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 have yet to try the pie, but the recipe is amazing and was super easy! Thank you!
I see in your make-ahead notes that the crust can be prepared a day ahead. Can the filling also be prepared a day ahead and then assemble and bake the following day?
Yep!
YUM! First time ever making key lime pie and MAN I cannot believe how delicious this was. Also SO easy? Why have I waited so long to make this from scratch?? I even messed up and only added 1 tsp of zest to the filling and was worried but it still turned out great! Definitely going to be my new “go-to” to bring to summer bbqs/cookouts because not only does it look impressive, it’s really delicious and stands out among the traditional cookies and brownies you typically see at cookouts. Thank you for this recipe! It’s a definitely a keeper 🙂
Can you leave pie in refrigerator longer then 3 hours before topping?
Yep, that’s fine 🙂
I can only find 300ml (10oz) cans of milk. Any suggestions if I need to substitute
Hi Odette. If you can only find 10-ounce cans, I’d buy 3 cans — you’ll just have a little left over. Hope that helps and that you enjoy!
Delicious! The whole family loved it. I accidentally used vanilla greek yogurt and it worked great.
This is a very forgiving recipe! I have made it many times and it’s always a hit. Last time I made it, I completely forgot to add the Greek yogurt. (Hours later out of the blue it struck me that I had never measured the yogurt…. ) Despite my trepidation about serving it, everything was just fine. My guests would have never known there was a missing ingredient had I not confessed.
Thank you for another fabulous recipe. I brought this pie to a friend’s dinner party and it was a big hit, they wanted to lick their plates.
LOL – glad it was a hit!
So easy to make and so delicious! All I had on hand was fat-free yogurt and I used that and it still turned out perfect!
Best Key Lime pie I’ve made! Maybe even the best I’ve ever eaten! Maybe I had very large limes, but I needed to juice only four. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Firstly I would like to thank you Jen for sharing your great recipes online. I have made several of them and have liked them all. Your Key Lime Pie was delicious, light and not too sweet. Coming from Australia I substituted Graham crackers with Digestive biscuits and followed the recipe which still worked out great even though I didn’t bother to convert the measurements from the American ones to metric. This recipe made a nice change from Lemon Meringue Pie.
Gwen what limes did you use for it? I am Aussie too and making this for my daughters birthday on Christmas Day, her request from living state side for years
Oh Jen – can you do no wrong? This was absolutely LOVELY. It’s silky and refreshing. I can’t wait to try it with Meyer lemons – or maybe a combination of lemon and lime. An absolutely perfect summer dessert. You’re the best!
P.S. – I realized I had forgotten Greek yogurt at the store, but I had an 8-ounce container of sour cream on hand and used that instead. Still absolutely brilliant!
💗
I can’t wait to make this recipe!
My question is Can I make it in a disposable pan and if so should I change anything about the recipe/ time?
Thank you so much!
Hi Sam, As long as you use the correct size (9 x 1.5-inch) it should work without any modifications. Hope you enjoy!
Is it possible to make the crust without any sugar?
Sure, that should be fine. Enjoy!
My son (18) has made this twice.
It’s excellent & he says easy to make.
This is the best “key” lime pie recipe. I tried several recipes and hands down this is the best. My hubby said “I can eat the whole pie! This was the best key lime pie I ever ate!” Thank you! I even gave my dogs a little puppuccino. Win win for everyone! Did not change a thing, I used 7 limes and it was the perfect limey taste. Onto a next dessert recipe…your peach cobbler😊
This pie is frickin awesome, my family and friends were just blown away. So easy and delicious, I’m not a baker so I was nervous but Ms. Segal’s recipe is no fail. Thank you Chef!
Just made this recipe for the fourth time (it was the first time some former co-workers had experienced it). Their responses: “This was as good as any Key Lime Pie I have ever had.” “This is so good!” … And later from that same person, “This is so good. Can I have an extra piece for my wife?” Her response that was later texted to me, “The pie was heaven.” In summary, I can’t wait until I make it again! Thanks Jenn.
Can you use regular whole yogurt? I bought it by mistake instead of Greek.
