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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Made this with bottled key lime juice and homemade yogurt.. Spectacular!
Do you think this will work with freshly squeezed orange juice?
Glad you liked it! Unfortunately, I don’t think this will work with OJ — sorry!
This was so delicious and perfect! Thank you!
I am about to make this for the 3rd time this week! The first attempt was a disaster (I tried to make my own sweetened condensed milk from evaporated milk and didn’t let it cool enough before filling). But! If you follow the directions and make it directly as the recipe is written, it is PERFECT. I made 6 small individual serving pies and cooked them for about 12 minutes.
This is an awesome recipe! Made this for my husband. Key lime pie is his favorite. This was the best one he has had. Another never-fail recipe. The best website ever! And the cookbook is fantastic!!
Delicious pie! And so easy. I added extra lime zest to the custard mixture to make it more lime-y. The only way this could have been better for my tastes personally was if it were slightly more tart…maybe I’ll try reducing a larger quantity of lime juice into a more concentrated liquid next time. Oh, and I also used gluten free graham cracker crumbs and the crust still came out amazing, so all my GF friends out there are set 🙂
Can you freeze this pie? Sounds like a great recipe. Thanks.
Hi Cathy, I don’t think this is the kind of thing that I’d suggest making ahead and freezing, but if you have leftovers, you may be able to get away with freezing them (please keep in mind I haven’t frozen it myself).
My husband is a tough critic and he gave this recipe 5 stars. It was incredibly easy (I’d consider it a ‘cheater’ recipe but that’s okay sometimes!). I’ve made many key lime pies and lemon meringue pies in my day and I was very skeptical that the filling would not set up without the help of egg yolks or gelatin. I’m still shocked but the filling set up beautifully. How can this be?? This, despite the fact that I used two Canadian-sized cans (10 oz) of Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk (After I made this, I read that this was an issue in the lemon meringue pie filling not setting up in the recipe on your site). I left it overnight and the crust was not soggy at all. I used only 5 limes to yield 3/4 cup of juice…my limes must have been juicy! A definite keeper recipe on my roster! Thank you as always Jenn for your amazing and easy recipes!
Will the key lime pie still work with just one can of condensed milk? Or is there a recipe for the lactose intolerant?
Hi Russell, One reader commented that she used one can of sweetened condensed milk and one can of sweetened condensed coconut milk. She didn’t report back so I’m not sure how it turned out, but you could give it a try. (Please keep in mind that I haven’t tried it this way. If you try it, I’d love to hear how it turns out!)
Perfect!
Key lime pie is my husband’s favorite dessert. I made this for Valentine’s Day, and I might eat it all before he does! This recipe is simple, and amazing!! I used Non-fat yogurt, and I added some lime zest and 1 Tsp. vanilla extract to the whipped cream topping. So happy I stumbled on this recipe page to find the perfect dessert!!