You will love this lemon ice cream recipe. Made without an ice cream churn or a stand mixer, it has a no-cook base which makes it perfect to make any day. Flavored with fresh lemon juice and lemon zest, the sweet-tart lemon flavor is tempered by the creaminess you'd expect from a premium ice cream.
142gramsfreshly squeezed lemon juice, measured after straining5 oz or 1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons
Instructions
In a large, microwave-safe bowl, microwave the cream cheese until very soft, about 30-40 seconds. Whisk well to make sure it is completely smooth.
Whisk in the powdered sugar and the sweetened condensed milk and salt, whisking well to make sure the mixture is completely combined.
Whisk in the cream followed by the half and half and the lemon zest.
Add the lemon juice and whisk thoroughly. Mixture will thicken somewhat when you add the lemon juice.
Place the bowl of ice cream mix in your freezer. Leave the whisk in the bowl.
Every 45 minutes, swing by the kitchen and give the ice cream base a thorough whisk, making sure to scrape any frozen base off the sides of the bowl and incorporate them fully into the mixture.
Once the mixture gets to the consistency of soft-serve ice cream, pack into a container, press plastic wrap onto the surface of the ice cream, and freeze for at least 4 more hours or, ideally, overnight.
Notes
Variations
Make a fruit swirl by whisking 1 1/2 Tablespoons (4 teaspoons), give or take, of your favorite freeze-dried fruit powder. Possibilities include raspberry, strawberry, mango, blueberry, pineapple, etc. Layer in spoonfuls of the fruit flavor with the lemon base.Make a lemon swirl ice cream by layering spoonfuls of lemon curd in with your lemon ice cream base and then swirling the two together with a knife.You can also layer in spoonfuls of jam. Try cherry, blueberry, strawberry, or blackberry.
Storage
Tightly covered, your ice cream will keep for 10 days to 2 weeks. For best keeping, put it back in the freezer as soon as you've scooped some to keep the remainder nice and frozen.