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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.

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easy skinny lemon ice cream in white bowl on white napkin with lemons

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.

easy skinny lemon ice cream in white bowl on white napkin with lemons

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.

Skinny Lemon Ice Cream

A perfect way to cool off during those hot flash moments!

easy skinny lemon ice cream in white bowl on white napkin with lemons

Easy Lemon Ice Cream

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No ice cream machine is needed - just a few ingredients you stir together and freeze to make a rich and decadent, creamy lemon ice cream.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Chill Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 15 minutes
Yield 8 servings
Serving Size 1 serving

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 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

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 203kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 67mg | Sodium: 16mg | Potassium: 59mg | Fiber: 0.01g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 875IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 0.1mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Dessert
Cuisine American

Click here to see the complete list of Lemon Recipes!

Skinny Lemon Ice Cream

Like Lemon? Check out some of these other sweet and tart treats:

Lemon Pie Pops

Lemon Pie Popsicles (4 of 7)

No Bake Lemon Cheesecake

No Bake Lemon Cheesecake (10 of 11)

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

Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

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104 Comments

  1. Thank you sooo much for this machine-not-required recipe! I have been searching for ways to make ice cream since my husband and I have moved to Germany and (sadly) had to leave the ice cream maker behind. This recipe turned out surprisingly creamy and a fun variation I discovered…adding blended basil leaves…weirdly herby, yet refreshing! Thanks, again!

  2. I was looking for ice cream recipes and came across this one. I love lemon, and I love ice cream, so perfect combo! To my dismay I discovered that this is NOT ice cream! The title is so misleading. 🙁 There’s not even cream in it. Disappointed! Maybe it should be called frozen lemon dessert?

    1. Just saw your notes for a cream version. Excellent! We don’t eat the artificial toxic stuff that is Cool Whip here!

    1. It’s a fake whipped cream – I like to use it because you can buy it sugar-free or fat-free. You can substitute whipped cream instead: take 2 cups of cold heavy whipping cream and whip until stiff peaks form, then fold it in in place of the cool whip. It won’t be skinny, but it’ll be just as good!

  3. Is creativity your middle name? I’m thinking so because this looks incredible. Now that it is actually warming up, I have an acceptable reason to make this! Pinned!

    1. Thanks Mary!! You’re sweet. It’s gonna be 100 here this weekend. I need to make ice cream!

  4. Oh my gosh! You have sold me! Getting my gloves out and making lemon ice cream ASAP. Already pinned the recipe. If I had the ingredients, I would make it now. Thanks for sharing on Thursdays Treasures.

  5. Ugh, I’m the same way at night. I hate being hot when I’m sleeping! Ice cream would definitely help cool things off.

    Thanks for linking this up to What’s Cookin’ Wednesday!

  6. I’m all for blasting the heater and settling down with a bowl of ice cream! This lemon ice cream looks super, luckily for me my husband doesn’t like lemon so I can have this all to myself…