What is better than ice cream and lemon curd pie in the summer? Three scoops of Lemon Pie Ice Cream!
My Lemon Pie Ice Cream is a frozen custard base (French-style ice cream) churned with homemade lemon curd and crumbled graham crackers to create the perfect summertime frozen dessert.
The brightness from the fresh lemon curd balances with the frozen custard’s richness, creating a lovely, tart, and refreshing ice cream that will leave you craving more. So say goodbye to any summer diet and hello to your new favorite summer dessert!
Lemon Pie Frozen Custard on Route 66
My husband, Adam, is from the St. Louis area, so we visit as often as possible. After multiple visits, I have learned that a St. Louis trip is only complete with a cup of frozen custard.
Frozen custard is the most popular frozen dessert in St. Louis, thanks to Ted Drewes Frozen Custard—a historic Route 66 roadside attraction and the birthplace of concrete ice cream (frozen custard churned with mixed ingredients).
One summer, I took our oldest son, Nathaniel, to several of the best places for toddlers in St. Louis. After a fun day of activities at the children’s garden at Missouri Botanical Garden, the Saint Louis Science Center, and Forest Park, we needed something refreshing and sweet, so we stopped at Ted Drewes.
The menu at Ted Drewes Frozen Custard is enormous! You can choose one of their specialty concrete creations or make your own. We chose the Lemon Crumb—frozen custard with lemon curd and graham crackers. It was delicious and inspired my Lemon Pie Ice Cream recipe.
What is a Lemon Pie (Frozen Custard) Ice Cream?
My Lemon Pie Ice Cream is a frozen custard recipe inspired by Ted Drewes Frozen Custard. Ted Drewes serves sundaes, shakes, ice cream cones, and the most popular treat, concrete ice cream—vanilla frozen custard with any ingredients mixed in, served so thick that they give it to you upside-down, and the frozen custard doesn’t fall out—it’s their “thing.”
All of these frozen desserts start with the same custard base. The custard base is a secret recipe, but it is said to have honey.
Therefore, my Lemon Pie Ice Cream starts with a vanilla custard base sweetened with honey. Then I add lemon curd and continue churning the ice cream for a few more minutes. At the end, I fold in crushed graham crackers.
The finished product is as close to the real deal in St. Louis! And hopefully, make my St. Louis family proud.
List of Ingredients for Lemon Pie Ice Cream
All of the ingredients for this recipe are easily attainable and straightforward. Most are basic everyday grocery items such as sugar, milk, heavy cream, and eggs.
You can easily make the recipe gluten-free by substituting the graham crackers with gluten-free alternatives. If you want to omit the graham crackers entirely, the result will be lemon ice cream that’s just as delightful.
This is a brief overview. Please refer to the full recipe description at the end of this post.
- Whole milk
- Heavy cream
- Sugar
- Honey
- Vanilla extract
- Eggs
- Lemons
- Unsalted butter
- Graham crackers
- Salt
How to Make Lemon Pie Ice Cream
Making Lemon Pie Ice Cream is as easy as pie! Sorry, I couldn’t resist.
Yes, you will make a homemade lemon curd and a custard base, but I promise both methods are easy and very similar.
You can make the Lemon Pie Ice Cream all in one day (make sure your ice cream bowl is frozen). Or, you can make the custard base and lemon curd beforehand, then churn the ice cream the next day.
You will need an ice cream machine to make the Lemon Pie Ice Cream.
This is a brief overview. Please refer to the full recipe description at the end of this post.
Make Custard Base
Boil – the sugar, honey, milk, and salt in a medium saucepan.
Temper eggs – whisk the egg yolks in a separate bowl. Slowly pour the hot milk mixture over the yolks while continuously whisking.
Cook – pour the custard base back into the saucepan and cook on medium heat. Constantly whisk the custard base until it is smooth and thick. Pour the custard base through a fine mesh strainer into a separate bowl with heavy cream and vanilla extract.
Chill – place plastic wrap on the surface of the custard base and chill in the refrigerator.
Make Lemon Curd
Boil – the sugar and lemon juice in a medium saucepan.
Temper eggs – whisk the eggs and egg yolks together in a separate bowl. Slowly pour the lemon syrup over the eggs while continuously whisking.
Cook – pour the lemon base back into the saucepan and cook on medium heat. Constantly whisk the mixture until it is smooth and thick. Slowly whisk in the butter. Pour the lemon curd through a fine mesh strainer into a separate bowl.
Chill – place plastic wrap on the surface of the lemon curd and chill in the refrigerator.
