If bright, fruity ice creams are your idea of an ideal post-dinner palate cleanser, you’re going to fall head over heels for my vegan Lemon Curd Ice Cream.
Like my Pina Colada Ice Cream which uses pineapple curd, this fresh and creamy frozen dessert uses homemade Lemon Curd as the base.
If your lemon curd is already cooked and cooled, this easy blend-and-churn ice cream recipe takes just 10 minutes of active prep time! ⏲️
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📖 Recipe Overview
- Takes Mere Minutes To Prep! If you’ve bought or prepared your vegan lemon curd ahead of time, this is a 5-10 minute dessert recipe. You just blend, pour, churn, and pack — the freezer does all the rest.
- Bright, Citrusy, & Fresh-Tasting - After a particularly spicy or rich meal, I’m only in the mood for things that are light and palate refreshing. This lemon ice cream recipe always hits the spot.
- Versatile - Make any of your favorite fruity desserts an extra special a la mode with a scoop of this vegan lemon custard ice cream. It pairs particularly beautifully with my strawberry crumble bars in the warmer months, or sandwiched between two lemon cookies in spring and summer, or vegan molasses cookies come fall and winter.
If you’re a fan of all the tart, puckery goodness of lemons, you should check out my vegan recipes for my no-bake lemon cheesecake bars, limoncello tiramisu, and lemon lush next!
🧾 Ingredients Needed
As promised, you only need a handful of ingredients to make this easy lemon ice cream recipe:
Ingredient Notes
- Vegan Lemon Curd - I prefer to use homemade, but you’re welcome to use store-bought if you prefer if you have access to a vegan brand (just note that most lemon curd will contain eggs and dairy, making it unsuitable for vegans). To replicate the intense yellow color of traditional lemon curd, add ¼ teaspoon of turmeric.
- Full-Fat Canned Coconut Milk - Note that you’ll only be using the firm cream that floats to the top of the can, so if you don’t have another planned use for the coconut milk you can also purchase plain canned coconut cream. Just make sure to not confuse it with sweetened Cream of Coconut!
- Vegan Condensed Milk - There are several store-bought options out there nowadays. Making your own from scratch is more cost-effective and is easy if you have the time!
- Limoncello - I prefer adding an extra dose of lemony sweetness with limoncello, but you can also trade in vodka if that’s what you have on hand. If you prefer to omit the alcohol altogether, note that you’ll want to let your ice cream sit out at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before scooping. The addition of a little booze is what keeps this homemade lemon ice cream from freezing solid.
🥣 How To Make Vegan Lemon Ice Cream
Find the complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
This easy vegan recipe for lemon ice cream comes together in just a few simple steps:
Step 1: Prepare a batch of vegan lemon curd and let it cool completely in the fridge for an hour (overnight if preferred). Separate out half a cup of the lemon curd (200g) and transfer it to a piping bag or jar and refrigerate for topping the ice cream later.
Step 2: Add the remaining lemon curd to a high-speed blender with the coconut milk vegan condensed milk, and limoncello and blend for a couple of minutes until smooth and creamy.
Step 3: Transfer it to the frozen bowl of your ice cream maker. Then churn according to the manufacturer's instructions (usually this can be 25-40 minutes).
Step 4: Transfer the ice cream to a loaf pan or sealable container. You can enjoy it as lemon soft-serve at this stage if you don't mind it not being a scoopable consistency.
Step 5: Pipe the reserved lemon curd on top of the ice cream.
Step 6: Cover the top of the ice cream tightly with a sheet of parchment and freeze for 3-4 hours until solid.
🍋 Variations
- Coconut-Free - Feel free to use oat whipping cream or another vegan double cream if you are avoiding coconut.
- Switch the Citrus - You can adapt this recipe to lime curd ice cream or orange curd ice cream by switching out the curd.
- Non-Alcoholic - While I certainly don’t mind adding a little tipple to my treats, you may not want to. Alternatively, you can freeze it into creamy vegan ice pops. Or else just give it 5-10 minutes at room temperature to help soften it for scooping.
