Lime Ice Cream

This lime ice cream is a refreshing summer treat that strikes the perfect balance between creamy and tangy. Made with just a handful of simple ingredients – fresh lime juice, whole milk, heavy cream, and egg yolks, this recipe is naturally gluten-free.

But don’t let the simplicity of the ingredients fool you – this ice cream packs a flavorful punch. The addition of finely grated lime zest adds a bright, citrusy aroma and flavor that perfectly complements the creamy base.

So whether you’re hosting a summer barbecue, craving a refreshing treat on a hot day, or simply looking to satisfy your sweet tooth, this homemade lime ice cream is sure to hit the spot.

Ingredients

Here’s everything you need.

• Egg yolks – I talk about why these are so important below. You can’t sub whole eggs.
• Heavy cream – this is what gives the ice cream its rich and creamy texture. A ratio of heavy cream to whole milk that I find works well is 2:1. This ensures that the ice cream remains creamy yet light enough to complement the zesty lime flavor.
• Whole milk – this lightens the mixture compared to using only heavy cream. A combination of the two offers a balanced creaminess without making the ice cream too dense. If you’re thinking you want it ultra-rich, so you’ll just use all heavy cream, I wouldn’t recommend it. Ice cream made with only heavy cream and not a mix of cream and milk usually has an odd mouthfeel.
• Some people might enjoy it, but I think most people may find it too heavy or cloying. Adding milk can help balance out the richness and create a lighter texture.
• Lime juice and zest – you could alternatively use lemon juice and zest if you’d like.
• Sugar – no sub here. Liquid sweeteners would make the ice cream too runny and icy. I talk about the possibility of using keto sweeteners below.
• Salt – a pinch of salt heightens the other flavors in the ice cream without making it salty. Salt, even when used sparingly, is a subtle yet essential ingredient that supports the overall flavor harmony.

How to make lime ice cream

I’ll let the photos explain it all.

I don’t recommend skipping the straining step!

Straining helps remove any bits of cooked egg that may not have fully incorporated into the custard base during the cooking process. This results in a smoother, silkier texture for the ice cream.

Keeping the lime zest also creates a gritty texture. Not something I really enjoy when eating super creamy ice cream!

Lime options

Key lime – smaller, rounder and tarter than regular limes, these offer a potent citrus flavor. They’re perfect for a more intense lime ice cream.

Persian Lime (Tahiti or Bearss Lime) – this is the most widely available type of lime in the US. It’s larger than other varieties and has a seedless interior with a bright green color. They’re less tart than key limes. This is what I used.

Using lime juice and zest directly influences the ice cream’s flavor intensity. Lime juice brings tartness and freshness, while the zest adds a fragrant and tangy note. You don’t want to use bottled lime juice!

Can I add more or less lime juice and zest?

I tried it once with 3/4 cup of lime juice instead of 1/2 cup. It was too limey. So stick with 1/2 cup.

Two tablespoons is already quite a bit of zest. Adding too much zest can make the ice cream taste overly bitter or tart. Lime zest contains essential oils that provide a strong citrus flavor, but using too much can throw off the balance of the recipe. So, again, I really recommend just sticking to the recipe.

You can, however, reduce it a bit if you’d like.

When to add the lime juice

I originally added it to the mixture along with the milk. I had no issues with it curdling, but my photographer did.

So I checked out how other people did it. Other recipes for lemon or lime ice cream have you add it with the milk, or after you strain the hot mixture into the heavy cream, or just before churning.

I wanted to play it safe, so for this recipe, you add the lime juice just before churning. That’s how my photographer did it the second time (I also tested it), and you can see the results. :)

Can I omit the egg yolks?

Nope. I tried it and didn’t find that it was rich enough.

Egg yolks make ice cream creamier because they contain fat and protein, adding richness and a smoother texture to the ice cream.

When heated and combined with the other ingredients in the ice cream base, the proteins in the egg yolks help to bind water molecules and fat together, creating a smoother texture and preventing the formation of large ice crystals.

This results in a creamier, smoother ice cream with a more luxurious mouthfeel. Additionally, the fat content in the egg yolks contributes to the ice cream’s richer flavor.

Can I use all milk/cream/half-and-half?

No to using all cream because, like I said above, most people don’t like the mouthfeel of ice cream recipes using all cream, and no to using all milk. I don’t think that would even churn properly and form ice cream. I could be wrong about that, but I don’t think you’d end up with actual ice cream.

The 2 cups of heavy cream + 1 cup of whole milk = 184 grams of fat. Using 3 cups of half-and-half would result in 83 grams of fat. Definitely not enough!

If you’re short on heavy cream and/or milk and need to sub in some half-and-half, that’s fine. But keep in mind that less fat means less creamy ice cream.

Can I use low-fat or fat-free milk?

If that’s all you have, you can certainly use it, but then use less milk and more heavy cream. I’m guessing 3/4 cup of low-fat/fat-free milk and 2 1/4 cups of cream.

Why isn’t it green?

Because lime juice isn’t green. And the 2 tablespoons of lime zest aren’t anywhere near enough to make this ice cream cheese. Plus, they’re strained, anyway.

Lime sherbet is so green because it has added food coloring.

If you’re looking for green ice cream, you might want to check out this
Green Ice Cream, which uses matcha to color the ice cream.

Or you could add food coloring to this lime ice cream. I have no idea how much you’d need.

For a natural green color that won’t affect the limey-ness of this ice cream, I like the one from Color Kitchen. I haven’t tried it in this recipe, but I’ve used it in many others, like this Mint Lemonade with great results.

Do I have to use an ice cream maker?

