No Churn Key Lime Pie Ice Cream with Coconut Graham Cracker Crumble

No Churn Key Lime Pie Ice Cream with Coconut Graham Cracker Crumble is a 3-ingredient key lime pie ice cream with layers of coconut graham cracker crumble throughout.   It’s a ridiculously easy way to enjoy creamy, homemade ice cream without an ice cream machine!

Ice cream has to be one of my favorite treats of all time.  It doesn’t matter how full I am after a meal, I always have room for ice cream. 🙂  Last year I was completely resistant to purchasing an ice cream machine, and I went out of my way to find no-churn ice cream recipes.  I really didn’t have much luck finding any, so the only no-churn frozen treat I have on the blog is my Frozen Fruity Greek Yogurt Cups.  You know what’s ironic?  After going to cooking school, I came to realize how much better homemade ice cream was, and I purchased an ice cream maker this year.  Now that I have one, there’s a total no-churn ice cream craze going on.  Go figure.  I finally have a no-churn ice cream under my belt with this key lime pie creation, and it’s everything I wanted it to be and more. 🙂

Now why would you make a no-churn ice cream if you have an ice cream maker?  Because making ice cream requires some planning and time.  You have to make the base, chill the base, then churn the base.  My biggest problem is I don’t plan ahead to make ice cream that often, and it’s tough to get it all done in one day, especially if you’re going to be in and out during the course of the day.  No churn ice cream can be whipped up in minutes, with barely any ingredients, and popped right in the freezer.  It’s nothing short of amazing. 🙂

Key lime pie is one of my favorite desserts to make (and eat), and I have several different variations here on the blog.  You probably know that most key lime pie recipes contain sweetened condensed milk, like my Key Lime Pie with Meringue Whipped Cream, and coincidentally, so does this no-churn ice cream.  This ice cream is simply a can of sweetened condensed milk with the same amount of key lime juice that I use in my pie, along with some zest.  Fold in some freshly whipped cream, and it’s done!  It’s so easy it’s almost ridiculous.

Because it’s not key lime pie without a graham cracker crust, I didn’t stop there.  I whipped up a batch of graham cracker pie crust and pressed it down into a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and baked it until it was golden brown.  I let it cool, then I broke it up into pieces and layered it in the ice cream.  I had extra crumble for serving, too, which was a good thing.  Graham cracker pie crust is one of the best things in life, and this one’s even better because there’s coconut involved.  Yup, I found a way to add coconut to a dessert again.  Surprised?  I didn’t think so. 😉

I froze the ice cream in a loaf pan with plastic wrap pressed down over the surface to prevent freezer burn, and I covered it with foil as well.  The ice cream will look crumbly until it softens, but trust me, it’s every bit as good as churned ice cream.  In fact, my family thought this no-churn key lime pie ice cream was as good as a gourmet ice cream shop’s ice cream that we frequent, and I have to agree.  The options are endless, so you can be whipping up different versions of this ice cream from now until the end of the summer.  It’s simple, it’s delicious, and you don’t need an ice cream maker.  You just can’t ask for anything more than that, except maybe an extra scoop. 🙂

No Churn Key Lime Pie Ice Cream with Coconut Graham Cracker Crumble

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

No Churn Key Lime Pie Ice Cream with Coconut Graham Cracker Crumble is a 3-ingredient key lime pie ice cream with layers of coconut graham cracker crumble throughout. This is a ridiculously easy way to enjoy creamy, homemade ice cream without an ice cream machine!

Serves: About 16 servings

Ingredients

For the crumble:

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• ½ cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut (I used Let's Do Organic! brand)*
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• pinch of salt

For the ice cream:

• (1) 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• ½ cup fresh key lime juice
• 2 teaspoons key lime zest
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream

Instructions

1. Prepare the crumble:
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine the graham crumbs with the coconut, sugar, pinch of salt, and melted butter. Stir until the butter coats the crumbs, and pour onto a rimmed baking sheet, pressing the mixture down into an thin, even layer. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown and fragrant. Cool on a wire rack.

Prepare the ice cream:

1. Combine the lime juice, zest, and sweetened condensed milk in a medium bowl. Whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form, being careful not to over-whip. Fold gently into the key lime mixture until well incorporated. Pour half of the mixture into a standard size loaf pan, and sprinkle a generous amount of the crumble over the top. Pour the remaining ice cream over the top of the first layer, and spread evenly. Sprinkle more of the crumble over the top, and cover with plastic wrap, pressing down gently over the surface of the ice cream to prevent freezer burn. Cover with aluminum foil, and freeze for a minimum of 6 hours. Remove the ice cream from the freezer about 5-10 minutes ahead of time to let soften. The ice cream will appear crumbly until it has softened. Serve with additional crumble and enjoy!

Notes

*Finely shredded coconut can be found in the natural section of most supermarkets or at Whole Foods.

Total time above includes 6 hours of freezing time for the ice cream, and juicing fresh key limes. You can always substitute bottled key lime juice if you can't find fresh.

You will more than likely have crumble left over, so store it in an airtight container at room temp to enjoy with your ice cream!

Recipe by Flavor the Moments.

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