No-Churn Key Lime Pie Ice Cream
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
This no-churn key lime pie ice cream has all the bright lime flavor of the pie — even the crunchy, buttery graham cracker crust — and is a cinch to make.
Delighted with the success of an ultra-creamy no-churn cheesecake ice cream I developed for my cookbook, I’ve been playing around with other no-churn ice cream flavors. This key lime pie ice cream is my favorite thus far: it has all the bright lime flavor of key lime pie—even the crunchy, buttery graham cracker crust—and it’s a cinch to make.
There’s no temperamental custard base to make and chill, no ice cream machine to fiddle with, and no pulling the ice cream out of the freezer every 30 minutes to beat out the crystals. You start by making the 3-ingredient crust (easy!), then you beat the ice cream ingredients together, layer the mixture with the crust in a loaf pan, and pop it in the freezer. The next day you have a creamy, dreamy key lime treat that tastes far better than anything you could buy at the store.
“My family begs me to make this! So delicious and easy to make!”
What You’ll Need To Make Key Lime Pie Ice Cream
- Graham Cracker Crumbs: Provide classic key lime pie crust flavor and a satisfying crunchy texture.
- Butter: Binds the crumbs together, adds a rich buttery flavor, and helps achieve a golden crust when baked.
- Brown Sugar: Adds sweetness and a hint of molasses flavor. When measuring brown sugar, always pack it tightly to eliminate air pockets.
- Cream Cheese: Creates a rich, creamy base with a slight tang emulating the taste of key lime pie.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: Adds sweetness and a velvety mouthfeel.
- Heavy Cream: Contributes to the creamy texture and richness, making the ice cream smooth and indulgent.
- Lime Zest: Provides a bright, citrusy flavor and aroma.
- Fresh Lime Juice: Adds tanginess and enhances the key lime pie flavor. I use regular limes instead of key limes. (Key limes are challenging to find, and regular limes work just as well.)
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Begin by making the crust. In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, brown sugar, and salt. Using a spoon first and then your fingers, mix until evenly combined, making sure to break up any lumps of brown sugar.
Press the crust into an even 1/4-inch layer on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake until golden around the edges, 7 to 8 minutes.
Let cool, then use a spoon to break into chunks.
Set the crust aside while you make the filling. To start, zest and juice the limes. (Be sure to zest them first as it’s near impossible to do once they are juiced.)
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until light and creamy, about 1 minute.
Add the sweetened condensed milk and beat until completely smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the heavy cream, lime zest, lime juice and salt.
And beat until evenly combined, about 30 seconds.
Arrange half of the crust evenly over the bottom of an 8-by-4-inch loaf pan.
Pour the ice cream mixture over top.
Then cover with the remaining crust crumbles. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until completely firm, at least 8 hours or overnight.
Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
I don’t recommend it. Bottled key lime juice can be bracingly tart and artificial-tasting. You’ll get a much better result with fresh lime juice.
Sure! Store-bought crumbs work just as well.
Yep, the ice cream will keep, tightly covered, for up to 2 weeks. Let the ice cream sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes to soften to a scoopable texture before serving.
You May Also Like
No-Churn Key Lime Pie Ice Cream
This no-churn key lime pie ice cream has all the bright lime flavor of the pie — even the crunchy, buttery graham cracker crust — and is a cinch to make.
Ingredients
For the "Crust"
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs, from 8 whole crackers
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
- Pinch salt
For the Ice Cream
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 packed tablespoon finely grated lime zest, from about 3 limes
- 6 tablespoons fresh lime juice, from about 3 limes
- Pinch salt
Instructions
- Make the Crust: Preheat the oven to 350°F and set a rack in the middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, brown sugar, and salt. Using a spoon first and then your fingers, mix until evenly combined, making sure to break up any lumps of brown sugar. Press the crust into an even ¼-inch layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until golden around the edges, 7 to 8 minutes. Let cool, then use a spoon to break into chunks.
- Make the Ice Cream: In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until light and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the sweetened condensed milk and beat until completely smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the heavy cream, lime zest, lime juice and salt, and beat until evenly combined, about 30 seconds.
- Assemble: Arrange half of the crust crumbles evenly over the bottom of an ungreased 8-by-4-inch loaf pan. Pour the ice cream mixture over top, then cover with the remaining crust crumbles. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until completely firm, at least 8 hours or overnight.
Nutrition Information
Powered by 
- Per serving (6 servings)
- Serving size: About 1 cup
- Calories: 542
- Fat: 32 g
- Saturated fat: 18 g
- Carbohydrates: 59 g
- Sugar: 50 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 9 g
- Sodium: 342 mg
- Cholesterol: 98 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Do you use normal everday limes or key limes? Has anyone used bottled keylime juice?
Hi June, I use normal limes for this (and I’d recommend staying away from the bottled version). Hope you enjoy if you make it!
I used nellie joe key lime juice and it was fantastic
I am so excited to make this recipe!! Question about the sweetened condensed milk – The recipe says “1 14oz can” but a typical can is 10oz and the picture showing ingredients looks like just a single, smaller 10oz can. Is it supposed to be “1 10oz can” or is it in fact 14oz that’s needed?
Hi Angela, It is hard to tell from the photo, but it is definitely a 14-oz can. I know in some places, like Canada, sweetened condensed milk is sold in 10-oz cans, but you need 14 ounces for this recipe. Hope you enjoy!
From Canada here – I think we figured out that the 14 oz American can is equivalent to the standard Eagle Brand 10 oz Canadian can. It’s just that the American one includes the weight of the can itself and in Canada, the weight refers to the amount of product in the can (See comments on your regular Key Lime Pie recipe – I use the same # of cans as you suggest and it works out perfectly).
Hey Naomi, not sure where you got your information from but an unopened 14 oz. can of Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk weighs 15.8 oz. (in the USA); thereby indicating the contents weigh 14 oz. (I also had a store brand and it also weighed 15.8 oz. unopened.) Hope that helps.
I emailed Eagle Brand this morning to ask why Sweetened Condensed Milk is sold in 14 oz cans in the US, and 10.14 oz (300 ml) cans in Canada. It turns out out they are the same quantity. The US product is measured by weight, and the Canadian product is measured in fluid ounces. They are the same.
Awesome! So easy and a new family favorite!
Awesome!!! Most incredible dessert ever. I love citrus and this did not disappoint. Took it for Easter and received rave reviews. The creaminess was custard-like and the topping knocked it out of the park. Will be making this many more times. Thank you for this recipe.
I made this recipe for our Bible study group after tasting Christy’s. She is right! Everyone raved about it! Thanks!
I LOVED this Key Lime Ice cream!! It was very rich and sweet, like another reviewer said. But not too much imo. But I’m wondering Jenn, IF a bit more heavy cream added, would tone that sweetness down?? As I give that more thought, I’m having ME another serving, thank YOU very much!!! Keep’m coming Jenn!
So glad you liked it! I think you could add a few additional tablespoons of heavy cream without a problem.
Key lime is my absolute favorite and this doesn’t disappoint! Love this!
This is my go-to recipe for summertime when I’m serving Mexican or tropical and I want a refreshing finale. Love that it’s made ahead and so refreshing but the best is all the scraping sounds of guests going for that last bit of flavor in the bowl. Rich enough that the serving size is perfect but with wow.
I was looking for a different dessert and was excited to try this recipe. It was AMAZING! Easy to prepare and delicious.
This key lime pie no churn ice cream recipe is simply AMAZING!
Absolutely amazing recipe!! I even substituted reduced fat cream cheese and it was still awesome.