Strawberry Magnolia Spice Ice Cream
Fruity and filled with that cardamom-like warming spice flavor, this strawberry magnolia ice cream brings a new twist to spring flavors. It’s rich, creamy, with the perfect melt in your mouth flavor. The warm spice profile can be hard to pin down, and that’s because magnolia flowers have so much complexity. Mixed with strawberries, this vegan ice cream is rich and dynamic.
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Foraging Magnolia Petals
Disclaimer- use caution when foraging wild edibles, and always be certain of your identification. While I assume responsibility for the accuracy of the information provided on this site, I can’t be responsible for the accuracy of your information. Consult multiple websites, books and local experts, and when it doubt, do without.
Magnolias include over a hundred different types of flowering shrubs and trees. They have smooth, brown-grey bark that ages and turns into a more scaly bark. The leaves tend to be oval, with a glossy green and waxy appearance. The flowers are the most distinctive part of the magnolia. They are in shades of white, pink, and light purple. The ones that I pick are large, pink, and have petals with pointy tips with 9 petals per flower. Since there are different types, you have to make sure you identify your tree to make sure it’s an edible magnolia. They can survive well in most heartiness zones, and flower between March to May.
Magnolia petals are edible- as far as I know there are no other parts of the tree that are. They are amazing pickled, and have almost a pickled ginger like taste and texture. You can add a few petals to a salad for a nice peppery flavor. You can also dry the petals and grind them up and use them as a spice that’s similar to cardamom.
Pick Magnolia Flowers with Me
Looking for Strawberry Recipes? Try one of these!
- Champagne and Strawberry Rice Crispy Treats
- Mini Strawberry, Rhubarb and Wintergreen Berry Tarts
- Japanese Knotweed Recipe: Knotweed Pop-Tarts
- Strawberry Vegan High Protein Smoothie Recipe
- Homemade Vegan Strawberry Flavored Chocolates
- Knotweed & Strawberry Compote Over Oatmeal
- Strawberry and Japanese Knotweed Crisp
Looking for Edible Flower Recipes? Try one of these!
- Pink Hibiscus No Mayo Pasta Salad
- Garlic Mustard Recipe: Laminated Wild Ravioli
- Daylily Flower Vegetable Lo Mein
- Hibiscus Flower and White Bean Vegan Tostadas
- Taste of Summer Queen Anne’s Lace Jelly
- Pickled Magnolia Blossom Sushi
- Chilled Lemony Wood Sorrel Soup
- Spring Stinging Nettle Pasta with Vegan Parmesan
- How to Make Quick Pickled Magnolia Petals
- Milkweed Mushroom Moo Shu
How to Make Strawberry Magnolia Ice Cream
This recipe uses an ice cream maker. Just a fun fact, but I don’t have an ice cream maker- I actually borrowed mine from my local library’s “Library of Things” collection. It’s a great resource to see if your library has.
Before you make this ice cream, read the instructions on your ice cream machine. Most of them require that you freeze the ice cream bowl for many hours ahead of time, so make sure you get that started. You also will want to soak or boil your cashews ahead of time, to soften them so they’re able to blend.
To extract the magnolia flavor, add a cup of well packed petals to a saucepan with some plant-based milk. I recommend soy or oat milk- coconut would also work well, but it will give you a coconut flavor. Bring it to a boil, and turn off the heat and allow it to cool. Throw it into your blender with the remaining ice cream ingredients. A quick note about strawberries- this is a great recipe to use frozen strawberries in, as you’re just going to be blending them up and refreezing them. Unless you have a plethora of fresh strawberries, I would save the fresh ones for snacking and salads and use frozen here. Blend it all until totally smooth. If your mixture is not relatively cold, it would be best to transfer to the fridge to allow to cool down. From there follow the instructions from your ice cream machine. In my case it took about 15 minutes to churn. After that transfer it to a container for storage and put it in the freezer to finish setting up. It will be a little harder than store-bought ice cream, so make sure to warm it up a little in the microwave or on the counter before scooping.
Strawberry Magnolia Spice Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups plant-based milk (preferably oat or soy)
- 1 packed cup magnolia petals
- 1 cup raw cashews, softened
- 1 ½ cup strawberries, fresh or frozen, hulled
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp. neutral-flavored oil (coconut or vegetable are good choices)
- ¼ tsp. cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Before starting, make sure your ice cream bowl is frozen per the instructions on your ice cream machine. You will also want to soften your cashews by either soaking them overnight or boiling for 15 minutes.
- Add your magnolia petals to a saucepan with the plant-based milk. Bring up to a boil, turn off the heat, and allow to cool. Add the milk with the petals to a blender with the remaining ingredients. Blend until completely smooth. Allow to cool in the fridge until evenly chilled.
- Churn according to the directions on your ice cream maker. Once complete, transfer to an airtight container and place in the freezer to finish setting. Before serving, either allow to sit out for 15 minutes to soften, or microwave for 15 seconds on high.
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