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
For immediate help troubleshooting a recipe, please email me using the form on my contact page. I’ll try to respond to urgent questions as quickly as possible! For all general questions, please leave a comment here :)
Claire says
Ice cream with grapefruit? LOVE!! :)
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
This is such a beautiful ice cream, I love the color!
Choc Chip Uru says
This ice cream has looks and flavour – love it :D
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Valerie says
The gorgeous color alone is enough to make me want to grab a spoon and sample some through the screen! Beautiful. (I love curds too!)
Carrie @ Bakeaholic Mama says
Oh yum! I made a grapefruit curd last winter. It’s one of my favorites! Never would have thought to turn it into an ice cream!
Lan | angry asian says
it’s a straight up shame that i can’t consume dairy because i know that dw would love this. he loves ice cream and he loves grapefruit.
Savory Simple says
Could you try making the curd without the butter and then making a non-dairy ice cream? Maybe use some earth balance for the curd and soy cream?
Lee says
There is a delicious recipe for Ruby Grapefruit Sorbet on the Williams-Sonoma website. There are also YouTube videos demonstrating how to remove the pulp. While this one sounds yummy and I can’t wait to try it, the sorbet might work for you.
Jill says
This really intrigues me. I love grapefruit, but haven’t thought about using it in ice cream!
Parsley Sage says
You always make the prettiest food! And I think pretty food tastes better :) Loving this ice cream, cheek puckerable!
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet says
OMG! I have been thinking about making curd for a while now and this has me even more excited about it! The most beautiful color of ice cream ever! PS: How did you get your Pinterest buttons on the pics? I love it!
Savory Simple says
It’s a plugin called Pin It Button Attraction :)
Cathy says
I just used lemon curd to make ice cream, but store bought. Never thought of other types of curd. This sounds amazing and the color is beautiful!!
Deb says
The ice cream is just intoxicating! The lush color is so inviting, I’m charmed!
keelymarie says
this is absolutely gorgeous! how creative
Laura Dembowski says
I just bought an ice cream maker and need to break it in. I don’t really like grapefruit, as anything bitter turns me off, but that lemon curd ice cream sounds absolutely heavenly. I must try to make it.
RebeccaSubbiah RD ( says
this looks wonderful adore grapefruits
Jessica@AKitchenAddiction says
I love grapefruit sorbet, I bet this is amazing!