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What’s your all-time favourite pie? Key lime pie might be mine. Anything citrusy is right up my alley but there’s something extra special about lime. Or is it that sweet, sweet graham cracker crust…? Tbh, probably. Graham cracker crust is what dreams are made of. And so is this ice cream.
Graham or pastry?
Anything with a graham cracker crust is something that I am going to eat. But I can’t say the same for a pastry crust. Pastry crust is difficult to perfect, it’s certainly taken me awhile. But graham cracker crust is pretty much always welcome. And when I do a vote with friends and family, usually the graham wins. So if you love the graham, you’re going to love this ice cream. Creamy, tart and crunch. It’s kinda perfect imo, but you tell me.
Check out the recipe video below for a tutorial on how to make this tangy ice cream:
Key Lime Pie Ice Cream
What’s your all-time favourite pie? Key lime pie might be mine. Anything citrusy is right up my alley but there’s something extra special about lime. Or is it that sweet, sweet graham cracker crust…? Tbh, probably. Graham cracker crust is what dreams are made of. And so is this ice cream.
Servings: 6
Calories: 439kcal
Equipment
- ice cream machine
Ingredients
Lime Curd
- ½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice from about 4 limes
- lime zest from 2 limes
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup butter cubed
Graham Cracker Crumbs
- ½ cup graham cracker crumbs
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp butter melted
Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
- ½ cup sugar
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 cup milk
- 1½ cups heavy cream divided
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or 1 more tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Prepare your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s directions. I have the Kitchenaid ice cream machine attachment so I place the attachment in the freezer for at least 24 hours before I plan to make my ice cream.
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- To make the lime curd: combine the lime zest, juice, sugar, eggs and cornstarch in medium sized saucepan and whisk well to combine.
- Add the butter to the mixture and cook over medium-low heat until thickened and very lightly bubbling. Do not boil.
- Transfer the curd to a container with a lid. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the curd to prevent a skin from forming.
- Chill alongside your ice cream base for about 8 hours or overnight.
- To make the graham cracker crumbs: combine the ingredients in a bowl and then transfer to a lined baking tray. Pat the crumbs into a flat circle on the centre of the baking tray.
- Bake the crumbs until they are becoming golden on the outer edges, about 15 minutes.
- Cool the crumbs completely and then transfer to a container with a lid. Set aside until you are ready to assemble the ice cream.
- To make the ice cream base, take a medium sized bowl and whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture has lightened and thickened. If doing this by hand, it’ll take about 5 minutes of vigorous mixing. You can also use a handheld mixer for this step. My arm usually gets tired. Set aside once finished.
- Place the milk and 1/2 cup of heavy cream in a medium sauce pan over medium heat.
- Stir often until steamy, about 5 minutes. Do not let the mixture boil.
- Slowly whisk the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture.
- Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and heat over medium-low, whisking constantly until the mixture has thickened and is steamy again, about 5-10 minutes. Do not let the mixture boil.
- Remove from heat and add in the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream, the vanillas and the salt.
- Transfer the ice cream base to a jar or container and chill for at least 8 hours. I prefer to chill overnight. Don’t skip on the chilling time – your base needs to be really cold before churning in your ice cream machine.
- Once the ice cream base mixture has chilled thoroughly, churn in your machine according to the manufacturer’s directions.
- Once the ice cream base has finished churning, remove the lime curd from the fridge and grab a large container with a lid.
- Transfer 1/2 of the ice cream to the container and top with scoops of 1/3 of the lime curd. Sprinkle 1/3 of the graham cracker crumbs overtop.
- Swirl the lime curd and crumbs into the ice cream using a butter knife or spatula.
- Transfer the rest of the ice cream to the container and top with scoops of 1/3 of the orange curd. Sprinkle 1/3 of the graham cracker crumbs overtop.
- Swirl the lime curd and crumbs into the ice cream again.
- Top with the rest of the lime curd and crumbs and swirl again.
- Transfer the ice cream to a container with a lid and freeze until firm. I like to freeze overnight to make sure it is completely set.
