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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Hi, I’ve made this pie before and it was delicious, but I was thinking about puréing some strawberries and mixing them in as well. Do you know if this will affect the turnout of the pie?
Glad you like it! Unfortunately, I don’t think it would with the added strawberry puree — sorry!
Unfortunately you do not mention how much graham, yogourt, brown sugar and confectioned sugar to use for this recipe! Would you please let me know? Thank you in advance, I’m excited about making my first Key Lime Pie!
Hi France, It sounds like you are just looking at the portion of the page that has the pictures with some instructions underneath. If you scroll down a bit to under the pictures, you’ll find the full recipe. Alternatively, at the very top of the page, to the right of the recipe name, you’ll see an orange/red button that says Jump to Recipe – if you click on that, it will take you directly to the recipe. Hope that clarifies and that you enjoy the pie!
I’ve made this three times now to rave reviews! It’s fantastic. I forgot the sugar for the topping the 3rd time, but everyone still loved it! (I think the large meal beforehand contributed to that ;-p).
I do have a question – the “bake until the filling is almost set; it should wobble a bit” is still confusing! I’m used to doing the knife/toothpick into the centre of a pie/cake to determine doneness. Just wondering if there’s any other way to determine if it’s cooked enough. I’ve cooked it longer than 15min every time and it did set. But if I happen to only cook it for 15 minutes or longer , wondering how I will know if it’s sufficient until I pull it out of the fridge after 3 hours of chilling.
Thanks!
Hi Marie so glad you’ve enjoyed this! Unfortunately, because it’s a custard you really can’t tell whether or not it’s done if you stick a knife or toothpick in it. If you’ve cooked it for a few additional minutes every time and have had good luck with that, I’d just keep doing exactly what you’re doing. 🙂
Before I discovered Jenn’s amazing recipe I often made a Fine Cooking version that happened to included the internal temp of the key lime pie filling when done, 140 degrees. So I always check it with my Thermapen before taking it out of the oven, eliminates any wondering!
Loved it!
The instructions were easy to follow and the pie was so creamy and delicious. It was just what I needed 🙂
Hi Jen~ I have made this recipe and it’s fantastic. I am having a party with passed desserts. I would like to figure out a way to put this in individual dessert cups. Would it be possible? If so, could you provide suggestions/directions?
Hi Jamie, So glad you like this! I haven’t tried it but think you could make this into smaller individual ones. I’d keep the temperature the same; bake time is likely to be less but not sure by how much as it depends on the size of your minis so just keep a close eye on them. Hope you enjoy!
Hi Jamie I made these in muffin cases as individual portions so I can freeze them Cheers Lynne
Hi Jen,
Question: Can I use an ordinary pie dish.
I made your delicious choc. cream pie in a regular pie dish.
Making this for clambake. Thank you, Rose
Hi Rose, I recommend a deep dish pie pan for this but if you only have a regular pie pan, you could use it — you may just have some filling left over. Please LMK how it turns out if you make it!
Hi Jen,
Huge success!!!
I see why a deep dish is necessary. Thanks so much, Rose
So glad it came out well — thanks for reporting back!
I made it in a regular pie dish and had enough for two pies!
Wow, good to know — thanks for the follow up!
Decided to make this recipe read all the instructions the way it said went to the fridge to cut a piece and the whole pie fell apart runny and soggy where did I go wrong!?
I even went back and read the whole recipe trying to see what I did wrong… nothing
Hi Paje, I’m sorry you had such a problem with this! Did you make any ingredient substitutions? Did you use traditional yogurt in place of Greek?
Easy, excellent recipe. Received a lot of compliments.
I run a vacation rental business. I make this for my guests but serve them in little, clear wine cups. With a spoon then freeze and put in a cellophane bag with a cute ribbon. I use Stabilized Whipped Cream for topping. One thing i have learned is it is best to under cook the filling. It won’t get lumpy when i scoop it into the cups. These are a huge hit. Purchasing a juicer on round 2 was the best purchase to date. I love these and they make great parting treats at any gathering. Thanks for all you do for us. I love this recipe.
Sami Grace
Lake Ouachita Vacation Realty
Mt Ida, AR
I have a lot of experience in both baking and eating. I am rarely able to taste anything without having to make at least one suggestion,
When my daughter in law made this pie for us two days ago, I was speechless. This is the best pie I have ever tasted. It goes in the front of my recipes collection.
THANK YOU!