Key Lime Pie
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Bright, tangy, and ultra-creamy, this key lime pie has just the right balance of sweet and tart—perfect for warm days and easy entertaining.
I use ordinary supermarket limes, also known as Persian limes, to make my “Key lime” pie. Unless you live in the Florida Keys, true 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’re 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.
Key lime pie can be made with a graham cracker 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?
“Off the charts delicious! The brown sugar in the crust is *chefs kiss* and the tart, creaminess of this pie is next-level.”
What You’ll Need To Make Key Lime Pie
- Crust: Made from finely crushed graham crackers, light brown sugar, and melted butter, the crust is buttery and lightly sweet, with just enough structure to hold the filling.
- Filling: Sweetened condensed milk gives the pie its creamy texture and sweetness (don’t confuse it with evaporated milk), while Greek yogurt adds a subtle tang. Fresh lime juice and zest provide bright citrus flavor. You’ll need about 8 to 10 plump limes; zest them before juicing and expect roughly 2 tablespoons of juice per lime.
- Topping: Lightly sweetened whipped cream adds a pillowy topping, with a bit of lime zest for freshness and thin lime slices for garnish.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Key Lime Pie
Step 1: Make the crust mixture. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and melted butter in a mixing bowl. Start by stirring with a fork, then use your hands to mix until everything is evenly combined.
Step 2: Form the crust. 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-inch deep-dish pie pan. Aim for a crust about ¼ inch thick.
Pro tip: form the sides first, then press in the bottom.
Step 3: Blind bake the crust. Bake the crust for about 10 minutes, until it’s lightly browned. This quick bake helps set the crust so it stays crisp once the filling is added. Let it cool slightly while you make the filling.
Step 4: Zest and juice the limes. Start by zesting the limes. A rasp grater (the long, skinny kind shown below) works best for this and makes quick work of citrus zest. Then juice the limes using a citrus reamer.
Step 5: Make the filling. In a large bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, yogurt, lime zest, and lime juice. With no eggs, it may be hard to believe that this pie will set, but have faith—it will.
Step 6: Fill and bake the pie. Pour the filling into the baked graham cracker crust and smooth the top. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the filling is just set. Let the pie cool at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then transfer it to the refrigerator to chill completely, about 3 hours.
Step 7: Make the whipped cream 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.)
Step 8: Assemble and serve. Within a few hours of serving, top the chilled pie with the whipped cream and decorate with lime slices and zest. Enjoy!
Key Lime Pie Video Tutorial
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Key Lime Pie
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
- Make the Crust: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) 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 1½-in (23 x 4-cm) pie pan. The crust should be about ¼-in (6-mm) thick. (Tip: do the sides first.)
- Bake for 10 minutes, until just slightly browned. Let the crust cool on a wire rack.
- Make the Filling: Lower the oven temperature to 350°F (180°C). 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.
- Make 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.
Notes
- 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.
- The nutritional information was calculated using 2% Greek yogurt.
Nutrition Information
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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I have made this key lime pie about a half dozen times in the past couple of months because everyone I have served it to loves it and asks for a repeat. It is creamy, tart, beautiful, and quite easy to make. Your recipes are easy to follow and the ingredients you use are always readily available. This pie is a winner all around. I am so happy I discovered your website, and I had to buy your book because so many of your recipes are definite keepers.
Thank you!
This is the BEST Key Lime Pie you will ever eat! It is so easy to make and has the perfect amount of tartness and lime flavor. Perfect for a summer dessert or Mexican night! My family’s favorite dessert!
This Key Lime Pie is an absolute winner! It is creamy, refreshing, and easy to make. I particularly find it a perfect ending to any Mexican meal.
This sounds great for the partial bag of limes I have leftover. Can I just use a thicker Yogurt for the greek Yogurt? It’s fairly thick as it is small batch made Yogurt ,
Hi Shannon, As long as it is quite thick, it should work.
the best one equal to the one i tasted in keywest…not too sweet or sour and it literally hit the spot:) thanks to u for such a precise receipe, lots of love:)
I love this key lime pie. I made it exactly as the recipe states. I had a bag of beautiful, juicy limes I hand squeezed. It had great flavor. Thanks Jenn for another terrific recipe.
I made this for my husband for Father’s Day (in Portugal). The last time we ate key lime pie was in Florida so it was hard to follow that (although 12 years ago). This recipe was super easy and the pie tasted amazing! We did find it a bit sweet. I used smashed digestive cookies for the base (graham crumbs are not common here in Portugal) so maybe that is why. I think I will leave the brown sugar out of the base next time, as the digestives are already sweetened. Do you think that this would change the consistency of the base? Also, as I try to bake with less sugar/fat, would coconut oil work as a substitute for the butter? It could bring an interesting flavor. Any other fat-saving ideas? Condensed milk is hard to avoid. Thank you! I look forward to making more of your recipes, this was my first.
Hi Jennifer, Glad you enjoyed the pie! It should be fine to leave the sugar out of the crust and to replace the butter with coconut oil. 🙂
Great Pie
Use a good deep dish pan
Thanks for the recipe Jenn. If I make the crust the night before – how do you store it? Also do I need to warm it prior to adding the filling? How long does this keep and do you keep it on the fridge? Thanks so much.
Living in Florida, home of key lime pie, creates stiff competition for this recipe. I’m here to report it’s always a winner when I serve it to friends and families. We prefer store bought limes as suggested. Perfect combo of sweet and tart. Jenn has a real knack fir balancing flavors. This ones a keeper!
This is without doubt the best tasting Key Lime pie I’ve ever had. I even bought a ceramic pie plate since we also love your chocolate cream pie! The photos you provide are super helpful along the way so it’s a snap to make. My only difficulty with the pie is with the crust. I have a hard time getting it out of the pie plate cleanly. The edges crumble and some of the Graham crackers stick to the bottom of the pan. Not sure what to do about that…It sure tastes good though!