This no-churn ice cream is a perfect springtime dessert! Honey Lilac Ice Cream is smooth and creamy, with an intoxicating sweet, floral flavor.
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Springtime in New England means lilacs, lilacs, lilacs! In May, the beautiful flowers in shades of purple, pink, and white erupt on shrubs in backyards, along the roads, and next to businesses, filling the air with their scent.
Lilac season is exciting but also brief. That's why I love finding new ways to capture that scent and hang on to it a little longer. And because lilac blooms are edible, infusing lilac flavor into desserts is one of my favorite ways to enjoy them. Like in this Honey Lilac Ice Cream!
It's a no-churn ice cream recipe that's easy to put together even if you don't own an ice cream maker. Just blend the ingredients together and let them freeze overnight. Honey and lilac are a lovely pairing, and add sumptuous sweetness and fragrance to this ice cream flavor.
What flavor is lilac?
The flavor of lilacs is just like their scent. Lilac flowers are richly perfumed, with a floral scent that's sweet and reminiscent of lily of the valley, honey, and rose. In other words, lilacs smell like spring.
Steeping the flowers in cream gives this ice cream a gentle flavor and scent of lilacs without overpowering it or tasting too perfumy. Cream and lilac are made for each other—just like in my Lilac Whipped Cream recipe.
What does no-churn ice cream mean?
Regular ice cream is made with an ice cream maker: an electric machine, a hand-cranked bucket with rock salt, or those little balls that you roll back and forth with the liquid inside. They all make ice cream by rapidly freezing the ingredients while churning them to incorporate air.
No-churn ice cream recipes are called "no-churn" because they don't require any of that equipment—instead, the ingredients are simply stirred together and then frozen until firm. These no-churn ice creams can be little more dense or icy than churned ice cream (depending on the ingredients) but they're still very delicious.
This ice-cream-without-an-ice-cream-maker method is perfect when you want a no-fuss way of making a delectable frozen treat.
Why you'll love this floral ice cream
The first thing you'll love about this recipe is how easy the ice cream is to make. Ingredients for the ice cream base are blended together and then frozen to make a dessert that's very delicious and creamy. The texture is a lot like that of soft serve. (Or a creemee, if you're from Vermont!)
Another reason to love this dessert is the unique blend of lilac and honey flavors. It's a wonderful way to capture the brief lilac season in a dish! The flowers are so fragrant and that same, heady scent comes through as a flavor in this ice cream.
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Honey sweetens the dessert and also lends its own floral notes, especialy if you use a clover or wildflower honey to make it.
🔪 How to make Honey Lilac Ice Cream
Ingredients:
- Heavy cream: This cream will be transformed into whipped cream! Heavy cream has a slightly higher fat content than whipping cream, although either will work in this recipe.
- Lilacs: Pick these flowers while they're fresh—you'll need three or four sprigs. Be sure the lilacs you choose are clean and haven't been treated with any pesticides.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: You'll need 14 ounces, the amount found in a standard can. This is what gives the ice cream a lot of its sweetness, and also helps to create a creamy texture.
- Honey: It provides more sweetness and also a rich, floral flavor that's just beautiful with the lilacs.
- Vanilla extract: Use a good quality, pure vanilla like Nielsen-Massey.
- Salt: Just a pinch helps bring out the flavors in the ice cream.
Step 1: Infuse the cream
- Step 1: Infuse the cream—Submerge lilacs in the cream; refrigerate it overnight. The next day, strain out the flowers.
- Step 2: Make the whipped cream—Whip the lilac-infused cream to stiff peaks.
- Step 3: Mix the sweeteners—Whisk together the honey and condensed milk.
- Step 4: Fold them together—Bring everything together gently to make the ice cream base.
- Step 5: Freeze—Spoon the mixture into a loaf pan and freeze it overnight.
- Step 6: Serve—The next day, the ice cream is ready to scoop and serve. Garnish dishes of ice cream with lilac flowers.
Tip!
