My Honeysuckle Ice Cream is an easy homemade ice cream infused with the delicate flavor of honeysuckle!
In life, as well as in the kitchen, I’m a big believer in making use of what you’ve got, and right now I’ve got a rambling honeysuckle vine draped over my front porch, just coming into bloom this week. Last year at this same time I made HONEYSUCKLE ICED TEA with those very blossoms and I was amazed at how beautifully the fragrant nectar of the flowers infused into the tea.
The flavor is subtle and exotic, and since you can’t actually see any evidence of honeysuckle in this ice cream, it’s one of those recipes that requires a little bit of imagination. If you’ve ever gotten a whiff of a honeysuckle flower, you’ll know what I’m talking about. When you translate that into a food, it’s like nothing you’ve ever tasted…kind of a hybrid of flavor and scent, and it really stretches my whole concept of what a flavor can be.
The light floral makes a surprisingly refreshing ice cream. I added the vanilla bean to ground it with a familiar flavor, but the honeysuckle holds its own, which makes sense since it was created by Mother Nature to be a powerful attractant.
The process for making this ice cream is simple enough. I just picked a big bunch of blossoms (it’s best to pick edible flowers in the morning when they’re fresh) and removed any leaves and stems. The flowers come in little pairs, and you want to pinch them off all the way down where they attach to the leaves, because that’s where the nectar is stored. I steeped them in my cream, milk, and sugar mixture by bringing it all up to a simmer and then turning off the heat. I let it cool, then refrigerate it over night to give the flavor plenty of time to infuse. In the morning I strained out the flowers, added vanilla bean, and processed it in my ice cream maker.
This is a very delicate flavor, definitely not meant for gobs of chocolate sauce or sprinkles. Serve it simply, all by itself, or with a plain cookie, and let the unique floral perfume of the blossoms shine. Save a few fresh flowers to scatter around for effect.
This would be a very elegant dessert to serve at a spring shower or dinner party.
Honeysuckle bushes or vines are very common in the States, so check around and see if you can spot one. Depending on where you live, they will come into bloom sometime in the early spring and go right through summer. If you don’t happen to have a honeysuckle vine handy, don’t worry, you’re not out of luck. You can do this same thing with all kinds of edible flowers. Just be sure your flowers are clean and pesticide free. I think roses would work wonderfully, just remove the petals and steep them just like I did with the honeysuckle. Jasmine, lilac, or lavender would also work – pick a flavor that you like and give it a try.
For a list of common edible flowers, check out my Spring Salad with Edible Flowers post.
Which ice cream machine do I recommend?
I get asked all the time about what machine I use. I use and recommend Cuisinart. I’ve had my machine for years without any issues, I think because there are no fussy electronic parts to break down ~ it’s a simple motor that turns the freezer bowl for churning the ice cream and it works quickly and perfectly every time.
- The machine I use, and it’s the base model. It works great for ice cream, frozen yogurt, and sorbets, and makes all of them in about 2o minutes. Click HERE or click on the image for more info.
Why should hummingbirds have all the fun?
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 cups honeysuckle blossoms (this is approximate)
- seeds from 1 vanilla bean
Instructions
- Put the cream, milk and sugar into a medium saucepan and stir to dissolve the sugar.
- Add the honeysuckle blossoms into the pan and and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
- Turn off the heat and let the mixture come to room temperature. Then cover and refrigerate overnight.
- In the morning, strain the blossoms out and add the vanilla bean seeds. Mix well to break apart any clumped seeds.
- Process the cold mixture in your ice cream machine according to its directions.
- Put the soft ice cream in the freezer to firm up before serving.
Thanks for pinning!

41 Comments
Crystal
April 25, 2018 at 7:59 pmI have a recipe that involves heavy cream in a mason jar. Is it possible to infuse the heavy cream with honeysuckle and then cool it back down before using it in my recipe?
Sue
April 25, 2018 at 8:00 pmI don’t see why not, and I think you can infuse it cold, too, it just might take overnight in the fridge.
Diane Dommer
December 22, 2017 at 2:57 pmCan honeysuckle essential oil be used for flavoring?
