Strawberry lavender ice cream is a sweet summer treat that’s fresh and perfect for hot days.
Hi Everyone! I’m Mackenzie from Food Above Gold. I’m so excited to be here to share with you one of my favorite spring and summer desserts – Strawberry Lavender Ice Cream.
Right after I graduated from High School I moved out to Portland, Oregon for culinary school. In the summer of 2010, I had just gotten engaged to the most devastatingly handsome man and was preparing for our wedding in our small Indiana home town. I was finding it difficult to pick a style that would strike a balance between the Portland hipster in me and the restraints of what a small town in the Midwest offered, but we landed on a beautiful old theatre in the heart of downtown. We were going to be sent off (on our bicycles, naturally. . .) to a shower of home-dried lavender. An aroma that reminded me of summers in Oregon.
Why did you pair lavender with strawberry in this recipe?
Lavender grows easily in the Pacific Northwest. Also, Portland has a quirky law that makes the small area between the street and the sidewalk public land. Therefore, I decided I was going to forage for my lavender. I rather avoid paying high dollar for it on the internet. Technically any lavender growing on that small strip was not the property of the homeowner. So, I may or may not have taken advantage of this by walking through my neighborhood with a basket over one arm and shears in the other while nonchalantly snipping off stems of lavender as I walked by. By the end of the summer, I had “acquired” and dried about five 1-gallon bags of lavender. I had only used 1 bag of it at the wedding. To this day, I still haven’t used it all. But every time I open those bags I have overwhelming memories of my last summer in Portland, a beautiful wedding, and of my brief foray into kleptomania.
How easy is it to make this ice cream recipe?
This strawberry lavender ice cream recipe is simple to make. Plus it doesn’t require the effort of a custard to give you a rich and flavorful frozen dessert. For best results, I recommend trying to get your strawberries from a local farmer’s market or a u-pick if possible. It’s because those strawberries tend to be smaller have a stronger and sweeter flavor. That means that your strawberry lavender ice cream will taste better, be at less risk of freezer burn from too much water in your berries, and remain creamy.
Have you played around with frozen desserts before? If not I should let you in on a secret. Frozen foods mask sweetness! Make sure to taste test your strawberry lavender base. Depending on how sweet your strawberries are, you may want to add a little more sugar to make sure it is sweet enough.
Before I give you over to this delicious strawberry lavender ice cream recipe, I just want to say a quick Big Thanks to Meaghan for having me. I’ve loved being here to share one of my favorite recipes with you, and I hope to see you all again soon 🙂 !

Strawberry Lavender Ice Cream
This homemade strawberry ice cream is creamy, dreamy, and made with fresh strawberries and
lavender blossoms.
Ingredients
- 1 lb . fresh strawberries, hulled and cut in half
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried lavender or 1 Tablespoon fresh lavender
- Zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 1/8 tsp . salt
- Additional sugar and salt to taste
- 1 cups half & half
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Place your strawberries in a bowl and smash them with a spoon or potato masher until your strawberries are broken into small pieces (Don't worry if your strawberries begin to resemble jam) If you want a smoother ice cream, you can purée your strawberries instead.
- Pour the strawberries, lemon juice and zest, lavender blossoms, and sugar into a small sauce pot over low heat and bring the mixture to a simmer. Let it slowly simmer until the liquid has reduced by half - about 15 minutes.
- Remove the mixture from the heat, let it sit for 5 minutes, and then transfer it to the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour (6 hours is ideal - the colder it is the better).
- Combine the strawberry lavender base with the half & half and whipping cream and follow the manufacturer's instructions for churning in an ice cream maker.
- If you want to eat your strawberry lavender ice cream as soft serve you can eat it right away, or transfer to an airtight, freezer-safe container and freeze for around 4 hours before serving for a harder ice cream. Your ice cream will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Paige @ Where Latin Meets Lagniappe
Tuesday 31st of May 2016
Meaghan I LOVE this recipe! I've never cooked with lavender, but I've always wanted to try it :) This recipe is beautiful!
Meaghan
Wednesday 1st of June 2016
Thank you, Paige! I've never cooked with lavender either but I am definitely giving it a try this summer!
~Meaghan
Brian Jones
Monday 30th of May 2016
What a great flavour combination, gotta sort out me some ice cream this summer... I have not knocked up homemade stuff for years!
Meaghan
Wednesday 1st of June 2016
I really enjoy homemade ice cream. Bonus if I don't have to cook the base.
~Meaghan
Mary (The Godmother @ Goodie Godmother)
Friday 27th of May 2016
This is just beautiful! I love the sound of this ice cream, because I really like a hint of lavender in sweet recipes. What a beautiful guest post. <3
Meaghan
Wednesday 1st of June 2016
She really out did herself with this one. It's gorgeous and I am inspired to go whip something up with lavender now!
~Meaghan