THE ITALIAN WAY TO ICE CREAM
With lemons, milk, heavy cream, sugar, and cornstarch.
This is our Italian Way to make ice cream, because we use cornstarch to thicken the ice cream mixture, often used to make homemade Italian gelato. It is the kind of ice cream which is refreshing and cooling, with a full-bodied mouthfeel. It is also firm and resistant to melting, making it the perfect ice cream in summer when the weather is hot.
This easy-to-make lemon ice cream is just milk, heavy cream, sugar, and lemons. We use both the zest of the lemons (to infuse the milk) and the lemon juice to make a lemony syrup (to add during the last stages of churning). It is creamy and zingy; and as lemony as an ice cream can be. Like all our ice creams, it fluffs to an indulgent ice cream with a deluxe texture.
3 more ways to make this lemon ice cream:
Do not reduce or replace anything; everything is there for a reason.
This is a quick overview of the recipe. If you are new to ice cream making, do read the recipe before proceeding.
Infuse the milk: warm the milk with the sugar and zest the lemons directly into the hot milk. Cover and leave to infuse for 1 hour.
Make the lemon syrup: warm the lemon juice with the sugar to dissolve the sugar.
Chill until completely cold.
Make a cornstarch slurry: in a heatproof bowl whisk the cornstarch into 3 tablespoons of the infused milk.
Bring the infused milk
to a full boil,
and pour it into the cornstarch slurry. Stir to thicken.
Add the cold heavy cream and stir to combine.
Cool the ice cream mixture down over an ice bath.
Put the ice cream mixture in the refrigerator overnight; or until completely cold.
(a faster chilling method is also included in the recipe.)
Strain the ice cream mixture and churn in your ice cream maker until fluffed up and creamy.
Add the lemon syrup and churn for 15 minutes more.
Put it in the freezer for a few hours to set.
As soon as it sets, you can either serve it from the ice cream maker bowl or transfer to a container and store it in the freezer.
When making ice cream prefer to weigh all the ingredients by weight. We also recommend weighing the liquids directly into the bowl/pan as you proceed with the recipe instead of transferring them from one bowl to another because this transfer causes a small -but unwanted- loss of quantity.
If you do not have a kitchen scale, follow these guidelines:
• 1 cup (US) = 237 ml | 1 Tbs. = 15 ml
• sugar: measuring sugar in tablespoons is more accurate than measuring it in cups. Use a 15 ml measuring tablespoon (not a regular one); this is 13 gr of sugar. To measure correctly, each time you scoop the sugar, level it with the flat side of a knife.
• milk and cream: thoroughly scrape with a rubber spatula any residues left on the sides and bottom of the cup every time you measure something and empty it.
Note that the quantities in each measuring system (grams, ounces, and cups) in our recipes may not be accurate conversions, while any deviations you may notice do not affect the outcome.
This recipe makes a 1.2 litre/quart ice cream mixture with its lemon syrup (before churning), perfect for ice cream makers with a capacity of 1.5 and up to 2 litres/quarts (like Cuisinart ice cream makers).
If you need to scale the ice cream mixture up or down, use this ratio of the ingredients (in weight only):
for the ice cream mixture: milk 43% / heavy cream 27.7% / sugar 14.5% / corn starch 2% / lemon zest: about 1 lemon for every 350 g of ice cream mixture
for the lemon syrup: lemon juice: 9.8% / sugar: 3%
in desired total weight of ice cream mixture.
For example, if you want to make 1000 g (approx. 1 litre) of ice cream mixture, you need:
• 1000 g x 43% = 430 g milk
• 1000 g x 27.7% = 277 g heavy cream
• 1000 g x 14.5% = 145 g sugar (for the ice cream mixture)
• 1000 g x 2% = 20 g corn starch
• 3 lemons for their zest
• 1000 g x 9.8% = 98 g lemon juice
• 1000 g x 3% = 30 g sugar (for the lemon syrup)
You can combine double cream with whole milk to make heavy cream for this recipe.
To make 355 g (12.5 oz) heavy cream, stir together:
The resulting heavy cream has 36% fat, perfect for this ice cream. Proceed with the recipe just as if you had the 355 g (12.5 oz) heavy cream needed.
This lemon ice cream is perfect as it is. However, if you want to boost its flavour you can substitute the regular sugar with good-quality raw cane sugar, such as Demerara or Turbinado. These sugars have a natural subtle caramel flavour which pairs well with the lemon’s citrus notes and boosts its flavour, without overriding it.
