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Enjoy our bright and creamy lemon ice cream with a thick swirl of homemade lemon curd.
It feels like spring here in Virginia! We’re already looking ahead to weekend grill-feasts and frosty treats like this delicious homemade lemon curd ice cream.
Recently, we’ve been up to our elbows in ingredients for our new Lemon Cheesecake recipe. Fortunately (for our taste-testers) it took a few tries to perfect the recipe. As a result, we had lots of cheesecake floating around for about a week.
Once the cheesecake recipe was fine-tuned, we had plenty of leftover cream cheese, a few lemons and a jar of homemade lemon curd. What better way to use up those extra ingredients, and a few delicious orbs of sunshine, than in an easy ice cream recipe?!
We add cream cheese to the base in place of eggs, for added richness.
The base ice cream recipe was adapted from a cookbook titled Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home by Jeni Britton Bauer. If you’re looking for inspiration and some of the best ice cream recipes ever, check out this New York Times Best Selling cookbook.
I followed Jeni’s lead and added 2 ounces of cream cheese and 2 tablespoons of corn syrup to my ice cream base. Corn syrup adds a nice silkiness to the ice cream and the cream cheese gives the base a slight tang and adds to the terrific consistency.
Is homemade ice cream difficult to make?
As with most ice cream recipes, the ingredients are easy to blend together. First, we start by steeping lemon zest in hot milk. Then add all the remaining ingredients and pour the mixture into an ice bath to cool it down.
Once the ice cream base is cooled, it’s refrigerated until well chilled (overnight) then processed according to the instructions for your ice cream maker.
Next, layer the lemon ice cream in dollops between spoonfuls of our tart and tangy lemon curd. Using a table knife or skewer, swirl the ice cream and curd together.
Finally, pop the finished ice cream in the freezer overnight or until ready to serve. This lemon curd ice cream will keep well for a few weeks if sealed in an airtight container.
Allow our lemon curd ice cream to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.
Our lemon curd ice cream freezes well and can be hard to scoop when first removed from the freezer. Allow the ice cream to soften for a few minutes for easier serving and for better flavor. Top each serving with a little extra lemon curd, if desired.
Can you use store-bought lemon curd or do you have to make homemade?
Store-bought lemon curd will be fine in this ice cream recipe. Make sure to purchase good quality curd, or make our easy homemade lemon curd recipe.
What are some other ways to use lemon curd?
Lemon curd can be smeared on a biscuit, scone or even a slice of toast. It’s great on pancakes, waffles and terrific dolloped on a slice of pound cake. If you’re still looking for inspiration, here are 12 creative ways to use lemon curd!
Ice cream is perfect anytime of the year!
We’re from the camp that believes you can eat ice cream in winter, and it’s just as delicious as it is in summer. There’s no special rule about not being able to eat ice cream before Memorial Day; that only applies to white pants, skirts, or shorts – haha!
We even make Snow Cream when the winter weather cooperates. Frozen inside and out! Our part of the world seems to have skipped winter this year, so let’s get on with spring!
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Lemon Curd Ice Cream
Equipment
- Ice cream maker
Ingredients
- â…” cup granulated sugar (135g)
- zest of 2 lemons
- 2 cups whole milk, plus 2 tablespoons, divided (17½ oz or 480 ml)
- a pinch of fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature (cut into small chunks)
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, strained of seeds and pulp (60g)
- 8 ounces heavy whipping cream (1 cup)
- 1 cup lemon curd
Instructions
- Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from 2 lemons. You’ll want large strips of zest, with no white pith.
- In a medium heavy bottom saucepan, combine the lemon zest and sugar with 2 cups of milk, sea salt and corn syrup. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat and cook for 3 minutes stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and cover with a lid. Steep for 30 minutes.
- Combine the cornstarch with the remaining 2 tablespoons of milk. Stir until smooth and set aside.
- Set the saucepan back on the stove top and warm on medium-high. Whisk in the cornstarch slurry and cook until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.
- Remove from the heat and whisk in the cream cheese adding one piece at a time. Whisk until melted then add lemon juice. Whisk until blended.
- Set a large clean bowl in an ice bath. Add the heavy cream to the clean bowl and place a fine mesh sieve over the bowl. Pour the warm ice cream base through the sieve into the bowl with the heavy cream. Discard lemon zest. Whisk the ice cream every five minutes or so, or until cooled, about 30 minutes.
- Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Process according to the manufacturer’s directions for your ice cream maker.
- Spoon about â…“ of the lemon ice cream into an airtight container. Dollop â…“ of the lemon curd in spoonfuls on top. Repeat with half the remaining ice cream and half of the remaining curd. Make a third layer, using all the ice cream base and curd. Swirl the curd into the ice cream using a table knife. Cover and freeze until set. This can take up to 8 hours for the best consistency.
Recipe Notes
- Base ice cream adapted Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home cookbook
Nutrition
Here are a few more lemon recipes you might enjoy:
Lemon Cheesecake
Homemade Lemon Curd
Steven P. Williams says
Hello. I just made your recipe but I created a lemon curd ripple effect with my ice cream.. I’m using 30% cream, half-and-half , buttermilk and sour cream all together in equal portions according to your recipe. I’m also using honey because I have cancer and I’m trying to create recipes without using sugar.
It came out very custard like and similar in the texture of a frozen popsicle.I zested my lemons and used it in the mix and included real lemon oil as well. Goodness sakes, this recipe was very zesty with a with a very bright full mouth feel. The rippling effect made a nice texture and visual look and I’m going to continue to make it this way. Thank you for your encouragement and your inspiration with this recipe.
Steven P Williams
Gold Bar, Washington
Tricia Buice says
Thanks for the feedback Steven. Sounds like you made an amazing bowl of deliciousness! I love the way you experimented here, especially using honey to sweeten. We also have a honey sweetened blackberry frozen yogurt you might like. I’m very sorry to hear about your diagnosis and hope you’re well on your way to a complete recovery. Take care and thanks for commenting and for trying our recipe.
MC Hull says
Is there any reason I couldn’t add the ice cream base to the lemon curd and mix that before chilling/churning? Thank you for your insight! I am super excited to try this recipe!
Tricia Buice says
Great question! I think it will be fine but I haven’t tested it yet. I know that adding the lemon curd as a ribbon is perfect because it doesn’t affect the consistency of the ice cream base. Let us know if you add it to the base and how it turns out for you. Please and thanks!
Vallie says
This lemon ice cream turned out wonderfully! Everyone loved it!
Tricia Buice says
Thanks Vallie! So glad you tried this recipe. It’s hard to beat a smooth and creamy lemon dessert 😉
Amanda says
Is it possible to rush step 7?
Tricia Buice says
Hi Amanda. Perhaps you can cut the time in half. Make sure you store the custard in the coldest part of your refrigerator. It freezes better if well chilled. Good luck – hope you enjoy this luscious ice cream!
Emma says
This ice cream turned out perfect. I couldn’t believe how creamy it was. Next time I will add graham cracker crumbs and it will be a lemon cheesecake ice cream.
Tricia Buice says
Great idea Emma! So glad you enjoyed this ice cream. Next time I’ll add some graham crackers, too 😉
Liz Wilson says
Delicious. I suggest straining before thickening. Next time I will double the ice cream mixture because it makes such a small amount. But note I said next time. . I’ll definitely make it again. A hit with the family, only complaint was that there wasn’t very much.
Tricia Buice says
Thanks for the feedback Liz. The ice cream mixture makes 1 quart of ice cream which is about all my ice cream maker can hold. If you have a larger capacity ice cream maker, then I can understand doubling! Do you mean straining the ice cream mixture or the lemon curd? Thanks for trying the recipe and for the feedback.
Rachel says
Hi. What would be the result if you didn’t add corn syrup? Not that easy to find in aus.
Thanks
Tricia Buice says
Hi Rachel – I think the ice cream will turn out great without the corn syrup. If you have simple syrup on hand, you can add a few tablespoons to the mix instead. Enjoy!
Chris Scheuer says
This looks so silky smooth and delicious. I love the addition of lemon curd in ice cream, such a great idea!
Tricia Buice says
Thanks Chris! Hope you get the opportunity to try it 🙂
Ashley says
This looks absolutely amazing! I love lemon so this ice cream is right up my avenue!
Tricia Buice says
Thanks Ashley – this is a keeper for sure 😉
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers says
Lemon ice cream is always welcome here, year round. So refreshing! Such a great use for some leftover lemon curd, too 🙂
Tricia Buice says
Thank you Jennifer. We love lemon!