Dandelion & Honey Ice Cream

Dandelion ice cream with honey is one of the sweetest ways to capture spring on a homestead, turning a yard full of “weeds” into a rich, floral custard ice cream. If dandelion wine captures the essence of summer for adults, then dandelion ice cream sums it up for the kids.

All you need is one cup of dandelion petals, which should be easy to come by on any respectable pesticide-free lawn in April or May. They’re one of my favorite plants to forage in spring here in Vermont, right alongside wild violets, plantain, chickweed and wild asparagus.

Notes from my Kitchen

Dandelion season on our Vermont homestead is short, bright, and absolutely glorious. The kids and I try to get out to the lawn the first really warm afternoon of spring with baskets in hand, and we pick petals until our fingers are stained yellow and we’re sick of pinching the green bases off. One cup of loose petals takes longer than you’d think, but it’s a ritual we look forward to every year, and the ice cream is the reward.

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What surprised me the first time I made this is how subtle the dandelion flavor actually is. It doesn’t taste “weedy” or grassy at all, as long as you’re careful to remove every bit of the green base. The flavor is floral and honey-sweet, somewhere between chamomile and wildflower honey. If you’re serving skeptical guests, don’t tell them what’s in it until after they’ve had a bowl.

Why This Recipe Works

Dandelion flowers have a naturally honey-forward flavor, which is why they’re traditionally used in dandelion jelly and dandelion mead. That same floral-honey quality translates beautifully to a dairy base, and the cream mellows out anything grassy or vegetal that might still come through.

Pairing dandelion with honey instead of plain sugar amplifies the flower’s natural character. Most ice cream recipes call for a full cup of granulated sugar for this volume of custard, but I find 1/2 cup of honey is plenty sweet and adds its own floral layer on top of the dandelion infusion. A good light clover honey is perfect. Stronger honeys like buckwheat or manuka will overpower the delicate dandelion, so save those for other uses.

The technique is a classic French-style custard base: warm the cream with your flavor infusion, strain, then temper egg yolks into it to make a rich custard that chills and churns into the smoothest ice cream you’ve ever made. The egg yolks are what make it stay scoopable in the freezer for weeks instead of turning into a brick overnight.

If you’ve never cooked with dandelion petals before, this is a good first project. It’s simple custard-making technique, the ingredient list is short, and the result is something most people have never tasted. My kids genuinely prefer this to store-bought vanilla, and the adults who’ve tried it usually ask for the recipe before leaving.

It’s one of our favorite dandelion recipes for a reason!

Harvesting Dandelion Petals for Ice Cream

Dandelions are one of the first and easiest edible wild flowers to forage, but a few basics matter for ice cream. Pick only from areas that haven’t been sprayed with pesticides or herbicides, and steer clear of roadside patches where runoff and vehicle exhaust can contaminate the blossoms. Your own lawn (assuming you don’t spray it) or an organic pasture is ideal.

The best dandelions for this recipe are picked on a sunny, dry day, when the flowers are wide open and the petals release easily. Morning, after the dew has dried, is prime picking time. If you’re new to foraging, read through my full dandelion foraging guide first, and especially my guide on identifying true dandelions and avoiding their look-alikes. A few plants (like cat’s ear and hawkweed) have similar yellow blooms, and while most of the common look-alikes are also edible, getting true dandelion gives you the flavor this recipe is designed around.

Once you’ve got a bowl of blossoms, you need to remove the petals from the green base. This is the tedious part. Pinch the yellow petals in one hand and twist the green calyx away with the other, and the petals come off in a little tuft. Removing every scrap of green is the single most important step for a non-bitter ice cream. The green parts contain a milky white sap that’s bitter and will ruin the batch if you let any slip through. Take your time; put on a podcast; make the kids help. You need one packed cup of petals per batch.

I generally split the dandelion flowers in half top to bottom, and then pull the petals out, leaving the green parts behind. Everyone has their own technique that works for them, and this is mine.

Ingredients for Dandelion & Honey Ice Cream

The ingredient list is intentionally short. You’re letting the dandelion and honey do the heavy lifting, so every ingredient matters.

• Dandelion petals: Fresh, packed loosely, yellow petals only with all green removed. One cup is one batch; don’t try to boost the flavor by adding more, as it can turn grassy.
• Heavy cream: Full-fat, not ultra-pasteurized if you can get it. The fat content is what makes this ice cream luxurious.
• Whole Milk: While heavy cream is the base, using all cream results in a heavy ice cream. This combination gives the ice cream body without being too rich.
• Honey: A light, floral honey like clover or wildflower. Raw honey is lovely here. Avoid strong, dark honeys like buckwheat that will drown out the dandelion.
• Egg yolks: These make the ice cream a true custard (French-style), which stays soft and scoop-able for weeks. Save the whites for meringues or another use.
• Sea salt: A small amount balances the sweetness and brings out the dandelion flavor.

How to Make Dandelion & Honey Ice Cream

The process breaks down into three stages: infuse the cream, cook the custard, then churn. Plan for at least 4 hours between starting and serving, since the custard needs to chill thoroughly before it goes into the ice cream maker.

