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This rose ice cream is a delicious treat that’s delicately flavored with rose water and vanilla. A simple recipe that can easily be made in your ice cream maker.
I love rose flavoring in food/drinks. One of my favorite teas is rose scented, and I drink it often.
I’ve also played around with flavoring panna cotta and popsicles with lavender. These floral fragrances in food = the best, basically.
I don’t break out the ice cream maker very often, but when I do, it’s always a fun experience. Maybe I’m a big dork, but watching a liquid turn into creamy aerated ice cream is a total highlight for me.
Making ice cream at home is easy, and you know exactly what you’re putting into it.
I used rose water because I had some in my pantry. The concentration can vary depending on the brand you buy, so I suggest working your way up to the 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) I used in the recipe to make sure you’re not adding more than you need.
Make sure you buy food grade rose water as well. If it says on the bottle “for external use only”, don’t use it. I recommend checking prior to buying it since many are intended for cosmetic use. I’ve also seen rose extracts and rose syrups. Feel free to use those. Just make sure you give it a taste and adjust quantities as needed. Rose water is pretty delicate, so that’s why there’s a 1/4 cup in this recipe.
I’ve wanted to make this ice cream for a while, and now that warm weather has arrived, I figured it would be a good time to post it on the blog.
Mother’s Day is also coming up soon, and I think this would be a perfect recipe for that occasion!
Do you like florals in food?
Will you make this rose ice cream?
Rose Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 16 fluid ounces heavy/whipping cream
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup rose water
- 1 drop pink food coloring
Instructions
- Combine the milk and sugar in a large bowl using a hand mixer until the sugar is dissolved (about 2 minutes).
- Add the remaining ingredients and continue mixing until combined. The concentration of rose water can vary, so it's a good idea to build up to the 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) a tablespoon at a time so you can give it a taste and add more without adding too much.
- Pour the mixture into the bowl of your ice cream maker and run the machine for about 30 minutes or until it reaches the consistency you like.
- Serve immediately or transfer to a container and freeze until it's more firm.
Notes
© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this blog post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization to social media is strictly prohibited.
I paired this with a quince honey apple pie and it was fabulous. The rosewater I use is from Armenia and is way more dilute than most, I was concerned about getting big ice crystals but it turned out fine.
Hello! Your rose ice cream sounds wonderful! I’ve made iced tea with a white rose tea. It was delicious.
Was wondering if I could change this recipe up and do it as a no-churn using sweetened condensed milk?
Also think the 1/4 cup of rose water might be a bit too much? What do you think? I suppose I could start with a lot smaller amount like a teaspoon or two and work my way up tasting as I go?
Hi Linda! It really depends on the rose water. There’s a note in the blog post about that – I actually suggest “working your way up” in those exact words lol. I have never made ice cream with sweetened condensed milk before (or any no-churn for that matter), but let me know how it goes. In theory it should work. 🙂
Ok so as someone who grew up eating middle eastern dishes, rose water is always a familiar and nostalgic ingredient. This recipe is quite literally the ice cream of my dreams. I decided to add 2 tbs of fresh pomegranate to it about 2 min before it was done churning and I highly recommend (yes even though it has hard seeds). It adds a nice crunch and sweet note that complements the rose and vanilla very nicely and holds up well when frozen. Also I recommend adding white chocolate chips as a topping and some cherry syrup (if you’re in to that kind of stuff).
This makes me so happy!! 🙂 I love pomegranates too, so I think that’s such a great idea.
Wonderful Rose Ice Cream recipe! Also made Quince Ice Cream using the base and adding quince paste instead of rose water. Did not use food coloring for either.
So glad you liked it, Karen! And quince sounds amazing! 🙂
Can you add in edible roses? At what point would you do so?
I think that would be nice! Maybe when it’s almost done churning?
What food coloring brand did you use?
Hi Abby! Sorry for the delay in responding. Just checked in my pantry, and I think the brand I used was Spectrum Gel Food Colors. This recipe is a couple years old, so I’m not 100% sure, but that’s what’s in the pantry haha.
Hello,
What kind of rose water do you use?
Hi! The brand in my pantry is Bitarome. I got it at a baking specialty store. Rose water’s strength can vary across brands, so be sure to taste as you go along so not to overdo it.
I use Ziyad brand