Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
TASTE: The perfect amount of tart lime flavor, balanced with lightly sweetened whipped cream. The hint of ginger in the graham cracker crust really rounds out those beautiful tropical flavors.
TEXTURE: The crisp, buttery base is the perfect contrast to the velvety-smooth filling and light-as-air whipped topping.
EASE: Super simple! The hardest part is zesting and juicing your limes, but it’s so worth it.
PROS: The perfect crowd-pleasing dessert after any meal.
CONS: None!
WOULD I MAKE THIS AGAIN? I have already made this pie countless times!
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Key Lime Pie is the perfect dessert embodiment of summertime. It’s rich yet light and bright and absolutely full of delicious lime flavor.
I was originally inspired to create this Key Lime Pie recipe for Joe’s dad, as it’s his favorite dessert. I created it to surprise him for his retirement party—and he couldn’t have been more excited!
Everyone gobbled up the pie so quickly that there weren’t even leftovers for him to take home. I guess I better make him another one sometime!
We actually enlisted the help of our Handle the Heat Baking School alumni from all over the country to test and perfect this recipe, so you KNOW it’s gonna be good.
Brittney S. said “This is an easy recipe to make, and it was delicious. Even my picky eaters all gave it a 10/10. Light and melted in your mouth.”
Like many of my other summery pie recipes, such as my Peach Galette or my Frozen Mint Chocolate Chip Pie, this pie can be made a day ahead of time if needed, so it’s perfect for your 4th of July party or any cookout or BBQ. Be sure to check out all my delicious Summer recipes here!
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make Key Lime Pie
Key Limes vs. Regular Limes (aka Persian Limes)
- If you’re lucky enough to live in or have visited the Florida Keys, you may have had a Key Lime Pie made with real key limes.
- These limes are tiny, often more yellowish in color, and are more acidic than regular limes.
- While perhaps the more traditional choice for a Key Lime Pie, real key limes are highly seasonal and difficult to source in most parts of the country.
- To make this recipe easier and more accessible, regardless of where you’re located, I created this recipe specifically using Persian limes – the regular type of limes commonly available at the supermarket.
- To avoid dry limes that yield little juice, choose plump, large limes that give a little when you squeeze them.
- Be sure to zest your limes prior to cutting them open and juicing!
- While you’re welcome to experiment with using key limes if you can find them, just note that the tartness level will change and you’ll need more key limes to make up the ⅔ cup of juice required.
How Many Limes do I Need?
This will vary greatly depending on the size of the limes available to you. During this recipe’s testing process, bakers across several states needed anywhere from 2 to 15 limes! For this reason, I’ve indicated a range of the number of limes needed for the recipe. If the only limes available to you are small, grab a couple extra just to be safe.
If you end up with an excess of leftover limes, give my Glazed Lemon Cookies a try, replacing the lemon zest and juice in that recipe with lime zest and juice!
Can I Use Bottled Lime Juice?
We haven’t tested using bottled lime juice, but I recommend using fresh if possible. You’ll need a tablespoon of fresh zest in the filling, so you will already need fresh limes. I also find that fresh limes give a much bolder, brighter flavor compared to bottled juice, so I recommend juicing your own. If you must use bottled juice, use Nellie & Joe’s Key West Lime Juice.
Key Lime Pie Crust Alternatives
- I love the traditional graham cracker crust, especially with the addition of a hint of ground ginger! It adds the tiniest hint of spiced flavor to the Key Lime Pie.
- If you’re not a graham cracker fan or just want to mix it up, feel free to experiment with any other crispy cookie – gingersnaps or Biscoff cookies would be delicious.
- You can alternatively use my Best Pie Crust recipe if you prefer a pastry pie crust.
How to Crush Graham Crackers for the Crust
If you don’t have a food processor, you can place your graham crackers in a ziptop bag and gently crush them with a rolling pin, until all cookies are very finely ground. Transfer to a medium bowl and add the melted butter and brown sugar, stirring until combined and the mixture looks like wet sand.
The Whipped Cream Topping
- If you have more of a sweet tooth, this pie may be a little on the tart side. Feel free to double the whipped cream topping to balance the tartness, if preferred.
- To increase the tropical flavors in this recipe, add ¼ to ½ teaspoon coconut extract to the whipped cream topping, if desired.
Can I Make a Meringue Topping for This Key Lime Pie?
Yes! Instead of whipped cream, feel free to add a meringue topping instead! Save the egg whites leftover from making the Key Lime Pie filling and make a double batch of the meringue topping from my Mini S’mores Cheesecakes recipe here.
What Pie Pan Should I Use for Key Lime Pie?
I recommend using a glass or ceramic pie pan here. I don’t recommend metal, as it can interact with the acidity in the limes and cause unpleasant flavors. Learn more about different types of pie pans, and which ones are my favorites, in my Pie Pan article here.
How to Store Key Lime Pie
The pie can be baked and chilled without the topping one day before serving. Once it is cold, cover it loosely with plastic wrap. For best results, top with whipped cream within a couple of hours of serving. Any leftover pie will keep, covered with plastic, for several days in the refrigerator, but note that the crust will soften more the longer it sits.
Can You Freeze Key Lime Pie?
We haven’t tried this ourselves, but it should work just fine. Place the whole pie or pie slices on a rimmed baking sheet and freeze until solid, then transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to one month. Thaw in the fridge overnight before topping with whipped cream and serving.
More Summer Recipes You’ll Love:
- Angel Food Cake
- Chocolate Zucchini Cake
- S’mores Cookies
- Raspberry Lemonade Cheesecake Bars
- Lemon Yogurt Zucchini Bread
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Key Lime Pie
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 12 whole (182 grams) graham crackers
- 3 tablespoons (38 grams) light brown sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, optional
- 7 tablespoons (99 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
For the filling:
- 1 can (14 ounce / 397 grams) sweetened condensed milk
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated lime zest, from about 2 large limes
- 2/3 cup (160 grams) fresh lime juice, strained, from about 3-9 large limes*
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
For the topping:
- 3/4 cup (180 grams) heavy cream, chilled
- 3 tablespoons (23 grams) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Fresh lime zest or lime slices, for garnish
Instructions
- Arrange an oven rack in the center position and preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray.
Prepare the crust:
- In a food processor, pulse the crackers, sugar, salt, and ginger, if using, until very finely ground. Pour in the melted butter and pulse until combined. The mixture should look like wet sand.
- Transfer the mixture to the pie plate. Press firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Bake until the crust is fragrant and firm to the touch, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on wire rack to cool slightly while you make the filling.
- Turn the oven down to 325°F.
Prepare the filling:
- In a large bowl, combine the filling ingredients, whisking until smooth. Pour the filling into the prepared crust and smooth the surface. Bake at 325°F until the filling is set and just a little wobbly in the center, 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely at room temperature. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill until cold, at least 4 hours. Cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap if chilling overnight to prevent odor transfer.
Prepare the topping:
- In a mixing bowl, use an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment to beat the cream, sugar, and vanilla on medium-high speed until medium-stiff peaks form.
- Garnish the chilled pie with whipped cream. Top with fresh lime zest or lime slices, cut into slices, and serve.
- The pie can be baked and chilled (without the topping) 1 day ahead. Once it’s cold, cover loosely with plastic wrap, then top within a couple of hours of serving. Any leftover pie will keep, covered with plastic, for several days in the refrigerator (the crust will soften over time).
Recipe Notes
Photos by Joanie Simon.