Step 1: Infuse the Cream

Add the heavy cream, milk, honey, salt, and dandelion petals to a medium saucepan. Warm slowly over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, just until it reaches a bare simmer. Don’t let it boil over or scorch on the bottom. As soon as you see small bubbles around the edge, pull it off the heat.

Cover the pot and let the petals steep in the hot cream for at least 30 minutes. I often let mine go 40-45 minutes for a deeper infusion. Any longer than an hour and I find the flavor starts to get a bit grassy, so that’s a reasonable outer limit.

Step 2: Strain and Cook the Custard

Pour the infused cream through a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl or measuring cup, pressing lightly on the petals to get every drop. Discard the spent petals. Rinse out your saucepan in cool water so it’s clean and not hot (hot pans will scramble the egg yolks).

Return the cooled pan to the stove and add the 6 egg yolks. Whisking constantly, slowly pour in the warm infused cream in a thin stream. This is called tempering, and it brings the yolks up to temperature without cooking them into scrambled eggs.

Once all the cream is whisked in, turn the heat on low and keep whisking. The mixture will gradually thicken over 3-5 minutes. It’s done when it’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and hold a line when you run your finger across it. If you have an instant-read thermometer, look for 175°F (79°C). Don’t let it go above 180°F or the eggs will start to scramble.

Step 3: Chill and Churn

Pour the hot custard into a heatproof bowl and cover the surface directly with plastic wrap or parchment to prevent a skin from forming. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or overnight. The custard needs to be thoroughly cold before it goes into the ice cream maker, or it won’t churn properly.

Once chilled, pour into your ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions, usually 20-30 minutes. When it has the consistency of soft-serve, transfer to a freezer-safe container, press a piece of parchment onto the surface, and freeze for another 2-3 hours to firm up before serving.

Dandelion Ice Cream FAQs

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4.74 from 15 votes

Servings: 8 servings, 1 quart

Dandelion & Honey Ice Cream

By Ashley Adamant

Dandelion petals infuse a custard ice cream base sweetened with light clover honey for a rich, floral spring dessert. Makes about 1 quart.

Prep: 2 hours hrs

Cook: 1 hour hr

Total: 3 hours hrs

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Equipment

• Ice Cream Maker

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 cups heavy cream
• ▢ 1 cup whole milk
• ▢ 1/2 cup honey
• ▢ 1 cup dandelion petals, yellow parts only
• ▢ 1 pinch sea salt
• ▢ 6 large egg yolks

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions 

• Add heavy cream, milk, honey, salt and dandelion petals to a saucepan.  Slowly bring to a simmer without scorching and then remove from heat.  Allow dandelions to infuse in the cream for at least 30 minutes.
• Strain the dandelion blossoms from the cream.  Pour the cream into another container and rinse out the saucepan to cool it.  This is important because egg yolks will scramble if added to a hot pan.  
• Add 6 egg yolks to a clean, cooled saucepan.   Whisking constantly, slowly add the cream mixture.  If the cream is warm enough, the egg mixture will thicken to form a custard.  
• Once all the cream mixture is added, continue whisking for another few minutes. If the mixture doesn’t thicken to coat the back of a spoon, turn the heat on low and whisk until it thickens.  If you have an instant-read thermometer, cook until 175 degrees f.  
• Remove from heat and pour into a bowl to chill.  Chill the custard mixture in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before processing in an ice cream maker.

Notes

Dandelion picking: Use only pesticide-free lawns or organic pastures. Pick on a sunny, dry morning after dew has lifted. Remove all green parts of the flower — the milky sap in the calyx is bitter and will ruin the batch. One packed cup of yellow petals per batch.

Honey selection: Use a mild, light honey like clover, wildflower, or orange blossom. Strong dark honeys (buckwheat, manuka) will overpower the delicate dandelion flavor.

No ice cream maker substitute: Pour the chilled custard into a freezer-safe container. Every 2 hours, beat vigorously with a stand mixer paddle or hand mixer to break up ice crystals. Repeat 3-4 times, then let firm up.

Dairy-free version: Substitute 3 cups of coconut cream (or your favorite non-dairy cream blend) for the heavy cream and milk. Keep the dandelion infusion step. Non-dairy versions skip the egg yolk custard; follow your preferred non-dairy ice cream technique instead.

Storage: Keeps 2-3 months in the freezer. Press parchment directly onto the surface before sealing to prevent ice crystals. Stays remarkably soft and scoopable thanks to the egg yolks.

Custard temperature: Cook the custard to 175°F (79°C) on an instant-read thermometer, or until it coats the back of a spoon and holds a line when you run your finger across it. Don’t exceed 180°F or the eggs will scramble.

Nutrition

Serving: 1grams, Calories: 326kcal, Carbohydrates: 21g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 26g, Saturated Fat: 15g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 209mg, Sodium: 39mg, Potassium: 127mg, Fiber: 0.04g, Sugar: 21g, Vitamin A: 1108IU, Vitamin C: 0.5mg, Calcium: 95mg, Iron: 0.5mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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If you caught the foraged ice cream bug, try my chanterelle ice cream in late summer and acorn ice cream in fall to round out the foraging calendar.

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