Lemon Olive-Oil Ice Cream Recipe (2024)

By Yossy Arefi

Lemon Olive-Oil Ice Cream Recipe (1)

Total Time
25 minutes, plus chilling and churning
Rating
4(575)
Notes
Read community notes

Lemon ice cream may not inspire the same excitement you find with flavors like salted caramel or chocolate chip cookie dough, but you don't want to miss out on it. This ice cream is surprisingly complex: creamy, sweet, tart and a little savory thanks to olive oil and a bit of salt. If you'd like, serve scoops with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt and lemon zest.

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Ingredients

Yield:About 1 quart

  • 4large egg yolks
  • 2cups heavy cream
  • 1cup whole milk
  • 1cup/200 grams granulated sugar
  • 4teaspoons packed finely grated lemon zest, plus more for serving
  • ½teaspoon kosher salt
  • cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, from about 4 lemons
  • ¼cup fruity olive oil, plus more for serving
  • Flaky sea salt, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)

274 calories; 21 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 20 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 19 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 121 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Lemon Olive-Oil Ice Cream Recipe (2)

Preparation

  1. Whisk egg yolks together in a medium nonreactive bowl; set aside. Combine cream, milk, sugar, 3 teaspoons lemon zest and the salt in a medium nonreactive saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved and mixture begins to bubble around the edges. Ladle about 1 cup of the cream mixture into the egg yolks and whisk vigorously to temper the eggs.

  2. Step

    2

    Pour the egg and cream mixture back into the pan and whisk well to combine. Cook the mixture on medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 7 minutes. Take care to not let the mixture boil. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl.

  3. Step

    3

    Slowly stream in the lemon juice and olive oil while whisking constantly, then whisk in the remaining 1 teaspoon lemon zest. Chill the mixture in a bowl set over an ice bath until completely cool. Alternatively, cool the mixture completely in the refrigerator, covered, at least 4 hours, or overnight.

  4. Step

    4

    Just before churning, whisk the mixture thoroughly. Churn in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe container, press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface, cover, and freeze until firm. Serve scoops of ice cream with a drizzle of fruity olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and lemon zest, if desired.

Ratings

4

out of 5

575

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

SharonATX

This ice cream is fresh-tasting, light, delicious, and perfect for spring-- although some credit should go to Melissa Clark since this recipe is a complete riff of her olive oil lemon bars. We used Enzo EVOO which worked well. One bit of advice: put the last teaspoon of zest in *after* churning and just swirl it into the ice cream in the container with an offset spatula (we had to do that anyway since the zest just clumped on the churner piece).

John Dunlap

I suspect the important thing will be to get the correct olive oil.

lenora

So I made it with full fat coconut milk and a cup of coconut cream. I did everything else as written. Awesome experiment. Tasty!

LKS

Is there any way to churn by hand or some other way if I don’t own an ice cream maker?

Daniela

What a delicious recipe and I used my new harvest, Bellucci Sicilia PGI Organic extra virgin olive oil in this. It makes it extremely smooth and did not harden. Loving this and my family too.

CR

Great recipe! Be sure to use extra virgin olive oil - it has a fresher and fruiter finish. Bellucci was a good brand, and organic also. Ripe lemons and key.

Shannon

Make sure you really whisk / emulsify the olive oil into the mixture or else you’ll end up with beads of oil in the final product.

Willow K

This is ridiculously delicious ice cream. It’s perfect. I’m never going to lose my quarantine weight after discovering this ice cream and I don’t even care. It’s PERFECT.

Ken Fricklas

great with crushed lemon infused olive oil (recommend Basirico), lower the lemon by a tablespoon or so, or just enjoy the added intensity. An amazing addition to this is adding a handful of chopped basil leaves to the custard when you let it cool, and then straining them out before churning, to make a great lemon-basil ice cream (also great with thyme, rosemary or sage, but be careful not to use too much).

Amanda

Really yummy! I made this recipe as stated but let the custard mature in the fridge for a full day to let the last addition of zest infuse a little longer. It came out of the churn pretty soft so froze up really hard and dense, but not icy. I made sure to add the oil really slowly like I was making an emulsion, since other comments mention the oil freezing in chunks. The lemon flavor is intense and refreshing, but maybe overpowered my olive oil. Overall really tasty and would probably make again

Susan

This ice cream is delicious. I was a little worried at first adding 1/4 cup olive oil but whisking it in the custard with the lemon juice seemed to make the custard even more silky and smooth. I found adding the last teaspoon of zest in the custard before the cooling/refrigerator process didn't cause it to clump up while churning. In fact, it added more lemony zip by marinating in the custard. Just make sure to really mix custard before adding it to churning ice cream machine. Sooo good!

