Lemon gelato is an amazingly refreshing frozen dessert that will tantalize your tastes with fresh lemon flavor and the creamy texture of ice cream made with milk and heavy cream so the flavors shine through.
All you need to make my lemon gelato (which can be made in your ice cream maker) is lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, heavy whipping cream, milk, and a dash of salt. No egg yolks needed!
Gelato isn’t that much different than ice cream, the big difference is that milk is used instead of all cream, which actually makes the flavors of what you’re using stand out even more, and if you find the right balance between cream and milk, you still get that rich creamy texture that Americans have come to love about our ice cream!
What ingredients do I need to make Lemon Gelato?
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make lemon gelato. In Chef Speak this is called the “Mise en Place” which translates to “Everything in its Place”.
Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
*I originally made this gelato with Meyer Lemons so either variety are good.
How do I make Lemon Gelato?
It’s really easy to make my version of Lemon Gelato. All you need are a few simple ingredients to make this gelato / ice cream recipe.
- Add the cream, milk, lemon juice, zest, sugar, and salt together. Using a wire whip, mix until the sugar dissolves and is completely incorporated. (the mixture should thicken some)
- Pour the lemon mixture into a gelato or ice cream maker.
- Allow the mixture to freeze.
- When the gelato mixture has sufficiently frozen, place into a container and allow the lemon gelato to completely freeze.
Can I Use an Ice Cream Maker to Make a Gelato Recipe?
Yes, you can. The difference between the two machines is gelato is churned at a much slower rate than ice cream, incorporating less air and leaving the gelato denser than ice cream.
Of course, if you don’t have a gelato maker you can easily take my recipe for Lemon gelato and use your ice cream maker to make super creamy and delicious ice cream.
So when life hands you lemons, make gelato. Your friends and family will be oh so happy that you did. Just be prepared for all the compliments and requests to make it again and again.
These are the Gelato Makers I recommend
Recipe FAQ’s
Ice cream has a higher butterfat content which masks some of the natural flavors, where the creaminess of the ice cream is more of the star than the added flavor. Italian gelato uses less butterfat and also doesn’t whip the mixture as quickly, adding less air into the gelato. This makes the gelato denser and packs the flavor into each spoonful because of the density.
Five basic ingredients are needed to make gelato. Heavy cream, milk, sugar, salt, and the flavoring you’ll be adding. Fresh fruit is my favorite added flavor when I make gelato, but you can easily make pistachio, chocolate, or any flavor you can imagine.
No, you don’t. You can of course, make a custard-type base for your gelato using eggs, but that will require cooking the custard and allowing it to cool before freezing. The eggs will make the base richer, but eggs are not necessary for amazing gelato.
More Gelato Recipes You’ll Love!
Lemon Gelato
Ingredients
- 1 cup Lemon Juice about 6 lemons
- zest from one lemon very fine
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Using a micro-planer or a very fine grater, zest one Lemon
- Cut lemons in half and juice them, straining out all the seeds.
- Add the cream, milk, lemon juice, zest, sugar and salt together and using a wire whip, mix until the sugar is dissolved and completely incorporated. (the mixture should thicken some)
- Pour the mixture into a gelato or ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Yield will be about 1 quart of lemon gelato
Susan says
WOW this is so delicious. I had so many lemons so I decided to give it a try. I had a cuisinart ice cream maker that I never used and tried it and was amazed how easy this was. Thanks for a great recipe.
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed my lemon gelato! I have a great strawberry gelato recipe if you like strawberries.
Jessica says
I used monk fruit sugar with allulose which dissolves easily in liquids and it turned out fabulous! Drops the carbs from 39g per serving to about 5g per serving. Great for those looking for a lower sugar and carb option!
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thanks for sharing your substitution for the sugar.
Kimmy says
I have made this recipe many times. It’s my ‘go-to” gelato recipe! I use a Cuisinart ice cream maker. If you have access to Meyers Lemons, they are a fantastic substitution!
