Easy Vegan Lemon Ice Cream - No Churn Recipe

An easy recipe for vegan lemon ice cream. This dairy-free fruit ice cream is a no-churn recipe. so you don't need an ice cream maker.

I don't have room in my small freezer for the bowl of an ice cream maker, so I love no-churn ice cream like this easy vegan lemon ice cream.

The lemon ice cream is creamy but lovely and zingy with a good lemon flavour.

If you love lemon desserts, then this is the one for you.

This delicious ice cream will keep you going back for more.

Luckily it doesn't make too big a batch, which is just as well, as it is so moreish.

Jump to:

• 🍋 Fresh lemon
• 🥛 No-churn ice cream made with condensed milk
• 🥛 Vegan condensed milk
• 🍨 Making ice cream with an ice cream maker
• 📋 What you need to make dairy-free lemon ice cream
• 🥄 Equipment to make no-churn ice cream
• 🌡️ Storage
• 💭 Top tip
• 👩🏻‍🍳 Related recipes
• ⭐ Save your favourite recipes for free!
• 👩🏻‍🍳 How to make vegan lemon ice cream
• 📖 Recipe
• Comments

🍋 Fresh lemon

You must use fresh lemons for this plant-based ice cream.

Many recipes use lemon flavouring, but it's always a bad idea.

The flavour is never fresh and often leaves a bad aftertaste.

Many lemon flavorings are artificial too, so do avoid them.

Using fresh lemon juice and lemon zest will give you a really tart and fruity citrus flavour for the best lemon ice cream.

🥛 No-churn ice cream made with condensed milk

The secret to no-churn homemade ice cream is condensed milk.

Condensed milk is fresh milk where the water content is boiled away until the milk thickens, then sugar is added to sweeten it.

It's used in many desserts and some bakes.

Adding it to your ice cream mixture stops it from crystallizing.

I don't know what the science is, but it works and means you don't have to churn the ice cream.

🥛 Vegan condensed milk

Vegan condensed milk is available in health food shops, supermarkets and online.

There are a variety of brands available.

I used to buy Carnation vegan condensed milk, but I can't seem to find that these days, so I have returned to the original one I used by Nature's Charm.

They are made in a similar way to regular condensed milk but with coconut milk instead of dairy milk.

🍨 Making ice cream with an ice cream maker

The traditional way to make ice cream is to churn it in an ice cream maker.

Your custard-like mixture is churned in the iced bowl of the ice cream machine until thick and creamy, then frozen.

The other way to make it is to whizz the mixture, freeze it, then during the freezing period, take it out every hour to 2 hours to whisk the mixture to break up the ice crystals.

Of course with the no-churn condensed milk version, you don't have to whisk the ice cream mixture at all once it is in the freezer.

📋 What you need to make dairy-free lemon ice cream

Here are the simple ingredients you'll need to make this easy no churn ice cream recipe.

• Fresh lemons - juice and zest
• condensed milk - any dairy-free or vegan sweetened condensed milk
• Double cream (heavy cream) - dairy-free (I like Elmlea Plant)
• Icing sugar - confectioner's sugar

The full printable recipe card is at the bottom of this page and includes the quantities, method and notes.

🥄 Equipment to make no-churn ice cream

You don't need any fancy equipment to make this easy lemon ice cream.

Here's what you do need:

• A large bowl - a mixing bowl or any other large bowl
• Scales (to measure) - or cup measures
• Tablespoon - a measuring spoon is much more accurate than a large spoon from your cutlery drawer or granny's old baking tablespoon
• Whisk - I like to use an electric whisk, but you can use a balloon whisk and whisk it by hand (there's no need to use a food processor or stand mixer)
• Spatula - or large spoon to scrape the mixture into a tub
• Tub - some sort of freezer-safe container

See no fancy equipment!

🌡️ Storage

Your homemade lemon ice cream needs to be frozen before it is served.

You can use any airtight container, that is suitable for use in the freezer.

Although, I sometimes freeze my ice cream in loaf pans (loaf tins) if I know I will be serving it soon.

I just cover it with some freezer-friendly cling film.

They are great to scoop ice cream from!

Here are a few ice cream storage ideas:

• Loaf tin - covered with cling film
• Airtight container (tupperware) - suitable for the freezer
• Recycled tubs - such as a margarine tub or an ice cream tub
• Cardboard pint tubs - you can buy plain brown or white pint tubs (approximately 568 ml or 2 ⅓ cups)

I bought a set of cardboard pint ice cream tubs and I have no idea what I did with them. I have searched my house and my mum's house and just can't find them, so I just use what I have in the kitchen. So annoying!

👩🏻‍🍳 Related recipes

Looking for more easy no-churn ice cream recipes like this? Try these:

You might also like to try this creamy coffee ice cream, a rather luxurious Biscoff ice cream, raspberry ripple ice cream, which is one of my personal favourites or a really nice chocolate ice cream.

Right, those should keep you going for a while although I have some good ideas for new ice cream recipes.

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👩🏻‍🍳 How to make vegan lemon ice cream

These step-by-step photos will show you how to make fresh lemon ice cream, which is the perfect summer dessert.

Step 1

• Zest the lemons (full recipe in recipe card below), then juice them.
• Add the zest to the juice and set aside.
• Pour the cream into a large mixing bowl, then add the icing sugar.

Step 2

• Whisk the cream until it is thick and leaving a trail when you whisk it.
• Add the condensed milk, lemon juice and lemon zest and whisk again until well combined.
• Pour into an airtight container (one that is freezer-safe), then freeze for 3 hours or more until set.
• Remove from the freezer and leave at room temperature to soften before you scoop and serve.
• Enjoy!