When I was growing up, key lime pie was a favorite dessert for a special occasion, usually an Edwards key lime pie from the freezer section in the grocery store. Today, I still find them delicious, if a little overly sweet. This recipe is the ice cream version of that pie, but a bit less sweet, and made with vegan cream cheese. (I use this brand made from cashew nuts.) Because the end result is so rich, I almost called this Key Lime Cheesecake Ice Cream, instead of Key Lime Pie Ice Cream. It’s probably somewhere in the middle, with a great combination of creamy/tangy/sweet. Serve it with graham crackers for the full pie/cheesecake effect!
Ingredients
The ingredients list is simple, but you have opportunities to customize:
- cream cheese — As mentioned, I use vegan cream cheese based on cashews, but any vegan cream cheese or dairy-based cream cheese will work.
- collagen powder — As with most of my recipes, I add some sort of protein powder. This not only adds protein, but makes it possible to reduce the sugar content without sacrificing texture. (A full explanation is here.) Feel free to swap the collagen for another type of protein powder (unflavored, unsweetened) or leave it out altogether. The ice cream might be slightly icier, but will still be wonderful.
Method
Key Lime Pie Ice Cream uses my favorite method — blend, chill, churn. You’ll need a blender and, of course, an ice cream maker. Because of the thickness of the cream cheese, the ice cream base is thicker than most, which shortens the churning time.
More Ice Cream with Vegan Cream Cheese
I love making ice cream with vegan cream cheese. Here are the recipes I’ve come up with so far:
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Ice Cream (dairy free with vegan option)
- Butterscotch Cheesecake Ice Cream (vegan)
- White Chocolate Cheesecake Ice Cream (vegan)
Key Lime Pie Ice Cream (dairy free with a vegan option)
Makes ~1 quart
Ingredients
Instructions
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BLEND
Juice and zest the limes. Add all ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender with a spatula as necessary.
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CHILL
Transfer to a container and chill in the fridge for 8 hours or overnight.
For a quicker chilling time, place the bowl containing your mixture in an ice bath (a larger bowl containing ice water) for a few hours. Stir the mixture occasionally. As the water in the ice bath warms up, pour off some water and add ice to keep the mixture chilling as quickly as possible.
Ideally, the mixture will be about 40 degrees when you churn it.
When fully chilled, the mixture will be quite thick, because of the cream cheese.
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CHURN
Before you start churning, set up everything you'll need to quickly transfer the ice cream from the machine into a container for freezing. I use a knife to scrape down the dasher (or paddle) and a wooden spoon to scoop out the ice cream.
Set up your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions. Pour your mixture into the ice cream maker and churn. Because this mixture is very thick, it churns more quickly than most. In my machine the perfect churning time is 8 minutes, but your experience may vary.
The ice cream is ready when it has the consistency of soft serve and has started pulling away from the edge of the canister.
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STORE
When the ice cream has finished churning, scoop it as quickly as possible into your storage container. Cover it with plastic wrap or parchment paper, if using. (Placing a sheet of parchment paper between the container and lid will help prevent frost, or you can press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the ice cream.) Put the container in the freezer. The ice cream will be fully firm in a few hours.
Note
Flavor variations:
- Replace the lime with lemon
Suggested toppings/accompaniments:
- Graham crackers
- Chocolate sauce
- Berries (fresh are better for a topping, but dried are better for a mix-in)
To create a mix-in, wait until the last minute of churning to add it to the ice cream maker. Adding the bits too early will mean they sink to the bottom. Alternatively, you can layer and swirl them into the ice cream as you transfer it to your storage container. I like using 1/2 to 3/4 cups (~2-3 oz). It's usually enough to get a little mix-in in every bite of ice cream.
Recommended equipment: (may include affiliate links)
- My ice cream maker (2 qt)
- Newer version of my ice cream maker (2 qt)
- Well-reviewed less expensive ice cream maker (1.5 qt)
- Insulated ice cream container
- Heat-proof spatula
- Immersion/hand blender
- Standard blender
- Ice cream scoop
- Measuring cups
Recommended ingredients (may contain affiliate links):