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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The recipe is fine, but better with key limes. The “impossible to find” comment is nonsense, but you can also buy key lime juice.
Alan – I just made it with the Persian limes but I just received about 10 key limes so I’ll try that next week and compare.
Omg. Made this on random and it came out delish!! Will use this recipe again!
We live in South Africa and some of the ingredients for some of the US recipes are different but your Key Lime Pie with digestive biscuits was so good I’m about to make it a second time, it’s a recipe to keep.
This pie is amazing! I (inherited) 2 bags of key limes and then hunted for a recipe. I will never juice that many key limes again, though the results were incredible. I substituted Vanilla flavored Greek yogurt, since I couldn’t get the plain variety at our local store. The only other change to the recipe was to add a couple drops of lime essential oil to the filling and topping, and omit the lime zest in the topping. Other than juicing the key limes, this pie was quick and easy to make. My husband loved it! Thanks for sharing a great recipe!
Hi Jen! Your recipes are always a big success in our house, so I’m going to try this one my husband’s birthday, which is in a couple of days. He loves Key Lime Pie & we both know that your recipes are unfailingly yummy! This will be my 1st attempt at this flavor of pie but I’m looking forward hopefully to a delicious result, as is usual with your recipes. I would like to make whatever I can as far ahead of time as possible (starting today, if possible!) Can the crust be made 2 days ahead & chilled? Would it be ok to chill the filling in the refrigerator for 24 hours or more? I would make the topping & put it all together just before the birthday dinner. Since our house will be filled with guests for several days, I am hoping to accomplish as much as possible ahead of time. (A further question — do you recommend using regular limes or actual Key limes?) Many thanks for blessing us all with your talent & expertise!
Hi Toni, Yes, it would be fine to make the crust 24 to 48 hours ahead and store them separately in the fridge. Hope everyone enjoys! 🙂
This is a decadent pie for sure! I followed the recipe as written except I put a ring of cream around the edge instead of covering the whole pie. Turns out one of our guests that we had over last night is a key lime pie connoisseur and said this pie was as good if not better than any he’s had in Florida which is where it originated. I’ll take that as a wonderful compliment! Thank you for posting this recipe!
I always come to your website first when I want to try something new and I’m never disappointed. I made this key lime pie for my Book Club and everyone loved it. I used extra lime zest, about 1 1/2 tbl in the filling and 2 tsp on top. It was delicious!
Next time, I’ll use gluten free graham crackers and my granddaughter with celiac will be able to eat it. Thank you.
My keylime pie turned out great, so much so, my husband ate two slices back to back. Best advice… be patient and let the pie set and cool as instructed. Next time I make this pie I am going to try keylime or coconut flavored greek yogurt. 🍈🥧
I’m located in Portugal and we don’t have graham crackers. Can you suggest some alternative that would be just as tasty?
Hi Katia, Do you have access to digestive biscuits? If so, those will work nicely.
I sure do! Thank you!
Amazing! So good! After I made and tried the pie as shown, I made a Mango Coulis (https://www.abakingjourney.com/easy-mango-coulis/) and spread it on top (after baking the pie), which brought the pie to a whole other level!