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Lavender Blackberry Swirl Ice Cream (Paleo, Keto, AIP, Vegan)

Updated · 36 Comments

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Lavender Blackberry Swirl Ice Cream is a wonderful celebration of dessert, the sun, flowers, berries and all things beautiful! You’ll love the ingredients and flavors in this special treat that’s suitable for Ancestral, Paleo, Keto, AIP, GAPS, and Vegan diets.

scoops of lavender ice cream in vintage dishes

 

Jump to Recipe

Three cream options for Lavender Ice Cream

This recipe has two dairy and one dairy-free option for the creamy base. All are wonderful.

1) DAIRY-FREE:

For Paleo, GAPS, AIP, Vegan and dairy-free Keto and Low Carbers, the dairy-free ingredient this recipe uses is coconut cream, (not coconut milk). It is combined with a steeped lavender water which, together with the sweetener, creates the perfect mouthfeel.

2) YOGURT/SOUR CREAM:

For GAPS, Primal, Keto and Low Carbers who love the tang and probiotics of yogurt and cultured cream, the second creamy base option is to use crème fraîche or real probiotic sour cream.

For about eight years my husband and I owned a Paleo and Primal ice cream shop (which we sold a few years ago). We made most of our original dairy flavors with either kefir or probiotic sour cream. The ice creams and frozen yogurts were amazing. Their subtle and rich tang made them unique, added another loved layer of flavor, and their tang denoted the level of probiotics. The tangier the dairy, the more probiotics.

Lavender was one of our favorite flavors, and the herb goes so beautifully with cultured cream. If you want to go this route, look for an all natural crème fraîche or real probiotic sour cream. Two products to consider are fully cultured Nancy’s Organic Sour Cream or Green Valley Lactose-free Sour Cream. (Both are lactose-free for GAPS.)

3) HEAVY CREAM:

You can, of course, also use plain heavy cream that isn’t cultured. You’ll end up with a sublime, classic Lavender Ice Cream. This option is perfect for Ancestral, Primal, Keto, Low Carb or anyone wanting just a classic ice cream. Our family is fortunate enough to buy lots of local raw cream, so that’s what we use. If you can access raw cream, it’s unbeatable for its nutrition and flavor.

Either way, Lavender is one of the best ice cream flavors and a family favorite as well. Against the rich flavor of cream, the lovely lavender flavor comes through so beautifully.

Blackberry Swirl in Lavender Ice Cream (optional)

I’m not sure any fruit says summer like blackberries. Vine-ripened, often foraged and wild (and unsprayed), blackberries are bowl of lavender honey paleo ice cream with pink fabric underneath and silver spoongenerous to us all: If you live where blackberries grow, you are rich! Unlike many special fruits that must be purchased or grown with some care, blackberries are free summer bounty, and they freeze beautifully if you have an overabundance.

If you don’t live in blackberry climate or want to make this sublime flavor out of season, please feel free to use frozen blackberries, or fresh purchased berries.

The swirl may also be omitted (see an old snapshot photo above right), as plain Lavender-Honey Ice Cream is inescapably special.

Paleo, GAPS, AIP, Keto, Vegan ice cream

This recipe was originally for Ancestral, Paleo, GAPS, Vegan and AIP folks.

But it’s easily made into a Keto and Low Carb flavor too, by simply using your favorite liquid low carb sweetener, and using a bit less of it, which I designate in the recipe below.

While honey goes beautifully with lavender and cream, maple syrup may also be used for anyone who can’t have honey. So ultimately, the liquid sweetener is flexible for your needs.

