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No ice cream maker? No problem! No churn ice cream is so easy to make and this creamy homemade No Churn Lemon Ice Cream recipe is the perfect summer dessert. Only 5 ingredients and 10 minutes of prep and you are on your way to this creamy treat!
Homemade lemon ice cream is a necessity because it makes a hot summer day so much better!
Rich, creamy and no ice cream maker? Not too good to be true, promise.
I have an ice cream maker, but I make no churn varieties more often. Crazy? No, because these are incredible. No-Churn Strawberry, Peanut Butter Cookies and Cream and Butter Pecan are others that you may need to check out after you try this lemon ice cream!
And if you want a protein boost, try these cottage cheese ice cream recipes–the lemon cheesecake variation is my favorite!
You won’t believe how simple homemade ice cream is to make, but once you try it, you will be whipping up (no pun intended, ha) all kinds of creamy summer treats!
Why You Will Love This No-Churn Lemon Ice Cream:
- It can be prepped in about 10 minutes. The real work here is making the whipped cream. Everything else is just stir and freeze. No churn ice cream is so simple, you will be amazed.
- It is so creamy–think soft serve texture! I am a sucker for soft serve ice cream. If that is your jam, that is exactly what this lemon ice cream is like. Smooth and creamy and nice and soft–just make sure to let it sit out for a few to soften before eating.
- Minimal ingredients. Heavy whipping cream, condensed milk, vanilla, lemons and sea salt. Nothing more! Short ingredient lists are always the best.
- Kid friendly fun. Even if the kids aren’t huge lemon fans, this no-churn lemon ice cream is still a fun treat for them to help make. And if you are the lemon fan and they don’t want it? Divide the recipe in two and allow the kids to flavor theirs how they would like, and you do the lemon in yours! Everyone is happy!
Recipe Ingredients:
- lemons: fresh lemon zest as well as a touch fresh lemon juice. Nothing will make for a truer lemony flavor–the juice alone is not enough, don’t skip the lemon zest!
- heavy whipping cream: full fat, heavy whipping cream is crucial in this no-churn lemon ice cream for a rich, thick and creamy ice cream texture. Do not use a lower fat version or half and half instead.
- sweetened condensed milk: another ingredient to make sure to keep the fat and full sweetness. The condensed milk is what sweetens and thickens this ice cream.
- vanilla: real vanilla extract versus imitation. You could add a bit of lemon extract instead of the vanilla if desired, or do half vanilla and half lemon.
- sea salt: just a pinch to round it all out.
- optional: lemon curd is an optional ingredient but I strongly recommend swirling some into this ice cream for even more lemon flavor. You can use store bought or make homemade lemon curd if you are up to it!
Step-By-Step Instructions:
- In a medium to large bowl, whisk together the condensed milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla and sea salt until combined.
- Add heavy cream to a separate medium bowl and use an electric hand or stand mixer, and beat until stiff peaks begin to form. If you have never done this before, it takes time. You can watch the video from the Butter Pecan ice cream to see the varying phases. This part can take about 3 minutes.
- Transfer the whipped cream into the bowl with the lemon and condensed milk mixture. Gently fold the whipping cream in. You want to do this as lightly as possible to help the whipped cream stay aerated.
- Transfer the lemon ice cream mixture into a freezer-safe container. I like using a bread pan–it is the perfect size. Cover with aluminum foil or seal with lid and freeze for at least 4 hours.
- When the ice cream has set, allow it to sit out to soften for a about 5-10 minutes and then scoop and serve as desired! Grab your favorite ice cream cones and the ice cream scoop and dig in!
Recipe Tips
- Let the ice cream sit out before scooping. Allow this homemade creamy lemon ice cream to sit out for about 5-10 minutes before scooping when you are ready to serve.
- Avoid using any lower fat or lower sugar ingredients. For the best and creamiest no churn ice cream, it is important to get the right ingredients. Make sure you have heavy whipping cream as well as full fat sweetened condensed milk.
- For a stronger yellow color, you can add yellow food coloring. This lemon ice cream does not have a very strong yellow color. If you are interested in a more vibrant color, add a few drops of yellow food coloring when combining the condensed milk, lemon juice and zest.
- This ice cream pairs so well with angel food cake, blueberry pie, strawberry crumble, lemon bundt cake, or it makes great ice cream sandwiches with these lemon sugar cookies!
Storage Instructions:
While store bought ice cream can last for months in the freezer, no-churn ice creams tend to have a shorter life span. This no churn ice cream recipe will have the best flavor and texture within the first week or two, but is safe to store for several months.
To keep it optimal texture and flavor when storing, use an air tight, freezer safe container. Cover the ice cream with plastic wrap before sealing to keep any ice crystals from forming on the ice cream.
Allow the ice cream to sit out for about 5-10 minutes before scooping to soften a bit.
