Vegan Lime Ice Cream

Published: Aug 25, 2025

Vegan lime ice cream - this delicious ice cream is rich, smooth, creamy and so refreshing! It is bursting with fresh lime flavour and is addictively good!

It is also really easy to make with just five ingredients!

Vegan lime ice cream in a cone surrounded by sliced limes.

This vegan lime ice cream is perfectly smooth and creamy, with a tangy, refreshing lime flavour; I have specified in the instructions to use between 120 and 150ml of lime juice - use 120ml for a slightly less in-your-face lime flavour, and up to 150ml if you want it to be intensely limey and a little less sweet.

To take this from being simple lime ice cream to key lime pie flavoured ice cream, simply stir in some roughly crushed digestive biscuits (graham crackers) once the ice cream has finished churning. It is also delicious served with chocolate sauce, in which case it is reminiscent of the classic chocolate lime sweets that I used to love.

A labelled photo of the ingredients needed to make vegan lime ice cream.

Ingredient Details:

Limes: You will need 4-5 large limes. As you will be using the zest as well as the juice make sure that you buy unwaxed ones. I really recommend using freshly squeezed lime juice rather than juice from a bottle as fresh tastes so much better.

Non-dairy double cream: You need to use a cream that is designed for whipping, ideally with a fat percentage of at least 30%. I recommend Elmlea plant double, Flora double, or Oatly whippable. You could try using Nature's Charm coconut whipping cream though the texture of the ice cream would likely be different.

Plant milk: unsweetened soy milk is the best option here as it has a neutral flavour and creamy texture. (I like Alpro Unsweetened Soya milk the best).

You can use any kind of plant milk you like but bear in mind that the flavour of the milk will affect the flavour of the ice cream.

Cornflour (cornstarch): This is used to thicken the custard. You could probably swap it for arrowroot but cornstarch is best.

Caster sugar: I use white caster sugar (granulated is fine too) as it has a neutral flavour, I want the lime to be the star here! Don't reduce the amount of sugar or the ice cream won't be as creamy and it won't taste as good.

Close up of a grey bowl full of vegan lime ice cream.

How To Make Vegan Lime Ice Cream:

(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)

Step 1: Mix the cornflour, milk, sugar and half of the cream in pan, heat until thickened to a custard.

Step 2, the finished ice cream base in a jug.

Step 2: Pour into a large jug and whisk in the lime juice and zest, salt and the other half of the cream. Chill until cold.

Step 3, the churned ice cream in the ice cream maker.

Step 3: Churn in an ice cream maker until frozen.

Top Tips:

As with all of my recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!

This ice cream is quite solid straight out of the freezer so make sure that you take it out at least 15 minutes before serving to allow it to soften up a little.

I recommend making the ice cream base the day before you churn it so that it has time to properly chill first. It needs to be cold when it goes into the ice cream maker.

I have a 2 litre ice cream maker (this one by Cuisinart).

I recommend placing the container that you are going to put the ice cream in in the freezer to chill while the ice cream is churning. This will help stop the ice cream from getting too melty while you transfer it to the container.

Don't skimp on the sugar! Sugar is important in ice cream not only for the flavour but also for the creamy texture. Things also taste less sweet when they are cold, so bear in mind that you want the unfrozen base to taste a bit sweeter than you want the finished ice cream to taste.

Close up of a cone of vegan lime ice cream.

FAQ's:

What if I don't have an ice cream maker?

If you don’t have an ice cream maker you can still make this vegan lime ice cream, it just takes a bit more work and the texture may be a bit more icy.

Make the custard base as per the recipe and stir in the lime juice and zest and salt, but not the second half of the cream. Chill until cold.

Once the custard is cold, whip the remaining cream with an electric mixer until it forms stiff peaks then gently fold in the custard.

Pour it into a large freezerproof container and pop it in the freezer. Every 30 minutes or so, remove it from the freezer and give it a quick whisk with an electric mixer to break up any ice crystals then return it to the freezer.
Repeat this until it reaches soft-serve consistency then allow to freeze for a couple of hours before serving.

How should I store it?

Obviously ice cream needs to be kept in the freezer; make sure that you use a freezer-proof container either with a lid or wrap it well with plastic wrap. Store the ice cream for up to 3 months, though the sooner it is eaten the better.

Homemade ice creams set a lot firmer than shop bought ones, so let it sit out on the counter for 15 minutes, or in the fridge for 30 before scooping to give it a chance to soften up slightly.

Variations:

Stir through whatever kind of biscuits (cookies) you like such as Biscoff, gingersnaps, Oreos, bourbons or custard creams to make key lime pie ice cream.
Add a chocolate fudge swirl.
Swirl in half a batch of vegan coconut lime curd for an even more intense lime hit!
Add a couple of Tablespoons of tequila to the ice cream base before churning for a margarita inspired ice cream.

A grey bowl full of vegan lime ice cream surrounded by sliced limes.

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