A flexible rubber spatula is good for:
-wiping the bottom of the saucepan when you cook dairy on the stovetop.
-scraping residues from bowls, saucepans etc.
If you do not have one, we strongly encourage you to buy one, preferably a flexible one.
The ice cream mixture needs to cool completely and mature before churning, so prepare it in advance (approx. 8 hours before) to give it time to chill in the refrigerator.
If your ice cream maker has a removable freezer bowl, put it in the freezer for the whole time indicated by the manufacturer before churning, usually 24 hours.
Warm the milk with the sugar: in a medium saucepan, put the milk (550 g; 19.4 oz) and the sugar (185 g; 6 oz). Warm over medium heat, often stirring until the sugar dissolves and the milk is hot and very steamy (this is at 75° C / 167° F if you have a thermometer). Do not let it boil.
Add the lemon zest: remove the saucepan from the heat and zest the lemons directly into the milk. Stir to combine.
Infuse the milk: cover the saucepan and leave the milk to infuse for 1 hour.
Juice the lemons to get 125 g (4.4 oz; ½ cup and 10 ml) of lemon juice.
Warm the lemon juice with the sugar: pour the lemon juice into a small saucepan, add the 40 g sugar (1.4 oz) and warm over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat when the sugar dissolves and the juice it is hot and steamy / 75° C / 167° F. Do not let it boil.
Cool completely: pour into a container, cover it and chill it in the refrigetator until it is completely cold, before using it.
Storing: in the refrigerator, for up to one week.
Place a rubber spatula and a whisk on a plate next to the stovetop to have them ready to use interchangeably.
Make a cornstarch slurry: in a large heatproof bowl, put the cornstarch (25 g; 1 oz) and roughly 3 tablespoons of the lukewarm infused milk (45 g; 2 oz) to create a slurry. Whisk until smooth. Set aside.
Bring the infused milk to a boil: uncover the saucepan with the infused milk and place it over medium-high heat.
Remove from the heat as soon as it comes to a full boil (90° C / 194° F / when the milk’s surface is covered with bubbles which pop vigorously / if the milk starts to overflow).
Immediately pour the boiling milk into the cornstarch slurry and stir for one minute; notice that it will start to thicken as you stir.
Add the heavy cream (355 g; 12.5) into the hot milk. Stir to combine.
Cool it down: prepare an ice bath by putting the bowl with the ice cream mixture into a larger bowl and filling the empty sides with ice cubes and cold water. How many ice cubes? A tray of ice cubes (200 g; 7 oz of ice) is enough to cool down the ice cream mixture: we just need to cool it down until it is no longer warm to the touch so that you can safely put it in the refrigerator. This will take approx. 30 minutes; do stir occasionally.
Chill until completely cold: cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 3 days. This time is also necessary for a custard-based ice cream to mature and its flavours to develop, so do not rush the cooling process.
Check if the ice cream mixture is cold before churning it: 4ºC–12ºC / 39ºF-54ºF / it feels fridge-cold when you place your finger into it.
Prepare the ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Strain: the ice cream mixture through a fine mesh sieve and give it a nice, thorough stir.
Blend before churning: briefly blitz the ice cream mixture with an immersion blender, stopping once to scrape down the sides and bottom with a rubber spatula. This improves consistency and ensures a smooth, even texture.
Churn: with the machine running, pour the ice cream mixture through the canister and into the ice cream maker. Leave to churn until fluffed up and creamy; depending on your ice cream maker, this can take anywhere from 30-60 minutes.
Leave to churn until fluffed up and creamy, but not too thick.
Give a stir to the cold lemon syrup.
Add the cold lemon syrup in the ice cream in three additions, with the machine running. Leave to churn for 10 minutes more; or until the ice cream is fluffy and creamy.
This ice cream mixture expands and becomes airy as it churns. You’ll know it’s ready when it looks smooth, creamy, and slightly wavy—similar to soft-serve ice cream. Churning time varies depending on your machine and can take anywhere from 30 to 70 minutes.
To check the texture, lift a spoonful. It should be thick enough to stay on the spoon, but still soft. If it looks too thin or starts melting immediately, it needs more time.
If you’re unsure, let it churn for 10 more minutes. Keep in mind that it won’t look like store-bought ice cream at this point—it will still be soft. It only becomes firm and scoopable after a few hours in the freezer.
Stop the machine once the mixture is thick and creamy. If you continue churning beyond that point, the mixture can start losing the air it has built up and may seize, resulting in a dense, heavy texture.
