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No-Churn Key Lime Pie Ice Cream

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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.

key lime pie ice cream

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.

What you’ll need To Make Key Lime Pie Ice Cream

ingredients for key lime pie ice cream

I use regular limes instead of key limes to make this ice cream. Key limes are challenging to find, and regular limes work just as well. (And you always want to avoid bracingly tart, artificial-tasting bottled key lime juice!)

How To Make Key Lime Pie Ice Cream

Graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, brown sugar, and salt in mixing bowl.

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.

Crust ingredients mixed together in bowl.

Press the crust into an even 1/4-inch layer on the prepared baking sheet.

Crust pressed into a freeform layer on baking sheet.

Bake until golden around the edges, 7 to 8 minutes.

breaking baked graham cracker crust into chunks

Let cool, then use a spoon to break into chunks.

finished chunks of crust

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.)

zesting and juicing limes

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until light and creamy, about 1 minute.

beating cream cheese in mixing bowl

Add the sweetened condensed milk and beat until completely smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.

adding sweetened condensed milk to mixing bowl

Add the heavy cream, lime zest, lime juice and salt.

Lime zest in a bowl with an electric mixer.

And beat until evenly combined, about 30 seconds.

beating cream cheese mixture until smooth

Arrange half of the crust evenly over the bottom of an 8-by-4-inch loaf pan.

creating layer of crust in loaf pan

Pour the ice cream mixture over top.

adding ice cream layer to loaf pan

Then cover with the remaining crust crumbles. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until completely firm, at least 8 hours or overnight.

adding final crust layer

Enjoy!

scooping frozen ice cream from loaf pan

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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.

Servings: 6
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 10 Minutes
Total Time: 30 Minutes, plus at least 8 hours to freeze

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

  1. Make the Crust: Preheat the oven to 350°F and set a rack in the middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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 Edamam

  • 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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Comments

  • 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.

    • — sherry on August 31, 2023
    • Reply
  • 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….

    • — Jody on July 9, 2023
    • Reply
  • 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!

    • — Laura on July 9, 2023
    • Reply
  • 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.

    • — chantal duvall on May 14, 2023
    • Reply
    • Hi Chantal, I think you could replace some of the cream cheese with more heavy cream. 🙂

      • — Jenn on May 16, 2023
      • Reply
    • My family begs me to make this! So delicious and easy to make! Another great recipe.

      • — Heather on July 9, 2023
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  • 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.

    • — Francis on March 21, 2023
    • Reply
    • That should be fine. 🙂

      • — Jenn on March 21, 2023
      • Reply
      • Thank you.

        • — Francis on March 21, 2023
        • Reply
  • 20 Stars! Magnificent!

    • — Francis on February 19, 2023
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  • 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!!!

    • — Jordan on December 30, 2022
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  • 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

    • — Sandra on September 10, 2022
    • Reply
  • 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!

    • — Emme on August 15, 2022
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  • I live in Florida and this is the perfect warm weather dessert. Sweet and tart- it is absolutely delicious!!

    • — Lee-Ann Harris on July 31, 2022
    • Reply
  • Hi Jenn. Love your recipes and refer your site to everyone who cooks. And who doesn’t some times at least. This recipe was great. Do you have suggestions for making no churn pistaccio ice cream?

    Thanks so much. You’re the BEST!

    • — Donna on July 2, 2022
    • Reply
    • So glad you like the recipes and enjoyed this one! I don’t have a recipe for pistachio ice cream, but I’ll have to add that to my list of recipes to potentially develop. Thanks for the suggestion!

      • — Jenn on July 3, 2022
      • Reply
  • I have a question for you Jenn….having made this no churn recipe (with a great response from guests!), I plan to now make the No Churn Cheesecake Ice Cream from your 1st book. My question is why the difference in the treatment of the crumble – here it is layered under & on top of the ice before freezing…I realize the cheesecake version is a bit different (ie the pecans) but is there a reason it is / has to be kept separate in this recipe? Thanks!

    • — Allie on June 30, 2022
    • Reply
    • Hi Allie, I actually prefer the method I used in this recipe. When I developed the recipe for the cookbook, it hadn’t occurred to me to incorporate the crumble into the ice cream. That said, you can go either way!

      • — Jenn on June 30, 2022
      • Reply
      • Thank you ! It’s going to be company dessert this Sunday ……I’m super excited to try this one – cheesecake !!!

        • — Allie on June 30, 2022
        • Reply
  • “better than anything you could buy at a store”… no truer words have ever been spoken. The results from prep of this recipe means I’ll never go back to the gourmet ice cream shop for their $13.00 per quart, Key Lime Pie Ice cream. Which, in fact, was the reason I decided to try this recipe. I could not be happier! Thank You so much!!!

