Rose Falooda Ice Cream

All the flavors of the popular Indian drink come together in every bite of this Rose Falooda Ice Cream!

Floral notes of rose with crunchy add-ins make this ice cream super delicious yet easy to make.

Festive season calls for delicious festive recipes. And when it comes to desserts, the options are unlimited. But the undisputed winner of desserts is always ice cream.

Versatile, easy to make and always a lot of chance of make different flavors, ice creams are the stars of our parties. From the popular ones like thandai ice cream and litchi ice cream to the lesser known gajar halwa ice cream and blue monster ice cream; I make them all.

And honestly, once you get the hang of homemade ice creams, it is difficult to settle for the standard flavors from the store.

Add in your favorites like fruits, flowers, nuts, chocolates or even some vegetables and enjoy ice cream like never before.

Falooda ice cream tops our list of favorite ice creams for sure. Being a rose flavor fanatic; I love the floral notes in the ice cream with all the add-ins.

Jump to:

• What is Falooda
• Why this recipe works
• Ingredients and Substitutions
• How to make this recipe
• Expert Tips and Notes
• Replacements
• Making without an ice cream maker
• Recipe FAQs
• More Rose Recipes
• More Ice Cream Recipes
• Rose Falooda Ice cream

What is Falooda

Falooda or Faluda is a popular Indian drink and dessert. It is loaded with rose, sweet basil seeds, falooda sev, nuts and often tutti frutti and jelly.

It is great to enjoy in restaurants, from street vendors and even to make at home. This drink is actually really delicious. It is flavorful and yet so easy to put together. The combination of ingredients brings everything together in one glass, called Falooda.

And inspired from the drink; is this ice cream recipe. We use rose syrup in the milk and churn it to get the falooda ice cream base.

And true to its name; the ice cream has bloomed basil seeds and falooda sev too. To top it off, I like to use nuts and some more rose syrup.

With all these ingredients and easy to follow steps, the ice cream truly tastes like falooda in every bite.

If you are a fan of Falooda like us; try these for sure: Royal Rose Falooda and Mango Falooda.

Why this recipe works

• This Falooda ice cream is actually pretty easy to make.
• We only need a handful of ingredients to make this delicious ice cream.
• It is rose flavored with add-ins that are typical to Falooda.
• The same recipe works with and without an ice cream maker.
• The recipe is sweet, yet not overly sweet.
• It is a great make-ahead dessert.
• The recipe converts India's popular drink to an ice cream.
• It is super versatile in terms of add-ins and flavors.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Whipping Cream: The base of the ice-cream is whipping cream. Pick the one with at least 30% fat. Lower fat cream will turn into an ice cream but it will not be very creamy.
• Milk: Either whole or 2% fat milk works here. Again, the creaminess of the ice cream depends heavily on the cream content of the ingredients. I hav often used 2% and got away.
• Rose Syrup: The ingredient to get the rose flavor, pink color and sweetness in the ice-cream is rose syrup. I do add a fair amount of this, but if you would like a milder rose flavor; cut down a little on this. Any syrup works, I often prefer Mapro's as it has tiny dried rose petals in it that taste great in the ice cream.
• Sugar: To balance the sweetness without the overpowering rose flavor, I add some sugar. However, this can be adjusted based on how much of the syrup you use.
• Rose water: Another ingredient for rose flavor, add this to get the wonderful fragrance of roses. However, it is okay to skip this as well.
• Add-ins: As we are making a Rose Falooda Ice cream, we need all the ingredients that make a great falooda! Takmaria (basil seeds) are soaked in water and added once they bloom. Plus, I like to add some Falooda sev cooked in warm water too. Moreover, tutti frutti, fennel seeds etc. work well too.
• Toppings: Lastly, we top the ice cream with slivered pistachios and dried rose petals. These give the ice cream a lot of crunch and flavor. I also add some leftover takmaria and falooda sev on top.

See the recipe card for detailed ingredient information, measurements and nutrition.

How to make this recipe

1- In a pan heat water. Add falooda sev and keep stirring for 3-4 minutes.

2- Once the sev is soft, remove from flame and transfer to a bowl using a fine mesh strainer. Set aside to cool completely.

3- Take takmaria in a bowl and add water to it.

4- Set aside and let them bloom for about 20-30 minutes. Then drain the water and set the takmaria aside.

5- In a large bowl add milk, whipping cream and sugar. Mix well till the sugar melts in.

6- Add the rose syrup and rose extract and mix well.

7- Set the mix in the refrigerator for an hour or two.

8- Once the mix has cooled, add it to the ice cream maker.

9- Run the machine till you see soft ice cream being formed.

10- Run it more till the ice cream starts to thicken.

11- Add in most of the takmaria and cooked sev. Run the machine to distribute it.

12- Once the machine stops making the ice cream any thicker, turn it off.

13- Transfer to an ice cream pan. Top with pistachios, dried rose petals, sev and takmaria. Cover and freeze for 4-5 hours.

14- Remove from freezer, scoop into bowl and serve topped with some more rose syrup and nuts.

Expert Tips and Notes

• Make sure all the ingredients i.e. takmaria, sev and rose milk mixture are cool before transferring to the ice cream maker. Any warm element will melt the cooler ones too.
• Also make sure you freeze the ice cream maker bowl for at least 24 hours before making the ice cream; unless the manufacturer instructs differently.
• Pick a rose syrup of your choice. Some have a strong rose flavor, some have tiny petals in it and some are milder and lighter in color.
• Takmaria and faloda sev are signature to any falooda. Adding these to the ice cream makes it similar in texture to actual falooda.
• For a soft serve consistency, enjoy the ice cream straight out of the ice cream maker. However, for a firmer texture, freeze it for a few hours before serving.
• The ice cream is great by itself as a dessert and also works to make the popular drink Falooda.
• Add takmaria, sev, nuts etc. only after the ice cream starts to form. Else they tend to settle to the bottom of the ice cream maker and get stuck in its blade.
• Freeze the ice cream in an air tight container to avoid freezer burn. I have frozen it in a cake pan for the sake of pictures only.
• Make sure you buy rose water and petals that are safe for consumption. Often they come in packs for either beauty purposes or for decoration.

Replacements

While I would strongly recommend using all the ingredients and method listed above, there are a few ways to make this otherwise.

Swap the takmaria with more easy to find chia seeds. Falooda sev can be replaced with regular vermicelli oiled in water.

Making without an ice cream maker

If you do not have the ice cream maker, simply whip the cream till it has soft peaks. Then add in the rose syrup, sugar and milk and whip again.

Fold in the add-ins and freeze till firm. Then enjoy it topped with nuts and dried rose petals.

Recipe FAQs

More Rose Recipes

More Ice Cream Recipes