Make Lemon Pie Ice Cream
Churn – pour the chilled custard base into the ice cream machine and churn according to the manufacturer’s directions. Typically, it’s the lowest speed for 15 – 20 minutes.
Add – the lemon curd to the ice cream machine when the ice cream has a soft-serve consistency. Churn for 3 to 5 more minutes to fully incorporate the lemon curd. Transfer the Lemon Pie Ice Cream to a freezer-safe container. Quickly fold in crushed graham crackers.
Freeze – cover and freeze the ice cream for at least 2 hours. When you are ready, scoop and enjoy!
Tips and Tidbits
Here are a few tips and tidbits about ice cream.
What is the Difference Between Ice Cream and Frozen Custard?
Ice cream is a frozen dessert made with sugar, milk, cream, and flavorings and churned with lots of air to create a light, airy, and creamy texture.
Frozen custard, also known as French Ice Cream, is made with sugar, milk, cream, egg yolks, and flavorings. It is churned with little air to create a dense, thick, and creamier texture.
So, the egg yolks and different churning processes are the differences between ice cream and frozen custard.
The Benefits of Honey in Ice Cream
Honey helps naturally sweeten custard bases, but it also serves as another important factor. Its high concentration of sugar helps ice cream have a smoother texture.
No wonder why Ted Drewes Frozen Custard is so velvety and luscious! Now, I will use my custard base with honey as my starter for any ice cream, just like Ted Drewes!
More Frozen Desserts
Lemon Pie Ice Cream (a Frozen Custard Recipe)
The brightness from the fresh lemon curd balances with the frozen custard's richness, creating a lovely, tart, and refreshing ice cream that will leave you craving more.
Ingredients
- 3 - 4 graham crackers, chunks and crumbs (see notes, for gluten-free)
For the Custard Base
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 5 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Salt
For the Lemon Curd
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
- 2 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cubed
Instructions
To Make the Custard Base
- In a medium saucepan, bring sugar, honey, milk, and salt to a low boil over medium heat.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Temper the egg yolks by slowly pouring the hot milk mixture over them while continuously whisking.
- Pour the custard base back into the saucepan and cook on medium-low heat. Constantly whisk the custard base until it is smooth and thick. Tip: coat a spoon in the custard base, then draw a line across the back of the spoon with your fingertip. If the line remains clear, the custard base is ready.
- In another separate bowl, add the heavy cream and vanilla extract. Pour the custard base through a fine mesh strainer over the bowl of heavy cream and vanilla extract. This ensures a smooth custard base in case you have any bits of cooked eggs.
- Stir the custard base until thoroughly mixed. Press (cover) plastic wrap on the surface of the custard base to prevent forming a skin layer. Place in the refrigerator and chill. It should be at least 40°F before churning.
To Make the Lemon Curd
- Whisk together the eggs and egg yolks in a medium-sized bowl.
- In a medium saucepan, bring sugar and lemon juice to a boil over medium heat. Remove the saucepan from the heat and temper the eggs by slowly adding the lemon syrup into the bowl while whisking to prevent the eggs from curdling.
- Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook on medium heat. Constantly whisk the lemon curd until it thickens, about 3 - 5 minutes, or until it coats the back of a spoon (like the custard base). While whisking, add a few pieces of the cubed butter at a time into the lemon curd. Once the butter is fully melted and incorporated, remove the saucepan from the heat.
- Pour the lemon curd through a fine mesh strainer by using a spatula to push it through. Press (cover) plastic wrap on the surface of the lemon curd to prevent forming a skin layer. Chill in the refrigerator.
To Make the Lemon Pie Ice Cream
- Pour the chilled custard base into the ice cream machine and churn according to the manufacturer's directions. Typically, it's the lowest speed for 15 - 20 minutes. Stop churning and add the lemon curd once the ice cream is the consistency of soft-serve ice cream. Churn for 3 to 5 more minutes until the ice cream is smooth and thick and sticks to the machine's arm.
- Transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe container. Quickly fold in crushed graham crackers. Enjoy the Lemon Pie Ice Cream now, or cover and freeze it for at least 2 hours. When you are ready, scoop and enjoy!
Notes
Gluten-free option: you can substitute the graham crackers for gluten-free graham crackers or a gluten-free cookie. Another option is to omit the graham cracker completely, and you will have lemon ice cream—still refreshing and delicious!
Make ahead: you can make the Lemon Pie Ice Cream all in one day, or you can make the custard base and lemon curd beforehand and churn the ice cream the next day.
Freeze bowl: read the ice cream machine manufacturer's instructions. Most ice cream freezer bowls need to be frozen for at least 24 hours.
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