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 was so pleasantly surprised with this recipe! I’ve tried other no churn ice cream recipes and none of them yielded such a creamy result. I didn’t have dark brown sugar so I substituted light brown and my graham crackers were the honey kind but both of those subs didn’t seem to affect flavor. The recipe was quick and easy and is a total go to for me now. The one thing that I suggest is to line the loaf pan with parchment or plastic wrap before starting to layer the graham crackers and ice cream mixture, it makes a world of difference when it comes to ease of removal.
This recipe is delicious and addictive! It’s my favorite warm weather dessert though it’s so good I’ll probably continue to make it all year long. To make it easier to serve, I line my container with a couple layers of plastic film so that I can remove the whole thing as a loaf, unwrap it, and slice it into servings. This makes serving it easy, neat, and ensures good distribution of the crumbs for each plate.
I need to make this again. It was so easy and good. Highly recommend this recipe.
Jenn, I made this for our Labor Day BBQ and it was amazing! My son who loves Key Lime Pie said he liked this ice cream version even better!. I have tried many of your recipes and love them all but this is the best! I’ve been cooking for over 30 years and I have to say this is one of the best recipes I’ve ever made, thank you!!
Really good. Let it thaw out to refrigerator temp. Tastes better!
Wow! This was an amazing dessert. So creamy and full of flavor. This went over so well and will keep in my recipe file.
We absolutely love this dessert !
This dessert is soooooo good that I’ve made it four times since you put it on the website! I make it in little ramekins and sprinkle a little of the crumble on top. It works not only as decoration, but also keeps the plastic wrap from sticking to the ice cream while it’s in the freezer. And I take it out of the freezer about 30 before serving – 10 minutes just weren’t enough.
It’s another of your easy-yet-oh-so-elegant endings to a meal when you want to impress your guests. THANKS again, Jenn.
AMAZING! Served this last night for a Girl’s Night get-together and was a perfect cool, sweet treat on a hot July night!
I ended up putting this in a glass 8×8 baking dish and it firmed up beautifully in about half the time.
So delicious! I used neufchatel, fat free sweetened condensed milk and 1% milk. It was so creamy and decadent, no one realized how many calories were removed! Thank you for another keeper!