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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Great recipe, made ahead of time and froze, was still great, did use ready crust. Make, you will love!!!
Oh Wow!! So amazingly delicious! I think the cup of plain yogurt gave it a great tangy taste. Everyone loved it and it came out beautifully. The pieces were firm and perfect. After reading the reviews I did bake it a bit longer (5-6 minutes) because my oven tends to run a bit slow.
Love this pie!!! Made one change – after baking the graham cracker crust, I spread sour cream over the bottom and dusted with powdered sugar, then poured the filling into the pie shell. This will be the “Key Lime” pie recipe I use from now on!
Jenn,
I absolutely love all your recipes. One of my many favorites is your key lime pie. My family requests it all the time. I need your advice. Every time I make it, I bake it the day before and refrigerate it over night. When I cut a piece of the pie, most often it’s soupy, not firm. I bake it according to your directions. Please advise. Thank you!
Hi Monica, glad you like this! Based on what you’re describing, it sounds like it may be just a bit underbaked. I’d leave it in the oven for a few more minutes next time.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! My husband is very picky about key lime pie and he LOVED it. He wanted it for his birthday instead of cake and I’m a terrible baker, so I was worried. And I’ve never liked key lime pie til I tried this! Sooo simple and so delicious and refreshing. This will be the recipe I use from now on.
Used 3/4 of a cup of actual key lime juice and it was incredible.
IMPORTANT POINT: 300ml is 14oz of weight (which is the can size the recipe calls for) and 10oz of liquid (ignore the volume). I feel some of the comments where they are complaining it is too sweet might have been that they thought two 300ml cans were not enough. A 300ml can is 10oz of liquid volume but it is 14 oz of weight. The recipe is calling for 28oz (2 cans of 14oz weight). This means that two 300ml cans are perfect for weight. Do not think you need more sweetened condensed milk. Again, 2 cans of 300ml sweetened condensed milk is perfect.
Wonderful recipe! It was easy to make and everyone loved it, I will make it again definitely!
3/4 c lime juice resulted from 5-1/2 limes. To be sure the pie was flavorful enough and not just sugary I added 1-1/2 limes, so 7 limes and 1 for the zest- the author says 8-10 limes needed.
This is a great recipe, try it if you love Key Lime Pie!
This was a blast at dessert time – every one had a piece – no leftover. Easy recipe. I made the crust with filling the night before – crust did not get soggy. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
I just made this pie for Thanksgiving and it turned out perfect and to rave reviews! This is an outstanding pie and so easy to make but so delicious. I’ll be making this again for sure. I used fresh key lime juice from our own tree here in Sacramento, CA, so you can have fresh key limes and not live in Florida.
Thanks again for this outstanding recipe.
Try putting the quotes around the ‘key lime’ in the title not the page since it’s *not* a key lime pie recipe. And how can you say key limes are near impossible to find unless you live in the Florida Keys? This is just a plain stupid statement. Try saying “if you live somewhere that you can’t find them…” Many supermarkets far away from the Florida Keys carry the fresh limes and even more carry the bottled juice (even Walmarts nationwide).
By your first paragraph, it’s clear your website isn’t worth visiting.
1. Did you make the recipe?
2. There is a difference between a regular lime and a key lime.
Are you having a bad day Kyle? It seems that you are a little too angry about a pie recipe that you didn’t even make.
Rude and unnecessary comment. Would you say this to someone in person? Shame on you.
What is your point Kyle ? That you are a rude person???
I found them here in Kentucky… I actually used real Key Lime juice in the bottle and regular lime zest and it was great!!
SOOO GOOD! Such a perfect balance of sweet and tarte!
I agree on your rating. I tried this in lieu of my traditional key lime pie. You can find key limes all other. The bottled key lime is not as good. This did not set up and turned out more like a pudding. I have never put yogurt or sour cream in my key lime pie. This was the worst tasting key lime pie. It just tasted like Eagle brand with lime juice. I have made key lime pies for 40 years.
True key limes are not available everywhere, all the time. I live in a major east coast metropolitan area with a very diverse assortment of markets and grocery stores. We get real key limes for about a month in mid-winter. Everyone I have served this pie to has nothing but good things to say about the flavor.