Ways to Vary this Recipe:
- Make this lemon ice cream into an ice cream pie! Pop this into a graham cracker crust instead of a container and you have yourself a simple ice cream pie! Add some whipped cream on top and you are all set.
- Lemon ice cream sandwiches: lemon lovers, add some of this ice cream between two lemon cookies or classic sugar cookies and you have the most lemon zesty ice cream sandwich treat. You could also sandwich the ice cream between graham crackers.
- Switch up the citrus. This recipe can be used as an ice cream base and you can easily switch the flavor up with the use of key lime juice and zest, classic limes or maybe even oranges.
Other Lemon Desserts:
- Champagne Bundt Lemon Cake
- Easy Blueberry Lemon Dump Cake
- Lemon Sugar Cookies
- Blueberry Lemon Mug Cake
- No Bake Blueberry Lemon Tarts
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Homemade Lemon Ice Cream Recipe
No ice cream maker? No problem! No churn ice cream is so easy to make and this creamy homemade No Churn Lemon Ice Cream recipe is the perfect summer dessert. Only 5 ingredients and 10 minutes of prep and you are on your way to this creamy treat!
Ingredients
- 2 c heavy whipping cream, very cold
- 1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 ½ T lemon zest
- 1 T lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of sea salt
- 2-3 T lemon curd, optional
Instructions
- In medium bowl, whisk together condensed milk lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla and salt if desired.
- In a separate medium bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks begin to form. This will take about 2-3 minutes.
- Gently fold the whipped cream into the lemon and condensed milk mixture. Transfer to a freezer safe container(I like to use a bread pan). If desired, swirl in lemon curd using a toothpick over the top layer of the ice cream.
- Cover and freeze for about 4-6 hours. Before serving, allow ice cream to sit out for about 5-10 minutes before spooning out, especially if it's been in the freezer for much longer than 6 hours. Enjoy!
Notes
- Let the ice cream sit out before scooping. Allow this homemade creamy lemon ice cream to sit out for about 5-10 minutes before scooping when you are ready to serve.
- Avoid using any lower fat or lower sugar ingredients. For the best and creamiest no churn ice cream, it is important to get the right ingredients. Make sure you have heavy whipping cream as well as full fat sweetened condensed milk.
- For a stronger yellow color, you can add yellow food coloring. This lemon ice cream does not have a very strong yellow color. If you are interested in a more vibrant color, add a few drops of yellow food coloring when combining the condensed milk, lemon juice and zest.
-
- Over medium heat, combine basil leaves, zest of one lemon and cream in a small sauce pan. Stir several times and allow to heat for about 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and cover. Chill in refrigerator until cold again and toss the basil. (About 2 hours) Then follow the recipe as stated above in step 1.
Nutrition
Calories: 367kcal, Carbohydrates: 29g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 26g, Saturated Fat: 16g, Cholesterol: 98mg, Sodium: 86mg, Potassium: 229mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 27g, Vitamin A: 1007IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 182mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you enjoy this recipe? Have a question?Leave a comment below!
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Life is short, eat dessert first.
Great ice cream. A little too much lemon for my liking. Second time we made it, I reduced the lemon juice by a half teaspoon. Now that is better. Thanks for sharing the recipe with us.
I like your style!!! Glad to know you were able to adjust it the second time. I’m a big lemon fan so I probably should mention that in the post. Thanks!
I love lemon, and I love cooking with basil. I would never have thought to put the two together into icecream form. I would totally love this!
It is my new faaaavorite combo!
I find this fascinating.. I’ve never made ice cream but I’ve always assumed I needed an ice cream maker. I have one on my list to buy, but my basil plants are overflowing now. I need to try this!
I was blown away Bethany by how amazing and easy this is!
This looks amazing! I can’t wait to make it. I was just telling my husband that we need to go get stuff to make it this weekend.
Yes!!! Hope you guys love it!
The combination of flavors really intrigues me. I’m going to have to try it!
Promise it’s amaaaaazing!
I’m trying this one this weekend! So excited! By the way, it definitely captures the feel of your blog name! ?
Ha, thanks Tiff! I always think that when I have a lemon recipe!
Ice cream is on the top of my list for favorite desserts! Lemon ice cream sounds so summery and refreshing, and those waffle cones!!! Oh so good! Pinning!
Mine too!!! Hope you loooove it. Thanks for pinning!
Oh my goodness, this sounds amazing! What a perfect summer recipe 🙂
Thanks Jordan!
I am one of those people who adores ice cream but doesn’t have an ice cream maker. A couple years ago I started making homemade ice cream with whipping cream and condensed milk and it is a game changer. <3 Your recipe looks delicious and we have basil growing in our backyard – I will have to make this!
It seriously is. I had no clue it would turn out so good!
This looks fabulous, I love these flavors, Can’t wait to try this ?
Thanks so much Amy!