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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I’ve made this 4 times now….. the last one for my husband’s birthday per his request. After using a store-bought crust, I decided to try the recipe crust and found it to be both better tasting and easy to do. Everyone loves the pie. You will, too.
This is so much better than my previous recipe that used bottled key lime juice. It’s absolutely perfect – creamy and delicious with the perfect balance of sweet and tart. I’ve made it 4 times over the summer and it’s gotten rave reviews from all. Thanks so much 🙂
I made this pie for a dinner party and it exceeded my expectations! My husband, who doesn’t like key lime pie, raved about it. I confess I was inspired by your coconut cream pie, so I added 1/4 c. unsweetened coconut to the crust and loved the results. The crust baked up nicely and was so easy to cut (I haven’t had good results with graham cracker crusts.) I will be making this again – thanks for another winner, Jenn!
I made this for a large family party that had many other desserts, and this was the first one to disappear. It looks great, it tastes great, and it’s easy to make. Once again, a dish that I always thought would be daunting turned out to be simple thanks to your recipes.
🙂 Glad everyone enjoyed!
Hi Jenn, I’ve made your Key Lime Pie to rave reviews each time. My only problem is each slice leaves part of its crust on the bottom of the pan. I read your note about making the crust and the pie on the same day, which I do, so that’s not the problem. Plus the crust has enough butter in it to grease the pan. I welcome your suggestions on how to serve a complete slice of pie with all of its yummy crust.
Hmm, that’s strange, Karen! What type of pie pan are you using?
I guess that it’s ceramic. It looks a lot like the one in your photo. Red on the outside, white interior.
As long as you’re using a good pie server and getting it under the crust, the only thing I can think of is that maybe you’re pressing the crumbs too firmly into the pan. Next time, I’d try just patting it a little more lightly and see if that helps.
OMG! This is beyond great. You might be tempted to buy a pre made graham cracker crust but don’t. This crust is amazing. I think it is because she uses brown sugar instead of regular sugar.
This pie is outstanding and I wouldn’t change a thing and will be making over and over. Thank you Jenn.
This recipe is delicious; the only complaint I received was that it is VERY sweet. At first I was offended with my family and then I realized they were right. Is there a way to reduce sugar that will produce a nice pie result? Maybe playing with the ratio of sweetened condensed milk and whole milk Greek yogurt? What are your thoughts, Jenn?
Hi Kristin, you could cut the brown sugar in the crust by a few tablespoons and the confectioners’ sugar in the whipped topping back to 1 Tbsp. I wouldn’t, however, mess with the ratios of the filling; not sure how that will impact the recipe. Hope that helps!
Thank you Jenn I think those would be the easiest items to adjust as well.
Kristen and Jenn, I added an extra 1/4 cup lime juice, and an extra 8 oz. of Greek yogurt, as the filling was too sweet for my taste. It was a perfect blend of tart/sweet, and the texture of the pie was perfect. I did not change the cooking time or temp. 😋👏🏼
Good to know, Meg — thanks for the follow-up! 🙂
Hi Jenn, I am modifying this recipe a bit – using the crust from your coconut cream pie (love that crust!). I’ve made the crust and baked. I’m doing the filling now – recipe says bake again to set the filling, will this make the crust to hard/dry to eat?
I should have read the recipe closer before I decided to modify!!
thanks
Hi Noni, It’s such a short bake time; I think it will be fine. 🙂
They worked out perfectly!
Thank you sooo much for this recipe. Everyone I have served this pie to, especially the men, have said that it’s the best pie they have ever eaten, and to please give their wives the recipe. 😍
AWESOME! For me it’s the best Lime Pie recipe I know. And Key Lime Pie in general is my favorite… Simply love it… Jenn, thanks for this wonderful recipe!