Homemade creamy Lemon Ice Cream with bits of crushed Lemonheads candies swirling all around cream and fresh lemon juice. This custard-like ice cream is so creamy and full of lemon burst flavor!
How do you like your ice cream, hard or soft?
Did you know by letting your ice cream temper about 10 degrees out of the freezer is not only for scooping purposes?
Yes, that helps. But, by letting the hard, frozen ice cream soften a little, maximizes the flavor on your taste buds!
True story.
Trust me, I would know.
Ice cream is one of my daily food groups… it’s a food group in my little world, okay.
But, whatever your preference is, I’m know you’ll fall in love with this creamy Lemon Ice Cream!
Crushed Lemonheads Lemon Ice Cream is the ice cream you want to savor and let it melt onto your taste buds!
The crushed Lemonheads candies give this ice cream MORE lemon sugary flavor and little candy crunch. Because, we sure can’t have enough sugar and lemon, right?
I’ve been making ice cream since I was a little girl. I always knew it was a process. A very special process.
Homemade ice cream is definitely made with LOVE!
Coming up with this recipe, I knew I wanted a lot of lemon burst in this ice cream. But it had to be really creamy, too.
What gives this ice cream recipe a more custard, creamy texture is the egg yolks.
The proteins from the egg yolks help make the ice cream creamy. But when cooked, becomes more dense and forms a custard like texture. Which means, the liquid gets trapped inside of the proteins and prevents ice crystals forming.
The simple makings of a creamy ice cream!
Not to mention, the egg yolks already gives this ice cream a natural soft yellow color without having to use artificial coloring.
Making this ice cream is not a fast way, by all means. But, it is really worth the time.
If you have not made homemade ice cream before, it is very simple. The hardest part is waiting for it to freeze!
Note: If you don’t by chance have an ice cream machine, follow the recipe below and just skip the machine part. Turns out just as delicious!
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 1/2 cup finely crushed Lemonheads candy.
- In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, stir together the heavy cream, milk, vanilla, yolks, sugar, lemon zest, and juice. Bring up to a soft simmer (170 degrees) while stirring constantly.
- When it reaches this temperature, put the bowl in an ice bath. (Put the sweet cream base in a heat safe bowl and put inside of a bigger bowl filled with ice and little water.) Stir constantly to cool evenly.
- Cover with plastic wrap. Allow the wrap to touch the top layer as to not form a skin on top. Refrigerator overnight.
- Put the chilled cream into your cold (preferably frozen) machine bowl. Churn for 30-40 minutes.
- Gently stir in crushed candies.
- For more frozen (solid) results, place in a shallow container (I used a bread loaf pan.) and freeze for additional 5 hours or overnight. Enjoy!
- If you do not have a thermometer during the cooking process, you may test it on the back of a spoon. If it is getting thick enough to stay on the back of the spoon (if it's been simmering for about 10 to 15 minutes), it is ready to start the cooling process.
- If you don't by chance have an ice cream machine, follow the directions above and just skip the machine part. Turns out just as delicious!
- Makes 1 quart of ice cream.
This creamy Lemon Ice Cream is the flavor I make for my sweet Levi… it’s his favorite!
Are you a LEMON LOVER?
More LEMON recipes!
Lemon Peppered Garlic Cream Sauce
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Sharing a scoop of this Crushed Lemonheads Lemon Ice Cream with: Kreative Creationz Design Dining and Diapers The Best Blog Recipes The 36th Avenue Real Housemoms Cooking With Curls Sewlicious Home Decor The Weary Chef Cooking On The Front Burner Three Mango Seeds The Plaid And Paisley Kitchen Inside BruCrew Life Kleinworth & Co. Tiny Sidekick Bubbly Nature Creations Three Mango Seeds Life Is Fantasmic
Gorgeous! I love this idea for lemon ice cream. I have such fond childhood memories of those tart candies. Thanks for sharing, Gloria. Pinning to my growing lemon board at Pinterest and some group boards! xo
Stacy | Wicked Good Kitchen recently posted…Quick & Easy Carrot Cake Jam for Baking
Stacy, thank you so much! I also had to have a lemon pin board… so many lemony sweets out there that are so hard to resist!