Bart

I made this substituting lime for lemon; absolutely delicious! Came out very much like a Key Lime pie ice cream. Well worth it for fellow lime lovers out there!

sauerkraut

This was delicious! Made recipe as written, keeping the custard in fridge overnight, except I forgot to whisk it once more before churning. Don’t think it mattered. Followed other comments and added the last teaspoon of zest after churning, just folding it into the ice cream. Served topped with olive oil (I used California Olive Ranch extra Virgin arbequina) and Maldon salt and it was truly divine! Taste is reminiscent of a lemon bar. Mmm.

DemiBree

I served with Haskapberry compote; our guests loved it. As noted by others, good olive oil is key.

robin

The flavor is very good, but the mouth feel is odd. I served it with a homemade strawberry ice cream and that was a mistake. It made the odd feel more obvious and it was definitely was not as popular. Mostly likely being an olive oil cream is the issue. I also served it with a rhubarb snacking cake and with that the texture didn’t come up as a distraction.

ea

Made the base before I realized I had forgotten 2 parts of my ice cream maker back home. Looked up the best way to make ice cream without a maker given the custard base: freeze the base flat in a ziplock. Then, when frozen solid, break up chunks and whirl in food processor until airy, then put in pre-chilled container, freeze again. Credit to Jeni from Jeni's! As for the recipe, delicious.. maybe too lemony? Next time half juice and reduce zest, and maybe a touch of vanilla?

Emily

This was fantastic - I used California Olive Ranch Arbequina Olive Oil and allowed the custard mixture to chill overnight. I did not have any issues with the zest or oil clumping, but I also made sure to very slowly drizzle in the oil when whisking, that may have helped avoid the second issue. The flavor is super creamy and lemony, but the oil and salt definitely add that hint of a savory edge. I was a bit worried about how this would turn out, but was not at all disappointed!

FredSchmalle

I made this recipe in the much easier, non-cooked way, as according to Ben & Jerry's old recipe book, with the same ingredients as stated here, and it was great: whisk the eggs, then whisk the sugar in. Add the cream and milk, and viola! An uncooked ice-cream base you can add anything to, such as the olive oil, lemon and lemon zest. Then you also don't need to wait four hours to let the mixture cool, either.

Sophie

I liked this ice cream ok: the taste was good, but the olive oil makes hard small chunks that are not super pleasant, although I mixed the ice cream paste before churning as recommended. Would skip it all together to make a nice creamy lemon ice-cream.

Ken Fricklas

great with crushed lemon infused olive oil (recommend Basirico), lower the lemon by a tablespoon or so, or just enjoy the added intensity. An amazing addition to this is adding a handful of chopped basil leaves to the custard when you let it cool, and then straining them out before churning, to make a great lemon-basil ice cream (also great with thyme, rosemary or sage, but be careful not to use too much).

melissa

Delicious- made as written with Bartolini Toscano EVOO. Added a sprinkle of salt on top...so divine

Randy

What a fantastic finished product. The olive oil gives such a velvety texture to the ice cream and the flavor is spot on. Richly lemon but not too sweet.

Tastes like chicken!

Something about the flavor profile (lemon, olive oil, salt, eggs) reminds me of roast chicken. I could not get this out of my head when eating it. Probably just me.

sauerkraut

This was delicious! Made recipe as written, keeping the custard in fridge overnight, except I forgot to whisk it once more before churning. Don’t think it mattered. Followed other comments and added the last teaspoon of zest after churning, just folding it into the ice cream. Served topped with olive oil (I used California Olive Ranch extra Virgin arbequina) and Maldon salt and it was truly divine! Taste is reminiscent of a lemon bar. Mmm.

Willow K

This is ridiculously delicious ice cream. It’s perfect. I’m never going to lose my quarantine weight after discovering this ice cream and I don’t even care. It’s PERFECT.

Annaka

Lemon verbena. Used 2 cups milk and 1 c. Cream

Shannon

Make sure you really whisk / emulsify the olive oil into the mixture or else you’ll end up with beads of oil in the final product.

Bart

I made this substituting lime for lemon; absolutely delicious! Came out very much like a Key Lime pie ice cream. Well worth it for fellow lime lovers out there!

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Lemon Olive-Oil Ice Cream Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How much olive oil and lemon juice do you mix together? ›

For the best possible effect, the ingredients should always be freshly put together. First 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice is squeezed out and mixed with 1 tablespoon of virgin olive oil in a glass.