Hi Jenni, for the best, results, I’d stick with Greek yogurt. Sorry!
As with so many of the recipes Jenn posts, this one is top notch. The texture of the pie is incredibly light and smooth. The perfect amount of sweet and tart! Delicious!
This is an excellent recipe, even for so-so fans of key lime pie. Also very forgiving. I wanted a bigger pie (not 2 pies) for a 10″ pie plate and to feed a birthday crowd so I 1.5x the recipe and accidentally doubled the lime juice. No problem and outstanding reviews from key lime fans. Also cut back on the sugar in the pie crust with no problem. Love the addition of the yogurt as I agree with other reviewers that it cuts the weird after taste sometimes found in key lime pie. Total keeper! Thank you!
Can this pie be frozen? Plan on making it tonight but there is only two of us and would like to freeze some. Thanks
Hi Cathy, I haven’t frozen it myself, so I can’t say for sure, but I suspect it’s better fresh. If you have leftovers, I think you could get away with it. If you try it, I’d love to know how it is once thawed!
My adult son requested a key lime pie for his birthday. Made your recipe and he said it’s the BEST he’s tasted!! Not too sweet or tart just right! He has put his order in for his next birthday but I’ll be making it this summer as well Thanks!
Around how many limes are used total? I came across this recipe to use up limes. Wondering if I should double or what.
Btw I have 3 bags of limes
And no they’re not “key” limes…..
Hi Toni, You’ll need 8 to 10 limes total. Hope that helps!
If it’s not made with Key limes, it’s not Key lime pie. Just call it lime pie. Sheesh.
Seriously?!
I’ve been craving Key lime pie ever since I got back from the Keys on vacation and this totally hit the spot. I was going to try a couple different recipes to find one on par with what I had in the Keys and I’m stopping here. This recipe is AMAZING. If you can, make it with real Key lime juice, it’s worth it – promise.
Quick, simple, and easily the best key lime pie I’ve made.
For those asking/wondering about decreasing the sugar, I made a few modifications:
1. Did not add any brown sugar to the crust.
2. Was only able to find 300ml/10.15oz cans of condensed milk so used two of those. Because I was short about 225ml/7.7oz of condensed milk, I subbed in an additional roughly 3/4cups/180ml/4oz of plain 2% greek yogurt (decided to add less than the full amount missing because of the thickness of the yogurt).
3. Only used 2 teaspoons of sugar for the whipped cream topping, and added a small dash of vanilla.
Was extremely happy with the end result, as was everyone else who tried it and loved it. If you’re concerned about the amount of sugar or prefer your desserts to be not overly sweet, I hope these modifications help. Thanks for the home run recipe!
Easy & delicious!!
I made 2 pies for my friends. They never had it so good.
The texture, the taste, everything is perfectly balanced and it tastes devine.
Thank You.
I.D.L.
It tastes like sour cream, and there is no sour cream. All dairy was bought fresh.
That’s likely the greek yogurt!!! Plain greek yogurt actually has a remarkable likeness to sour cream.
Love this recipe! Made this for mothers day and it tasted great! Everybody loved it!
Made this today for Mother’s Day and tasted amazing! The last time I made a pie turned out pretty bad but this time I tried this recipe and it worked perfectly! Thank you for this awesome recipe!😀
delicious – making it again for mother’s day
Made this today for my mom and we both loved it! Just the right mix of sweet and tart, and super easy to make. I used a ginger snap crust instead of graham cracker and added a bit of vanilla extract to the whipped cream. I’ll likely be making another one this weekend for my sis-in-law. Definitely a keeper!
I made your key lime pie yesterday (for the first time). It was my husband’s birthday and this is his favorite dessert. This is hands down the best pie I have ever made and all my guests said the same thing. Thank you so much for this recipe and I will be filing it away for future use!
Pie is perfectly sweet, crust is perfectly crisp and has a nice bite to it. Will make again, very easy to follow and simple ingredients!
It presented really well. The filling set and the crust was delicious. It was just way too sweet. Even my children couldn’t handle the amount of sugar. Next time I will not add ANY confectionery sugar at all. Of course as a dessert it is supposed to be sweet, but that was overkill.
