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This Easy Lemon Ice Cream is made without a machine and it can be made SKINNY. It’s pretty much a miracle.
I do not like the cold. Not. At. All. This is probably because my fingers turn purple as soon as the temps drop below 70 degrees and, for most of Winter, I cannot feel my feet. I’ve been skiing once, and it was in the middle of a storm. Bad idea. Big. Huge. The second I walked out those doors onto the mountain I immediately lost all feeling in all of my extremities, my nose, and my ears.
The only time I’m not cold? During the night. No, during the night I transform from an ice cube into hot lava, the core of the earth. My husband has affectionately nicknamed me his “little heater” during the night. It’s the kind of heat that makes you get up from bed to cool off…only to be followed by being frozen from the cold air in the room.
I know it’s the middle of Winter and ice cream is something one shouldn’t crave. But I do, often. Of course, I hold the bowl with gloves on, but I still eat it.
{I joke…but I’ve thought about it.}
Eating ice cream in the middle of the night isn’t acceptable…but I’ve thought about that too. It would certainly cool me off.
What better ice cream to eat in January when it’s dark and dreary outside? Lemon! Yellow and pretty and it makes you think of Spring.
{Although I kind of don’t want Spring to get here. That means Summer is around the corner and my A/C bill…*shudder*}
I received two huge bags of lemons over Christmas. One bag was, I think, Meyer lemons. Ohmigod those smell gooooood.
I’ve been craving lemon ice cream for awhile. It seems almost a contradictory flavor, all that dairy with the tartness of the lemon. But the sweetness from the ice cream is a wonderful combination with the lemon flavor.
I made this the “easy” way without an ice cream maker, AKA No Churn Ice Cream. I used a can of sweetened condensed milk and a container of Cool Whip. Normally, this kind of ice cream is done with whipping cream, but Cool Whip is easier, the extra sweetness pairs really well with the lemon, and I can make it fat-free. Really! It’s skinny ice cream!
Fat-free sweetened condensed milk, fat-free Cool Whip, and lemon. So, so easy. And so, so good.
A perfect way to cool off during those hot flash moments!

Easy Lemon Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Zest of one lemon
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract
Instructions
- Beat heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
- Stir together sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice and zest, and lemon extract. Fold in whipped cream.
- Place in an airtight container and freeze until hardened, at least 4 hours or overnight.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- Feel free to use fat free sweetened condensed milk
- Want a fat free ice cream? Use fat free Cool Whip (2 8-ounce containers) in place of the heavy cream.
Recipe Nutrition
Click here to see the complete list of Lemon Recipes!
Like Lemon? Check out some of these other sweet and tart treats:
Lemon Meringue Pie Dip by Something Swanky
Orange, Lemon, and Lime Citrus Cookies by Shugary Sweets
Cream Cheese Lemon Cake Bars by Crumbs and Chaos
Last Updated on May 15, 2020
Made it for the girls and I at work and it was great, everyone wanted the recipe..
For calories 1 cup of this icecream is no more than 70 calories. And this recipe makes 4 cups.
What can i use instead of cool whip ? Thanks
Your list of ingredients say 2 – 8 ounce containers Cool Whip, stating “See Notes” I see no notes about it. Please help
Sorry about that – all my notes got erased and I’m working on fixing that. You can use freshly whipped cream (made from 2 cups heavy whipping cream) in place of the cool whip. For cool whip you can use sugar free, fat free or any kind you want.
Can you make this in an electric ice cream maker?
How many carbs are in the recipe?? Love,love your ‘re pies, and pictures. I just found you and love everything but I had to ho on this low carb diet. Thanks, Leslie
I’m not sure, but a lot. Sweetened condensed milk is practically pure sugar!
is there any thing that we could substitute for the condensed milk?
Is it okay to use 2 lemons without Lemon Extract ? if its not, any substitution for lemon extract? 🙂
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