Ninja Creami Key Lime Pie Gelato

Traditionally, key lime pie is made up of a graham cracker crust for filled with a sweet, tangy, and tart key lime custard base. The filling is super smooth and creamy with just the right tartness. To achieve a similar taste and texture, I used graham crackers as mix-ins for the pie crust and added just enough lime juice and zest to create the perfect amount of tartness!

Is this key lime pie gelato or key lime pie ice cream? You can call it whatever you want but since I used the gelato setting on the Ninja Creami to create a thick and creamy finished product, I’m calling it gelato. There are no eggs in this recipe, except the eggs that are in the lime curd and there is no heavy cream used, instead milk a little half and half was used.

Ingredient substitutions for making Ninja Creami Key Lime Pie Gelato:

The full ingredient list is found at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.

• Milk– I used whole milk in this recipe. You can use a dairy substitute or lower fat milk if you prefer but the lower the fat content, the less creamy the result will be.
• Half and Half– If you don’t have half and half, you can use a mixture of ¼ heavy cream and ¾ whole milk.
• Sugar– White sugar was used. You can use a sugar substitute that is a 1:1 ratio.
• Lime Curd– Store-bought lime curd was used in this recipe. If you prefer, you can make your own lime curd for this recipe. If you can’t find lime curd, lemon curd would work well too. The flavor will be slightly different but still great. You can also use canned key lime pie filling. However, pie filing tends to be VERY sweet so you will likely need to cut back on the amount of sugar that is used for this recipe. Taste the mixture after adding key lime pie filling and before adding sugar. If it’s not sweet enough, gradually add more sugar.
• Cream Cheese- I use regular cream cheese, not whipped. If you prefer not to use cream cheese, you can use ¼ teaspoon of guar gum instead or any other Ninja Creami ice cream stabilizer that you would like.
• Vanilla Bean Paste- I prefer to use vanilla bean paste because it adds a deeper vanilla flavor and I find that it tastes less like alcohol. You can substitute the vanilla bean paste with vanilla extract.
• Lime Juice and Zest- Fresh or bottled lime juice can be used. Key lime juice is preferred but regular lime juice will work just fine. If you use bottled lime juice, I’d still recommend buying a lime to use for the zest. If you don’t have limes, lemons can be used instead but the flavor will be a little different.
• Graham Crackers- Do not use graham cracker crumbs. Graham cracker crumbs will create a grainy texture when added as mix-ins. If you don’t have graham crackers, Teddy Grahams cookies work well too.

Directions for making Ninja Creami Key Lime Pie Gelato:

Make the Ice Cream Mixture

1. Pour the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla bean paste, lime curd, half and half, milk, and lime juice into a small blender and blend until all ingredients are fully combined. Pour the mixture into a Ninja Creami pint container. Do not fill past the max fill line.
2. Freeze on a level surface for 24 hours. Your freezer should be between 9 and -7 degrees Fahrenheit. To avoid getting a bump on the top of the frozen mixture, freeze with the lid off of the container.

Process the Ice Cream

1. After 24 hours, remove the pint container from the freezer.
2. Place the pint container into the outer bowl, put the outer bowl lid on and then place bowl assembly into the Ninja Creami and then process on “GELATO.”
3. Dig a hole in the center of the ice cream and add the graham crackers and lime zest.
4. Put the pint back into the Ninja Creami and process on the “Mix-Ins” function. Once the Ninja Creami is finished processing, remove from the machine.
5. Your treat is ready to eat! Enjoy!

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