• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Grits and Pinecones
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Mardi Gras
  • Valentine’s Day
  • All Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Grits and Pinecones » Recipes » Desserts

    Easy No-Cook Meyer Lemon Ice Cream

    June 25, 2017 by Sharon Rigsby, Updated May 4, 2020 7 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Easy No Cook Meyer Lemon Ice Cream Pinterest Pin

    Looking for something to beat the summer heat? How about my Easy No-Cook Meyer Lemon Ice Cream! This homemade silky smooth and lemony ice cream is just the thing to help you cool off on a hot summer day!

    Easy No-Cook Meyer Lemon Ice Cream in an ice cream cone

    It’s the middle of June and hot, hot, hot, here! It rained all last week, and I wished for some sunshine, but now that the sun is out and it’s hot and humid, I wish for a cloudy, rainy cooler day! Just thinking about this light and delicious ice cream makes me feel cooler and once I pile a few scoops into a tall ice cream cone, I’m in lemon heaven.

    Sweet and tart, Easy No-Cook Meyer Lemon Ice Cream is delightfully refreshing and decidedly satisfying and the perfect cool, creamy dessert or sweet treat. And, the best part, it’s really easy to make.

    All you have to do is add the ingredients to your ice cream maker and let it do all of the heavy lifting. It is also the perfect consistency for scooping, no more ice cream that freezes so hard you have to leave it out to even scoop out a spoonful. It comes out smooth as silk every time.

    Thanks to Mary and Rick, friends of ours who shared a bounty of fresh Meyer lemons this past winter, I am lucky to have several quarts of frozen Meyer Lemon juice just waiting to be used in recipes like this one. If you don’t have access to Meyer Lemons or can’t find them, regular lemon juice works just as well, although you may need to add just a touch more of sugar.

    Meyer Lemons are actually a cross between a regular lemon and a Mandarin orange, and they are not quite as acidic and slightly sweeter.

    The other thing that contributes such a great lemon flavor to this Meyer Lemon Ice Cream is the use of preserved lemon peel. Again, because I had so many lemons courtesy of our friends, I made several jars of preserved lemon, which will keep up to a year in the fridge.

    Preserved lemons are actually lemons which have been preserved in salt and their own juice and add a wonderful lemony flavor to any dish where you would normally add lemon zest. If you would like more information on how to preserve lemons, check out my post How to Make Preserved Lemons. You won’t believe how easy preserved lemons are to make and they also make great hostess gifts. Don’t have preserved lemons? Just substitute lemon zest.

    If you enjoy homemade ice cream and sherbet, you might also like these easy ice cream recipes: Cherry Pomegranate Sherbet, Rocky Road Ice Cream, Pralines and Cream Ice Cream,  Homemade Fresh Peach Ice Cream, and Easy Mixed Berry Sherbet. All are super simple to make, and both make a light cool dessert.

    Need more ideas for ice cream? Check out this roundup post: 33 Incredible and Easy Ice Cream Recipes.

    To Make Easy No-Cook Meyer Lemon Ice Cream gather your ingredients which include Meyer lemon juice or regular lemon juice, granulated sugar, preserved lemon peel or lemon zest, heavy cream, half and half, and kosher salt.

    To make this yummy ice-cream, gather your ingredients and make sure lemon juice, heavy cream, and half-and-half are thoroughly chilled. Combine all ingredients in a medium-size bowl.

    Easy No-Cook Meyer Lemon Ice Cream ingredients

    Pour chilled ice cream mix into an ice cream maker, turn on the machine, and churn according to the manufacturer’s directions.  This should take approximately 25 minutes.

    Easy No-Cook Meyer Lemon Ice Cream in ice cream maker

    Remove the ice cream from the ice cream maker and place in an air-tight container. At this point, you can serve it, but the flavor will develop if you place the ice cream in the freezer for 2-3 hours.

    Easy No-Cook Meyer Lemon Ice Cream ready for the freezer

    Store any left-over ice cream in the freezer.

    Easy No Cook Meyer Lemon Ice Cream ready to eat

    If you make this recipe, please be sure to rate it and leave a comment below. I love hearing from you!

    Also, please follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram. And finally, to be the first to receive notifications of new posts by email enter your email address here or in the Subscribe box.

    Thank you so much for visiting Grits and Pinecones!

    Easy No-Cook Meyer Lemon Ice Cream in an ice cream cone

    Easy No-Cook Meyer Lemon Ice Cream Recipe:

    Sharon Rigsby
    Sweet, tart and silky smooth, Easy No-Cook Meyer Lemon Ice Cream is delightfully refreshing and decidedly satisfying and, the perfect cold, creamy dessert.
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 30 mins
    Total Time 2 hrs 30 mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American, Southern
    Servings 8 servings
    Calories 388 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice or regular lemon juice
    • 1-¾ cups granulated sugar
    • 1 tablespoon minced preserved lemon peel or lemon zest
    • 2 cups heavy cream
    • 2 cups half and half
    • pinch of kosher salt

    Instructions
     

    • Make sure lemon juice, heavy cream, and half and half are thoroughly chilled. Combine everything together in a medium size bowl.
    • Pour chilled ice cream mix into an ice cream maker, turn on the machine, and churn according to the manufacturer's directions. This should take approximately 25 minutes.
    • Remove the ice cream from the ice cream maker and place in an air-tight container. At this point, you can serve it, but the flavor will develop even further if you leave the ice cream the freezer for 2-3 hours.
    • Store any leftover ice cream in the freezer.

