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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Best Key Lime pie I’ve made! Maybe even the best I’ve ever eaten! Maybe I had very large limes, but I needed to juice only four. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Firstly I would like to thank you Jen for sharing your great recipes online. I have made several of them and have liked them all. Your Key Lime Pie was delicious, light and not too sweet. Coming from Australia I substituted Graham crackers with Digestive biscuits and followed the recipe which still worked out great even though I didn’t bother to convert the measurements from the American ones to metric. This recipe made a nice change from Lemon Meringue Pie.
Gwen what limes did you use for it? I am Aussie too and making this for my daughters birthday on Christmas Day, her request from living state side for years
Oh Jen – can you do no wrong? This was absolutely LOVELY. It’s silky and refreshing. I can’t wait to try it with Meyer lemons – or maybe a combination of lemon and lime. An absolutely perfect summer dessert. You’re the best!
P.S. – I realized I had forgotten Greek yogurt at the store, but I had an 8-ounce container of sour cream on hand and used that instead. Still absolutely brilliant!
💗
I can’t wait to make this recipe!
My question is Can I make it in a disposable pan and if so should I change anything about the recipe/ time?
Thank you so much!
Hi Sam, As long as you use the correct size (9 x 1.5-inch) it should work without any modifications. Hope you enjoy!
Is it possible to make the crust without any sugar?
Sure, that should be fine. Enjoy!
My son (18) has made this twice.
It’s excellent & he says easy to make.
This is the best “key” lime pie recipe. I tried several recipes and hands down this is the best. My hubby said “I can eat the whole pie! This was the best key lime pie I ever ate!” Thank you! I even gave my dogs a little puppuccino. Win win for everyone! Did not change a thing, I used 7 limes and it was the perfect limey taste. Onto a next dessert recipe…your peach cobbler😊
This pie is frickin awesome, my family and friends were just blown away. So easy and delicious, I’m not a baker so I was nervous but Ms. Segal’s recipe is no fail. Thank you Chef!
Just made this recipe for the fourth time (it was the first time some former co-workers had experienced it). Their responses: “This was as good as any Key Lime Pie I have ever had.” “This is so good!” … And later from that same person, “This is so good. Can I have an extra piece for my wife?” Her response that was later texted to me, “The pie was heaven.” In summary, I can’t wait until I make it again! Thanks Jenn.
Can you use regular whole yogurt? I bought it by mistake instead of Greek.
Hi Jenni, for the best, results, I’d stick with Greek yogurt. Sorry!
As with so many of the recipes Jenn posts, this one is top notch. The texture of the pie is incredibly light and smooth. The perfect amount of sweet and tart! Delicious!
This is an excellent recipe, even for so-so fans of key lime pie. Also very forgiving. I wanted a bigger pie (not 2 pies) for a 10″ pie plate and to feed a birthday crowd so I 1.5x the recipe and accidentally doubled the lime juice. No problem and outstanding reviews from key lime fans. Also cut back on the sugar in the pie crust with no problem. Love the addition of the yogurt as I agree with other reviewers that it cuts the weird after taste sometimes found in key lime pie. Total keeper! Thank you!