It was 102 degrees yesterday. It was a long week at work in a very hot kitchen. Things didn’t all go as planned this week. But I could have cared less yesterday, because I was in a sparkly mood! Which is my way of saying I am in a really good mood. It was Friday, and knew I would have the next ten days off to enjoy myself! But, you know what put me in an even better mood yesterday, my Lemon Basil Ice Cream that I had made Thursday night! It was in the freezer waiting for me when I got home and I was ready to dive in!
For those of you that think basil in ice cream sounds a little unusual, you are not alone, my own Mother told me it sounded very odd. But seriously, it was delicious! It was cooling and herby, sweet and a little tart with the lemon. So fragrant, and it reminded me of sherbert in a way.
I had used my fresh basil from my herb pot and it could not have been a better match for the lemon coconut milk ice cream base. It was the most lovely color of green, and I think it would be amazing in the center of a chilled summer soup but I enjoyed it unadorned yesterday, and it was perfect! The perfect way to end my week that is! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, are surviving the summer heat and staying cool!
3 cups organic full fat coconut milk, chilled
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
3 Tbsp organic lemon zest
3 Tbsp lemon juice
3/4 cup agave nectar
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
2 tsp lemon extract
1/2 tsp sea salt
Combine all ingredients in a blender, and process until well blended. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and process according to package directions (mine takes about an hour, and is still a little soupy like the consistency of a malt, but firms up in the freezer later). Once processed, pour into freezable container with a lid, and place in the freezer for at least a few hours, or overnight to firm up for best results.
Now this is my kind of ice cream. I am totally obsessed with basil. A recipe definitely worth bookmarking! YUM!
Thank you :)! I am obsessed with basil as well! Have a large pot of it growing on my patio!
Love the darker green specks…looks delish<3
Enjoy your time to yourself…:)
Thank you :)! I will certainly enjoy this vacation ;)!
What a gorgeous bowl of ice cream! I’ve had basil ice cream but I do believe your lemon basil would far surpass the one I had. It looks heavenly and definitely the answer to the heat!
Thank you :)! It was super refreshing! The lemon gave is a sherbert like base!
I made basil lemon martinis a few weeks back….SO GOOD, you should try it! Basil infused simple syrup.
I have a similar drink that I enjoy! Love basil and lemon in a martini! I was thinking a scoop of this ice cream would be good at the bottom of a drink on a hot day…
Ooo looks super 🙂
Thank you :)!
I will just have to try this! I’m loving my ice cream maker, so will be doing this with the kids.
Hope you enjoy it as much as I did! An ice cream maker is one of the best investments! I use mine every week :)!
You totally knock me out with your creativity. Basil, lemon and coconut go so well together on pasta. Why not as a sweetened dessert. Beautiful.
Thanks Suzi :)! It was a wonderful combo! And why not serve after that pasta ;)!
Love your recipes, but need a better format for printing…
Sorry, I hadn’t thought of that. Perhaps, copy and paste to Word, then print the recipe.
Oh gosh, another great one.
I don’t think it sounds odd at all! I actually made basil simple syrup yesterday for the watermelon basil sorbetto I’m going to make this weekend! 😀 Enjoy your time off!!!
That watermelon basil sorbet sounds wonderful! I will have to check that out when you post it :)!
I thought this ice cream looked so amazing that today, after I came home (late, according to my standards!) from the beach, I just HAD to make it. I blended it all together, and could not resist tasting the “batter.” I ended up using 1 can (1 2/3 cups) Thai kitchen coconut milk, and 1 1/3 cups of So Delicious coconut creamer (because I only had that one can of coconut milk!), so I’m hoping it still comes out! You’re a genius – I will be making more of your recipes soon!
Awesome! Hope you enjoy it :)! Let me know how it turns out with the creamer!
Oh my goodness. I just tried it, and I think that a little part of me died and went to heaven! It’s perfect – so light and creamy. My mom thinks that it’s a dessert that should be served at a high-end restaurant. I applaud your creativity!!!
So glad you enjoyed it Sunnie :)! Thank you for the wonderful compliments!
Another delicious creation, Amy – I can always count on you to come up with beautiful and creative ideas! I’m featuring this post in Food Fetish Friday (with a link-back and attribution). I hope you have no objections and it’s always a pleasure following you…
Thanks again for including me! Always an honor :)!
Herbed ice cream doesn’t faze me because I’ve had it as a dessert at some restaurants. Nice job here and it looks light and refreshing!
It was increadibly refreshing! Thank you :)!
Wonderful! Just made it tonight as my birthday treat to myself after a month of no sweets. This was amazing!
So glad you enjoyed it! Happy Birthday :)!
This is in my ice cream maker right now. I’m so excited to try it. Thanks for the recipe!
Hello, I would love to make this recipe unfortunately I’ve never made my own ice cream before. Am I supposed to use the whole can of coconut milk or just the cream that separates to the top? Thanks
The whole can, I always specify if you are just using the top part in my recipes :)!
Can I make this with normal full fat milk instead of coconut milk since I’m allergic to coconut milk?
You really could use any kind of milk. A thick almond milk would work too. If you are going with dairy milk what you use makes the ice cream texture. So a cream would make a rich ice cream, but just milk would give it an icy more dense texture. So just depends on your preference.
Also, I don’t have an ice cream maker, so is there any alternative for that??
You can pour the mix into a bowl, put it in the freezer and stir it every 30 minutes until it is thickened to the consistency of soft serve, then proceed with pouring it into a container.
This looks so good! What perfect, unique flavors to put into ice cream! Definitely worth making your own ice cream for!
Thank you so much :)! I completely agree!
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
Happy to share :)! I find it keeps for about 2 months in the freezer with a good texture. It is still edible after that, but it might be freezer burned.