Watermelon Ice Cream Juicy Summer (Printable)

Refreshing homemade watermelon ice cream with ripe fruit, creamy base, and hints of lime. Ideal summer dessert.

# What You Need:

→ Fruit Base

01 - 4 cups seedless watermelon, cubed
02 - ½ cup granulated sugar
03 - 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

→ Ice Cream Mixture

04 - 1 cup heavy cream
05 - ½ cup sweetened condensed milk
06 - ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
07 - Pinch of salt

# Steps:

01 - Blend cubed watermelon until completely smooth. Strain through fine mesh sieve into large bowl to remove pulp if desired.
02 - Stir granulated sugar and lime juice into watermelon puree. Mix thoroughly until sugar completely dissolves.
03 - Using hand mixer, whip heavy cream in separate bowl until soft peaks form.
04 - Gently fold condensed milk, vanilla extract, and salt into whipped cream until incorporated.
05 - Pour watermelon puree into cream mixture. Fold gently until fully combined and uniform color achieved.
06 - Transfer mixture to loaf pan or airtight container. Cover tightly with plastic wrap or lid. Freeze minimum 4 hours until firm.
07 - Let sit at room temperature 5 minutes before scooping to soften slightly for easier serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • This ice cream captures the pure essence of watermelon without that weird watery texture that can happen when fruit meets cream
  • It requires zero cooking and zero churning, just a bit of patience while it freezes
  • The lime juice brightens everything just enough to make each taste feel surprisingly sophisticated
02 -
  • Straining the watermelon is completely optional but gives you that ultra smooth professional texture most people expect from ice cream
  • The mixture may look slightly curdled when you first combine the fruit puree with the cream, but keep folding and it will come together beautifully
  • This ice cream freezes harder than dairy heavy versions because of the high water content in watermelon, so that five minute room temperature wait is not optional
03 -
  • Chill your blender pitcher and mixing bowls in advance to keep everything as cold as possible during preparation
  • The lime juice is not optional since it actually makes the watermelon taste more watermelon forward somehow

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