Yes, just placing the ice cream mixture in the freezer doesn’t produce ice cream, with some exceptions like the vegan ice creams I talk about below and this Black Forest Ice Cream, which involves whipping heavy cream, adding the other ingredients, and then freezing.

I haven’t used that method with this lime ice cream recipe, so I really have no idea if it’d work.

The Cuisinart 1.5 quart ice cream maker, which is *the* affordable and super quality ice cream maker, at least according to me, is $49.99 on Amazon every now and then. I know this thanks to a browser extension called Keepa that shows me historical prices on Amazon for any and all products.

If that’s out of your range, you can put in a price alert to get emailed whenever it reaches whatever’s your budget. Or find a cheaper one, but when I researched ice cream makers last year, this was the most highly recommended one at a reasonable price (and I believe it, including its predecessor) has been so for at least 20+ years.

Can I reduce the sugar?

I really don’t recommend it because the balance between sweet and tart is perfect as written. If you want it quite tart, you can reduce it by maybe 2 tablespoons.

Can I make it keto?

I haven’t tried keto sweeteners in this recipe, but a Gentle Sweet copycat worked amazingly well in my Black Ice Cream.

If you’d like to experiment, I recommend using 1/2 cup of Gentle Sweet or the copycat I have listed on the black ice cream post. Then add more to taste.

Keto sweeteners really don’t agree with me, and I’m trying to avoid them for now. Or else I’d experiment for you. :)

Why is there no vegan option?

The first issue is the eggs. There’s no proper sub for eggs in a custard.

Then there’s the heavy cream to worry about. Coconut milk is most usually used as a substitute in ice cream recipes.

I’ve said it a few times, but I really don’t like coconut milk-based ice creams. So, I’m not an accurate judge of whether this ice cream would be any good with coconut milk, because I know I’d hate the texture.

Coconut milk ice cream is just too icy for my liking. I used some in this Paleo Ice Cream recipe, but I also added a bunch of cashews and dates to make it creamy and not at all icy.

It has a slight salted caramel flavor to it, so it’s not a recipe you’d want to add lime juice and zest to.

Coconut milk also works fantastically in my Vegan Gelato Recipe, but that’s also because the added dates do wonders for the texture.

All this to say, if you want to make vegan or paleo lime ice cream, it’s best to avoid trying to adapt this recipe. I once tried an avocado lime ice cream that only tasted of limes! So maybe look for a recipe like that.

I don’t remember if this was the exact recipe, but this paleo and vegan Coconut Lime Ice Cream looks like what I’m talking about.

I hope you’ll enjoy this lime ice cream! If you try it out, I’d love to hear your thoughts below. Thank you. :)

Lime Ice Cream

Author Erin Dooner

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 8

5 from 9 votes

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 10 hours hrs

This lime ice cream is a creamy, tangy, and refreshing summer treat made with simple, gluten-free ingredients like fresh lime juice, whole milk, heavy cream, and egg yolks.

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Equipment

• ice cream maker

Ingredients

• ▢ 4 large egg yolks
• ▢ 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar divided
• ▢ 1 cup (236 ml) whole milk
• ▢ 2 cups (473 ml) heavy cream divided
• ▢ 2 tablespoons finely grated lime zest packed
• ▢ 1/8-1/4 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/2 cup (118 ml) freshly squeezed lime juice

Instructions

• Prepare your ice cream bowl according to the manufacturer’s instructions by chilling it for 24 hours beforehand or however long is recommended. If you have the option to change the freezer’s temperature, it should be at least -18 C or -.4 F. If you can get it even colder, that’s even better as it ensures the freezer bowl will be as frozen as possible.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and 1/4 cup of the sugar until the mixture is well combined and a bit lighter (ignore that it says 3/4 cup below – it's a technical issue I can't change).
  4 large egg yolks, 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
• In a medium saucepan, mix together the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, milk, 1/2 cup of heavy cream (ignore that it says 2 cups below – it's a technical issue I can't change), lime zest, and just 1/8 teaspoon salt. Heat the mixture over medium heat until very hot and steamy.
  1 cup (236 ml) whole milk, 2 cups (473 ml) heavy cream, 2 tablespoons finely grated lime zest, 1/8-1/4 teaspoon salt
• While it's heating up, pour the remaining 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream into a large mixing bowl. Set a fine-mesh sieve over the mixing bowl.
• Slowly pour the hot milk mixture over the whisked yolks to temper the eggs. Whisk continuously until smooth, then return the mixture to the hot saucepan.
• Using a wooden spoon, stir the mixture constantly over medium-low heat on the stove until the mixture thickens slightly, coats the back of the spoon, and reaches 170 °F (77 °C).
• Pour the mixture through the strainer, using a silicone spatula to press down on the lime zest caught by the strainer to get out as much liquid as possible.
• Taste and add another 1/8 teaspoon or even more salt, if desired.
• Let cool for about 30 minutes at room temperature, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.
• Mix in the lime juice just before churning.
  1/2 cup (118 ml) freshly squeezed lime juice
• Pour the mixture into the totally frozen ice cream bowl and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The ice cream will be like soft-serve straight from the machine.
• Scoop into a freezer-safe container and freeze for 4 hours to help it firm up. Overnight, it gets pretty firm but was soft enough to scoop about sitting at room temp for about 5 minutes.

Notes

• This recipe yields 1 liter/quart. The nutritional info is based on 1/2 cup (125 ml) per serving.
• The nutrition information provided is calculated as a courtesy and is only an estimate. I am not a licensed nutritionist or dietitian. For the most accurate nutritional data, consult a professional or use your preferred calculator.

Nutrition

Calories: 328kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 6gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 153mgSodium: 96mgPotassium: 152mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 22gVitamin A: 1051IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 92mgIron: 0.5mgNet Carbs: 23

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