Grapefruit curd ice cream is smooth and rich with a lovely custard consistency. The grapefruit adds a perfect flavor balance of sweet, tart, and bitter, making this an absolutely amazing dessert!
This might just be my new favorite ice cream. I really love any type of curd- lemon, passionfruit, blood orange… you name it and you’ll probably find it on this site somewhere. Just after school when I was working my brief stint as a pastry chef, we made lemon curd ice cream one night. It was as decadent as it sounds- rich and tangy with that custard flavor you only get from a curd. Much better than a regular lemon ice cream. I’ve been wanting to make it again ever since. What I particularly love about this version is that the grapefruit offers a slight bitterness in the background; not something you often taste in ice cream or even a regular curd. But it works really well here and balances the sweetness.
Don’t use a processed store-bought grapefruit juice to make this. It won’t taste right. The only exception can be found in some higher end grocers like Whole Foods. If the container says something like “100% fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice” you’re probably ok. Double check the ingredient list to make sure there are no additives or anything from concentrate. Trust me, I learned this lesson the hard way. The safest bet will always be juicing the grapefruit yourself.
Grapefruit Curd Ice Cream
Ingredients
Grapefruit curd:
- 2 large eggs
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 1/4 cup fresh squeezed grapefruit juice
- 4 ounces unsalted butter, cubed and at room temperature
- optional: 1 drop each of pink and red food coloring
Curd ice cream:
- 1 1/2 cup grapefruit curd, chilled
- 1 1/3 cup half & half or 50% heavy cream + 50% whole milk, chilled
- 5 tablespoons confectioners sugar
Instructions
To make the curd:
- In a medium saucepan, whisk eggs, egg yolks and sugar together until smooth. Whisk the corn starch together with a bit of the grapefruit juice to create a slurry.
- Whisk the grapefruit juice and slurry into the egg mixture.
- Add the food coloring if using.
- Continue to whisk over medium heat until thick, 10-15 minutes. It should be the consistency of pudding. Make sure the whisk hits the bottom of the pot to keep the bottom from burning. This is less likely to happen if you use a heavy bottom saucepan.
- Remove from the heat and slowly whisk in pieces of the butter.
- Move the curd to a bowl and allow to chill in the refrigerator. It will continue to thicken as it cools.
- Store extra curd in the refrigerator with plastic wrap pushed directly against the curd to prevent a skin from forming.
To make the ice cream:
- Whisk the curd and half and half together until well combined.
- Sift in one tablespoon of confectioners sugar at a time while whisking.
- Prepare according to your ice cream maker manufacturer's instructions.
Notes
Please read my full post for additional recipe notes, tips, and serving suggestions!
Nutrition
Recipe Troubleshooting
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That sounds amazing. It never occurred to me to use citrus curd in ice cream–must try.
This is absolutely amazing. I made this tonight and I love it. It’s sweet but tangy making it a perfect dessert! I also tried the strawberry rhubarb and got rave reviews! Thanks for the awesome recipes!!!!!
Thank you, I’m so glad you liked the recipes! It makes my day when someone reports back :)
This sounds de-lish! Thanks for sharing!
I think it needs some grapefruit zest in it.
What is half and half? Is it only available in the US? Is there an Australian alternative? Thanks
Great question! I’ve been clarifying this on more recent recipes and will update it here as well. I didn’t realize originally that half & half was a US way of selling dairy. It’s 50% heavy cream + 50% whole milk.
Thanks Jennifer, that makes perfect sense! I’ll give it a try this week!
I made this a few nights ago. I didn’t think the curd tasted grapefruit-y enough, so I made the mistake of adding a splash of campari…whew! Very bitter. I actually like the finished product, but it was not a hit at the family get-together. It’s definitely a grown-up ice cream.
Any suggestions on getting more grapefruit flavor in without increasing bitterness? Maybe juicing an additional grapefruit and boiling down the juice before making the curd? I don’t know how that would affect the flavor. Thanks!
Hmm, if it was very bitter I can see why it wasn’t a hit. Did you taste the grapefruit before using it in the curd? What type of grapefruit was it (ruby red, etc)? I’ve made that curd many many times, and it has always had a strong grapefruit flavor. All I can think of is that the grapefruit used might not have had a strong flavor. If that wasn’t the case, I’m genuinely stumped. You can always some additional grapefruit juice to the curd. Try stirring it in at the end, 1-2 teaspoons at a time, until the desired flavor is reached. I’ve never tried reducing grapefruit juice and am not sure if that would enhance the natural bitterness of the fruit.
My thoughts as well that it doesn’t taste like grapefruit enough. No clue how to bump up the flavor without bumping up the bitterness.
Simply Delicious! This was my first time making Ice cream, and it turned out amazing!
There were two things that needed using up in our fridge, and those were grapefruit and cream, so with my grandma’s ice cream maker at hand, I decided what better to make than Grapefruit ice cream! Your recipe was the perfect candidate. I followed the advice in the comments and added zest to the curd and the ice cream. Since honey is our preferred sweetener, I replaced the sugar with 1/2 cup of honey in the curd and 2Tbsp in the cream. I didn’t have half and half, so I just used cream, and a little Greek yogurt. I was worried about the cream overpowering the grapefruit but with the extra zest it turned out smooth, tangy and fresh, and the honey added the perfect amount of sweetness. I definitely predict that I’ll be making this again!
I’m so happy you liked it! :)