Fun and Easy Herbal Homemade Ice Cream for Those Hot Summer Days
As the weather gets warmer, the craving for cooler treats is also on the rise. When it comes to sweet treats, nothing beats homemade ice cream, and I like to incorporate herbs into all my homemade treats. It’s like guerilla herbalism, sneaking herbal allies into the fare at all my social gatherings. Whether I’m hosting or just attending, it’s kind of a mission for me! Herbal ice cream is the perfect Trojan horse for sneaking herbs past even the most guarded or hesitant palates.
Ice cream machines come in a range of sizes, from personal pint-sized to a 2-quart friend and family size. The former is great if you just want a little treat for yourself, and the latter is better for when you want to make enough to share. Let me tell you, homemade ice cream is a potluck impression maker, but just be prepared to be asked to bring it to every gathering from then on! I first got an ice cream churner a couple of years ago, and have been experimenting with flavors ever since.
Homemade Ice Cream with Herbs: Practical Tips
When it comes to herbal homemade ice cream, there is definitely a bit of a learning curve. Playing with the ratios of herbs to other flavors has taught me a few key tips. One thing to note is that if you can, infusing the herbs into the base through heat before you begin the cooling process is the best way to impart the flavor throughout the final product. If you’ll be adding the herbs to the base without a heated infusion, like in the sorbet recipe below, you can add the herbs to the base and chill overnight in the fridge to allow the flavor to infuse into the fruit purée.
Another thing that surprised me about homemade ice creams is that they thicken up so much quicker than I thought they would. In just a matter of 30 minutes or less, you can go from cool liquid to icy treat. When the contents of your churner reach a soft serve consistency, the process is complete. You can serve the ice cream right away, or put it in the freezer overnight to have it harden up to a hand dip ice cream consistency.
You can use your ice cream maker to churn out sorbets as well. The best sorbets will capitalize on the pectin content of the fruit, so blending the fruit into a purée is a must. If the fruit has larger seeds, you can do the work of removing the seeds before blending. For fruits with smaller seeds, like berries, you can just purée the whole fruit. Either way, you’ll want to strain the purée with a fine mesh strainer. We want to pull the tougher parts of the fruit out, so we are left with a thick and silky fruit purée for churning.
There are so many possibilities when you are creating your own herbal ice creams. Different bases, sweeteners, herbs, and additives like fruit or candy yield near endless outcomes. I’ve included three of my favorite recipes to date, each with variations in bases and additives. The recipes here are for a pint-sized ice cream maker, like mine, but will be easy to scale up for larger-sized churners.
I really wanted a flavor that was sweet and simple with a depth of flavor. The cardamom adds a kind of extra mouth feel as a warming spice in a cold dessert. Yield: 2 servings.
¾ cup canned coconut milkCoconut, Cardamom, & Honey Ice Cream
¼ cup almond milk
4 green cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) pods
2 tablespoons honey
1 pinch salt
Strawberry Thyme Sorbet
I really wanted to do something with fruit and herbs that was a little more outside the box than basil or mint. I love the savory flavor of thyme and decided to give it a try. The results were fabulous. Yield: 2 cups.
1 ½ cups strawberries chopped (the riper the berry, the sweeter the sorbet)
2 tablespoons honey
½ teaspoon dried thyme (Thymus vulgaris)
- Place your strawberries, honey, and thyme into a blender and blend until smooth on a high setting. It may be necessary to start the blender on a low speed and work up to a higher speed in order to get the mixture to liquefy properly, so use your best judgment. Ultimately, we don’t want to add any water to the mixture.
- Once the fruit, honey, and thyme have reached a smooth purée, transfer into a small container and refrigerate overnight. This allows the flavors time to marry and ensures that the purée will chill before churning. After refrigerating overnight strain your purée using a fine mesh strainer, then chill in the freezer for another 20 minutes.
- Transfer the freezer-chilled purée into your ice cream mixer and, following the instructions for your ice cream maker, start the churning process. Once the contents have reached a soft serve consistency you can either serve or put the soft sorbet in a freezer-safe container overnight for a hardened hand-dipped consistency.
This sorbet is fantastic on its own, or it can be drizzled with a balsamic reduction for an added kick and bold flavor. For alternate delicious herbal ice cream flavors, you could try switching out the thyme for basil or mint. For a vegan version of this recipe, you can replace the honey with agave nectar.
This is my attempt to duplicate a seasonal flavor from one of my favorite ice cream makers Jeni’s Ice Cream’s Wildberry Lavender flavor. I left out the sweet orange flavor as citrus can curdle milk. All in all, I am happy with my dupe. Yield: 2 cups.
1 cup heavy creamBlueberry Lavender Ice Cream
½ cup whole milk
⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon dried lavender (Lavandula officinalis)
¼ cup blueberries
In Closing,
I have loved making my homemade ice cream and sorbets and finding yet another way to sneak herbs into the lives of my friends and family. There are so many possibilities when you create your own ice creams at home. It’s so much fun to play around with your favorite plant allies in a new and tasty way. Each attempt brings you closer to honing your technique and recipes. Start with these tried and true options and let your imagination run free as you create your dream ice cream.