OH my I love those candies and so would love every bite of this! What a great idea 🙂
Alexis AKA MOM recently posted…Confessions of an Overeater
Alexis, I always have to purchase extra for the ice cream, because my husband loves them so much. Maybe I need to find a better hiding spot!
Oh my gosh Gloria!! This is amazing! I love lemonheads! What a fun idea and perfect for summertime! Or anytime really. Pinned!
Serene @ House of Yumm recently posted…Skinny Cookie Dough Bites
Thanks so much, Serene! Love lemon ice cream especially in the summer time!
Mmmmmm….. This looks soo good. My kind of ice cream, zesty and sharp with a punch!
Rochelle @ Oh So Sweet Baker recently posted…Hibiscus Grapefruit Sorbet + Winner
Rochelle, thank you! Hope you’re having a wonderful Friday!
This is the perfect Spring/Summer ice cream and I can’t wait to make this for the boys! And your pictures are amazing. Thanks so much.
Matt Robinson recently posted…How to make the Perfect Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Matt, my boys love making homemade ice cream… and devouring it too! Yours will love this one, for sure!
Gloria! We are both on the lemon kick today! Love it! So I visited my mom over this last weekend. And she had Lemonheads in the house. I picked up the package and thought my goodness it has been YEARS since I had one of these. I ate it and it was good! Now I am all about the lemon and THIS ice cream! Pin and stumbled!
Nancy P.@thebittersideofsweet recently posted…Lemon Frozen Yogurt
Nancy, we ARE on the same brain wave, too funny! Frozen lemony stuff are my favs!
Homemade ice cream is the best, and yours looks so lemony and creamy! I love how the egg yolks made it such a nice color without adding artificial coloring. Perfect!
marcie recently posted…German Chocolate Cake Roll
Thanks so much, Marcie! I had a feeling you’d appreciate that about the yolks. 🙂
Ice cream should be a part of everyone’s daily food group! This looks so lemony and refreshing! Perfect for spring!
Chris @ Shared Appetite recently posted…Baked Brown Butter Churro Donuts
I have to agree! Ice cream just makes ya happy. Thanks, Chris!
Gloria, this looks fabulous!! Lemon, I mean come on. I prefer both hard and soft ice cream! Just an ice cream addict here!! There is the greatest hard scooped ice cream place in MN called Nelsons that has a million flavors, and obscene amounts of it for cheap. Then there is my love for frozen yogurt…I mean who doesn’t love filling a cup with their choice flavors and toppings?? Hard and soft, they are both good 🙂 haha totally pinning this for later. Thanks lady! Hope you’ve had a wonderful week.
Kelly – LEFT SIDE OF THE TABLE recently posted…{Denise’s} German Potato Salad
I totally agree, Kelly! I’ll have any kind of frozen treat soft or super frozen. Although, I have to say I’m on a Gelato kick lately… so delish! Now, I just need to go to Italy and have some fresh from the pros, right?! Hope you have a wonderful weekend, my friend!
Oh my gosh, Gloria we are total lemon twins! I JUST made a luscious lemon pudding today that I plan to post in a few days. Love how both of our minds work! And this ice cream! It looks so creamy and lemon-y and perfect for the warmer days that are ahead of us! pinned.
Sarah@WholeAndHeavenlyOven recently posted…Whole-Grain Peanut Butter Chocolate Granola Bars
Ooooh yum! Can’t wait until you get that one out… love lemon pudding! Simply can’t get enough of lemony things, for sure! Have a happy Friday, my Lemon friend!
You had me at custard. No wait, it was the crushed lemon heads. I think I just love it all! Homemade ice cream IS time consuming but so worth it. I made a batch every week it seemed like last summer. This would be the best way to kick off this summer – pinned for future use!
