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This light and refreshing Lemon Ice Cream is perfect enjoyed by itself or use it to top your favorite fruit crisp or cobbler for an amazing flavor twist.
Why You’ll Love This Lemon Ice Cream
I am a huge ice cream fan and it is usually my dessert of choice.
As you know one of my other loves is lemon so coming up with the perfect lemon ice cream was a pretty big priority for me. I think I may have found it.
The perfect ice cream needs to have just the right amount of lemon. It can’t be too tart or too sweet. It needs to be just right, and this one is just that.
Ingredients Needed
- Lemons. You will use the juice and the zest.
- Sugar. Granulated sugar
- Eggs
- Whole Milk
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- Vanilla Extract
- Salt
Tips from Leigh Anne
- The base for this ice cream is a cooked custard because there are eggs in the recipe. You will need to plan ahead with this ice cream as the ice cream base needs to be cooked and then cooled before churning into ice cream.
- I always use real, fresh squeezed lemon juice for the best flavor.
- I usually allow my ice cream to harden up in the freezer a while before serving. You can serve it right after processing though if you can’t wait, it will just be more soft serve like.
How to Make Lemon Ice Cream
- Combine the eggs, sugar, salt, lemon juice and zest and one cup of milk.
- Cook over medium heat until it comes to a simmer. After cooking the mixture you may want to pour it through a strainer to remove the lemon rind and any pieces of egg that might not have gotten mixed in. There are times when I don’t do this though and my ice cream always turns out great.
- After straining put it in the refrigerator to chill.
- After it has chilled, just process according to the directions of your ice cream maker.
- Place ice cream into freezer after it has processed to allow it to set up and harden a bit.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long will homemade ice cream last in the freezer?
Stored in an airtight, insulated ice cream container it will last for a couple of weeks.
Do I have to use an ice cream maker?
This homemade ice cream recipe is designed to be made in an ice cream maker and is not meant to be a no churn ice cream.
What kind of ice cream maker do you use?
I use a Cuisinart 2 qt. ice cream maker. I then transfer the ice cream into this insulated ice cream container to let the ice cream harden up.
For other yummy ice cream recipes try these:
Lemon Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Tbsp lemon zest
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/2 cup whipping cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a pan mix together zest, juice, sugar, salt and eggs.
- Add in 1 cup whole milk and vanilla.
- Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly until it comes to a simmer.
- Strain through a sieve to remove zest if desired..
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold.
- Add in whipping cream and freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions.
Tips & Notes:
- Recipe makes 1 quart of lemon ice cream.
- The base for this ice cream is a cooked custard because there are eggs in the recipe. You will need to plan ahead with this ice cream as the ice cream base needs to be cooked and then cooled before churning into ice cream.
- I usually allow my ice cream to harden up in the freezer a while before serving. You can serve it right after processing though if you can’t wait, it will just be more soft serve like.
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Nutrition Facts:
Saveria says
Just wondering if by eggs you mean the whole egg, white included or just the yolk? I’ve made normal vanilla ice cream using egg yolk but never the whole egg. Anyway if you could let me know I’d really appreciate it. Thanks again!
Leigh Anne Wilkes says
I use the whole egg
Mary says
I made this recently for a family gathering, and we all loved it. The ice cream is smooth and has a lovely flavor. I like that the eggs are cooked with the rest of the ingredients instead of having to incorporate the yolks separately like other custard type recipes. This recipe is a keeper.
Mrs N says
Lemon chiffon is my absolute favorite ice cream from when I first tasted it at Baskin Robbins 31wonderful flavors. Very, very rarely have I ever located it in the dairy freezer section of the grocery store. The color even looks wonderful. Can barely wait to try it.
Julia Sparrow says
That was really yummy. I only had one lemon, which was not enough juice, but I had lemon curd on hand and mixed some in. Favorite lemon ice cream by far!!
Marianne Evans says
Fabulous. Couldn’t be better. I served this to guests in waffle cone bowls with a mint sprig. Very nice presentation.