Outstanding.
Everyone who eats this pie loves it! It’s so easy and so delicious.
But, why does my crust stick to my pan? Am I pressing too hard? The first time I made It it was perfection and now my crust doesn’t cut as well. What am I doing Wrong?
Hi Maggie, You mentioned you didn’t have a problem the first time. Did you use a different pan this time around?
Looks and sounds so yummy! How do you think this would do in “bar” form?
Hi Natalie, I don’t think this would translate well to bars — I think it could be kind of messy as the filling isn’t that firm. Sorry!
I had a craving for key lime pie, so I scoured the internet for recipes. For some reason, this one spoke to me and the reviews were good. Eureka! This was my first homemade key lime pie and it was spectacular. This recipe is so easy, but it looks and tastes so fancy. I ended up putting 5 tablespoons of butter in the crust, and next time I may use 6 tablespoons so it holds together better. A definite winner!
Fantastic! The texture and sweet/tart balance are perfect. I added really good sliced fresh mango to the top and it was wonderful.
Wow, incredible Key Lime Pie! Don’t change a thing when you make this pie! Wonderful!
I do have a quick question, I was asked if this could be converted to NO Sugar for some Keto Dieters in my life. I thought I would ask you before diving into testing! Let me know if you have ever done this with sugar substitutes .
Thank you again for an amazing recipe
So glad you liked it! I can’t say I’ve ever tried it with sugar substitutes. If you do try it, I’d love to hear how it turns out!
It is yummy but not quite as tart as I would have liked. It was super easy to make. It even holds firm when cutting. I might try adding more lime juice but hope it doesn’t make it too watery. Overall, not disappointed at all.
Am in the UK how many grams/oz of biscuit needed?
Am using gf digestives as I am celiac
Can you add UK measurements to your recipes, please?
Hi Helen, The great majority of my recipes (including this one) include conversions to metric/weight measurements. To view them, scroll down to the recipe, and immediately under the recipe title on the right side, you’ll see a little toggle. If you move it from “cup measures” to metric, you’ll see measurements that will work for you. Hope you enjoy the pie if you make it!
I made it and it was delish! I gave the recipe to my dad and he reports that when he made it, it was kind of curdled and not smooth. He wants me to diagnose the problem (from 2000 miles away!). My thought is that either it was not fully smoothly combined before being cooked or it was over baked. Any ideas or thought on what would do this? He said it was kind of curdled or mealy. Any ideas on what happened? Just to be clear for anyone reading this, when I made it, it was delicious and smooth and, despite my dad’s reported results, my favorite key lime pie recipe!
Hi Megan, Sorry to hear your dad didn’t get a great outcome! Do you know if he made any adjustments to the recipe or any ingredient substitutes?
Made key lime pie for the first time using this recipe. It turned out amazing! Will definitely use this recipe again 🙂
This is unbelievably delicious. Made it a week ago for guests and am making it a second time already. My husband and I, previously not huge fans of Key Lime Pie, are converts. Followed the recipe almost exactly, using organic Graham Crackers and 1/4 cup of brown sugar in the crust. Left out the powdered sugar in the whipping cream too. While the recipe as is wasn’t too sweet, we like it even less sweet. The lime zest on top is a must. Thank you for this great recipe!
Hello Jenn,
Thank you so much for your reply.
Can’t wait to serve this the most delicious Key Lime Pie for my son in law tonight!
I just made this pie now for my son in law’s Birthday tomorrow not realizing this is not a make ahead pie. Will this be too soggy by tomorrow evening?
Hi Junko, It will still be delicious tomorrow evening. Hope everyone enjoys!
Can I prepare the crust and filling, then refrigerate them separately over night to assemble and bake the next day?
Definitely – hope you enjoy!
Jenn, have you ever substituted lemons for limes in this recipe?
I haven’t, but some other people have commented they have and have liked the results. Please LMK what you think if you try it!
Jenn,
Can I whip the cream a couple hours ahead of time then put it on top last minute or have it completely finished a few hours early , so I don’t have to have the mixer out while I’m entertaining? Thanks, Julia
Hi Julia, Either should be fine. Hope you enjoy!