Key Lime Pie
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
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
More Classic Pie Recipes You’ll Love
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.
See more recipes:
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Planning on making this today with sweetened condensed coconut milk and vegan sour cream, since my daughter is gluten free and dairy free. Have you ever made it this way with success? Hoping it’s as amazing as all the reviews have said, even with these changes in major components.
Hi Becky, I can’t say I’ve made it with those ingredients so I don’t have any wisdom to share – I’m sorry! Please report back after you make it — I’m sure readers would love to hear how it turns out with these alternatives! 🙂
Any luck with this? Would love to “veganize” for my daughter!
Absolutely delicious and super easy to make! Everyone devoured it! I can always count on Jenn’s recipes to be the best!
scrumptious delumptious 😊😋 made it yesterday for my family and we all loved it.
I made this for my boss’s birthday. I can’t believe it was so easy yet such a great hit with everybody. As another reviewer suggested, I used the coconut cream pie base – which is now my new favourite base. I had leftover filling so threw it into premade tart shells and gave it to my tenants. They keep requesting more. I will definately be making this again soon. Thank you!!!
Key Lime Pie is my family’s all time favorite pie and they loved this recipe. They said it is hard to stop eating it because it is so good.
Jenn, they asked me though if they could freeze it?
Hi JE, while I don’t think this is the kind of pie that I’d suggest making ahead and freezing for future use, if you have leftovers, you may be able to get away with freezing them. Please keep in mind I haven’t frozen it myself. (And I’m glad to hear the family enjoyed it!)
This came out PERFECTLY! Might be the best dessert I’ve ever made and it was a huge hit! Super easy to follow too. I will say I made the mistake of assuming 12 graham crackers would equal the exact amount i needed for the crust but it was a little too much so i had to melt an extra tbs of butter to make them moist enough for the crust but other than that there isn’t anything I’d change! I better invest in a juicer because I will be making this again and again!
So delicious!! First time trying homemade key lime pie and I’m so glad I found this recipe! Easy to follow, minimal ingredients, and very tasty. Thanks for this great recipe!
My husband said this is the best recipe he has had that is homemade and as close to the pie he had in key west as they come. Definitely a keeper recipe and I am so grateful to have found this. Thank you Jenn so much for sharing this!
Can I use sour cream in place of Greek yogurt? I just substituted Greek yogurt for sour cream in a sour cream raisin pie and that exchange worked great!
Sure, Phyllis, sour cream will work here. Enjoy!
This is an absolutely delicious and simple dessert. I actually prefer it without the whipped cream because I love the pure tartness of the lime. Question: I’m planning to make it again and unfortunately the grocery shopper in my house bought regular whole milk yogurt, rather than Greek yogurt. Since I can’t run to the store to get more, would you recommend using the nonfat Greek yogurt I have, straining the regular yogurt, or some other option? (I suppose I could wait until we go back to the store, but those limes are burning a hole in my pocket!🤗) thank you!
So glad you like this! You can use regular yogurt but should strain it first. Sour cream or crème fraîche would also work here. Hope that helps!
Can you leave out the sugar in the crust given that graham crackers are already fairly sweet? This looks like a wonderful recipe but we’re trying to reduce sugar consumption here!
Hi Charlotte, I wouldn’t completely omit it, but you could cut the brown sugar in the crust by a few tablespoons. Hope that helps and that you enjoy!