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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I had never baked a Keylime pie, or ever tasted one. It was my son-in-law’s birthday and that happened to be his favourite pie. So I thought here goes nothing. I made it exactly to the recipe. It was the biggest hit ever with the whole family, especially my son-in-law. I tasted it for the very first time, I must admit it was SO good. I am making it again today for dessert for special friends. Thank you so much for an amazing recipe. I have made the NY cheesecakes several times, as my family requests it for birthdays now. Love your recipes 🥰🥰
Loved this recipe! Fantastic flavor and good consistency. The slices were beautiful. I cheated and used prepares crusts and bottled lime juice and had great results. Much easier and cheaper than recipes calling for egg yolks.
I made this last night and brought it to work and everybody raved how delicious it is. Thanks so much for this recipe.
-Jules
DELICIOUS! QUICK AND EASY!! Greek yogurt (yay protein!) Baking is great to set but not a must as there are no eggs (I found this out by putting the extra that we had in a jar in the fridge and eating it the next day.)
This pie filling is a perfect recipe to make with your young children, requiring an only bowl, a whisk and the ingredients!
We have given this pie as a meal train dessert, and it is a huge winner. We received so many compliments of which we can take none of the credit for because we only used a great recipe.
Do not skip the lime zest in the whip cream! I had no idea how remarkable that one simple added ingredient would be!
BONUS: Put a good size dollop of the lime zest whip cream on top of your plain, black coffee and then thank me later (especially if you let the whip cream sit overnight. The flavors just permeate and are amazing). Yum!!
Amazing recipe. Everyone loved it!
I was skeptical… oh my God. This is the best Keylime pie I have ever had. Every single person who got a slice said the same. THANK YOU!!
Hi Jenn,
I made this pie for Easter and everyone loved it. I’d like to make it again and wonder if I could put the filling in the same crust you use for your lemon bars and serve it the same way.
Katherine
Hi Katherine, so glad the pie was a hit! I think you could use the filling along with the crust for the lemon bars; just not sure how neatly they would slice as the filling in the pie is slightly looser than that in the lemon bars. If you do try it, please, LMK how it comes out!
Thanks for your reply, Jenn.
I used the delicious key lime filling with the crust you have for your lemon bars and although it held up just fine, and I absolutely love the crust, which I also used for your chocolate pie, I found that I prefer the graham cracker crust for the key lime pie; unlike my husband who was perfectly happy with the key lime pie filling and lemon bar crust combination!
Thanks for making all your wonderful recipes so available.
Katherine
Good to know and I guess you never know until you try it — thanks for reporting back!
Hello. Can this be made with a premade crust, like the ones you buy that are ready to go? I have one that is pecan.
Thanks.
Definitely!
Aside from the fact I accidentally bought and used key limes (I know…I know), this pie was AMAZING. And I say this as someone who doesn’t even like pie to begin with. I will make this again…and again…and again (it turned out perfectly even with a gluten free crust).
This pie received rave reviews at last night’s dinner party. I followed your very good directions to the letter. Well, no, I added more butter to the graham cracker crust than the recipe called for because I didn’t think it would cling together, or stick to the side of the pie plate. (If you get the urge to do the same, don’t. Just keep working at the mixture or it affects the texture).
For dessert-making novices, this is easy and impressive if you give yourself the time needed to make it on the day you intend to eat it.
It does set up. It does taste like legit key lime pie and it was a crowd pleaser!
perfect!