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Homemade Lemon Ice Cream

Thanks for sharing!

 You are just 4 ingredients away from a bowl of creamy homemade lemon ice cream. It has the perfect balance of sweet and tart and is sure to delight your taste buds.

small bowl with 3 scoops of lemon ice cream and a spoon.

If you love a good citrus dessert, you are in for a treat. This lemon ice cream recipe is simple as can be to make and has a big blast of lemony flavor. 

The texture is smooth and creamy.  It really is just about as good as it gets.  Whip up a batch to see for yourself.

I cannot tell you enough how much my boys liked this ice cream.  It left my husband wondering (out loud, several times over) why lemon ice cream isn’t really a thing you see in stores.

Luckily homemade ice cream is easy to make, because we are all in love. Homemade lemon ice cream is going to be on a heavy rotation during the summertime from here on out.

Of course I knew it was going to be a hit after everyone loved the key lime sherbet so much.  This ice cream is every bit as citrusy and delicious.

lemon ice cream ingredients and ice cream maker ready to make ice cream.

After all sherbet and ice cream aren’t to far apart, but with a bit more cream this ice cream has a super smooth melt in your mouth texture.  And of course this recipe uses lemon juice instead of key lime. 

Other than that, there isn’t a ton to tell you about this recipe. It is so simple and so good and that is really all you need to know!

small bowl with three scoops of creamy homemade lemon ice cream and yellow napkin.

Favorite Ice Cream Makers

MiMi has a couple kitchenaid ice cream maker attachments for her stand mixer.  She loves them and makes all of her ice cream with them.

I recently got a cuisinart ice cream maker. You freeze the bowl ahead of using it much like the kitchenaid attachment.

Both work great and are relatively affordable. You just have to remember to get the bowl in the freezer in plenty of time to get it cold, but that is a whole lot better than making sure you have enough ice and salt on hand!

ice cream scooper dipping into container of lemon ice cream.

Great Ice Cream Storage Options

My mom loves the Tovolo Glide-A-Scoop containers that fit in the freezer well, stack easily and store nicely. She already has a couple and is getting ready to order more.

I got fun quart sized containers that are reusable and dishwasher safe that I like as well. No matter how it’s stored, ice cream tends to disappear quickly around here!

What makes sherbet different than ice cream?

Sherbet is between sorbet and ice cream. Sorbet doesn’t include dairy, sherbet includes some dairy and ice cream contains almost 50% cream.

Tips and Tricks

As the ice cream mixture churns, it will expand. Don’t worry though, by that point it is frozen enough that it won’t run over or make a mess.

Make sure to freeze the bowl of your ice cream maker at least overnight. If you have the freezer space, just keep it in the freezer so you can make ice cream whenever you would like.

Using cold ingredients will help the ice cream to freeze more quickly. There is no need to let anything come to room temperature here.

After the ice cream has been in the freezer for a while, it will freeze pretty solid. Pull it out of the freeze about 10 minutes before you plan to serve it to make scooping easier.

You can try adjusting the cream to milk ratio if you want to try to save some calories. But keep in mind that the texture will change as you adjust the amounts.

More Great Summertime Desserts

Strawberry orange sorbet is another refreshing dessert. As the name suggests, it is dairy free and loaded with fruity goodness.

For another no bake lemon treat, try making lemon icebox pie. It is simple, creamy and easy to make.

Key lime cheesecake jars are another fun treat. They are perfect for packing on a picnic or serving at a party.

For another fun and easy citrus treat, try making some lemon puppy chow. It’s a great snack mix.

Love this recipe? Give it a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review in the recipe card below!

Yield: 16 Servings (2 quarts)

4 Ingredient Lemon Ice Cream

small bowl with 3 scoops of lemon ice cream and a spoon.

If you love a good citrus dessert, you are in for a treat. This ice cream is simple as can be to make and has a big blast of lemony flavor. The texture is smooth and creamy. It really is just about as good as it gets. Whip up a batch to see for yourself.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Additional Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 cups heavy cream
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 cup lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Stir together cream, milk and sugar until the sugar is dissolved.
  2. Add lemon juice, mixing to combine.
  3. Pour into ice cream maker and churn according to the directions of your particular maker.
  4. Scoop into storage containers and freeze for at least an hour or two before serving.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

16

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 236Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 52mgSodium: 22mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 0gSugar: 21gProtein: 2g

All nutritional information is estimated and will depend on the exact ingredients you use.

Did you make this recipe?

I'd love to see it! Share a picture on Instagram or Pinterest and tag me @carleecooks to let me know how it went!

If you love a good citrus dessert, you are in for a treat. This ice cream is simple as can be to make and has a big blast of lemony flavor.  The texture is smooth and creamy.  It really is just about as good as it gets.  Whip up a batch to see for yourself.

Thanks for sharing!

Big Rigs 'n Lil' Cookies

Saturday 19th of December 2020

Thanks for sharing your storage choices. I really need to get one of those. I think we would make more ice cream if we had proper storage!

Carlee

Saturday 9th of January 2021

You have to have a place to put that ice cream, though it never lasts too long around here... so long term storage isn't an issue ;-)

Amy

Thursday 10th of December 2020

Audrey and I both love Lemon Ice Cream. My hubby and most of my children don't care for it, but that is OK because that leaves more for me!

Carlee

Tuesday 15th of December 2020

There is definitely a silver lining in being the only one who likes treats!

Andrea Nine

Friday 4th of December 2020

My mouth is literally watering as I was reading this as lemon ice cream is my favorite! Thank you for the recipe and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Carlee

Tuesday 15th of December 2020

It is creamy and tart and refreshing, everything you'd hope it would be. Thanks, Andrea!

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