Chef Dennis Littley says
I’m happy to hear you’ve been enjoying my lemon gelato recipe. Its one of my favorites, so bright and refreshing.
Trudy morrison says
Why is the mixture splitting and curdled
Chef Dennis Littley says
That should not be happening and the only thing I can think of is the cream or milk was close to expiration or was spoiled. I’ve bought cream that had a long use by date but had been mishandled before I got it and you really didn’t know it was bad until you used it.
Laura says
Oh my!! This is the best recipe. Super easy and absolutely delicious. I made it this morning & couldn’t stop grabbing little tastes…is gelato for breakfast a bad thing?
Chef Dennis Littley says
There is nothing wrong with gelato for breakfast! Its basically milk and fruit! Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed the gelato, and if you want a real holiday treat, I have an eggnog gelato recipe on my website that is amazing!
Emily Jankov says
Can this be made without an ice cream machine?
Chef Dennis Littley says
You can, but its going to come out icy and not really have the consistency of ice cream.
Dani Jordan says
THE ABSOLUTE BEST! Just returned from another trip to Italy, missing my daily gelato, when I saw the Amazon Prime Day deal on the Kitchen-Aid mixer ice cream maker attachment. One of my best kitchen purchases ever. Haven’t stopped making gelato since, and top of the heap is this recipe. My Mom says it’s one of the best desserts she’s ever had! Thank you Chef!
Chef Dennis Littley says
You’re very welcome and thank you for letting me know you enjoyed my lemon gelato! I have a great strawberry gelato recipe for you to try next.
Ramona Griffin says
I was so happy to find a simple recipe that can be done without eggs and cooking. I can do this in one day.
Chef Dennis Littley says
I’m glad found my recipe its so refreshing and delicious. I also have a great strawberry gelato if you like fruit flavors.
Rebecca says
OMG!!!! Absolutely delicious! Even better than gelato from a gelato shop. Thank you, Chef!!
Julia says
Thankyou!!! Thankyou!!! This is a wonderful recipe and so easy for even kids to make!! Our big family really enjoyed this!
Chef Dennis Littley says
You are very welcome! Thanks for letting me know how much you enjoyed the gelato.
Paula says
Can the lemon gelato be made with a hand mixer
Chef Dennis Littley says
You need some type of ice cream maker to freeze the gelato as its being churned.
Nona says
OMG – this is as good as anything I had in Italy! So good, and so easy!! This is my new Show Stopper dessert. Thank you, Chef Dennis!
Chef Dennis Littley says
You’re very welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed my gelato recipe. It works great with most fruits.
Kaycee says
BEYOND AMAZING!! Delicioso! Thank you so much!
I am glad I doubled this recipe. After enjoying your Strawberry Gelato I already knew the Lemon one would be awesome.
Doubling the ingredients fit perfectly in my 2 qt. Cuisinart Ice Cream maker.
A couple of improvisational things:
–I was 1/2 cup short of fresh lemon juice, so I added bottled juice.
–And I defrosted skim milk (frozen into cubes) and used that with the same amt. of heavy cream and the results are amazing.
The only slight quibble I have is the 30 minute prep time listed. It took far longer than that just to zest and squeeze the lemons for juice. Next time I will make this in 2 steps…prepping the fruit juice/zest one day and finishing it the next.
This is well worth the effort, and far less expensive than a trip to Italy!
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed my lemon gelato, it’s always been my favorite and definitely cheaper than a trip to Italy!
Natasha says
Can I use half & half instead of heavy cream?
Chef Dennis Littley says
yes you can.
j says
excellent and easy so refreshing after a spicy meal (had a pizza party) my friends were so happy! thank you chef dennis 🙂
Me says
Amazing tart and sweet.
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thank you, I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the gelato.
Poonam Java says
Can I make the gelato without an icecream maker/gelato maker
Chef Dennis Littley says
you can place the mixture in a bowl set into a bowl filled with ice or an ice bath and whip it by hand.