Rose Ice Cream with Cinnamon Roasted Almonds
Posted on September 10 2025
Sweet in every sense — delicately pink and absolutely delicious.
Rose Ice Cream with Cinnamon Roasted Almonds
Rated 4.0 stars by 1 users
Category
Dessert
Servings
1 quart
Prep Time
4 hours
Cook Time
10 minutes
Author:
Pooja Bavishi, founder Malai Ice Cream
Recipe from Malai: Frozen Desserts Inspired by South Asian Flavors by Pooja Bavishi.
Copyright ©2025 by Pooja Bavishi. Reprinted courtesy of Weldon Owen, an imprint of Insight Edition. Photo credited to Morgan Ione Yeager.
We are proud to work with Pooja Bavishi, founder of Malai, her fabulous NYC ice cream shop. She buys whole spices from us and we sell her ice cream bars and pops in our Cambridge shop. You can experience Malai’s inspired flavors at their stores or by stopping by our shop. And with this recipe, you can also make one of their most popular ice cream flavors right at home!
Pooja writes:
This is the most popular Malai ice cream flavor. It’s the only one we never take o!f of the menu. When I created this flavor, which was very early on in the Malai journey, I was unsure about launching it. Rose ice cream was something that was ubiquitous in my childhood, so it makes me nostalgic. But were New Yorkers ready for something this new? I wasn’t sure—until I absolutely was. This flavor’s constant reign at the top never ceases to amaze me. And the best part? It's pink!
Note: We sell a beautiful Lebanese rose syrup both online and at our stores. And, Indian rose syrup can be found at Indian grocery stores and online. Hamdard Rooh Afza, a widely distributed patented rose syrup, is the best-known brand, but other brands can be used. Do not substitute rose water or rose extract for the rose syrup.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1¼ cups heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons cream cheese, at room temperature
-
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- 2 cups whole milk
- ½ cup granulated cane sugar
-
¼ cup rose syrup (see note above)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¾ cup chopped almonds
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
-
Moroccan rose petals, crumbled or lightly ground, to garnish
For the ice cream:
For the almonds:
For garnish:
Directions
In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of the cream to make a slurry. Whisk the cream cheese, cinnamon, and salt into the slurry until smooth. Set aside.
- In a saucepan, combine the remaining cream, the milk, sugar, and rose syrup and bring to a rolling boil over medium heat, whisking constantly to dissolve the sugar. Continue to boil, whisking constantly, until everything is well incorporated, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cornstarch slurry, mixing well.
- Return the mixture to a boil over medium heat and boil, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and transfer to a heatproof container.
- Let the base cool to room temperature, then cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 4 hours to chill. (If you have the time, letting it sit in the refrigerator overnight is ideal.)
- While the mixture is cooling, prepare the almonds. In a small frying pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the almonds and stir until toasted and a shade darker, 3–4 minutes. Sprinkle with the sea salt, remove from the heat, and let cool completely.
- Remove the chilled base from the refrigerator and stir to recombine. Transfer the base to your ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions, adding the almonds during the last 5 minutes of churning.
- Serve the soft ice cream right away, or place in the freezer to freeze completely. Garnish with rose petals.
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