Want a truly delicious and tangy low carb lemon ice cream? Look no further than this delicious Lemon Curd Ice Cream recipe. All the great lemon flavor without the carbs. Sugar-free and keto-friendly.
This lemon ice cream recipe has been updated to be easier and better than ever! And I have a few tricks for keeping it soft and scoopable, even days later.
There’s no question that I get obsessed with certain foods from time to time. I like to say that it’s an occupational hazard of being a food blogger who really does dream about food all day. Like a catchy tune, sometimes a flavor or a food item will just get stuck on replay in my head, going around and around until I have to find a new way to use it. Lemon curd has been the tune I’m singing of late, ever since I made some for an Easter brunch with friends. It’s so sweet and tangy, and so…so…lemony, it just screams spring. But here in New England, we skipped over spring entirely and went straight into summer. So my head has also been playing the tune of ice cream and other frozen treats. It wasn’t much of a leap to combine the two and churn up some low carb Lemon Curd Ice Cream.
I’ve seen lemon ice cream made with lemon curd before on other blogs and food sites, and it was pretty easy to figure out how it should be made. Lemon curd takes a lot of eggs as it is, so I knew it wouldn’t be necessary to add more to create a custard-based ice cream. I also really wanted the tang of the lemon curd to come through and not get swallowed up by the cream and the sweetener. I’ve seen some recipes that add a lot more sugar after adding the curd, which is plenty sweet in my opinion. But I kept my additional sweetener to a minimum, to allow for a tangy, creamy frozen treat.
How To Make Lemon Ice Cream
- This recipe now uses my updated low carb lemon curd. And I have to say, it’s all the better for it. The new lemon curd uses whole eggs, so you won’t have any lonely and unused egg whites hanging around.
- Be sure to cook your lemon curd in a glass or ceramic bowl. I find that metal bowls react a bit with the lemon juice to leave a funny metallic tang.
- If you’ve ever made lemon curd before, you know that it’s about getting the eggs and yolks to just the right temperature so that they are cooked through. It will thicken up quickly and suddenly, so make sure you keep your eyes on it at all times!
- Let the curd cool in the fridge before mixing with the whipping cream. Cover it tightly with plastic wrap so it doesn’t develop a skin.
- Once your curd is nicely chilled, you just need to mix in the other ingredients and plop it into your ice cream maker!
Keeping Low Carb Ice Cream Soft
Okay guys, I have been messing around with ice cream lot this summer, trying to figure out the trick to keeping it soft. And I’ve found that my best trick is to use a combo of Swerve Sweetener and Bocha Sweet. Bocha Sweet is a sweetener derived from the kabocha squash, and it’s a pentose sweetener. Xylitol is also a pentose sweetener, so it appears to be similar to that although it’s not toxic to animals according to the website.
I would love to tell you that I am sold on Bocha Sweet as the perfect low carb sweetener. But I am not entirely. So far, it does not seem to affect my blood sugar that much and I have several diabetic readers who’ve recommended it to me and say it works for them. But for some people it can cause some severe stomach upset (at least according to the Amazon reviews!) and while I haven’t experienced that, I am reluctant to try it full strength. It’s also quite expensive – even more so than other low carb sweeteners.
It’s also not a perfect sugar replacement. I tried using it in some low carb meringues and they were a disaster! They never firmed up at all, staying sticky and gooey.
However, I am finding it useful in keeping keto ice cream scoopable and soft. I made one batch of vanilla with just Bocha Sweet and to be honest, it was almost TOO soft and slightly goopy. So then I tried a batch that was half Swerve and half Bocha Sweet and it was firmer but not rock hard. I am still playing with the ratios here but I think a 50/50 or even a 60/40 (in favour of the Bocha Sweet) seems to work well.
So for this keto lemon curd ice cream, I recommend one of two things. Either make your lemon curd with Bocha Sweet and then add some powdered Swerve when you add the whipping cream. Or vice versa: make your lemon curd with Swerve and then add Bocha Sweet as the additional sweetener. The first option will probably give you the softest results.
If you don’t have Bocha Sweet or prefer not to use it, your ice cream will freeze pretty hard but it will soften nicely with a few minutes on the counter. The added vodka can really help.