What does olive oil do to ice cream? ›

The richness of the olive oil adds a buttery texture to the ice cream, while its grassy flavor introduces a sophisticated twist. The sprinkle of sea salt enhances the overall taste profile, creating a delightful contrast between creamy and crunchy, sweet and savory.

How to make ice cream 4 steps? ›

How to Make Homemade Ice Cream
  1. Cook the milk, cream, and sugar until the sugar has dissolved.
  2. Transfer the mixture to a measuring cup, then add the vanilla extract. ...
  3. Pour the mix into an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's directions.
  4. Serve immediately or ripen in the freezer before serving.
Jun 22, 2023

How to make ice cream more delicious? ›

Serve your ice cream with fun mix-ins for added flavor and crunch. Using interesting mix-ins and toppings is an easy way to jazz up store-bought ice cream. "I love adding diced mango or mango purée to vanilla or coconut ice cream," said Shurilla.

How long does lemon and olive oil last? ›

Move the pan off the heat and let the lemon-infused oil cool for an hour at room temperature. Use a fine-mesh strainer to strain the olive oil into a mason jar or into a funnel placed in a glass bottle. Store the oil in a sealed glass bottle or jar in the refrigerator for up to three weeks.

How long does lemon infused olive oil last? ›

How long do infused olive oils last? Infused olive oil with removed ingredients will last up to a year or more if you store it properly – that means away from sunlight and in cool temperatures. It can last for 2-4 weeks in airtight glass jars or bottles at room temperature and up to a year in the refrigerator.

How much olive oil do you put on ice cream? ›

1 cup chocolate ice cream. 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil.

Which oil is best for ice cream? ›

Usually, fat from milk is used to prepare ice cream. It helps to enhance the ice cream's taste, consistency, texture, etc. But some companies also use vegetable oil (coconut oil, palm oil etc.), cocoa butter etc., as an alternative to milk fat.

What ice cream is good with olive oil? ›

a cooking oil) simply amplifies any flavor you love. That means, you can drizzle olive oil over vanilla ice cream or strawberry just as easily.

What is the secret ingredient to ice cream? ›

The cream cheese helps create an ice cream with a denser, smoother texture. As explained by TASTE, cream cheese acts as a stabilizer in ice cream, preventing water from seeping out of the milk and cream as well as preventing the formation of ice crystals that detract from ice cream's creaminess.

What is the secret to making ice cream? ›

When it comes to great ice cream, cold temperatures and speed are your friends: the faster you bring your base from liquid to solid, the creamier it'll be. In a 2-quart unit, a typical batch of ice cream will take between 18 and 25 minutes to churn.

What is the best sugar for ice cream? ›

Most home ice cream recipes call for simple table sugar, which is chemically known as sucrose. But in pro kitchens you have more options. Liquid sugars like invert sugar, corn syrup, honey, and glucose syrup all add body, creaminess, and stability to ice cream, and a little goes a long way.

What keeps homemade ice cream soft? ›

Sugar, corn syrup or honey, as well as gelatin and commercial stabilizers, can all keep your ice cream at a softer consistency. Ice cream also stays softer when you store it in a shallow container, rather than a deep tub, and cover the surface of the ice cream with plastic wrap to keep ice crystals from forming.

Why is my homemade ice cream not creamy? ›

Homemade ice cream usually contains much less air than the stuff you buy in the store. Air keeps ice cream soft. So the less there is, the harder your ice cream. It can also be caused by low fat or sugar content.

How do you use lemon juice and olive oil? ›

Mix the two and drink it down

“Be mindful that olive oil is calorically dense — do not overdo it,” notes Ehsani. To get the health benefits of both olive oil and lemon juice combined, try this: Every morning on an empty stomach, drink 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil with 1 tsp. freshly-squeezed lemon juice.

Does olive oil and lemon juice need to be refrigerated? ›

While oils and vinegars don't need to be refrigerated on their own, once you add in ingredients like fresh-squeezed citrus juice, mustard and garlic to make a homemade vinaigrette, it's a good idea to pop any leftovers in the refrigerator.

Does lemon juice clean arteries? ›

Lemon peels which contain citrus flavonoids play a role in the treatment of insulin resistance, and can help prevent clogged arteries. Lemons are also high in vitamin C and research shows that eating fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C reduces your risk of heart disease and stroke.

How long should I wait to eat after taking olive oil in the morning? ›

In order to enjoy its many benefits, it is recommended that you drink a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil as soon as you wake up on an empty stomach, or at least half an hour before having breakfast.

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