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
It looks great, specially after a VERY hot day in DC! One question though, how do the shortbread stay after freezing? I’m a bit traumatized of adding mini chocolate chips and having them freeze rock hard!
Thanks!
If this is anything like Aggie Ice Cream Lemon Custard, I’ll be in heaven. For a girl that always experiments with new foods and enjoys picking “the most interesting and different thing on the menu”, I never get any other flavor when I go there. You just can’t beat Lemon Custard. Now I’ve got to pull out my ice cream machine from wherever I stored it. 🙂
My husband will seriously think that this is Manna from Heaven!! It’s his birthday on the 31st, and he’s not a big “cake person”. I think this will definitely make him feel special. 🙂 Thanks for sharing! 🙂
I just put my ice cream maker in the freezer to get it set for this ice cream! Can’t wait to get with the kids and make some tomorrow!
Oh my GOSH, this looks amazing! One horribly hot, humid day a couple of years ago, my family was walking around Nauvoo and we stepped into the little custard store by the temple. Their flavor of the day was lemon, and I got a scoop of it with raspberries on top. It was seriously the most AMAZING thing I have ever eaten, and whenever we go by a custard place, I always hope their flavor of the day is lemon. Alas, it usually isn’t. Now I don’t have to go to a store to buy it! One question for you: what exactly is the difference between heavy cream and other types? Could you use regular or light? I’ve just never been able to understand the difference. Thanks! You guys are amazing!
Summer is our time for lemons as well. One of our favorite lemony desserts is a lemon poppy seed cake with lemon glaze and surrounded by fresh raspberries. Tasty, and especially refreshing when chilled. This frozen custard sounds great too. I don’t know why I’ve never thought of a lemon ice cream, we’ve made sorbet and sherbet before. Thanks for the recipe!
You had me at lemons+whipping cream+half and half 🙂 I went to Amalfi, Italy last September…home of the famous lemon groves and all things lemon, and ate waaaaay to much lemon gelato and lemon pastas! You better believe you are the only food bloggers I would trust to create a half-decent, no trip to Italy required lemon ice cream. I will for sure be busting this out soon!
I was on the fence about this until you broke out the cookies! Sold! I love the idea of gingersnaps too. I’m going to have to make this for when I have company next week. Probably should make a “tester” batch before hand…
That sounds amazing! I might try finely chopped candied ginger instead of the cookies!
This looks absolutely delicious! Would something like this be safe to eat if you’re pregnant?
Yep!! The eggs are fully cooked, so you’re good, but if you’re nervous, you could always use pasteurized eggs. 🙂