    • — F.L. Phillips on June 29, 2022
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  • I enjoyed this ice cream so much I made it in lemon today!

    • — Debra on June 25, 2022
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  • My son said that this was the best dessert I ever made!

    • — Pearl on June 22, 2022
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  • What a fantastic recipe. It has a bit of wiggle room too. I used a 10 ounce (300ml) can of sweetened condensed milk (i struggled to find a larger can) and 1/2 cup whipping cream to make it a bit less cloying. I was also short a lime so I added two drops of Doterra lime oil which really enhanced the lime taste. This recipe is a crowd pleaser!

    • — Emmie on June 21, 2022
    • Reply
  • I made your no-churn ice cream last night and just sampled and omg, it’s simply delicious! Perfect for this 100 degree temp expected today in Chicago. Thanks for another fantastic recipe😋😋

    • — Debra on June 21, 2022
    • Reply
  • I made this recipe and your recipe for cheesecake bars for Father’s Day. Both so easy and delicious. They are both keeper recipes. Thanks!

    • — Laura on June 20, 2022
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  • Really delicious and so easy to make – was a hit at Father’s Day!

    • — KC on June 20, 2022
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  • I was actually considering making the no churn cheesecake version from your book just as this recipe appeared in my inbox. I made it for guests and it was a huge success! It’s creamy and beautifully tart with great texture from the graham crust chunks throughout. The only issue is that the volume of sweetened condensed milk is awkward in that it doesn’t match the volume of the can I can get but since I have good luck freezing excess in mason jars, I plan to make sure I have the exact amount needed to top up my can waiting in the freezer. I will make this one again for sure (and I do plan to try the cheesecake version as well based on how good this one is 🙂

    • — Allie on June 19, 2022
    • Reply
  • 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.

    • — Pearl on June 17, 2022
    • Reply
    • 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.

      • — Jenn on June 22, 2022
      • Reply
    • 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.

      • — Amy Hanscom on March 1, 2023
      • Reply
    • 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 !!

      • — Jan on July 9, 2023
      • Reply
  • 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!

    • — Jeff Winett on June 17, 2022
    • Reply
  • Do you think this would work with individual muffin tins? Thanks for your response!

    • — Amy Baker on June 16, 2022
    • Reply
    • Sure – I’d love to hear how they turn out!

      • — Jenn on June 18, 2022
      • Reply
  • 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?

    • — Megs on April 30, 2022
    • Reply
    • 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).

      • — Jenn on May 2, 2022
      • Reply
  • 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!

  • 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).

        • — Naomi on June 17, 2022
        • Reply
        • 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.

          • — Sandy on December 20, 2022
          • Reply
      • 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.

        • — Bernadette on March 25, 2024
        • Reply
  • 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.

    • — Christine Rabidoux
    • Reply
    • 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!

    • — Jacqueline Ricard
    • Reply
  • 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.

    • — Leigh Aaron-Leary
    • Reply
  • 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.

    • — Marilynn Massaro
    • Reply
  • This is absolutely incredible. I’m not an ice cream lover, but I like lime in anything and this was a huge hit. My whole family loved it and my daughter asked if we could have it every day, it’s that good!

  • Made it for the first time. Absolutely amazing!

  • Could I double this and make in a pie pan?

    • Hi Kristy, I don’t think you’ll have enough room in the pie pan to double this. You could try making 1.5 times the recipe.

  • Oh my, this is amazing. Absolutely delicious.

    Followed the recipe exactly, but whisked it by hand (didn’t have a mixer available) and it was perfect.

  • This is one of those desserts you bring to a gathering and people think it’s fancy and you worked hard (let them)! It is that good. I am not a fan of store-bought ice cream, so this is a wonderful alternative. The texture is lovely and the lime flavor really shines through.

  • Wow, this is really good! Very nice balance between sweet and tart. I love key lime anything and this definitely satisfied my key lime sweet tooth even though I used the regular limes as suggested.

    • — Deborah L Morris
    • Reply
  • Oh wow, easy, delicious… fabulous all in one am tempted to adapt the recipe to coconut, or maybe ginger!

  • This is just outstanding and most important, so easy to assemble. Seriously, this stuff is creamy, with zesty lime and graham cracker crust. Mouth watering just typing this review. Thanks for another tasty recipe! Sissy

  • this was easy and yummy!

    • — Ariella Lena Gastel
    • Reply
  • We loved this recipe! The crunch of the crust pieces on the top and bottom really add to the key lime pie feel. You get the great taste with so much less work! We used lemon juice rather than lime (had a ton of juice after making a batch of limoncello with the zest) and it worked great. Added a bit more juice to make up for the lack of zest and it still worked perfectly. Loved it and will definitely make again – thanks!

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