- Mix-Ins - Feel free to add a bit of texture if you like. Here are some of my favorites:
- Vanilla Wafers
- Meringue Kisses for a delicious vegan lemon meringue ice cream.
- Strawberry Coulis (Pro Tip: Don’t churn it in, rather layer it in as you pack the churned ice cream into your freezer-safe container.)
- Pistachio Butter (Ditto on the layering!)
- Melted White Chocolate (Pro Tip: Slowly drizzle it in in the last 3 minutes of churning; the temperature shock will cause the chocolate to turn into a glorious shattery dream known as stracciatella.
📝 Recipe Tips
If you’re using canned coconut milk to make this lemon custard ice cream recipe, refrigerate it overnight, then only use the thick cream from the top of the cans. You will need approx 2-3x 400ml cans depending on the brand of coconut milk, as they all yield different ratios of cream.
Make sure to allow your lemon curd to cool before adding it to the blender, or chill the blended mixture a bit before adding it to your ice cream maker
To use up the rest of your coconut milk that’s leftover, try adding it to smoothies, soup, or your favorite stir-fry.
Invest in freezer-safe storage or use a loaf tin. If you use a plastic container (e.g.one you reused from a takeaway meal) that isn’t freezer-safe, it’s much likelier to shatter after exposure to the extreme cold.
💬 FAQs
It gets a little extra thick and jammy when added to this lemon curd ice cream recipe. It’s delicious!
Pack your ice cream into a freezer-safe container, then press a layer of parchment directly on the surface to prevent ice crystals from forming. Next, wrap it well with plastic wrap or foil. It’ll freeze to a scoopable texture in about 4 hours. Or, you can eat it like soft serve straight from the ice cream maker.
It would also be lovely frozen into popsicle molds. Just make sure to remove them from the molds soon after they’re frozen solid. Then store them in a ziptop bag to ward off freezer burn.
I don't recommend it for this recipe, as it's specifically designed to be churned into creamy goodness. If you just freeze the ice cream directly, it will freeze up quite icy.
If you're super keen to try it and don't have a machine, I'd recommend freezing the blended lemon ice cream mixture in an ice cube tray. Then blend them up until smooth before serving.
🍨 More Vegan Ice Cream
📖 Recipe
Description
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 batch vegan lemon curd, *see note 1
- 700 g chilled full-fat canned coconut milk, or coconut cream, *see notes 2+3
- 250 g vegan condensed milk
- 40 ml limoncello, or vodka *see note 4
Instructions
- Freeze the ice cream bowl from your ice cream machine at least 12-24 hours ahead of making the recipe.
- Make lemon curd: Prepare a batch of vegan lemon curd. Allow the curd to cool completely in the fridge for an hour (overnight if preferred).Separate out half a cup of the lemon curd (200g) and transfer it to a piping bag or jar and refrigerate for later.
- Blend: Add the remaining lemon curd to a high-speed blender with the coconut milk vegan condensed milk, and limoncello and blend for a couple of minutes until smooth and creamy.
- Churn: Transfer it to the frozen bowl of your ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions (usually this can be 25-40 minutes).The ice cream is ready when it is super thick and sticks to the arm of the machine.
- Freeze: Transfer it to a loaf pan or sealable container, and pipe the reserved lemon curd on top of the ice cream.Cover the top of the ice cream tightly with a sheet of parchment and freeze for 3-4 hours until solid or for soft serve consistency you can serve it straight from the machine.
- Storage: Store it in an airtight container or loaf pan sealed with plastic wrap in the freezer. It is best served within 2-3 weeks. I also recommend taking it out of the freezer to rest at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before diving in for the perfect scoops!
Notes
- Lemon Curd: For a more intense color, mix in ¼ tsp ground turmeric.
- Chilled Coconut Milk: Refrigerate the coconut milk overnight, then only use the thick cream from the top of the cans. You will need approx 2-3x 400ml cans depending on the brand of coconut milk, as they all yield different ratios of cream.
- You can also use oat whipping cream or another vegan double cream if avoiding coconut.
- You can omit the alcohol if needed, just note that it helps to prevent the ice cream from setting rock solid.
Nutrition
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