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This Lemon Ice Cream requires only 6 ingredients and is easy to whip up! This no-churn homemade ice cream is the perfect citrus dessert!
My sweet tooth is always on high alert, but I crave a bowl of ice cream in the summer after almost every meal. This lemon ice cream is tart and tangy and the most refreshing thing to eat while enjoying a summer sunset! This lemon cream pie ice cream is absolutely divine and no ice cream maker needed!
If you’re craving more summer desserts, I loved this Keto Lemon Raspberry Bread or this Keto Fruit Pizza. They’re the perfect pairing for a summer meal! I served my desserts after this Grilled Jalapeno Lime Chicken and Cornbread Salad.
Why You’ll Love It
- SIMPLE: this dessert is super simple and requires very basic ingredients that aren’t expensive or difficult to find!
- NO ICE CREAM MAKER: no ice cream maker is needed for this batch of ice cream!
- VERSATILE: you can easily adjust the recipe for different flavor variations.
Ingredients
This is a recipe that has super basic ingredients, and only a handful of them. I really do not suggest making any substitutions. To make this no-churn ice cream, you will need the following:
- Sweetened condensed milk: you can use traditional sweetened condensed milk or the fat-free version if desired.
- Heavy cream and Half and Half: do not substitute this with anything else.
- Lemon juice and zest: essential for the lemon flavor.
- Graham crackers: regular or gluten free.
How to make Lemon Ice Cream
Making no-churn ice cream is extremely simple! You will only need a food processor, blender, mixer, and freezer! I’ve documented the entire process so you can enjoy this recipe at home!
- Combine liquid ingredients: Add the condensed milk, heavy cream, half and half, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a food processor. Blend for 1-2 minutes until the mixture is smooth, thick, and creamy. Remember, one of the main ingredients is heavy whipping cream, when heavy cream is whipped it gets fluffy and thick. You want to blend the mixture until it has nearly doubled in size and has taken on a thick, creamy, almost fluffy texture.
- Add crackers: Pulse graham crackers into the mixture with the food processor. Don’t want to add the graham crackers? No problem, just skip this step.
- Freeze: Pour ice cream into a loaf pan or a freezer-friendly container, and place it in the freezer for 4-6 hours or overnight.
Tips and Tricks
- Remember, the texture needs to change before freezing. When you add the liquid ingredients, you need to blend them until they are thick and creamy. This will take 1-2 minutes with a good food processor, or even longer if your processor isn’t super powerful.
- Use fresh lemons for the best results.
- This is a great base recipe. If you are in the mood for vanilla ice cream, simply skip the lemon and add 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract and a pinch of sea salt.
- Have fun and play with different flavor combinations! Some I’m excited to try are strawberries and cream, lemon blueberry, and key lime pie.
- Allow the ice cream to sit at room temperature at least 5 minutes before serving to allow it to soften up.
Storage
To store this homemade ice cream use a freezer-safe container. If using a metal loaf pan cover your ice cream with either a lid made specifically for your pan or cover tightly with plastic wrap. Store in the freezer and enjoy! This ice cream will stay fresh for up to two weeks.
Recipe FAQ
Some homemade ice cream recipes use eggs because they are custard based. This recipe doesn’t require egg yolks, a saucepan or heat. So no need to worry about tempering eggs or making a custard. Simply combine the ingredients, blend and freeze.
Technically yes, this will work if you add the mixture to an ice cream maker but that is so much more trouble than it requires. Just blend and freeze, my friend!
Instead of fresh lemon juice you can use lime, orange or even grapefruit to make other flavors. The ice cream base doesn’t require any altering to make those flavor adjustments.
More dessert recipes to try
Lemon Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup half and half
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons lemon zest
- 3 sheets graham crackers
Instructions
- Add the condensed milk, heavy cream, half and half, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a food processor
- Blend for 1-2 minutes, until mixture is smooth, thick and creamy
- Pulse graham crackers into the mixture with the food processor
- Pour ice cream into a loaf pan, or a freezer-friendly container, and place it in the freezer for 4-6 hours or overnight.
- Let the ice cream set out and thaw for a few minutes before scooping
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