Mary Frances @ The Sweet Tooth Life recently posted…Triple Peanut Butter Saltine Toffee Bark
I am the same way when it comes to making ice cream all summer long, Mary Frances. I actually bought two machine bowls to go with my one machine… just so one can always stay in the freezer and ready for a round of cream!
love anything lemony! especially ice cream! 😉
Sarah & Arkadi recently posted…Meatball Sandwich with Marinara Sauce and Smoked Mozzarella
Thanks so much, Sarah and Arkadi!
I totally trust in your ice cream wisdom. And also WHERE DID YOU GET THAT LITTLE METAL BOWL! I need it, immediately.
Julianne @ Beyond Frosting recently posted…Lemon Blackberry Muffins
Funny thing is, I actually thought of you when I pulled this little bowl out of the cupboard to use it for the cookie dough during our Cookie Dough Week. It’s so you. You know how you ask someone where they got their cute skirt… and they say, five years ago… at a thrift store? Well, the same thing here with the mini tin bowl! I bought them almost ten years ago at a thrift store and gave them to my guests filled with lemon mini sweets when I had a lemon themed dinner party. It was pretty fun. I forgot I had this laying around. 🙂
Gloria,I love anything made with lemon — this looks so refreshing and I love that you put lemonheads inside– yum! Getting ready to jump through the screen to have a big bowl full!!!! 🙂
Sheila, you are too sweet! 🙂
Ice cream should be a food group for all of us! I love lemon. Oh man I bet the combo of creamy and sour taste divine. This makes my mouth water! So pretty too. I bet this would be perfect to have after Easter dinner. Palate cleansing, yah that’s right I will also eat this ice cream between each course to clean my palate! Yum!
My favorite ice cream is butter pecan. But, This could be my new one for sure!
tahnycooks recently posted…Carrot Cake Scones with Chunks of Cream Cheese
Tahny, I just love you!!! I love butter pecan… with caramel! I hope you have a really fun Easter with your cute little men…. and the big man, too! 🙂
What brilliance Gloria! I totally remember these from my childhood. Oh the memories….
Have a GOOD Friday!
Melanie @ Carmel Moments recently posted…I Said ‘No’ To the Dress….es
Thank you, Melanie! Isn’t it funny how much candies like this remind us of when we were younger?!
This looks delicious! Pinning!
Kathy recently posted…Pizza Frittata
Thank you so much, Kathy! You are so sweet!
CRUSHED LEMON HEADS?!? Omg, Gloria! You are amazing.
ashley – baker by nature recently posted…The Best Fresh Mango Margaritas!
Ashley, thank you so much! Happy Friday, my friend!
What beautiful photos! This lemon ice cream sounds delicious! Homemade is the very best kind, right? My fave is strawberry!
Marti recently posted…Free Easter Printables and Fun Stuff
You are too nice, Marti… thank you! I love strawberries in my shakes. It’s actually the only way I’ll eat strawberries. I know, it’s sad! Mainly because strawberries are so pretty… but also pretty swimming in cream and sugar! Hope you’re enjoying your Friday! Big hugs!
That is funny….I don’t eat strawberries by themselves either. Love them in shakes and ice cream, tho. Happy Friday! *hugs* 🙂
Marti recently posted…Free Easter Printables and Fun Stuff
I absolutely LOVE those photos Gloria!! Of course I love everything lemon, so this ice cream is right up my alley…and already pinned to my Lemon Love pinerest board. 😉
Lisa @ Cooking with Curls recently posted…Limoncello Tiramisu Ice Cream
I like my ice cream soft and melty… yum! I totally didn’t know that about tempering the ice cream, learn something new everyday. Love the all the fresh flavors in this, lemon ice cream rocks. Might even add a little basil into mine when I make this… thanks for another fab recipe girl. Gorgeous pictures as always! Pinned!
Krista @ Joyful Healthy Eats recently posted…Show Stopper Saturday Link Party #36 with Easter Features
Hmmm… that would be awesome with the basil, girlfriend!
