The Lemon Gelato That Tastes Like Sunshine

When lemons and sunshine meet limoncello, you end up with the creamiest extra lemony gelato imaginable. With a few key ingredients and a simple ice cream machine, this amazing treat can be on its way to your freezer.

According to Ksenia Prints of At the Immigrant's Table, this gelato was inspired by her recent travels to Sicily. Sicilian lemons, which are known for their sweet taste and gentle acidity, have become the symbol of the island. They are everywhere — their likeness emblazoned on kitchen towels and aprons, and their essence distilled into small vials of lemon extract and towering bottles of limoncello. We turned to the latter to give this ice cream its extra lemony flavor.

"There's really nothing that tastes quite like limoncello," Prints says. "It has an almost floral aroma, a gorgeous sweetness, and a gentle aftertaste that totally obscures its alcohol content." In our gelato, limoncello is added to the lemony custard along with glucose syrup in order to give the ice cream a push of flavor, scent, and texture. As the alcohol helps prevent the ice cream from becoming rock hard, this recipe results in the creamiest lemony gelato possible.

There are a few key ingredients in this lemon gelato recipe, but have no fear — if you can't find any of the more specialized ingredients, we do have some information about substitutions. For the lemon base of the gelato, you'll need whole milk, heavy cream, the zest of fresh lemons, egg yolks, white granulated sugar, fresh lemon juice, and a little salt to offset all the sweetness.

To make this gelato extra lemony, we are going to need some premium limoncello, lemon extract, and the ever-important glucose syrup.

Heat the milk, cream, and lemon zest to 185 F.

Remove from the heat, cover, and steep for 30 minutes.

Whisk the egg yolks with sugar and salt until pale and fluffy.

Strain the infused dairy through a fine-mesh strainer

Gradually temper the milk into the yolk mixture.

Return to medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture reaches 180 F and coats the back of a spoon.

Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl set over ice bath.

Stir in the lemon juice.

Once cooled to room temperature, cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

Whisk the limoncello, lemon extract, and glucose syrup into the chilled base.

Process in a pre-chilled ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions until it reaches an internal temperature of 23 F, approximately 20-25 minutes.

Transfer to a chilled container.

Freeze for a minimum 4 hours before serving or preferably 24 hours for optimal flavor development.

Allow the gelato to rest for 10 minutes at room temperature before serving.

First, it bears repeating that we want you to have the creamiest, tastiest, most indulgent extra lemony gelato possible — and this recipe is going to give you just that, if you follow it carefully. However, we understand that all the specialty ingredients may not be within your reach, so we wanted to give you a few easy substitutions that can help make this recipe easier and more attainable.

First, if you don't have heavy cream or want to make this gelato lighter, you can use half-and-half in its place to give it a lighter texture. If you're looking to make this dairy-free, use full-fat coconut milk or oat cream for a similar, albeit less creamy, texture and a more tropical aftertaste. 

If you don't have lemon extract, use more lemon zest in its place. And if you don't have fresh lemon juice or don't feel like squeezing them all out, then 100% pure bottled lemon juice will work in a pinch, but it will taste more acidic. And if you're not into limoncello or you're avoiding alcohol, replace the limoncello with 3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, plus 1 tablespoon water and an extra teaspoon of lemon extract.

Out of the specialized ingredients in this recipe, the hardest one to find may be glucose syrup. For many home cooks, this may sound like a rare molecular gastronomy ingredient, but it's actually a key component in many pastries and desserts. Most commercial glucose syrup, also known as liquid glucose, comes from wheat or corn. It helps foods hold moisture, adds shine, and prevents ice cream from crystalizing — which is the main reason we turn to it in our gelato.

The easiest substitute for glucose syrup is corn syrup (not to be confused with commercial-grade high-fructose syrup). This old-fashioned ingredient can help you go beyond pecan pie and bake the perfect cinnamon rolls, make mirror glaze for impressive pastries, or cook up a batch of classic peanut brittle. So if you're having trouble finding glucose syrup for any reason, corn syrup is probably your best and most versatile replacement.