Ready for your next summer soiree, this easy, hands-off, make-ahead Lavender Earl Grey Ice Cream is sophisticated, delicious and simply gorgeous! An infused whipped cream base requires no machine for a smooth and creamy ice cream and a swirl of honeycomb throughout is pure delight.
I’m a gal that is lucky enough to have local lavender fields to frolic in – not exactly Southern France, but still fun and for this lavender nerd a great way to get my fix.
I know lavender is not everyone’s cup of tea (get it, this is a lavender and tea recipe, there’s a pun in there somewhere), but if you are one of those people who loves a floral recipe, you are in the right spot!
The combination of Earl Grey tea, lavender and honey in this ridiculously easy ice cream is unmatched and takes me right to an English country tea shop, which is impressive since we only need 8 ingredients!
Ingredients
There are two main components to this ice cream recipe – the ice cream itself and a honeycomb toffee mix-in. Both require only a handful of ingredients, let’s talk through them.
Lavender Tea Ice Cream
- Dried Lavender. Look for a food-grade lavender, I buy mine online since they are hard to come by in stores.
- Earl Grey tea. I used a quality whole-leaf tea style in tea bags. I wanted to be able to remove the tea without straining out the lavender buds, so I skipped a loose-leaf tea and went for a bagged tea.
- Heavy whipping cream. Whipped cream is the base of our ice cream, so a good heavy whipping cream is needed.
- Sweetened condensed milk. This is not evaporated milk, or dried milk. Sweetened condensed milk is a thick, gooey milk that has been cooked down and sweetened into this silky, delightful ingredient. Hence the name! Look for it in the baking aisle or in the shelf-stable milk area.
Honeycomb Toffee
Honeycomb toffee is technically a type of candy, not to be confused with an actual honeycomb from a beehive. Honeycomb toffee has a light and hole-y texture similar to that of a beehive, and so it’s name evolved. We do use honey in the recipe though!
- Honey. Use a good quality, local honey for the best flavor. Skip the bear. Honey is the star!
- Granulated sugar. The base of our caramel toffee.
- Baking soda. This will provide the bubbly texture! Be sure to sift the baking soda if it’s a bit clumpy.
Making No-Churn Ice Cream
I love to make no-churn ice cream because it’s kinda an easy cheat. And if I can make an easy cheat, that requires no expensive equipment and tastes stunningly delicious still, I’m pretty much sold.
The typical recipe for a no-churn ice cream is a pint of heavy cream whipped to stiff peaks mixed with a can of sweetened condensed milk. Phew, difficult right? Nope!
The whipped cream is light and fluffy, the sweetened condensed milk is sweet and gooey, and together they make a smooth, creamy dreamy ice cream.
To make our infused ice cream with lavender and tea, we have one extra step, but I promise it requires absolutely zero effort. Before we make the ice cream, we need to let the heavy cream basically cold brew with the lavender and tea overnight.
I tried to shortcut this and gently simmer the heavy cream to steep the tea before rechilling and whipping. But seriously, the final result was this weird, funky curdled mess. Trust me, do not be tempted to go this route, let the cold brew do the work!
Once the whipped cream is infused with all the glorious flavor, we can make our ice cream like above!
Making Honeycomb Toffee
I mentioned above that we will be making a toffee candy. Candy making can feel a bit intimidating, but this is a very low-stakes option that looks so freakin cool.
Why go through the trouble of making a candy just to smash it up and add it to an ice cream, you ask? Once the honeycomb sits in the ice cream mixture, it will slightly dissolve and turn into these sweet, gooey pockets of honey popping throughout the ice cream.
You could skip this all-together, but it’s so fun to make, and only takes a few minutes, it’s worth a try!
Prepping for Candy Making
The most important thing to remember about making candy, caramels or anything time-sensitive is to prepare, prepare, prepare!
Make sure to read all the instructions through first (this is a good rule of thumb for any recipe, but especially important for candies). Have all your ingredients measured and ready and grab all the equipment needed. You can’t go digging through cabinets for a spatula once you start the process.