Love, love, love ice cream! I’ll eat it in the middle of winter. How do I like my ice cream? Part frozen, part melty….I know I gotta make it complicated that it’s not one or the other. 😉
Tina @ Tina’s Chic Corner recently posted…Crumb Carrot Cake
You are too funny, Tina! I like mine the same way!
I’ve no idea what a lemonhead is but this ice cream looks so delicious. I love lemon but never had lemon ice cream before.
Laura@Baking in Pyjamas recently posted…Sweet and Savoury Sundays Link Party #58
Laura, Lemonheads are fun little balls of sour hard candy…. simply yummy! The taste of lemon ice cream is so much more decadent than any other ice cream… at least that’s my opinion. 😉 Check it out and since you’re a lemon lover, you’ll be in love with lemon ice cream! 🙂
How fun is this ice cream? I love it, Gloria! And I love that little metal bowl too. So cute! Pinned!
Julie @ This Gal Cooks recently posted…Marvelous Mondays 95 with Coffee Cake Recipes
Ice cream definitely counts as a food group – I could eat it anytime of day all year round! I love this lemon ice cream – it sounds so refreshing and that is such a creative idea to add crushed lemonheads! Pinning and going to lug my ice cream maker out of its hiding place so I can make this pronto 🙂
Kelly, you just made me laugh out loud! Although I love making/eating ice cream all year long, too…. but something about hearing the ice cream churning in the summer time is just somethin’ else! Go get that ice cream maker out, girlfriend! 🙂
I love Lemon! Definitely pinning this so I can try it soon. Thanks for sharing 😉
Julie@Sweet and Spicy Monkey recently posted…Easy Marshmallow Frosting
Thanks so much, Julie! 🙂
Wow, this looks so refreshing and delicious! Your photos are beautiful too! Pinned 🙂 Thanks for sharing at The Makers!
Katie @ UpcycledTreasures recently posted…The Makers Link Party 14
Gloria, you know how much I love lemon and this is awesome!! Love that you used Lemonheads!! Thank you so much for sharing this at Best of the Weekend and I’m featuring it at tomorrow night’s party and of course, pinned! 🙂 Hope you have happy Friday!
Cindy Eikenberg recently posted…Launch Party and WallQuotes.com Giveaway!
Thanks so much for linking at Show Me Your Plaid Monday’s! You are one of this weeks Features!
Chandra@The Plaid & Paisley Kitchen recently posted…Show Me Your Plaid Monday’s
This looks AMAZING! Thank you for linking up on Make Bake Create!
Kristy recently posted…Pretzel Bread Sandwiches & Menu Plan Monday
That sounds delicious and I’m glad I can do it without an ice cream machine!
Thanks for linking up with Make Bake Create! Looking forward to seeing you again tonight at 5pm CST!
Blessings,
Sarah
Mrs. Sarah Coller recently posted…Creamy Tomato Basil Chicken — Trim Healthy Mama Style
Custom and precision engineering projects including the supply of metal gates, automated gates, railings, trolleys, fire escapes, access platforms.
Hi Gloria:
Love your site and this recipe. It is absolutely brilliant! I am honored to feature your fantastic recipe in my “Top-Rated Ice Cream Recipes Round-Up” on my website! I will definitely be back! http://mindful-shopper.com/2014/05/25/mindful-life-22-absolutely-scrumptious-ice-cream-recipes/
Amy Kathleen Kelsch recently posted…The Ultimate Gift Guide for Dads
Thank you so much, Amy! (Sorry, I’m a little late… I’ve hardly even been around the blogosphere.) I feel so honored you included this recipe with all of those talented foodies! Big hugs!
Thanks for linking to Saturday Dishes Gloria! I will be featuring this recipe at next week’s link up!!!! And thanks for the tweet.
Lisa @ Pebbles & Piggytails recently posted…Gooey Marshmallow Brownies
You just made my day, Lisa! Thank you so much for the party!