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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yummychunklet says
What an interesting and creative flavor for ice cream!
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says
Oh I wish I had seen this when I had some grapefruit!! I don’t like them much but in a curd, I’m sure I would! :D
Asiya @ Chocolate and Chillies says
Love the colour of this ice cream…I’ve never liked grapefruit but after reading your post I may just have to give this a try!
Rachael {SimplyFreshCooking} says
Pretty ice cream… that’s something I never thought I’d say! Looks excellent Jen! :) :)
Riley says
I just made the grapefruit curd and I’ll be making the ice cream tomorrow (hopefully!) The curd is pretty darn tasty on its own!
Savory Simple says
Yay! Let me know how it turns out. And trust me, I know. I had a hard time not devouring the curd the night before I made the ice cream.
Roxana | Roxana's Home Baking says
I just love the pinkish color. So pretty!
Baker Street says
I really don’t think I’ve tried grapefruit ice cream before! What a fantastic recipe!
spree says
About a year ago we discovered that grapefruit sorbet was most likely our very favorite. (I’ve since found another that competes.) But this ice-cream of yours…I can taste it…and I can adore it already from the image and your perfect description….and you can BET I’m going to be churning up a batch! Beautiful!
Nami | Just One Cookbook says
Your ice cream shot made me stare at it for some moments… simply gorgeous. I agree, the process juice won’t give nice color like this. I don’t know what color is this, but so beautiful! My mouth is watering since I started your photo, saving the recipe!!!
Karrin says
Sounds delicious! I recently made a grapefruit sorbet that was delicious! I actually have the recipe on my ice cream and sorbet blog! I would love to share it with you!
http://nondairyicecream.blogspot.ca/
Thanks for sharing!
Cheers!
Sharyn Dimmick says
I have not made grapefruit curd yet — I would if I happened on a glut of grapefruit — it sounds delicious (and equally good as ice cream)
Lilly Sue says
I want some! :D
vidisha@greenglobaltravel says
Grapefruit curd – unique dessert. Looks wonderful. Thanks.
Samuel says
I’ve got to admit that I’m not real fond of grapefruit but my wife loves anything citrus. I’ll have to pass this on to her.
Carla says
I saw this on the Fabulous Food Bloggers FB page, so I had to run over! I have an obsession with different types of curds (I’ve blogged strawberry, peach, and blood orange), so I can’t wait to make grapefruit and turn it into ice cream!