No-Churn Key Lime Pie Ice Cream
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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.
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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
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- 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.
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I’m lactose intolerant. I can buy lactose-free cream cheese, but can you suggest any workable substitutions for the heavy cream and the condensed milk? I love all things lime.
Hi Pearl, a number of readers have commented that when they need a dairy-free alternative to heavy cream, they’ve used Rich’s non-dairy coffee creamer (frozen) or Trader Joe’s unflavored non-dairy creamer. You could try coconut cream in place of the sweetened condensed milk. All that said, because this has so much dairy in it, I’m not confident that it will translate well to a non-dairy version.
Full Fat coconut milk would work best but any dairy free milk will work if you take the time to cook it down and add 1/2c to 3/4c sugar with a pinch of salt to the hot milk after cooking it down by at least half . I make my own condensed milk all the time as we use only organic hormone free milk Thats hard to find in a can.
I wanted to let you know that whole foods carries a coconut milk sweetened condensed milk in a can. It is delicious! I too am looking for an alternative for the heavy cream !!
Jenn…you have single-handedly ended my moratorium against making “no churn” ice cream-like desserts, ever again. Until yesterday I have never found anything that was as satisfying as a cooked custard style ice cream. I saw your recipe yesterday morning, and begrudgingly thought I’d give it a go….one more time. Why would I do this? Well, that would be due to your unique keen eye for what works. I made half of the recipe, and formed individual ramekins. Now that I am team “no churn”, my brain is working overtime to create variations….my first will be to sub the lime zest with Orange zest….and instead of the lime juice, I will use an orange liqueur….this will raise the freezing point, and an even softer texture will be had. Big thanks for what you’ve created….and shared!
Do you think this would work with individual muffin tins? Thanks for your response!
Sure – I’d love to hear how they turn out!
I made this recipe last night and let it freeze overnight. I just tried it and it was amazing! My partner loved it too!! A local ice cream shop did a limited edition lime pie ice cream that was amazing. When they finished it, I was so sad! I often crave it but couldn’t get it. So finding this recipe was like receiving a gift! It’s amazing!!! Highly recommend and so easy as I had never made ice cream before. I wonder if you can do different flavours while sticking with the base recipe?
So glad you enjoyed this and you were able to scratch that Key lime pie ice cream itch! 🙂
You could certainly work with the base ingredients and try playing around with the flavors. I have a number of other ice cream and yogurt recipes if you want to check them out (some of them require an ice cream machine).
Hi Jen: I have a question about a similar recipe from your first cookbook – the no-churn cheesecake ice cream. I’ve made this today (November 30th) but don’t plan on serving until December 25. You say it will keep for a few weeks in the freezer … is three and a half weeks too long? I just don’t want to take any chances. Tastes delicious before freezing by the way.
Hi Amaris, that timeframe should be fine. Enjoy!
Hello! Hope all is well with you and your band of ingrates who dare to question your next Chicken masterpiece. Just have a quick question, in the days of 2021 and you know what, I would like to bring this to share with neighbors, but probably wouldn’t want to have a communal source everyone would serve themselves from. Do you know if freezing individual portions in clear plastic disposable 8oz (or larger kind of wine style) stemless cups would work? Thank you!!
🙂
Yes, Shannon, I think that would be fine. Hope everyone enjoys!
Hi Jenn, wondering if you think there’s any leeway on the 8 hour freeze time before this is ready for serving? This weekend I was planning to make this as small individual cakes (divided across 15 muffin tray slots), do you think I could get away with freezing for say 3-4 hours because they’re smaller in size? Thanks again for this gorgeous recipe, I think I might try your Best-ever Key lime pie next for comparison!
Hi Melissa, I think it would work but I’d err on the side of 4 hours. Hope everyone enjoys!
Thanks so much for taking the time to reply Jenn, you’re the best 😊
Jenn, if I did not want to make the crust (trying to not turn on my oven) would this work with a crumbled purchased graham cracker crust?
Sure, Rosanne, I think that would work. Please LMK how it turns out!
Wow…this was DELICIOUS. I followed the recipe except I only had light brown sugar, substituting it 1:1 was fine, but I can see how dark would produce superior color and depth of flavor. I tasted the mixture before freezing and felt it could be a tad less sweet, so I added another 1/4 cup of heavy cream and it was perfect. Next time I will just use 1/2 cup to start. It is realllly rich. I was worried the loaf pan wouldn’t be enough for 6, but it was and probably could have even served 8.
Hi Jenn
I LOVE LOVE LOVE your recipes. Looking forward to making this one. Is it possible to substitute mascarpone for the cream cheese?
(I preordered your new cookbook and am so excited for it!)
Thank you for the quality and dedication that you put into all you do.
So glad you like the recipes and thanks for your support with the book! 💗
I haven’t tried this with mascarpone so I can’t guarantee how it will come out, but I think it should work. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!