    Notes

    Nutrition

    Calories: 388kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 3gFat: 29gSaturated Fat: 18gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 104mgSodium: 47mgPotassium: 160mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 26gVitamin A: 1100IUVitamin C: 19.8mgCalcium: 100mgIron: 0.1mg
    Tried this recipe? Tag me today! Mention @gritspinecones or tag #gritspinecones!

    More Dessert Recipes recipes

    • 33 Romantic Desserts for Valentine’s Day
    • Heart-Shaped Chocolate Cake with Cherries
    • Charleston Chewies with Brown Butter
    • 30+ Best Christmas Dessert Recipes 2022

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Sneaux Frē

      February 08, 2021 at 1:51 pm

      Love this ice cream! With a peeler, I peeled the zest of 3 lemons and added it to my blender along with the sugar and blitzed it. The zest is fine now and will be fully incorporated in the mix. I did this to replace the preserved lemon. Very easy recipe to do! Thank you!

      Reply
    2. Eva Bloom

      April 01, 2020 at 9:52 pm

      This ice cream was stunning! A perfect balance of tang and sweetness. I whipped it up in ten minutes and let my ice cream churner do the rest of the work. So rich, reminds me of Italian sherbet. Also perfect consistency, no crystals and not hard as a rock. A true winner!

      Reply
      • Sharon Rigsby

        April 02, 2020 at 10:46 am

        Hi Eva, thank you so much for leaving such a nice comment! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
        All the best,
        Sharon

        Reply
    3. Velva

      June 27, 2017 at 7:58 pm

      You know I am crazy about Meyer lemons! This has my name all over it.

      Reply
      • Gritsandpinecones

        June 27, 2017 at 9:05 pm

        You and me too! Plus, a bonus, it’s super easy!

        Reply
    4. Carolyn

      June 25, 2017 at 3:50 pm

      Does this ice cream have a heavy lemon taste? I was thinking of adding about 1/2 teaspoon of lemon oil? I have a really good one but won’t use it unless the lemon taste is very subtle. Can’t wait to make this.

      Carolyn

      Reply
      • Gritsandpinecones

        June 25, 2017 at 4:02 pm

        If you use the preserved lemons it is very lemony! If you only have lemon zest I think it would be fine to add the lemon oil. The other thing to keep in mind is regular lemons are a little more tart than Meyer lemons so that may affect the taste too!
        I hope you enjoy it!

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Sharon Rigsby, blogger at GritsandPinecones.com

    Hello, I'm Sharon Rigsby, blogger, recipe developer, videographer, and photographer for Grits and Pinecones®. I have well over 50 years of experience in the kitchen, and there is nothing I like better than developing and reimagining recipes for my family, friends, and you!

    More about me →

    Celebrate Mardi Gras with these easy recipes:

    • 24 Mardi Gras Recipes & Menu Ideas 2023
    • New Orleans-Style Shrimp Creole with Spicy Cajun Cream Sauce
    • Old-Fashioned Pecan Pralines
    • Easy Mardi Gras Hot Muffuletta Dip – A Flavorful Appetizer
    • Creole Shrimp Toast – Easy & Cheesy
    • Bourbon Ice Cream

    More Mardi Gras recipes:

    Popular Recipes

    • Quick and Easy Hoe Cakes (Fried Cornbread)
    • Blackened Grouper
    • Classic Southern Potato Salad
    • Quick and Easy Hanky Panky Recipe
    • Best Southern Crispy Fried Oysters
    • Southern Fried Fish
    Featured in Parade, The Today Show, Better Homes & Gardens, Greatist, and more.

    Footer

    More Recipe Categories

    • Appetizer Recipes
    • Beef Recipes
    • Bread Recipes
    • Breakfast Recipes
    • Chicken Recipes
    • Cocktail Recipes
    • Condiments, Jams, Jellies, Sauces, and Salad Dressings
    • Dessert Recipes
    • Game Day and Tailgating Recipes
    • Healthy Recipes

    More…

    • Lunch Recipes
    • Main Dish Recipes
    • Pork Recipes
    • Salad Recipes
    • Seafood Recipes
    • Side Dish Recipes
    • Snack Recipes
    • Soup Recipes
    • Southern Recipes
    • Southern Peas (Cowpeas) Recipes

    Grits and Pinecones

    • About
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Legal Disclaimer

    Copyright © 2023 Grits and Pinecones® · Privacy Policy · Legal Disclaimer

    • 307Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Yummly
    • Email
    1273 shares