Want more delicious low carb lemon recipes?
Low Carb Lemon Curd Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- ⅓ cup Bocha Sweet or powdered Swerve Sweetener
- Full recipe Lemon Curd chilled
- 2 tablespoon vodka optional (helps decrease iciness)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together whipping cream, Bocha Sweet or powdered Swerve, and lemon curd until well combined. Whisk in the vodka, if using.
- Pour mixture into canister of an ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer’s directions.
- Transfer to an airtight container and freeze until firm, 2 to 3 hours.
Notes
Kerry says
Has anyone tried to use lemon vodka in this recipe? If so, how did it turn out?
Jen says
I love lemon curd so much, and your recipe is so easy and delicious. The ice cream was just as easy. I’ve made your cannoli ice cream and mint chocolate chip ice creams that didn’t require a machine (as well as your strawberry ice cream from your cookbook) — all were heavenly! So I applied your technique of whipping heavy cream and powdered swerve for a no-churn effect. I added a scoop of MCT oil powder while whipping (I had seen that suggestion on another keto ice cream recipe from another site to help with texture, but it might not be needed for your recipe — I didn’t have vodka, that’s why). Anyway, my mixture froze wonderfully and scooped so easily. It was like custard. And the flavor was so bright and lovely. Anyway, just wanted to share that in case others don’t have a machine and wanted to try a no churn method. It wasn’t icy or rock hard at all from the freezer.
Carolyn says
Glad to hear it!
Anu says
This is truly fantastic! We prefer a soft serve, so I used Bocha Sweet for the lemon curd and powdered allulose for the ice cream and it worked perfectly. I also used the optional alcohol (whisky, we didn’t have any vodka), but perhaps because I used British double cream (which is ~50% fat) and not heavy whipping cream, it didn’t get too runny or gloopy. The only thing I might change next time is to add more lemon zest, or even some lime zest, for extra zing! Even so, both my husband and I absolutely loved this, thank you yet again 🙂
Lynn says
I had a happy accident. For whatever reason, I didn’t let the curd cook long enough, so it didn’t set up in the fridge. Of course I had already added the butter, so I wasn’t sure if I could cook it more. Not having much to lose, I tossed it all back in and let it cook. The butter didn’t separate, and it cooked up just fine. Yay!
Kelly Love says
My daughter and I are adapting a ketogenic lifestyle and have decided to start making all the yummy things on this blog! Today we made this yummy ice cream and it is perfection!!!!! We couldn’t find Bocha sweet so we just used Swerve confectioners sugar and it still came out AMAZING! It is so creamy and lemony! Can’t wait to make more of Carolyns dishes! I wish I could post a picture of it on here❤️❤️❤️
Carolyn says
Glad it worked out!
Lynn says
Carolyn, you recommended making the lemon curd with Bocha Sweet, but the curd recipe calls for powdered. Should I put the Bocha Sweet in a blender to make it more like powdered?
Carolyn says
BochaSweet should actually dissolve well during the cooking process, no need to powder.
Lynn says
Many thanks…off to make the ice cream. Thanks to you, I have to make MORE lemon curd because I couldn’t keep my spoon out of the batch I made yesterday.
Carolyn says
Haha, the struggle is real!
Ann says
Tried out this recipe in my new ice cream maker the other night….wow! Delicious! I used Swerve powder in the custard and the added the BochaSweet to the last part of the recipe. Perfect sweetness. Thank you
msfelixthecatz says
I made this ice cream for New Years, and I must say it was absolutely delicious!! Thank you, from a lemon curd fan.
Carolyn says
So glad to hear it!
Kimberly says
This is beyond delicious!!! And oh my so so SO very easy! I added 1 tbsp vegetable glycerin to prevent freezing hard. It has no impact on blood sugar or ketosis
Nikki says
Love this recipe. I make my lemon curd in my vita mix blender. It turns out perfect every time and is so easy. Thank you for this. I tasted this ice cream next to my favorite McConnel’s eureka lemon and Marion Berry ice cream and they were nearly identical. I sometimes add a swirl of Keto blueberry or blackberry jam. It is amazing.
nicole says
MINI LEMON BUNDT CAKES WITH LEMON CURD FILLING
https://ALLDAYIDREAMABOUTFOOD.COM/MINI-LEMON-BUNDT-CAKES-WITH-LEMON-CURD-FILLING-LOW-CARB-AND-GLUTEN-FREE/
Lemon Curd:
1/4 cup granulated erythritol
Robin says
In the Bundt Cake recipe the lemon curd isn’t going in the freezer. The Bundt Cake recipe looks great!
