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.

Homemade Lemon Ice Cream Without Eggs

The texture of this lemon ice cream 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.

ice cream scooper dipping into container of lemon 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!

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.

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

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

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.

Get Inspired

Check out my collection of lemon recipes or ice cream recipes for more tasty ideas.

4.89 from 18 ratings

4 Ingredient Lemon Ice Cream

Author: Carlee

Servings: Servings (2 quarts)

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: 5

Cook: 0

Additional Time 2 30

Total: 2 35

Equipment

Ingredients

▢ 3 cups heavy cream
▢ 1 cup whole milk
▢ 1½ cups granulated sugar
▢ 1 cup lemon juice

Instructions

Stir together cream, milk and sugar until the sugar is dissolved.
3 cups heavy cream, 1 cup whole milk, 1½ cups granulated sugar
Add lemon juice, mixing to combine.
1 cup lemon juice
Pour into ice cream maker and churn according to the directions of your particular maker.
Scoop into storage containers and freeze for at least an hour or two before serving.