Key Lime Pie
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Made with ordinary limes, this “Key lime” pie tastes every bit as authentic as the real deal — plus it’s easier to make.
I use Persian limes, otherwise known as ordinary supermarket limes, to make my “Key lime” pie. Unless you live in the Florida Keys, key limes are near impossible to find. Furthermore, they’re so tiny that you’d need to juice at least twenty of them for this recipe. No thank you! Ordinary limes make an exceptional Key lime pie, and they are a much better alternative to bracingly tart bottled Key lime juice. This pie tastes every bit as authentic as the real deal — plus it’s easier to make.
Similar to coconut cream pie and lemon meringue pie, key lime pie can be made with a graham cracker/cookie crust or a traditional pie crust. I always opt for a graham cracker crust because it’s quick to prepare. Plus, why fuss with finicky pie dough when a graham cracker crust tastes so good?
What You’ll Need To Make Key Lime Pie
- You’ll need 8 to 10 limes total for this recipe. Choose plump limes that give a little when you squeeze them; they will be easier to juice. You should get about 2 tablespoons of juice from each lime. Be sure to zest the limes before you squeeze the juice from them, as it’s near impossible to do afterward.
- Sweetened condensed milk is canned milk from which water has been removed, and sugar has been added. Be sure not to confuse it with evaporated milk, which is usually sold right alongside.
- With no eggs, it may be hard to believe that this pie will set, but have faith — it will.
How To Make Key Lime Pie
Step 1: Make The Crust
Combine the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and melted butter in a mixing bowl. Stir with a fork first, and then your hands until the mixture is well combined.
Using your fingers and the bottom of a measuring cup or glass, press the crumbs firmly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-in deep-dish pie pan. The crust should be about 1/4-in thick. (Hint: do the sides first.)
Bake the crust for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Then let the crust cool a bit while you make the filling.
Step 2: Make the Filling
Begin by zesting the limes.
It’s best to use a rasp grater, which is a long, skinny tool that works well for grating hard cheeses and zesting citrus.
Juice the limes using a citrus reamer, then combine the juice with the sweetened condensed milk, yogurt, and lime zest.
Whisk to combine.
Pour the filling into the cooked graham cracker crust.
Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the filling is almost set.
Let the pie cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then place in the refrigerator to chill thoroughly, about 3 hours.
Step 3: Make the Topping
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or beaters), beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add the confectioners’ sugar and beat until medium peaks form. (Alternatively, the cream can be beaten by hand with a whisk.) Top the chilled pie with whipped cream and decorate with lime slices and zest.
Photo by Alexandra Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)
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Key Lime Pie
Made with ordinary limes, this “Key lime” pie tastes every bit as authentic as the real deal — plus it’s easier to make.
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 1½ cups finely crushed graham cracker crumbs, from about 12 whole graham crackers
- ⅓ cup packed light brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the Filling
- Two 14-oz cans sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (2% or whole milk)
- 1 tablespoon grated lime zest
- ¾ cup fresh lime juice
For the Topping
- 1 cup cold heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon grated lime zest
- 8 to 10 thin lime slices
Instructions
For the Crust
- Preheat oven to 375 °F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
- In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and melted butter; stir with a fork first, and then your hands until the mixture is well combined. Using your fingers and the bottom of a glass or dry measuring cup, press the crumbs firmly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 x 1.5-inch (deep-dish) pie pan. The crust should be about ¼-inch thick. (Tip: do the sides first.)
- Bake for 10 minutes, until just slightly browned. Let the crust cool on a wire rack.
For the Filling
- Lower the oven temperature to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, yogurt, lime zest, and lime juice. Pour the thick mixture into the warm graham cracker crust. Bake for 15 minutes, until the filling is almost set; it should wobble a bit. Let cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then place in the refrigerator to chill thoroughly, about 3 hours.
For the Topping
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add the confectioners’ sugar and beat until medium peaks form. Top the pie with the whipped cream. Decorate with the lime zest and lime slices. Store the pie in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Slice the pie into wedges, wiping your knife clean between slices, and serve cold.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: You can make the crust a day ahead of time, but the filling should be added on the day of serving, otherwise the crust will get soggy.
- Note: The nutritional information was calculated using 2% Greek yogurt.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (10 servings)
- Calories: 481
- Fat: 24 g
- Saturated fat: 14 g
- Carbohydrates: 60 g
- Sugar: 54 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Sodium: 183 mg
- Cholesterol: 76 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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As someone who’s lactose intolerant to some extent, and prefers desserts not-too-sweet, using 2 cans of sweetened condensed milk felt extreme to me. So I added less sweetened condensed milk (~1.5 cans) and more greek yogurt (~1.5 cups), and the pie turned out perfect!
The filling set really well: firm but still smooth and creamy. I think having more greek yogurt guarantees it won’t get too runny. It was still considerably sweet, so I don’t think it would disappoint anyone with a sweet tooth. I might even consider doing 1 can sweetened condensed milk and 2 cups greek yogurt next time, just to make the flavor more delicate. I used 10 fresh key limes, and was only able to get 1/2 cup of juice out of them – but I think it was more than sufficiently tart!
So good! We added some extra lime juice and zest and used a gluten-free crust. It was a hit! The consistency is amazing, and the whipped cream was perfect for piping as decoration!
My SIL loves Key Lime Pie, so I made this during a recent visit. This pie is quick and easy to put together. It’s absolutely delicious and has a wonderful consistency. I made the recipe exactly as written (I used 5% Plain Greek Yogurt and the full amount of lime zest). However, I only ended up only getting 1/2 c. of lime juice from my limes, so I added 1/4 c. fresh lemon juice to make up the difference. I was worried that it wouldn’t be as good without all lime, but everyone loved it. Will definitely make again.
This is a great recipe! The pie turned out delicious.
I’ve never made any pie before, let alone a key lime pie. I didn’t even know you were supposed to use eggs. But it’s my husband’s favorite, so I looked up a recipe to use and landed on this. Came out absolutely perfectly the first time, and I even used vanilla Greek yogurt instead of plain on accident. I added a little of the lime juice to the whipped cream mixture but this is amazing and incredibly beginner friendly … thank you !! My husband is born and raised Floridian and we’ve been to the keys many times.. this is delicious ❣️
I’ve used this recipe three times with rave results including winning a pie contest at work using it. Although I manage pretty well in the kitchen, I am by far a professional. Easy to make and tastes great! Thank you.
I made this as written. 5 stars. Made the day before. The crust didn’t get soggy, though I used a store bought graham cracker crust. So good topped with real whipped cream. My son who initially turned his nose up had 2 slices!! Would love to try with real key limes someday.
And just I don’t see eggs listed on the ingredient list or the instructions. But I see comments where people said they didn’t know they were supposed to use eggs? Can someone help me are we supposed to use eggs in this recipe? It’s not on the ingredients list
Hi Christina, no eggs are necessary for the recipe. 😊
How long does the pie keep in the fridge?
Hi Mel, you can make both the crust and the filling a day ahead, but filling should be added on the day of serving, otherwise, the crust will get soggy.
If I am making the pie 1 day ahead, should I still pour the filling into the crust and bake?
Yes 🙂
Do you recommend making the topping 1 day ahead along with the filling and crust or making the topping the day of?
Hi Elissa, Ideally, I would make it the day of.
Hi Jenn, do you know if this recipe would still work the same with nonfat Greek yogurt instead of regular?
Hi Morgan — it won’t be as creamy, but it will work. 😊