 

Print Recipe
5 from 25 votes

Lavender Blackberry Swirl Ice Cream (Paleo, Keto, AIP, GAPS & Vegan)

This herbal ice cream is so special. It can be made with or without the swirl: plain awesome Lavender Ice Cream with no refined sugars OR Lavender Blackberry Swirl Ice Cream for an extra summery or berry treat! (Keto Note: The carb count in the nutritional information below is calculated for the low carb version of this recipe.)
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American, French
Keyword: blackberry, ice cream, keto, lavender, lowcarb, paleo
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 65kcal
Author: Megan
Cost: $4

Equipment

  • ice cream maker

Ingredients

Quick Blackberry Sauce

  • 2 cups blackberries preferably fresh, but frozen is okay too
  • ⅓ cup warm water
  • ¼ cup maple syrup or honey for Paleo, AIP, GAPS, Ancestral; allulose for Keto and Low Carb
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Instructions

  • Heat water until steaming, but not yet simmering. Add lavender blossoms and steep 20 minutes. Strain, reserving lavender water, and pressing gently on lavender solids to extract liquid. Discard lavender.
  • Place lavender water, sweetener, optional egg yolks and vanilla into blender. Blend 30-50 seconds, until sweetener is fully dissolved.
  • Add cultured cream, cream or coconut cream and blend again just to mix, 5 to 10 seconds.
  • Freeze in ice cream maker, according to manufacturer's instructions.

Quick Blackberry Sauce

  • In blender on low speed, purée blackberries, water, lemon juice and sweetener until sweetener has dissolved. Set aside (or follow next step if you want seedless Blackberry Sauce).
  • If seedless sauce is desired, pour sauce through fine mesh strainer nested over a slightly larger bowl. Use a whisk to stir the smooth solids through the mesh, retaining the seeds in the strainer. Set bowl with sauce aside.

Assembly

  • Scoop about one cup frozen ice cream into large loaf pan (or other storage container suitable for ice cream in the freezer). Spread it out with the back of the ice cream scoop. Top with thin layer of  Blackberry Sauce. Continue to alternate layers of frozen ice cream and thinner layers of Blackberry Sauce. Freeze 3 hours minimum before serving.

Notes

*Crème fraîche goes by two other names: cultured cream and sour cream. True sour cream is a probiotic condiment. When sour cream is made from grass-fed fermented cream, it is a health food. Nancy's is one yogurt company that makes an organic, grass-fed, probiotic sour cream.  When shopping for this ice cream, look for French-made crème fraîche, Nancy's sour cream or Green Valley Lactose-free Sour Cream ... or another organic sour cream that has these three or similar ingredients: grass-fed cream, probiotic and sea salt.

The nutrition facts are for the Keto Low Carb version of the recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 65kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 105mg | Sodium: 69mg | Potassium: 222mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 690IU | Vitamin C: 12.2mg | Calcium: 125mg | Iron: 1mg

You can Pin Lavender Swirl Ice Cream here:

2 images of lavender swirl ice cream and recipe title

More lavender recipes

Not only does it have a sublime smell and beautiful appearance, lavender is high in calcium and iron, and lavender is known to calm us emotionally and mentally.

Here are two of my other favorite lavender creations:

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Emily @ Recipes to Nourish says

    5 stars
    Megan, I truly think we are kindred spirits … and I love this recipe. Absolutely beautiful + lovely flavor combinations. I wish I had a bowl of this. Gorgeous!

    Reply

    • Megan Stevens says

      So do I, Emily. <3 Thank you. When I saw your blackberry ice cream first thing this morning, I just chuckled~ both of us making beautiful ice creams in March. Wished I had a bowl of yours too!!!

      Reply

    • Megan Stevens says

      Spring and summer are so lovely with all the new flowers. This dessert is SO good in winter and fall as well, because it uses dried lavender blossoms. I’m an ice cream lover year round! 😉

      Reply

  7. Chloe says

    5 stars
    I’ve never used lavender in cooking before. I’ll have to try it. The idea of making ice cream with creme fraiche certainly sounds amazing!

    Reply

  9. ArielJoy Fine says

    Hi Megan,

    Thank you for this recipe. I love lavender and we grow lots of it. I love blackberries and we just happen to live in a blackberry-friendly climate where my good friend has 1,000 organically grown blackberry bushes and sells her berries year-round (except when the rain knocks the flowers off the plants).

    I have a question about making this recipe without an ice cream maker. I don’t have room in my freezer for an ice cream maker bowl and I don’t have a lot of money for an ice cream maker with a built-in freezer. So, I need to make it in a loaf pan in the freezer.

