No Churn Lemon Curd Ice Cream

No-churn lemon curd ice cream is the easiest way to make ice cream without an ice cream maker.

With just four simple ingredients, you can make creamy homemade vanilla ice cream with lemon curd ripples for a refreshing summertime treat anytime.

When it's ice cream season and everyone is screamin’ for something cool and creamy, why not make homemade ice cream?

With this no-churn recipe, you don’t need any fancy equipment and it’s super easy to do. Plus, you’ll know exactly what’s in it. 

And if you're a lemon lover, homemade lemon curd ice cream will become one of your new favorite lemon recipes!

It's a delicious spring or summer dessert that's even more delicious served with Orange Angel Food Cake or topped with Balsamic Strawberries. OR make ice cream sandwiches with this Coconut Macaroon cookie recipe (yum!!). 

Oh, and this is RIDICULOUSLY smooth and creamy ice cream. Once you try it, you may never scoop up the store-bought stuff again. I’m serious.

You’re going to love this

Crazy creamy. I really can’t overstate the velvety smooth and creamy consistency of this lemon curd ice cream.

No churn ice cream. You don’t need an ice cream maker to make your own creamy lemon ice cream. Just a hand mixer. 

4 ingredients. Cream, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, and lemon curd. That’s it. 

Easy lemon dessert. The addition of lemon curd adds fresh lemon flavor to this easy ice cream recipe.

Ingredients

Heavy cream. When you’re staring at all the options in the dairy case, know that heavy cream and heavy whipping cream are the same thing. Whipping cream or light whipping cream has a lower fat content and doesn’t whip up to the same consistency as heavy cream. 

Sweetened condensed milk. This handy ingredient adds creaminess and sweetness. Make sure you don't accidentally grab evaporated milk -- the cans look really similar. 

Vanilla. For the best vanilla flavor, use real vanilla extract instead of imitation vanilla. 

Lemon curd. I use a jar of store bought lemon curd. But you can use your own lemon curd that you make from scratch. 

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1

Chill a very large bowl and beaters in the refrigerator for an hour or in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. 

Step 2

In a medium bowl, stir together the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. 

Step 3

In the chilled bowl, whip the cream with a hand mixer for about two minutes or until stiff peaks form — the peaks stand up straight when the beaters are lifted.

Step 4 

Gently fold the sweetened condensed milk mixture into the whipped cream. 

Step 5

Swirl dollops of the lemon curd into the ice cream mixture.

Step 6

Pour mixture into a freezer container or loaf pan.

Press plastic wrap directly over the surface of the mixture, tightly cover it and freeze for 4 hours or overnight.

Storage

Store your no-churn lemon curd ice cream in a tightly sealed container in the freezer, preferably in the back of the freezer to avoid temperature fluctuations, which can cause ice cream to become grainy. 

For best results and to avoid getting ice crystals on the ice cream, cover the surface of the ice cream with a layer of plastic wrap. 

Expert Tips

Use a metal or glass mixing bowl to whip the cream. Plastic or copper bowls can cause a reaction that won’t allow the cream to whip up nice and fluffy. 

Chill the bowl and the beaters before making the whipped cream. Pop the bowl and the beaters in the fridge for an hour or the freezer for 10-15 minutes.

Very cold heavy cream will whip faster and result in a smoother, fluffier texture than room temperature heavy cream.

Whip the cream until stiff peaks form, which means the peaks stand up straight when the beaters are lifted. 

Recipe FAQs

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