Making homemade ice cream is a funny thing. For something that has to be eaten quickly, it almost always requires some intermediate-ish kitchen skills and lots of patience (cooking…cooling…freezing…hardening…) It’s almost never cheaper to make ice cream rather than buy it. If you like things like hardened peanut butter swirls or marshmallow ribbons, those things are difficult to achieve at home.
But…It is so. Dang. Good. And fun to make. This Frozen Lemon Custard is one of those recipes I have on repeat on all summer. Once I make it, I can’t stop dreaming about it. It my favorite and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- Heavy whipping cream – Heavy cream provides a thick, smooth base.
- Half and half – Half and half lightens up the heavy cream just a touch, to create a smooth frozen custard.
- Salt – A pinch of salt will help bring out all the flavors.
- Granulated sugar – Granulated sugar provides nice balance to the tart lemons.
- Egg yolks – Egg yolks help stabilize the mixture into a custard. They will be cooked!
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice and zest – This is not the place for bottled lemon juice or dried lemon zest. Use freshly squeezed juice and zest from fresh lemons!
- Shortbread cookies – Optional, as a mix in.
How to Make Frozen Lemon Custard
- This custard start by heating the cream, half and half, lemon zest and sugar on the stovetop.
- After that you’ll temper your egg yolks with the hot mixture and add everything back to the pot. Then you’ll cook that mixture until thickened and then cool.
- Once cool, you’ll process the custard in an ice cream maker. When it’s mostly frozen you can add in some crumbled shortbread if you’d like.
- That all gets transferred to a freezer safe container and frozen for a few hours to firm up until you’re ready to enjoy it!
Storing and Other Tips
- For best results, enjoy within 1-2 weeks.
- Homemade ice creams can freeze more solid than store-bought ones. I recommend setting the ice cream out for about 10 minutes before scooping to a allow it to soften a little.
Frequently Asked Questions
Technically ice cream is made from cream, milk, sugar, and flavorings. Frozen custard contains egg yolks, creating a richer, smoother, silkier texture. That said, you’ll see a lot of recipes labeled as ice cream (including on this site) that would be technically classified as frozen custard, as the term has come to refer to nearly any frozen dairy dessert!
Definitely! I recommend eating it within a week or two after freezing for the best texture. You can also make the custard and refrigerate for a day before freezing if you’d like.
I’m sure this would be delicious with lime. Lemon and lime are pretty interchangeable in most recipes! If you wanted to try orange you probably could, but I would recommend adding much more zest (probably at least double), as orange is a much subtler flavor.
Frozen Lemon Custard {With Shortbread Cookies}
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup half and half
- Pinch of salt
- 1 ¼ cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons lemon zest
- 5 egg yolks
- ¾ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Optional: 5-ish ounces of shortbread cookies broken into pieces
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, combine the heavy cream, half and half, salt, sugar, and lemon zest. Over medium-low heat, stirring very frequently, heat the mixture until bubbles form around the edges. Remove from heat.
- While the mixture is heating, whisk 5 egg yolks together. After you’ve removed the cream mixture from heat, remove 1 cup of the hot cream mixture from the pan. Very slowly, just a few tablespoons at a time, and whisking constantly, pour the hot cream mixture into the eggs. If you add the cream mixture too quickly the eggs will scramble, so go slow and be patient.
- After you’ve added all the hot cream mixture, return the pan with the cream mixture to medium-low heat and slowly whisk in the egg mixture. Heat, stirring constantly, until thickened–it’s ready when you dip the back of a spoon into the mixture and, when you drag your finger through it, it leaves a trail. Remove from heat and Ccill in the refrigerator (for several hours or overnight).
- When the mixture is chilled, add the freshly squeezed lemon juice, stir to combine, and freeze according to your ice cream maker’s instructions (a 4-5 quart machine). While the ice cream is churning, take a package of shortbread cookies and break them. During the final few minutes of churning (or after you remove the ice cream from the machine), mix in the broken cookies. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for at least four hours before serving. Makes 10-12 servings.
Questions & Reviews
I am also among your readers who do not own an ice cream maker because, as you point out it is always more expensive to make ice cream than to buy it in the store, and it is just another appliance to store, not to mention that it is just my husband and I at home and we don’t need (?) ice cream in large amounts hanging around the house. But if ever a recipe has tempted me to run right out and purchase an ice cream maker, it is this one. It looks so delicious! Now I will have to do some deep breathing to avoid temptation! Especially because I really want to try making your recipe for ice cream cones or bowls.
Mmmmm! This sounds like lemon ice box pie in a cone. I may need to get myself an ice cream maker ASAP!
Fun custard, looks perfect 🙂
Lemon Custard is in my top 3 favorite Aggie Ice Cream flavors! But I don’t live in Aggie Ice Cream territory anymore (so sad) so I’ll totally be making this recipe instead! Thanks!
Kim – How did this compare to Aggie Ice Cream?
I am also a lemon obsessed individual. Have you tried Watkins Lemon Cream lotion? That stuff smells amazing! You MUST try it!
Oh yum. Are you kidding me??? This will be worth a trip to the store this morning for the heavy cream.
What a funny coincidence. I had planned on making lemon ice cream/custard today to try out my new ice cream maker but I didn’t have a recipe. I was gonna search the internet, but got on your site first to check the new recipe for today and Wah-lah! Here it is. Your really know how to deliver! Thanks!
This custard sounds sooo good!! Such a neat recipe 🙂
Give up chocolate? I’m not that brave. 🙂
I love all things lemon. I now know what to do with that whipping cream in my fridge! Plus, my kids love when I bust out my ice cream maker. Thanks!
Can you make this without an ice cream maker? Looks yummy!