Thank you for all the work you put into the recipes to make them the best as possible.
I’m gonna try this curd and ice cream.
I thought about maybe swirling the curd in.
nicole says
I made your lemon curd recipe few months ago. It had wonderful flavor however, the curd got lumpy and re-crystallized next day in the fridge. I used granulated erythritol and drops stevia extract which the recipe called for. I normally read all the comments before I start a new recipe but I didn’t see anyone had same issue. I really want to try this recipe but worry that will happen again. Do you or anyone had that happened to you/them? Thank you so much for sharing good recipes
Carolyn says
Okay I am really confused since my updated lemon curd, which I updated last spring, doesn’t take granulated erythritol and stevia.
Aimee says
Wow!!! This ice cream was absolutely delicious!! I used Meyer lemons (which are sweeter than regular lemons) and added a little extra joice to the ice cream custard. I used xylitol for the lemon curd and for the ice cream custard. I gently heated 1/3 cup of the cream with the xylitol so that it would dissolve. I also used a little xantham gum to make it soft. This is one of the best ice creams I have ever had. Thanks!!
Jeff L says
I’m nothing close to a baker, so you tell me how much “a little xanthan gum” is, in teaspoons/grams?
Roo says
That was absolutely delicious! Thank you for another hit recipe! You’re amazing!
Unterderlaterne says
How about adding some glycerine . I think you mentioned that some time ago. I have a bottle waiting in my pantry !
Carolyn says
You can certainly try that. My biggest issue with glycerin is that there is little to no info on the nutritional values so I am not sure what to tell my readers. Also I do find that it can spike my blood sugar and I didn’t find it all that useful in keeping the ice cream that soft unless I used a fair bit of it.
Lisa says
I’ve used ‘Just Like Sugar’ for 1/3 to half the sweetener and this will keep your ice cream soft. In fact, if you use too much it will stay like soft serve and never harden. Another trick I learned from the Keto Diet App website is to use 2-4 tablespoons of food grade vegetable Glycerine blended into the ice cream. This also keeps it scoopable, however too much will keep it like soft serve. I’ve never tried Vodka though and I don’t know what impact Glycerine might have on sensitive digestive systems. I’ve never found a carb count for it, for some reason it’s not listed anywhere that I can find.
Jeff L says
Using this amount of Glycerine will add 30-60 grams of carbohydrates to the entire batch. If you can stick to the 10 servings per batch listed above, then this is not so bad. I like my ice cream, so… I should probably keep looking for another softening agent.
https://ketodietapp.com/data/ingredient/690
Phoebe Perryman says
I have an ice cream recipe book that uses Konjac Root powder (Glucomannan) to keep the ice cream soft. The ice cream
doesn’t become “brick hard”.
Your lemon curd ice cream sounds delicious.
Thank you for all the wonderful recipes you have brought into my low carb lifestyle.
Stacia says
I had already whipped up a batch of keto lemon curd when I found this recipe plus I doubled it! So how much lemon curd does your recipe make, so I can add the correct amount to the ice cream?
BTW, I love your recipes and recommend your blog to everyone who asks me about keto. I especially love that you use the less costly coconut flour a lot! I really like the texture it adds to almond flour heavy recipes.
Carolyn says
It makes about 1 1/2 cups
Simon Hungerford says
The Recipe says, 3 eggs and 3 egg yokes, is that 6 eggs but only 3 egg whites, or does it mean just only 3 eggs and separating the eggs and egg whits and then mixing them back together?
Simon Hungerford says
How long does it take to harden?, My batch has been in the freezer a few hours and is Still liquid
Carolyn says
If you churned it properly, it should not be liquid when you put it in the freezer.