No-Churn Key Lime Pie Ice Cream
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This easy key lime pie ice cream layers a smooth, tangy filling with a buttery graham cracker crust—no ice cream maker required.
After falling in love with this ultra-creamy no-churn cheesecake ice cream base (the same one I use for my Oreo cheesecake ice cream), I started experimenting with other flavors. This key lime pie ice cream is my favorite so far: it has all the bright, tangy flavor of key lime pie—even the buttery graham cracker crust—and it’s a cinch to make.
There’s no temperamental custard base to cook and chill, no ice cream machine to fuss with, and no need to pull the ice cream out of the freezer every 30 minutes to beat out ice crystals. You start with a simple three-ingredient crust (easy!), then blend the ice cream base, layer everything in a loaf pan, and pop it in the freezer. The next day, you’ll have a creamy, dreamy dessert that tastes far better than anything from 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.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: Adds sweetness and richness.
- Heavy Cream: Contributes to the creamy texture and richness, making the ice cream smooth and indulgent.
- Lime Zest & Juice: Provides a bright, citrusy flavor and aroma. Adds bright, citrusy flavor. I use regular limes instead of key limes; key limes are challenging to find, and regular limes work just as well. I don’t bottled key lime juice; it can be bracingly tart and artificial-tasting.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Mix the crumb 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.
Step 2: Press the crust. Dump the crumbs onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and press into an even ¼-inch layer.
Step 3: Bake and break. Bake until golden around the edges, 7 to 8 minutes. Let cool, then use a spoon to break the crust into bite-sized chunks.
Step 4: Mix the filling. Zest and juice the limes (zest them first—it’s much easier). In an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add the sweetened condensed milk and beat until completely smooth. Finally, add the heavy cream, lime zest, lime juice, and salt, and beat until evenly combined.
Step 5: Layer and freeze the ice cream. 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 then freeze until completely firm, about 8 hours or overnight. The ice cream will keep well in the freezer for about 1 week.
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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
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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Made this recipe this week for a small dinner. This recipe is amazing…took about 15 mins of sitting on the countertop before serving to get nice and scoop-able and then it was ready to go. Guests loved it – there were only 4 of us total but we polished off the whole pan. I love a recipe that can be made ahead of time like this one, and it’s easy to make with all the feels of ice cream. My husband was astonished. A winning recipe all the way around.
Ooh! I’d forgotten about this recipe. It is so easy and delicious. Perfect for hot summer days. I’m going to check the fridge for limes….
I’ve made this twice now and it continues to be one of our favorite desserts. So easy and delicious. I didn’t have regular graham crackers but had cinnamon. It worked just fine and you really couldn’t tell there was cinnamon in there. I love your recipes and have never made a bad one. Thanks for a great site!
Fantastic , but for me too heavy on cream cheese. Any suggestion to reduce the cream cheese taste ?
Thanks for your wonderful recipes that keep coming.
Hi Chantal, I think you could replace some of the cream cheese with more heavy cream. 🙂
My family begs me to make this! So delicious and easy to make! Another great recipe.
Can this be made in an aluminum “disposable” pan? I’d like to bring it to a friend’s house and not have to worry about getting back my metal loaf pan. Thank you.
That should be fine. 🙂
Thank you.
20 Stars! Magnificent!
This is incredible. I’ve never left a comment on a recipe but this deserves all the praise, my gf said she liked key-lime pie so I made this for her and it did not disappoint, I don’t think she’s going anywhere hah. But seriously, it’s delicious, lime flavor is strong but not at all fake and remarkably easy to make.
It’s quite hard when it first comes out the freezer each time (my freezer comes to 13 degrees ) so it’d actually probably do well travelling a moderate distance and since when defrosted it’s more custardy than milky, it would likely not melt when thawed so once refrozen would retain its shape. This is going to be my back pocket recipe for a crowd pleaser if I’m stumped on what to make. Thanks!!!
Our friends are still talking about this no churn ice cream! I didn’t have the ingredients for the graham cracker part of this recipe. Just topped it w/ fresh raspberries and it was delicious.
As always, thank you Jenn,
Sandra in California
This key lime pie ice cream is DELICIOUS! Easy to make, and oh so good. Would highly recommend to anyone who likes citrus desserts. Thanks Jenn!
I live in Florida and this is the perfect warm weather dessert. Sweet and tart- it is absolutely delicious!!