Sue
December 22, 2017 at 3:04 pmIt’s only safe to eat certain food-grade essential oils, and I haven’t used them for flavoring, so I can’t say. I do associate them more with scent than flavor, but it’s something I’ll look into Diane.
Amanda Proctor
May 14, 2017 at 8:22 pmI would love to try this ice cream but I do not have a ice cream machine (and cannot afford to get one right now)! So, I was wondering if you could make this ice cream without a ice cream maker??? Any suggestions are welcomed. Thanks!
Sue
May 14, 2017 at 9:34 pmYou could use my no churn formula, which involves whipping heavy cream, and blending it with sweetened condensed milk, and freezing until scoop-able. You would infuse the flowers into the cream the same way you do in this recipe, but omit the sugar. See my no-churn vanilla ice cream recipe for more details: http://theviewfromgreatisland.com/no-churn-vanilla-bean-ice-cream/
cakespy
April 4, 2017 at 4:43 amThis popped up as a featured recipe and like WHOA! It’s lovely and I can only imagine the fragrant, fresh flavor. Perfect!
Eileen
March 12, 2016 at 8:35 amOh, wow. This looks wonderful. I love using flowers as flavoring. Can’t wait to try this.
Marlene
June 21, 2015 at 2:05 pmOh my! Now I wish I still had my vine, as we had to pull it out to build our new pool deck, it covered the entire side of the old deck! I started with 2 very small 4 inch plants, it is my all time favorite flower! I plan to replace it but haven’t figured out where I want it yet as I want it nearby my back deck so I can smell the wonderful fragrance it gives off! I will try to find some flowers somewhere that I can pick to make this wonderful ice cream! It looks and sounds delicious!
Sue
June 21, 2015 at 2:20 pmThanks for stopping by Marlene – I hope you get some new vines planted soon!
Kenan
May 14, 2015 at 11:04 amCan’t wait to try this! :)
Sue
May 14, 2015 at 12:05 pmPlease let me know what you think, Kenan!
Gwen @SimplyHealthyFamily
April 18, 2015 at 11:50 amthis is the best ice cream idea in the history of ice cream! Stunning photographs! {PS congrats on your InStyle interview!}
Sue
April 18, 2015 at 1:13 pmthanks Gwen :) :)
Sarah | Broma Bakery
April 16, 2015 at 7:00 amJust the title of the post names me swoon. Honeysuckle Ice Cream! Oh I just love it. What a fantastic idea, Sue! By the way, my sister sent me a link to your blog the other week and said “what a great name and a great blog.” I replied “duh, I follow her already!!”
Liz+@+Floating+Kitchen
April 16, 2015 at 6:11 amFirst up – these photos are just gorgeous! And second – honeysuckle ice cream is brilliant. I had it growing all over my yard in California and I can still smell it. Glorious!!!
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella
April 16, 2015 at 5:50 amWhat a delightful sounding flavour! I don’t think I’ve ever tried anything like this before but now that I’ve seen your recipe I want to seek out honeysuckle flowers :D
Claudia Lamascolo
April 16, 2015 at 4:19 amWe are ice cream hounds here in Florida this one is a lovely difference from the rest! Thanks for your visit!
Melissa @ Bits of Umami
April 15, 2015 at 9:24 pmLove the simplicity of this! Who knew honeysuckles could make ice cream taste so good!?
Amber @ The Bewitched Baker
April 15, 2015 at 6:01 pmEven though I grew up in the country, I often forget how delicious flowers are converted to flavors. Honeysuckle is my mother’s favorite aroma – my house was always full of it growing up. Thanks for the instructions on how to prepare the blossoms properly. :)
Sue
April 15, 2015 at 6:20 pmThat sounds magical, Amber.
Liz
April 15, 2015 at 5:15 pmYour photos have me smacking my lips, Sue! What a perfect spring ice cream flavor!
Dawn @ Words Of Deliciousness
April 15, 2015 at 5:04 pmI would have never thought of using honeysuckles in ice cream, I love the idea! The ice cream loves so refreshing. Your pictures are so lovely.
