Lemon Curd Ice Cream

A waffle cone bowl filled with lemon ice cream and topped with lemon curd with more ice cream cone bowls in the background.

5 from 1 vote

This creamy Lemon Curd Ice Cream is bright and fresh, made with real lemon juice, lemon zest, and it is topped with lemon curd.

This recipe is intended for a Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker but can be adjusted for use with most ice cream makers.

Prep Time15

Churn Time20

Total Time35

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 341kcal

Author: Lauren Skardal

Ingredients

Lemon Ice Cream Base

zest of 3 lemons
½ cup lemon juice
½ cup granulated sugar
2 cups heavy cream
¾ cup whole milk
¼ teaspoon salt

Lemon Curd

3 large egg yolks
zest of 3 lemons
½ cup lemon juice
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ tsp salt

Instructions

Lemon Ice Cream Base

These directions are intended for a Cuisinart 1 ½ quart Ice Cream Maker, but can be adjusted for most ice cream makers.
Add the lemon zest and lemon juice to a small saucepan. Simmer on medium heat until reduced to roughly half (3-7 minutes). Remove the pan from heat. Add the sugar and stir to combine. The sugar should start to melt into the reduced lemon juice.
Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. In a medium mixing bowl or large 4-cup measuring pitcher, combine the heavy cream, whole milk, salt, and lemon mixture. Refrigerate overnight or at least 4 hours.
Make sure that the bowl of the ice cream maker goes in the freezer overnight. It is ready when you shake the bowl and can no longer hear any liquid sounds from the inside.

Lemon Curd

Meanwhile, make the lemon curd. Combine the egg yolks in a medium mixing bowl. In a small saucepan add the lemon zest, lemon juice, granulated sugar, and salt. Stir to combine and bring to medium heat.
Once the lemon juice mixture begins to simmer, slowly pour it into the egg yolk mixture while whisking the egg yolks constantly. Then add the combined mixture back into the sauce pan and reduce the heat slightly. Continue to stir constantly for anywhere between 3-10 minutes.
The exact timing will depend on the heat setting and the size and type of your saucepan. Look for a consistency that coats the back of a spoon, but does not leave marks when you drag a whisk through the mixture.
Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer for an ultrasmooth consistency. Refrigerate until the ice cream is ready.

Making the Ice Cream

To make the ice cream, the following day set up your ice cream maker (I use a 1 ½ quart Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker). Turn the machine on and slowly pour the ice cream mixture into the machine. Churn for 20 minutes.
If you want soft-serve ice cream, serve immediately with spoonfuls of lemon curd. For harder ice cream, place the ice cream in the freezer for 4 hours or until it has hardened. Then serve the ice cream with lemon curd.

Notes

Lemon Zest: When zesting a lemon, zest only the bright outermost shiny part of the lemon, not the inner white pith.
Lemon Juice: Use real lemon juice, rather than bottled lemon juice.
Salt: Don't omit the salt. It is integral in lowering the freezing temperature of the cream so that you get a creamier (rather than icier) ice cream.
Reducing the Lemon Juice Mixture: Because the lemon juice is predominately water, reducing the volume in half reduces the amount of water that becomes part of the ice cream base. This creates a creamier, rather than icier ice cream.
Ice Cream Maker Types: Two common Ice Cream Maker types are electric Freezer Bowl-based machines (Cuisinart) and Compressor Machines (Breville). Compressor machines don’t require pre-freezing and can churn and freeze the mixture in one step. Be sure to adjust the churning time based on the machine’s recommendations.
Lemon Curd: Do not leave the lemon curd in the saucepan once it is done. Strain it immediately into a heat-proof bowl. If you leave the curd in the saucepan it may curdle the eggs from the residual heat of the pan.
Ice Cream Base: The lemon juice will likely have curdled the milk in the ice cream base, giving it an odd-looking consistency when you pour it into the ice cream maker. This is okay! It will not affect the consistency of the finished ice cream. The acid curdles the milk - this is one way to make buttermilk.
To Freeze: scoop the ice cream into a freezer-safe container and press a piece of plastic wrap onto the top of the ice cream inside the container, to prevent it from crystalizing or soaking up any flavors of the freezer.

Nutrition