    When I have made ice cream this way, before, I have made it with sweetened condensed milk and a couple of tsps. of lite corn syrup (prevents the ice crystals from forming). Of course, both of these ingredients are off-limits to everyone on all of these special diets.

    I read the other day that you can use vodka in the ice cream to prevent the ice crystals from forming. But how would I substitute for the sweetened, condensed milk?

    Reply

    • Megan says

      Hi and sorry for the delayed response. 🙂 Yes, you can use up to 3 Tablespoons vodka in this ice cream recipe to prevent it from getting as hard when frozen. Here are some other freezing tips when you don’t have an ice cream maker: Two options… There’s the freeze and stir method: Put ice cream in a deep baking dish of stainless steel or durable glass. After about 45 minutes, when it starts to freeze near the edges, stir it vigorously with a spatula or whisk. Beat it up and break up any frozen sections. Then return it to the freezer. Continue this every 30 minutes, stirring it vigorously as it freezes. If you have one, you can even use a hand-held mixer. It will likely take 2 to 3 hours to be ready. Option 2 is to pour the ice cream mixture into ice cube trays. When they’re frozen, put them in a food processor. Pulse and blend until you have a scoopable ice cream. This actually works great, and is a lot less work, if you happen to have a food processor. I hope you get to make this and have fun and success!

      Reply

  10. Jocelyn Ariss says

    Hi there, I was curious if an ice cream maker is an absolute or could I freeze it right out of the blender. Would this effect the consistency, and ability to scoop it like ice cream? Thanks

    Reply

    • Megan says

      Hi Jocelyn, if you freeze it straight from the blender, it will unfortunately be rock hard. But there are a couple of good alternatives to ice cream makers: Two options… There’s the freeze and stir method: Put ice cream in a deep baking dish of stainless steel or durable glass. After about 45 minutes, when it starts to freeze near the edges, stir it vigorously with a spatula or whisk. Beat it up and break up any frozen sections. Then return it to the freezer. Continue this every 30 minutes, stirring it vigorously as it freezes. If you have one, you can even use a hand-held mixer. It will likely take 2 to 3 hours to be ready. Option 2 is to pour the ice cream mixture into ice cube trays. When they’re frozen, put them in a food processor. Pulse and blend until you have a scoopable ice cream. This actually works great, and is a lot less work, if you happen to have a food processor. I hope you get to make this and have fun and success!

      Reply

  11. Annemarie says

    I can’t wait to make this! My husband grew up picking blackberries down the road from his house. My family will be excited to enjoy them in ice cream.

    Reply

  12. Joni says

    Why is homemade ice cream the best?! I need to try this with cultured cream because it sounds so good!

    Reply

  18. Meredith says

    What a perfect summer flavor combo! I am definitely going to make this as soon as my lavender starts blooming!!!

    Reply

  20. Dorothy says

    5 stars
    We had this last weekend, and it-was-so-good!!! I could have cut the amount of honey in half for the blackberry sauce and it would have still been plenty sweet. I did add monk fruit drops to both the ice cream and sauce, not sure why? I used coconut cream with a little coconut milk for the ice cream and maple syrup to sweeten. I subbed three drops of lavender oil for the lavender infused water; though I have a lavender plant, it hasn’t bloomed.( Any tips on this? It’s in a pot with organic potting soil, I think). It was a bit hard to spread the melty ice cream layers over the blackberry syrup, so it basically got mixed together in the layers. Didn’t hurt the taste a bit. I’m glad I strained the blackberry syrup since the seeds tend to stick in our teeth. Thanks for this berry goodness gourmet ice cream recipe!!

    Reply

    • Megan says

      Yay, Dorothy, sounds lovely and delicious!, so special this time of year. I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, and even though it’s nice to make lavender flavor with flowers, it sure is convenient to be able to use the oil, so that’s great. I don’t know about why yours hasn’t bloomed; I’m sorry. Gardening is certainly a learning process each and every year for me! Thank you so much for your comment! 🙂

      Reply

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