This key lime pie ice cream features homemade key lime curd, graham cracker cookie bits, and coconut milk for the ultimate scoop of creamy tropical heaven.
We’re in the thick of summer now with 4th of July this weekend so obviously I needed to sneak in a quick ice cream recipe before you kick off your weekend shenanigans!
I started developing this recipe about a month ago when I was FINALLY able to locate key limes in my local grocery store and you’d better believe it was a hard decision deciding what to allocate those little gems for.
A batch of ice cream was near the top of the list because what better way to really highlight all their key lime goodness than in creamy ice cream form with all the key lime pie fixins’?? Plus coconut because we’re crossing fully into tropical land today.
The result? I mean, not to be dramatic or anything, but I would die for this ice cream, just say the word.
This Ice Cream Features…
- Ribbons of tangy key lime curd
- Crunchy graham cracker cookie bits
- A base of creamy coconut ice cream
Making the Ice Cream
(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Egg yolks
- Granulated sugar
- Key limes
- Unsalted butter
- Graham cracker crumbs
- 2% or skim milk
- Coconut milk
- Heavy whipping cream
- Vanilla extract
Ice Cream Maker Suggestions
I use a Cuisinart ice cream maker for all my homemade ice creams and would highly recommend. Any 2-quart ice cream maker will work with this recipe, just make sure you follow the machine instructions.
Tips for Perfect Ice Cream
- Make sure all ingredients are cold – keep all the dairy products in the refrigerator until just before assembly so the ice cream can freeze properly during churning.
- Heat sugar in 1 cup milk – this will dissolve the sugar and get it ready for the ice cream.
- Whisk egg yolks into warm milk mixture – this will cook the egg yolks and add extra richness to the ice cream.
- Chill milk mixture 1 hour – this chilling step is necessary to cool down the milk-sugar mixture before churning. By not heating up all the milk in the recipe this eliminates having to wait longer for the milk-sugar mixture to chill.
- Churn ice cream according to manufacturer instructions – make sure you follow your machine’s instructions for any extra churning steps.
- Add lime curd and graham bits during last 2 minutes – add half of this during last 2 minutes of churning to preserve the texture and swirl the remaining lime curd and graham bits into the ice cream once it’s in the container.
- Watch maker to prevent overflow – the 2-quart canister will be quite full after adding the graham bits and lime curd. Watch carefully during these last 2 minutes to prevent overflow.
- Freeze ice cream 1-2 hours before serving – you can serve the ice cream straight out of the machine for soft-serve style or freeze it 1-2 hours after churning for firmer scoops.
Recipe Variations
Try these ideas for a different twist on this ice cream.
- Use another citrus – try regular limes or lemons.
- Try a different cookie – replace the graham crackers with vanilla wafers or biscoff cookies.
Storing Ice Cream
This ice cream stores well in the freezer up to 1 week. I can promise you it won’t last that long though!
Unsurprisngly, this ice cream tastes just like all the elements of a key lime pie only uhhh, it’s better in my opinion since it’s in creamy ICE CREAM form with coconut. Summer desserts just don’t get any better than this.
Extra large scoops of this one only, my friends!
Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven.
More ice cream recipes you’ve gotta try next!
Coconut Key Lime Pie Ice Cream
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Ingredients
Key Lime Curd
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup key lime juice
- 1 tablespoon grated key lime zest
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Graham Cracker Crumble
- 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
Ice Cream
- 3 cups 2% or skim milk, divided
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large egg yolks
- 3/4 cup canned coconut milk
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Toasted flaked coconut for topping, optional
Instructions
Lime Curd
- In the bottom pot of a double-boiler, bring a few inches of water to a boil, then reduce heat to low to keep water at a simmer. Whisk egg yolks, sugar, lime juice, and zest into the top bowl of double boiler and place on top of bottom pot of simmering water.
- Whisk lime curd continuously so the egg yolks don't curdle. Continue whisking over simmering water until curd becomes smooth and slightly thickened, about 8-10 minutes. Remove curd from heat and immediately add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time whisking well after each addition.
- Allow lime curd to cool slightly, then place plastic wrap directly on surface of curd and place in refrigerator.
Graham Cracker Crumble
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a 9-inch square baking dish with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, butter, and sugar until crumbly.
- Pat crumb mixture into an even layer in prepared pan. Bake crust at 350F 3-5 minutes until a light golden brown. Allow to cool completely then break crust into bite-sized pieces.
Ice Cream
- Heat 1 cup milk and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat until sugar is dissolved, whisking frequently (do not allow to boil). Remove milk mixture from heat and whisk gradually whisk 1/2 cup into egg yolks. Add all of the egg yolk mixture back to milk in pan and whisk well until smooth. Cool milk mixture in refrigerator 1 hour.
- Once milk mixture is cooled, pour into a medium bowl and whisk in remaining milk, coconut milk, heavy cream, vanilla, and a pinch of salt.
- Transfer cream mixture to an ice cream maker and churn ice cream according to manufacturers directions. Add half of lime curd and half of graham cracker bits to ice cream maker during last 2 minutes of churning to mix into the ice cream. Watch carefully during this part to make sure the ice cream does not overflow.
- Transfer churned ice cream to a 2-qt container and dollop remaining lime curd and graham cracker bits on top. Use a knife to swirl into ice cream. Freeze ice cream 1-2 hours until firm before serving with optional toasted coconut on top. Enjoy!
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