One important note: some ice cream makers are programmed to stop automatically after a fixed time, but that doesn’t always mean the ice cream is ready. If your machine stops and the mixture still looks too soft, simply restart it and continue churning until the texture improves.
Put in the freezer to set: before serving the ice cream or moving it to a container for storing, you have to put it in the freezer to set. To do so, turn off the ice cream maker and:
· remove the removable freezer bowl (still filled with the ice cream) from the ice cream machine
· remove the paddle, scraping any ice cream attached to it back into the ice cream bowl
· cover the ice cream bowl and place it in the freezer
Setting time depends on many factors; see notes below for indicative times.
Serve or store: when it sets, you can serve it directly from the removable freezer bowl or transfer it to an airtight container for longer storage.
The setting time depends on the type of ice cream maker you’re using. Here are the general guidelines:
3–5 hours for machines with removable freezer bowls (these bowls must be pre-frozen before churning)
Under 1 hour for machines with built-in compressors and aluminum bowls
⚠️ Important: Ice cream in aluminum bowls sets quickly. Do not leave it for too long—once fully frozen, it can become extremely hard and difficult to remove without risking scratches to the bowl. Always monitor it closely.
To check if the ice cream is ready, aim for an internal temperature of –11°C (12°F). If you don’t have a thermometer, use this simple test:
Insert a round-tip knife all the way to the bottom of the ice cream:
✔ If it goes in smoothly but meets gentle resistance, it’s ready
✖ If it feels hard on top but soft underneath, it needs more time
✖ If it’s too firm to insert the knife, it’s over-frozen and likely too hard to scoop
If it’s over-frozen, don’t worry—head to the next section for how to bring it back to scoopable.
If the ice cream sits in the freezer in the removable freezer bowl for too long after it has set, it can become too hard to scoop or remove.
To make it scoopable again:
Place the bowl in the refrigerator and allow the ice cream to soften gradually.
Here’s how long that may take:
4–10 hours for removable freezer bowls (pre-freeze models)
1–2 hours for aluminum bowls (from compressor ice cream makers)
Note: These times are approximate and may vary depending on your fridge and the amount of ice cream. Check the texture occasionally as it softens.
Once the ice cream is soft enough to scoop—or its internal temperature reads approximately –11°C (12°F)—you can:
✔ Transfer it to another container and store it in the freezer
✔ Or serve it directly from the bowl
Just be sure to avoid digging into an over-frozen bowl with hard utensils, especially if using a nonstick-coated or aluminum bowl.
Straight after churning, the ice cream has a soft-serve consistency and melts almost instantly on contact. At this stage, it’s too soft to serve neatly or transfer easily—it’s simply too messy to handle.
Freezing the ice cream immediately after churning allows it to set properly. This step brings it to the right texture: scoopable, stable, and easy to portion or transfer into a storage container.
It’s the final step that turns churned ice cream into finished ice cream.
Storing: Transfer the finished ice cream to a lidded container and store it in the freezer for up to one month.
Cover it well to protect it from absorbing any unwanted freezer smells.
Scooping: Like all artisanal-style ice creams, this one freezes hard over time.
To make it scoopable again, place the container in the refrigerator for 45–60 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches about –11°C (12°F).
Once softened, it’ll scoop cleanly and serve beautifully.
2 Responses
Very detailed recipe. I have used cornstarch to thicken my ice cream mixture in the past and I wonder if you have tried to add xanthan gum to it as well? Will it help to improve the texture, mouthfeel, and melt uniformly?
Another question: I notice that you do not recommend to use other form of sugar/sweeteners. Any particular reasons? I use corn syrup/glucose in addition to sugar and it helps to prevent ice crystals from forming.
We haven’t tried combining xanthan gum with corn starch, but we do play around with thickeners to change the texture of the ice cream. Every thickener affects the ice cream in its own way, so it does help to combine them, given that one does not overdo it with their quantity (and that they follow the rules for adding them to the ice cream mixture). For example, for this lemon ice cream, you can combine half of the corn starch used here and 1/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum (half of the xanthan gum used in the Lemon Ice Cream | with xanthan gum). I would first make the ice cream mixture with the corn starch, then add the xanthan gum at 50℃, and then blend the ice cream mixture for 2 minutes. You can read more about using xanthan gum here.
Corn syrup and glucose do prevent ice crystals from forming, but in this recipe, the quantities of the sugar and glucose should be adapted accordingly. Glucose behaves differently than sugar, so you cannot replace one with the other without changing the formula of the whole recipe.
The reason we do not add corn syrup to our recipes is that we want to keep them as simple as possible.