Name: Easy Homemade Ice Cream (Mango and Lime) - Printable Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 12 h 35 min
Yield: 1
Cuisine: English
Ingredients: Mini Food Chopper or Food Processor; Large Bowl; Ice Cream Churner; 1 Litre Loaf Tin or Plastic Tub; 2 400g Tins of Ambrosia Custard; 1 400g Tin of Mango Slices,, Drained; 2 Limes,, Zest Only

Jump to Printable Recipe

Jump to Picture Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Where I make a small commission on purchased items, at no extra cost to you. See my disclosure for details.

In this post you will learn how to make homemade ice cream the easy way and how to add your own flavour. Using just one magical ‘cheat’ ingredient, you could be chilling out with a freezer full of your favourites in no time at all.

It’s seriously creamy and luxurious, and all you have to do is add your flavour. Yep – that’s it! No need to worry about making a custard base from scratch… are you intrigued? Read on for my easy homemade ice cream recipe and top tips to help you succeed every time.

Rather make it the traditional way? Check out my rhubarb and custard ice cream recipe instead!

So you’ve heard of the ‘no churn’ ice cream recipes right? I’ve made them a few times and, while they are super delicious, they’re also incredibly rich too. In the midst of Summer, you don’t really want a crazy heavy ice cream do you? Nope! You want a light and refreshing treat to cool you down.

Well I’ve found an epic middle ground that will give you exactly that! Yes you need an ice cream churner, but no, there’s no need to slave over a hot stove making a custard base from scratch. My secret? Tinned ambrosia custard! I kid you not.

Worried about having to buy an expensive ice cream churner? There’s tons of really cheap options out there nowadays that are really quite good. In fact, I’ve dropped a link to the exact one I used to make this near the end of the post.

Homemade ice cream in a waffle cone in glasses

Mango and lime homemade ice cream recipe tips

Want to create your own flavour? Make sure you add strong flavours or it will just taste of custard. (Most tinned custards have quite a strong flavour.)
Adding citrus flavours? Don’t add too much acid or you may curdle the custard. Try instead to use the zest of citrus fruits, not the juice. Or use the method in my lemon ice cream recipe.
Want an even creamier, more luxurious ice cream? Buy a good quality carton of ready made custard (the fresh kind out the fridges) and use that instead. Still not luxurious enough? Add 150ml of double cream.
Don’t forget to taste the ice cream mixture before churning it! The flavour should be quite strong and sweet as, once churned, this will mellow a bit.
Make sure that all ingredients going into the ice cream churner are cold. This is really important.
The higher the fat content, the softer & creamier the ice cream.

Homemade ice cream in a waffle cone in a glass

Here is how to make mango and lime ice cream using my ‘cheat’ ice cream recipe. If you want to make other flavours, there’s some tips and ideas a little further down the post.

Easy Homemade Ice Cream Recipe (Mango and Lime) – Step by Step Picture Recipe

PLEASE NOTE: Chill all ingredients AND put the ice cream maker bowl in the freezer for at least 12 hours (or overnight) before starting this recipe!

Here is what you will need to make 1 litre.

Ingredients

2 x 400g Tins of Ambrosia
1 x 400g Tin of Mango Slices, Drained
Zest of 2 Limes

Essential Equipment

Food Processor/Mini Food Chopper
Large Bowl
Ice Cream Maker
1 Litre Loaf Tin or Plastic Tub

Instructions

Plug the ice cream maker in and set up according to the manufacturers instructions.

In a small mini chopper/food processor, blitz the drained mango slices until it becomes a smooth puree.

Homemade ice cream: mango puree in a mini food chopper

Then, in a large bowl, pour in the chilled tinned custard and give it a little mix.

Homemade ice cream: custard base in a glass bowl

Next, add in the mango puree and the lime zest.

Homemade ice cream: custard base, mango puree and lime zest in a glass bowl

Then give it all a good mix. Have a taste, is the flavour strong enough? Don’t forget that the flavour strength and sweetness will mellow slightly once churned!

Homemade ice cream: custard base, mango puree and lime zest in a glass bowl mixed together

If you’re happy, start up your ice cream churner then pour in the mixture. I churned mine for 30 minutes but you should double check the manufacturers instructions before you begin.

It will start out quite loose but should become cold, thick and airy by the end of the 30 minutes.

When it’s ready, pour it into a loaf tin or plastic tub and smooth out.

Cover with a double layer of cling film or a plastic lid and place into the freezer to freeze completely for at least 12 hours.

When you’re ready to serve, take out the freezer and let sit on the side for 20 minutes to soften a little. Scoop into a cone, into a bowl or have with a dessert and enjoy!

Can I change the flavour?

All you have to do to add your own flavours is follow the recipe as above but replace the mango puree and lime zest with any of the following:

Mint Choc Chip – Add 2 tsp of peppermint extract and a little green food colouring gel (optional). Then add 200g Chocolate Chips just before it sets.
Vanilla – Add 2-3 tsp of good quality vanilla extract.
Cookies and Cream – Add 2-3 tsp of good quality vanilla extract then add 300g of roughly chopped Oreo biscuits just before it sets.
Lemon – Add the zest of 2 large lemons.
Strawberry – Hull and quarter 400g of strawberries then mash as much as you can in a bowl with the back of a fork. Add this to the custard and make as above.

Most importantly – don’t forget to taste it before you churn it! You want a really strong flavour before you start as this will weaken slightly once churned.

Loved this recipe? Pin it!