tablespoons of lavender buds in the heavy cream for the ganache and strain out before combining with the ½ cup of white chocolate.
- No food coloring — omit the food coloring for a dye-free ice cream.
- Lemon — add the zest and juice of a large lemon to the custard.
- No half & half — use one cup whole milk and one cup heavy cream in place of the 2 cups of half & half.
- No truffles — use plain chopped white chocolate instead of making the homemade truffles.
This recipe has not been tested with any substitutions or variations. If you try any, please let me know how it turned out by commenting below!
How to make lavender ice cream
Step 1: Combine the white chocolate and heavy cream. Microwave in 30-second bursts until the chocolate is fully melted. Stir to combine completely. Add the lavender flavoring and food coloring, stirring to combine. Set aside to cool.
Step 2: Melt half of the white chocolate melting wafers either in short bursts in the microwave or over a bain-marie on the stove. Pour the chocolate evenly over the mold to fill up the cavities. Tip over onto parchment paper to drain the excess and scrape off the top with a bench scraper. Let harden. Transfer the lavender ganache to a piping bag or squeeze bottle. Fill each cavity with a bit of the ganache. Transfer the mold (atop a baking sheet for easier handling) to the refrigerator or freezer to solidify the ganache. Melt the remaining half of the white chocolate wafers. Pour over the mold to cover the lavender ganache. Scrape away the excess. Let the mold chill completely before attempting to pop out the truffles.
Step 3: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the half and half, sugar, vanilla, salt and dried lavender. Whisk thoroughly to dissolve sugar granules and heat until simmering. Remove from the heat.
Step 4: In a small heatproof bowl, continually whisk the egg yolks while very slowly streaming in the warm half and half mixture into the egg yolks. Add the entire mixture back to the saucepan. Return to the stove and whisk continuously while cooking on medium low heat until the mixture coats the back of a spoon (or reaches 170°F on an instant-read thermometer). Place the white chocolate into a bowl with a fine mesh strainer on top. Pour the warm custard into the bowl through the strainer. Discard the lavender solids. Stir to combine. Add the room temperature heavy cream and food coloring and stir. Cover and chill in the fridge until completely chilled. Pour the completely chilled custard into the chilled ice cream maker bowl and churn it according to the manufacturer's instructions. Fill your storing container with the churned soft ice cream, sprinkling in the truffles and any unused lavender white chocolate ganache as you go. Cover and freeze until solid (overnight or at least 4 hours) before scooping and serving.
Hot tips
- If making the truffles, lay out two large sheets of parchment paper to work over while filling and dumping the mold. The white chocolate melting wafers harden very fast so work VERY quickly.
- For food safety reasons, I like to use an instant-read thermometer to make sure the eggs are cooked. The custard should reach 170°F.
- The truffles can be fragile. For this reason, I like to sprinkle them in while scooping the ice cream into the storage container rather than mixing them in in the churner.
Recipe FAQs
Half & half is half cream and half milk. You can substitute 1 cup whole milk and 1 cup heavy cream for the 2 cups of half & half that is called for.
This is not recommended. The egg yolks provide richness and are key in thickening the custard. They are cooked to a safe temperature as well before consuming.
An ice cream maker is recommended for this recipe. If you try making it without one, leave me a comment with how it went!
More recipes you'll love
Lastly, if you make this Lavender White Chocolate Ice Cream recipe be sure to leave a comment or give it a rating. I love to see when people make my recipes, so please tag me @youthsweets on Instagram if you post!
📖 Recipe
Lavender White Chocolate Ice Cream
Equipment
Ingredients
White chocolate lavender truffles (optional, see note*)
- ½ cup white chocolate (100g) chips or chopped bars
- ½ cup heavy cream (107g)
- 1 teaspoon lavender extract**
- Few drops lavender food coloring
- 16 oz white chocolate melting wafers
Lavender white chocolate ice cream
- 2 cups half and half cream or 1 cup milk plus 1 cup heavy cream (478g)
- 2 tablespoon dried lavender culinary grade (3g)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (160g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 egg yolks
- 6 oz white chocolate (170g) chips or chopped bars
- 1 cup heavy cream (245g) room temperature
- Few drops lavender food coloring
Instructions
Do ahead
- Be aware that the ice cream needs to freeze completely overnight after churning. Start the recipe the day before you plan to serve it.
- If using the Kitchenaid ice cream bowl, you need to freeze the bowl for at least 24 hours before churning.
- The truffles can be made days ahead of time and stored until you are ready to make the ice cream.
Make the truffles
- In a microwave safe bowl, combine the white chocolate and heavy cream. Microwave in 30-second bursts until the chocolate is fully melted. Stir to combine completely. Add the lavender flavoring and food coloring, stirring to combine. Set aside to cool at room temperature.
- Get out a mini round silicone mold and lay flat on top of a large sheet of parchment or wax paper.
- Melt half of the white chocolate melting wafers either in short bursts in the microwave or over a bain-marie on the stove.
- Pour the chocolate evenly over the mold to fill up the cavities. Scrape with a bench scraper to spread it evenly over the mold. Tip over to drain the excess and scrape off the top with the bench scraper. Let cool to solidify this bottom layer.
- Transfer the cooled lavender ganache to a piping bag or squeeze bottle. Fill each cavity with a bit of the ganache. Transfer the mold (atop a baking sheet for easier handling) to the refrigerator or freezer to solidify the ganache.
- Melt the remaining half of the white chocolate wafers either in short bursts in the microwave or over a bain-marie on the stove. Pour over the mold to cover the lavender ganache. Scrape away the excess. Let the mold chill completely before attempting to pop out the truffles.
Start the ice cream
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the half and half, sugar, vanilla, salt and dried lavender. Whisk thoroughly to dissolve sugar granules and heat until simmering. Remove from the heat.
- In a small heatproof bowl, continually whisk the egg yolks while very slowly streaming in the warm half and half mixture into the egg yolks. Add the entire mixture back to the saucepan.
- Return to the stove and whisk continuously while cooking on medium low heat until the mixture coats the back of a spoon (or reaches 170°F on an instant-read thermometer).
- Place the white chocolate into a bowl with a fine mesh strainer on top. Pour the warm custard into the bowl through the strainer. Discard the lavender solids. Stir to combine until all of the chocolate is completely melted. Add the room temperature heavy cream and food coloring and stir.
- Cover and chill in the fridge until completely cool. If you’re in a hurry you can transfer the mixture to a zip top plastic or reusable bag and set it inside a large bowl with ice. You want the custard to be thoroughly chilled before you put it in the ice cream maker, at least 45°F.
Churn the ice cream
- Pour the completely chilled custard into the chilled ice cream maker bowl and churn it according to the manufacturer's instructions. I used the Kitchenaid Ice Cream Maker Attachment and it took about 30 minutes to churn on the lowest setting.
- Fill your storing container with the churned soft ice cream, sprinkling in the truffles and any unused lavender white chocolate ganache as you go. Cover and freeze until solid (overnight or at least 4 hours) before scooping and serving.
