The key to one’s heart is a bowl of homemade ice cream.
Happy Thursday, friends! One more workday and I’m off for 4 days straight, which is kind of wild. Part of me isn’t keen on losing out on the money from missed hours, but the other (and louder) part of me is grateful for the extra time off to dial in on some recipes that I’m hyped to make and might not have time for otherwise.
A beach day sounds nice, too.
This No Churn Key Lime Pie Ice Cream is pretty beachy keen, speaking of our sandy environs. Fresh key lime juice and zest flavor the silky base, and a few layers of buttery graham cracker crumbs elicit the image of a slice of pie on a warm afternoon.
Like any no churn ice cream, this is mega easy, so let’s do it and get to it.
Dessert is Key
To a happy soul.
We start off with our typical base: heavy cream. This time, add in key lime juice and zest for that punchy citrusy essence.
Whip the trio until fluffy, with firm peaks (meaning, the cream stands up on its own when the beater is released). This takes about 4-5 minutes, maybe even less depending on the aggression of your mixer. I found that the lime juice accelerated the…whippiness…of the heavy cream.
Then, pour in a can of condensed milk and some vanilla extract. The floof will drop a bit, but the blend should still be thick and whippy.
Make your graham cracker crust. Microwave some butter until melted, then stir in lots of graham cracker crumbs. I go full savage when I’m crushing the sheets of crackers: add them to a ziptop bag, seal firmly, and stomp out your rage. Take care not to pop the bag. A touch of foot funk is not part of the recipe, folks.
Dump about 1/3 of the ice cream into a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. Sprinkle 1/3 of the crumbs, then repeat the layering twice, ending with a blanket of crumbs on top. You can swirl them into the ice cream a bit if you want; such does make scooping easier.
Cover the pan with foil and freeze at least 6 hours. I prefer overnight.
Once solid, scoop a big heap onto a cone or into a bowl and dig right in!
Can’t find key limes? Or, don’t feel like juicing 1000 of those teeny tiny menaces? Nellie and Joe’s is my go-to key lime juice, and one of the only brands of which I’m familiar. As far as the zest goes, you can also use regular lime.
Honey or cinnamon grahams? I always prefer cinnamon, but sometimes I can’t find them for some reason, so honey is perfectly fine too. Tl;dr: go with your heart.
Enjoy, friends!
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Ice, ice, baby:
No Churn Bourbon Salted Caramel Ice Cream
No Churn Hot Fudge Vanilla Ice Cream
No Churn Cookie Dough Ice Cream
no churn key lime pie ice cream
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup key lime juice
- 1 tbsp key lime zest (or regular lime)
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 tbsp butter, melted
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 4 sheets)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat together the heavy cream, key lime juice, and key lime zest until fluffy with firm peaks, about 4-5 minutes. Turn the mixer down and add the condensed milk and vanilla extract, whipping until creamy.
- Spoon 1/3 of the ice cream into a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. Sprinkle on 1/3 of the graham crumbs. Repeat the layering twice more, finishing with the graham crackers on top.
- Cover the pan with foil and freeze at least 6 hours, but preferably overnight.
- Serve on a cone or in a bowl!
