Three-ingredient no-churn lemon ice cream

Name: Three-ingredient no-churn lemon ice cream
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: Fresh liquid cream cold 2 cups; Condensed milk 1.3 cups; Lemon juice 2.7 oz; Lemon peel to taste; Mint to taste

Difficulty: Very easy
Prep time: 15 min
Serving: 4
Cost: Low

PRESENTATION

Three-Ingredient No-Churn Lemon Ice Cream solves a specific problem that trips up most homemade versions: ice crystals. Without the right base, lemon ice cream freezes hard and grainy overnight. Condensed milk is the fix—it keeps the texture soft and scoopable even after a full night in the freezer, while fresh cream adds a velvety richness throughout. Lemon juice rounds everything out, cutting through the sweetness with clean citrus flavor.

All you need is a bowl and electric whisks. The result is genuinely creamy—dense but not heavy, bright without being sharp. Condensed milk and cream do the structural work, so the lemon juice has a balanced, sweet base to cut against rather than a flat one. Easy enough to keep a container stocked through summer, and just as good pulled straight from the freezer on a slow afternoon as it is after dinner.

INGREDIENTS

for about 2.2 lb (1 kg) of ice cream: Fresh liquid cream 2 cups (500 g) - cold; Condensed milk 1.3 cups (400 g); Lemon juice 2.7 oz (80 g)

for garnish: Lemon peel to taste; Mint to taste

Preparation

How to prepare Three-ingredient no-churn lemon ice cream

To prepare the three-ingredient no-churn lemon ice cream, pour the heavy cream and condensed milk into a bowl 1. Beat with electric beaters until you obtain a semi-whipped mixture 2, then add the lemon juice 3.

Beat again with the beaters until you reach a firm and stable consistency 4. Transfer the mixture to a baking dish and level the surface with a spatula 5. Place in the freezer for a night 6.

Once the mixture is completely frozen, remove it from the freezer and let it come to room temperature for about 20–30 minutes (or let it thaw in the refrigerator for about an hour), then scoop out balls with an ice cream scoop 7. Garnish the bowls with lemon zest 8 and mint leaves. Your three-ingredient no-churn lemon ice cream is ready to enjoy 9!