Smart Treats

Milk Ice Cream Booza

5.0 · 1 ratings

Milk Ice Cream Booza is a stretchy, fragrant Lebanese ice cream made with mastic, sahlab and rose water. This recipe was adapted from Hadia's Lebanese Cuisine's recipe.

Calories245
Protein6g
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Hand holding a cone of Lebanese milk ice cream booza with crushed pistachios

Gather round, everyone (while staying 6 feet apart, of course, please), because I bring you Milk Ice Cream Booza. This Lebanese take on ice cream is full of fragrant flavor and will take you back to the days without any worries.

The recipe

Milk Ice Cream Booza

5.0 from 1 ratings

Colorful Recipes kitchen-tested
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Ingredients

Instructions

  1. With a mortar and pestle, gently crush the mastic granules with a bit of sugar. The consistency should be very fine (see notes below).

  2. In a medium saucepan, add the powdered milk, water, heavy cream, crushed mastic, sugar, cornstarch and Sahlab powder. Over medium heat, whisk continuously and bring to a gentle boil. This should take about , and the mixture should thicken a bit. Watch closely so the mixture doesn't boil over.

  3. Remove from the heat, add the rosewater and vanilla extract, stir well and set aside to cool completely.

  4. Place a piece of wax paper on top of the mixture to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least or overnight.

  5. Thoroughly whisk the refrigerated mixture, transfer to an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. This should take about .

  6. Transfer to an ice cream container and freeze for a minimum of or overnight.

  7. When serving, sprinkle some crushed raw pistachios on top of the ice cream, if desired, and enjoy!

Notes

  • Grinding the mastic: Add a bit of sugar to the mastic granules and crush them with a mortar and pestle. You want a fine, powdery consistency, not a sticky mess. Adding sugar while crushing is key to making sure they don't stick. If they form a thin sticky layer at the bottom, separate them with your fingers, as you would when sprinkling a pinch of sugar by hand.
  • Ice cream maker: Leave the ice cream maker's tub in the freezer for a day before making the ice cream, according to the manufacturer's instructions. Also, make sure you turn the machine on before pouring in the mixture from step #5, per the manufacturer's instructions.

Nutrition Facts

Per serving
Serving size1/2 cup
Amount per servingCalories
245
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 13.7g18%
Saturated Fat 8.7g43%
Cholesterol 46mg15%
Sodium 78mg3%
Total Carbohydrate 25.3g9%
Dietary Fiber 0g0%
Total Sugars 23.1g
Includes 15g Added Sugars30%
Protein 5.7g11%

* The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Macro mix

  • 9% Protein 5.7g
  • 41% Carbs 25.3g
  • 50% Fat 13.7g

Protein score

2.3g protein per 100 calories

Treat yourself

Nutrition is an estimate per serving, calculated from USDA ingredient data and will vary with brands and portions. Optional items not included: crushed raw pistachios for topping. The recipe has no yield; it makes about 5 cups, so this label uses 10 half-cup servings. Assumes whole (full-cream) powdered milk, about 128 g per cup. Sahlab powder is approximated as starch; mastic, rosewater and the crushing sugar are too small to count separately. Use it as a guide, not medical advice.

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Behind the recipe

The story, tips & photos

Cone of Lebanese milk ice cream booza topped with crushed pistachios
Bowl of milk ice cream booza sprinkled with crushed pistachios

I haven't seen you in a while, and I'm proud of you. You're staying home, avoiding crowds and constantly washing your hands. In fact, you're washing them so well that your hands have never been so dry! You're altering your daily life around this new social distancing situation and bravely fighting every last urge to touch that beautiful face of yours.

We're all going through our own hardships, but who knew we all loved touching our faces so much, #amiright?

Nothing can distract our minds and hands more effectively than the amazing Booza!

Milk ice cream booza in a cone and in a bowl, garnished with pistachios
Scoops of milk ice cream booza in a patterned bowl

What is milk ice cream booza?

So what is this Booza?!

To me, Booza is made up of beautiful memories filled with sunny days and aromatic Mediterranean sea breezes. It takes me back to scenic summers with long days and endless adventures.

Booza is an Arabic ice cream. It stands apart from other ice creams thanks to its stretchy consistency and fragrant, refreshing taste. In Lebanon, my favorite was "Mshakal," a variety of colorful, vibrant flavors scooped on top of each other in a rectangular "cone."

Hand holding Lebanese booza mshakal with colorful ice cream flavors

Milk Ice Cream Booza is made with Sahlab (orchid root flour) and Mastic (a plant resin), which are added to milk, cream, cornstarch, sugar, vanilla and fragrant rose water.

Milk ice cream booza ingredients
Mastic granules in a mortar for milk ice cream booza
Mastic crushed into a fine powder in a mortar for booza
Whisking the milk ice cream booza mixture in a saucepan
Pouring booza mixture into an ice cream maker
Milk ice cream booza churning in the ice cream maker
Spooning churned booza into a container
Spreading milk ice cream booza into a container to freeze
Container of milk ice cream booza ready to freeze
Milk ice cream booza served in a cone and a bowl with pistachios
Two scoops of milk ice cream booza topped with crushed pistachios
Hand holding a cone of Lebanese booza with crushed pistachios

Milk Ice Cream Booza is everything I love about this current life situation. I scream, you scream, the whole quarantined world screams for this Booza Ice Cream! I hope you love it as much as I do. Stay safe, stop touching that face and take care of yourself.

More Delicious Ice Cream Recipes

Questions & comments 4

Leave a comment
  1. SShaima

    Great recipe, it has the taste of real booza!

    Unfortunately mine has a bitter aftertaste, any explanation as to what went wrong?

    1. ChristineAuthor

      Hi Shaima. I’m happy that you noticed the booza taste that differs from ordinary ice cream. As for the bitter aftertaste, it is very likely related to possibly using too much mastic. It is possible that the mastic you have is so potent/strong. Consider reducing the quantity in half or more. The other less likely reason is adding the rose water during or before boiling. It should be added only after removing the mixture from the heat.

  2. VVanessa

    This is the best ice cream I have ever made! We love it. The kids love it. My husband loves it. It is definitely time-consuming but it is SO WORTH IT. I used the kitchen aid ice cream bucket. It was super creamy and scoops easily. Thank you!

    1. ChristineAuthor

      Great to hear that you ALL loved it. Enjoy!

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