Bright, creamy, and refreshingly tart, this homemade lemon custard ice cream is pure sunshine in a scoop. Made with a rich egg yolk custard base, it's ultra-smooth and velvety with the perfect balance of sweet and tangy. Whether you're cooling off on a warm day or craving a citrusy dessert, this luscious ice cream is guaranteed to bring a little joy to every bite for ice cream lovers.
Custard ice creams are rich, creamy and smooth, because the base is thickened with egg yolks. They are sometimes referred to as frozen custards rather than ice cream, or French-style ice creams. Whatever you call them, custard ice creams are delicious, plus they scoop easier after being in the freezer versus getting icy. This lemon custard ice cream is of our favorites.
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Why You'll Like This Recipe
- Great texture: lemon custard ice cream is rich and creamy.
- With an ice cream maker, it's easy to make.
- Lemon lovers will be very happy!
Lemon Custard Ice Cream ingredients
For your shopping list:
- Dairy: Use real heavy cream and whole milk combined for balanced richness.
- Lemons: Use both the zest and juice for big lemon flavor.
- Sweetener: Natural granulated sugar.
- Eggs: All you need is the yolks.
Please see the recipe card for measurements.
Love lemon? This lemon olive oil cake is another terrific lemon dessert.
Chef's tip on lemons: I love cooking with Meyer lemons and am fortunate to grow them. With their smooth skin, Meyer lemons are a little sweeter and more floral than a standard lemon. It is a cross between a common lemon and a sweet orange or mandarin. If only regular lemons are available they work perfectly as well.
Recipe Instructions
Before you start, set up an ice bath. Fill a large bowl half full of ice and cold water.
Step 1: Combine cream and milk into a medium saucepan (about 3 quarts) over medium heat. When hot and add lemon zest and turn heat down, allowing the zest to infuse while you work on the eggs and sugar.
Step 2: While the lemon is infusing, whisk egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl until smooth.
Step 3: Is called tempering. Add a ¼ cup of the hot dairy to the eggs yolks bowl and whisk until smooth. Do this again, and one more time. This is so your egg yolks don't scramble. Lastly pour the yolks into the pan on the stove and stir. Here's where you need to be patient, but it doesn't take long.
Step 4: Cook the custard, stirring as it cooks. You will feel it tighten up and thicken as you stir. The custard is done when it coats the back of a spoon and leaves a line through it. Remove from the heat, add lemon juice and pinch of sea salt.
Step 5: Chill the lemon custard base by nestling the bowl into the ice bath. Stir to release the heat. When cold, pour the base through a fine sieve to catch any bits of stray egg yolk, then refrigerate until very cold, about 1-2 hours.
Step 6: Add the chilled lemon custard ice cream base to your ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturers directions for your machine.
Chef's tip on pans: When making custard you need a heavy pan because the weight distributes heat gently and evenly. Even heat distribution cooks egg yolks without scrambling them. Almost any 3 quart heavy pot will do, but I use a pan called a saucier. A saucier has sloped sides versus straight sides, making whisking and stirring easier. They are a nice addition to your kitchen collection and for many more uses than making this lemon custard ice cream (like my beloved risotto).
Serving Suggestions
Serve lemon custard ice cream either soft serve style right out of the machine or freeze for a few hours so the is firmer and more scoop-able. And if you love ice cream, here is the absolute best ice cream scooper!
Chef's tip on ice cream storage: I've tried lot of containers for freezing homemade ice cream from metal to plastic and paper. Here is the best ice cream tub and all that I now use. Ive tried the oval shaped containers that promote easier scooping, and while I have several of them, I still prefer a good old fashioned round tub.
Recipe FAQs
I prefer making lemon ice cream with Meyer lemons. Meyers are a little sweeter and more floral that a standard lemon, but any lemon will do! Use what is in season and best at the market. Find them online as well. If you live in a temperate area, try growing your own tree. They are easy to grow both in the ground and in containers. Last tip, use organic, untreated lemons for the best lemon ice cream.
For big lemon flavor in lemon ice cream you need fresh lemons, not the bottled juice. Use both the lemon juice and the lemon zest. The lemon zest is really where the big flavor is. Don't use the white part called the pith, as it is bitter.