We are making a pretty small batch of honeycomb, so a small heavy-bottomed pot will do. Have your pot set with a candy thermometer or digital thermometer and a silicone spatula. Next to you, have a sheet pan ready with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Also have the baking soda measured and ready to go!
Heat the sugar and honey until it’s golden amber and bubbling and reaches 300°F (150°C) on the thermometer. Turn off the heat and quickly stir in the baking soda.
The mixture is going to look like you’ve destroyed it for a minute. It’s going to froth, bubble and turn milky white. Power through and keep stirring.
After a minute or so, the mixture will return to the amber color but still be bubbly and airy. Perfect! Pour onto the sheet pan.
Resist the turn to smooth it out, just pour it. If you smooth it, you will crumble all of those lovely, airy bubbles. We are going to smash it anyway, so it doesn’t matter how it looks now.
Adding Honeycomb to Ice Cream
Because the honeycomb will dissolve slightly in the moisture of the ice cream, we want rather large pieces to stir in. At least 1/2″ or up to 1″ in diameter.
The remaining honeycomb is a great topping too for a little crunch. Reserve the the candy that isn’t in the ice cream in an airtight container for later.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, this recipe will not work the same in an ice cream machine if you have one. Skip the machine and let it freeze on it’s own.
Nope, this is optional! You could swap it out with chunk of chocolate, or shortbread cookies, or skip the mix-ins all together.
This recipe has a definite lavender flavor to it, if you are not a great lover of lavender (some are not) you could 1/2 the amount or strain the buds out before whipping the cream. If you just hate lavender, leave it out completely, I won’t be offended!
I added a few drops of food coloring to achieve this final result. The infused whipped cream is a bit greige in color and while that’s completely fine, I wanted something that felt a bit more lovely.
Lavender Earl Grey Ice Cream
Equipment
- Candy or digital thermometer
- Silicone mat recommended
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream chilled
- 4 bags Earl Grey tea
- 2 tablespoons dried lavender*
- 396 g sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- purple food coloring optional
Honeycomb Toffee
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 168 g honey
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Infused heavy cream. Crush dried lavender lightly in hands. Place heavy cream, whole tea bags and lavender in an air-tight container. Chill for 24 hours, shaking occasionally.2 cups heavy whipping cream, 4 bags Earl Grey tea, 2 tablespoons dried lavender*
- Honeycomb toffee. When ready to make ice cream, prepare honeycomb toffee. Have all ingredients and equipment ready nearby as this is a quick process! Prepare a sheet pan with a silicone mat or sheet of parchment paper. Set aside. Measure baking soda in small container, sift if baking soda is clumpy. In a small, heavy bottomed stainless steel saucepan, combine granulated sugar, honey and salt. Have heat-resistant silicone spatula in hand and candy thermometer or digital thermometer at the ready.100 g granulated sugar, 168 g honey, 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Place saucepan over medium. Stir constantly with spatula until mixture is golden brown and reaches 300°F (150°C), about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and immediately stir in baking soda. Mixture will bubble and turn white for a minute. Continue stirring until baking soda is fully incorporated and mixture has returned to a golden amber, but still bubbly texture. Pour on to prepared baking sheet. DO NOT SMOOTH. This will collapse the air bubbles. Allow to cool completely while making ice cream.1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- Ice cream. To make ice cream, remove tea bags from the now infused heavy cream, squeezing out any liquid and discard. Strain lavender buds if desired, but can remain. Place infused cream in a large bowl and whip until stiff peaks form and cream stands up when whisk is lifted.
- Whip in sweetened condensed milk, salt and food coloring (if using). Whip until well blended.396 g sweetened condensed milk, 1 teaspoon salt, purple food coloring
- Break honeycomb into pieces 1/2" – 1" in size. Stir about 1 cup of broken pieces into ice cream mixture. Transfer mixture to a freezer-safe container, cover and freeze for at least 12 hours.
- Remaining honeycomb can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days and sprinkled over ice cream for serving.
Notes
- *Look for a food-grade lavender
- Honeycomb Toffee recipe adapted from A Cozy Kitchen
- Store ice cream in freezer-safe container for up to 1 month.
Disclaimer: We test all recipes using the metric weights shown, we cannot guarantee outcomes when switching to US measurements.