Making Ice Cream, Sorbets, Sherbets and other frozen desserts was a huge part of my job as a pastry chef at a busy golf and country club. I thoroughly enjoyed the process of making ice cream and thought I should start sharing some of the wonderful varieties of ice cream that I had the opportunity to create. One of my favourites was a Zesty Lime Ice Cream. It is quite refreshing and one of the quicker ice cream custards to make. The sour cream adds a tanginess that balances the custard well. The little flecks of lime zest throughout the ice cream make it a very attractive dessert. It was usually served very simply with a garnish of berries, a crunchy cookie in a stemmed ice cream goblet.

Zesty Lime Ice Cream with a lime zest spiral
Zesty Lime Ice Cream
Yield: 1 litre
CHEF TALK: Limes vary in size so a ratio is easier to remember when a recipe calls for the juice and zest of a lime: One lime will yield approximately 2 tablespoons of lime juice and 2 teaspoons of lime zest.
CHEF TIP: Roll the lime firmly on a hard surface in order to break down the membranes inside the lime before juicing it. This process will allow the lime to yield far more juice.
CHEF TIP: You will notice that I add the lime zest after the custard is strained to take advantage of the flavour and colour of the lime zest to its fullest advantage.

Zesty Lime Ice Cream Custard: the lime zest is added after the custard is strained
INGREDIENTS:
- 1¼ cups whipping cream (33-35%)
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup raw cane sugar or granulated sugar
- 3 limes, juice (180 ml), and zest (reserve lime zest until custard is strained)
- 2/3 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
- Garnish: twisted lime peel or slices
METHOD:
- Bring the cream to a boil in a 2-quart quart saucepan.
- Meanwhile, Using a large bowl, prepare an ice bath by filling with ice cubes and water. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, place the eggs, sugar, and lime juice and whisk until the mixture is light and airy.
- When the cream has come to a boil, temper it by slowly pouring the cream into the egg mixture while whisking briskly.
- Return the mixture back to the same pot and cook over low-medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon. (Do Not Boil)
- Set a fine-meshed strainer over a clean medium bowl and strain the mixture.
- Now add the lime zest and the sour cream and mix in thoroughly. The mixture will be quite thick. Place the bowl in the ice bath.
- Refrigerate until well chilled.
- Freeze in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions (approximately 15 minutes).
- Store the ice cream in a sealed container in the freezer. Fresh ice cream is usually served within two weeks of churning. Enjoy!

Gorgeous Limes ready to make Zesty Lime Ice Cream
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Zesty Lime Ice Cream
Prep
Cook
Inactive
Total
Yield 1 litre ice cream
Zesty Lime Ice Cream is quite refreshing and one of the quicker ice cream custards to make. The sour cream adds a tanginess that balances the custard well. The little flecks of lime zest throughout the ice cream make it a very attractive dessert. Serve very simply with a garnish of berries, a crunchy cookie in a stemmed ice cream goblet. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups whipping cream (33-35%)
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup raw cane sugar or granulated sugar
- 3 limes, juice (180 ml), and zest (reserve lime zest until custard is strained)
- 2/3 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
- Garnish: twisted lime peel or slices
Instructions
- Bring the cream to a boil in a 2-quart quart saucepan.
- Meanwhile, Using a large bowl, prepare an ice bath by filling with ice cubes and water. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, place the eggs, sugar, and lime juice and whisk until the mixture is light and airy.
- When the cream has come to a boil, temper it by slowly pouring the cream into the egg mixture while whisking briskly.
- Return the mixture back to the same pot and cook over low-medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon. (Do Not Boil)
- Set a fine-meshed strainer over a clean medium bowl and strain the mixture.
- Now add the lime zest and the sour cream and mix in thoroughly. The mixture will be quite thick. Place the bowl in the ice bath.
- Refrigerate until well chilled.
- Freeze in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions (approximately 15 minutes).
- Store the ice cream in a sealed container in the freezer. Fresh ice cream is usually served within two weeks of churning. Enjoy!
Notes
CHEF TALK: Limes vary in size so a ratio is easier to remember when a recipe calls for the juice and zest of a lime: One lime will yield approximately 2 tablespoons of lime juice and 2 teaspoons of lime zest.
CHEF TIP: Roll the lime firmly on a hard surface in order to break down the membranes inside the lime before juicing it. This process will allow the lime to yield far more juice.
CHEF TIP: You will notice that I add the lime zest after the custard is strained to take advantage of the flavour and colour of the lime zest to its fullest advantage.
For further details, including step-by-step photographs, please refer to my original post: https://urbnspice.com/my-recipes/zesty-lime-ice-cream/
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Courses Dessert
Please CLICK the link above to access my UrbnSpice LEARNING TIPS, which are listed alphabetically on the Learning Tips blog post under the following subheadings:
- Cream
- Straining
- Tempering
- Ice Bath
__________
If you try my recipe for Zesty Lime Ice Cream , please leave me a comment below with your feedback. I would love to hear from you.
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Denise Paré-Watson
The Urbnspice Chef
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I love a good lime dessert, especially when it involves ice cream. So fresh and tart 🙂
Thank you, Charlotte! I love lime desserts, as well. This one is indeed very fresh and tart.
This sounds so refreshing and I never would have thought to use sour cream when I make ice cream. But it makes perfect sense with the limes!
Thanks for your comments, Colleen. Sour cream adds just the right amount of tang to this ice cream. I think that you will enjoy it! 🙂
This is a flavor I would greatly enjoy! Refreshing and bright, I love the zest both visually and for the flavor profile. Your chef’s talk and tips are always spot on and so very useful!
Thank you so much for your kind words, Nicoletta. This ice cream recipe is one that I think you and your husband would enjoy very much. (I love those little bits of zest in the ice cream too) 🙂
I think I’m going to try this recipe tomorrow. I’m thinking of adding some toasted coconut. Good idea or bad?
Coconut would be an excellent addition, Heather. I could see balls of ice cream coated in toasted coconut, how about you? Let me know how it turns out. Thanks for visiting UrbnSpice 🙂