If it's still not lemony enough for you, add a couple drops of lemon essential oil (to the ice cream base) to boost the lemon flavor. That's a great trick.
Don't use too much sugar so that the natural tartness of the lemon shines through. Lemons will vary in their flavor by variety and season. Taste the ice cream base and make your own adjustments.
To prevent ice cream from becoming too hard, I've found that using the right container for freezer storage makes a big difference. The winner in my house is
freezer-safe containers keep out air and seal in flavor with a silicone lid that seals tight. Choose the right size container as well, the size that fills just to the top and seals out air.
Another tip, here is when you need to use sugar. Substituting sugar substitutes is fine if you plan to serve it soon after it it finished, but they tend to get icy after longer freezing.
More Lemon Recipes
For another lovely lemony dessert, try this lemon mousse, and all time favorite lemon recipe.
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If you make this lemon custard ice cream, please add your comment. I appreciate your feedback and enjoy hearing from you. If you loved it, please give it a 5-star rating! They really help other readers.
📖 Recipe
Lemon Custard Ice Cream
Equipment
- Ice Cream Maker
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest use a microplane zester
- ⅔ cup sugar or ¾ cup powdered allulose for sugar-free, see note below.
- 5 large egg yolks
- ⅔ cup lemon juice 3 large lemons
- pinch salt
Instructions
Set up
- Create an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice and water ¾ full and set aside to cool ice cream base. Set a medium bowl into the ice and place a sieve on top.
Prep lemons
- Zest and juice lemons. You need ⅔ cup of strained juice and about 2 tablespoons of lemon zest.
Cook the custard base
- Pour cream and milk into a medium saucepan (about 3 quarts) and add lemon zest. Turn heat to low and allow the zest to infuse the dairy while you work on the eggs and sugar.
- Whisk sugar and yolks together in a medium bowl until thick and smooth.
- Bring the dairy to just under a simmer with little bubbles starting at the edges. Get the dairy hot but don't boil it. Slowly add a ¼ cup of the hot dairy to the yolks and whisk until smooth. Do this 3-4 times to "temper" the eggs so they do not scramble when you add them into the pan to cook the custard.
- Add the egg-sugar-dairy mixture back into the pan over medium-low heat and whisk until smooth. Cook, stirring continually. until the custard thickens and coats the back of a spoon when you draw a line through it with your finger, about 5 minutes. Watch the heat and turn down if needed. You don't want scrambled eggs. Turn off heat. Stir in lemon juice and salt.
Strain the custard base
- Pour the liquid custard through the sieve into the medium bowl to catch any egg bits and lemon zest. Stir for 5 minutes until the temperature of the liquid custard drops to 70°F or under so it is safe to put in the refrigerator for full chilling.
Chill the custard base fully
- Cover the custard and place in the refrigerator for a few hours until it gets very cold, about 2 hours. When cold, churn in your ice cream maker. When done, scoop into an ice cream container, cover and freeze for several hours.
Notes
Nutrition
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Amita says
Any substitute for eggs pls let me know. Thanks
Sally Cameron says
Hi Amita, as this is a custard ice cream (custard always has egg yolks), there is not a replacement. If you can't have eggs, you might be better off enjoying a lemon sorbet recipe or a lemon gelato recipe that does not have eggs. My friend Dennis has one here at https://www.askchefdennis.com/meyer-lemon-gelato-and-ask-chef-dennis/
Jean Carsey says
I made this today using the lemons from our tree (not Meyer) and it was really good! Thanks for the recipe.
Sally Cameron says
Thanks Jean. reminds me I have lemons on my tree, I should make some too!
Madonna/aka/Ms. Lemon says
I could really use some lemon gelato. 🙂 Does the lemon juice curdle the half and half? I have been wanting to make it since your previous post, but I am a little spooked about curdling.
Sally Cameron says
Hey Madonna. It's so tasty and easy. No curdling issue a all. And any stray bits of coagulated egg were smoothed out in the blender, so you keep all of that fresh zest and lemony flavor. Try it and let me know how it goes, or if you have any questions. It's really a straight forward recipe.