Velva
April 15, 2015 at 2:35 pmThat is amazing….I live under a rock. I had no idea you could use honeysuckle blossoms. This is beautiful. I can totally imagine the subtle scent and flavor it would add to ice cream.
Velva
John@Kitchen+Riffs
April 15, 2015 at 1:38 pmWow, you’re good! I would never have thought of honeysuckle ice cream. Brilliant idea, wonderfully done. Thanks!
Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti
April 15, 2015 at 10:34 amOh Sue I know I’d love this ice cream! My Mother had honeysuckle vines growing wild along a fence when I was a child and my friends and I would pull the flowers out and slurp the honeysuckle juice from the bottom. It was so sweet! I wonder if it would grow in my backyard? I’ll have to plant some if I can find the seeds.
Abbe+@+This+is+How+I+Cook
April 15, 2015 at 8:25 amI think my honeysuckle has bit the dust. That makes me very sad now that I know I could have made this! Love those photos and this recipe!
Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom
April 15, 2015 at 7:55 amSue, this is the most beautiful ice cream I’ve seen!!!! and honeysuckle blossoms?!!! Amazing!!! I love it!!!
PurpleQueen
April 15, 2015 at 7:20 amOh My! Honeysuckle has to be one of my most favorite things! We don’t get any blooms until late May here in the North East. It’s a short season for such a wonderful flower; and as you said the scent is absolutely intoxicating! Many thanks for another fun post!
Susan
April 15, 2015 at 7:11 amYou are so lucky to have a honeysuckle growing in your warm climate, Sue. I wonder if they sell honeysuckle extract anywhere :) I’m sure your delicately flavored ice cream must taste wonderful on a warm day!
bellini
April 15, 2015 at 2:29 amYou are definitely adventurous in the kitchen, This method would be perfect more any edible flower or maybe even citrus. Not all have the gorgeous fragrance of honeysuckle.
Laura (Tutti Dolci)
April 14, 2015 at 6:00 pmHoneysuckle is so fragrant so I can only imagine how scrumptious this ice cream is! Love the creamy texture too!
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert
April 14, 2015 at 5:52 pmYou are simply amazing Sue. I remember your tea from last year. I also still think about the tons of nectar we robbed from honeysuckle vines when I was a child. We would sit in the grass and suck the ends of the blooms to get every last bite. I think this recipe is brilliant and am very sure it will end up in a magazine! Congratulations on a fantastic recipe!
Maria | Pink Patisserie
April 14, 2015 at 2:02 pmHow absolutely beautiful! I can only imagine how amazing this must taste! I have a huge honeysuckle plant in my garden that definitely needs to be put to good use. I definitely see this ice cream in my future!
Barbara
April 14, 2015 at 12:31 pmOh! You are so lucky to have honeysuckle growing right at hand. I’m jealous. It loves Florida, but I don’t have any…will ask my garden club who does and steal some blooms away! A beautiful ice cream, Sue. And great photos, per usual. I’ve pinned it.
Chris Scheuer
April 14, 2015 at 11:21 amI can see I’m going to have to take a scissors along on our morning walk. We don’t have any honeysuckle in the yard but we definitely smell the intoxicating aroma at this time of the year when we’re out in the neighborhood. I love to pause and just inhale but never thought of using them for culinary purposes. Quite brilliant!
Sue
April 14, 2015 at 12:45 pmI love it when the scent ‘blooms’ in the evenings, it really is intoxicating, thanks Chris!
Kitchen Belleicious
April 14, 2015 at 10:58 amits funny that you post this bc I was just trying to explain to my little boys the other day at the park that mommy used to suck honeysuckles from a tree by her house when she was little. They thought i was insane! This ice cream screams at me and I just adore it. wish i had some now
Sue
April 14, 2015 at 12:45 pmYou’ll have to make some for him :)
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
April 14, 2015 at 7:16 amHow unique and beautiful! I’m definitely going to find myself some honeysuckle when it comes in to bloom here to try this :)
Sue
April 14, 2015 at 8:22 amThanks Jennifer!