Wait to add flowers to the ice cream until after it's frozen—sprinkle fresh lilac blooms over the tops just before serving the ice cream. The flowers don't hold up well if you freeze them!
A favorite baking tool
Stand Mixer
I use this lift stand mixer with a 7-quart bowl for so many recipes, including the whipped cream in this ice cream!
FAQs
It should take between 3-4 minutes to whip the cream into peaks. Make sure the cream, the bowl, and the beaters are very cold to get the best results.
Yes, whipping cream will work in this recipe as well.
Because there's no churning, there's obviously less air in no-churn ice cream than in regular ice cream recipes. However, the whipped cream, which is full of air, helps lighten no-churn ice cream. When you mix the whipped cream with the other ingredients, fold them together gently so that some of that air stays in the mixture.
When stored properly, no-churn ice cream lasts for up to a week in the freezer. Be sure to cover the ice cream tightly in a sealed container or with plastic wrap. As the ice cream is eaten and there's less in the dish, press plastic wrap to the surface to prevent it from getting icy.
Another lilac treat!
Lilac Sugar
For your tea or sprinkled over fruit.
Tips:
- When planning for this recipe remember that you need two overnight periods: one to infuse the cream and the other to freeze the ice cream.
- For the best results when whipping the cream, be sure that the cream, mixer bowl, and beaters are very cold before you start.
- Store the ice cream in the freezer, covered tightly, for up to one week.
Don't waste any time—get out there, gather up some lilac blooms, and make a batch of this ice cream! Because before you know it, the blooms will fade and we'll be forced to wait until next year.
The Honey Lilac Ice Cream recipe is below. Here are more cool treats that are perfect for the season!
💬 How do you like this ice cream? Leave a comment below.
📖 Recipe
Honey Lilac Ice Cream
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Ingredients
- 2 cups cold heavy cream
- 3 sprigs clean, washed lilac flowers (sprigs are 3 to 4-inch conical clusters)
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- ½ cup honey (wildflower honey is especially nice here)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- Optional: Extra lilac flowers to garnish
Instructions
Infuse the cream:
- Pour the heavy cream into a large bowl. Submerge the lilac blooms in the cream; turn them over several times to saturate them.
- Cover the bowl and place it in the fridge to infuse overnight.
Strain the cream:
- The next day, strain out the lilacs from the cream, pressing the flowers gently to release the liquid. Discard the flowers.
- Place the bowl and whisk attachment for a stand mixer in the freezer to chill for 10 minutes. (If using a hand mixer, chill a large bowl and the beaters.)
Mix ingredients:
- In another large bowl, stir together the sweetened condensed milk, honey, vanilla, and salt. Hold this aside.
Make the whipped cream:
- Assemble the chilled mixer bowl and whisk on the stand mixer. Pour in the lilac-infused cream. Set the mixer to medium-high speed to beat the cream. As the cream begins to thicken you can increase the speed.
- Beat the cream for 3 to 5 minutes, until it turns into whipped cream with stiff peaks.
Fold everything together:
- Scoop the whipped cream into the bowl with the condensed milk-honey mixture. Use a rubber spatula to fold them together, using gentle strokes so that you don't lose too much air from the whipped cream.
Freeze:
- Spoon this mixture into a 9x5-inch loaf pan. Use the rubber spatula to spread the ice cream mixture evenly in the pan, and add a few decorative swirls to the top if you'd like.
- Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and freeze it for 24 hours.
Serve!
- The next day it's ready to serve! The ice cream will have a soft, creamy texture similar to soft serve. Garnish dishes of the ice cream with more lilac blooms if you'd like.
Notes
- For the best results when whipping the cream, be sure that the cream, mixer bowl, and beaters are very cold before you start.
- Store the ice cream in the freezer, covered tightly, for up to one week.
- Wait to add flowers to the ice cream until after it's frozen—sprinkle fresh lilac blooms over the tops just before serving the ice cream. The flowers don't hold up well if you freeze them!
- When planning for this recipe remember that you need two overnight periods: one to infuse the cream and the other to freeze the ice cream.
Nutrition
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