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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Made this for Memorial Day BBQ. It was fantastic! not a crumb left, literally. My question is can I use the same recipe with lemons? All the Lemon “Ice Box” pie recipes call for eggs. I don’t care about the ice box part, I just want a good creamy lemon pie with graham cracker crust. Does the lemon juice not set up like the lime juice? Thanks for any help!
Hi Marie, Glad it was a hit! I’ve never tried it with lemon but some other readers have commented that they have and have enjoyed it (and I think it should set up fine). Please LMK how it turns out!
Hi!
Can you make this with a tart pan? Realized I don’t have a pie dish
Hi K, I think this will work in a tart pan. 🙂
Amazing recipe! Thank you! It turned out perfect, wasn’t sour or sweet. Love it!
I enjoyed making this pie and my family loved it, however, it was too sweet for me. Could I cut down to just 1 can of condensed milk?
Hi Ria, sorry that you found it to be too sweet! I wouldn’t recommend using only one can of sweetened condensed milk, but some readers have commented that they’ve cut back on the sweetness by using a tad more lime juice and reducing the sugar a bit in the crust. Hope that helps!
Made this Key Lime Pie yesterday to take to friends for dessert. This was absolutely DELISH!!. I ended up using Nellie and Joes Key Lime juice instead of the limes in the recipe. It worked out perfectly and everyone raved about the pie. I used the zest from regular limes and decorated the pie just like the picture. This will definitely be the recipe I continue to use in the future. So YUMMY!!
Hi Jenn
I just realized i bought whole milk plain yogurt will this work or should I substitute sour cream?
Thanks
Hi Melissa, You can use the regular yogurt — just strain it because it’s not as thick. Sour cream would also be fine with no straining. Enjoy!
If I could give this recipe six stars, I would! User friendly recipe and tastes as good as any key lime pies I’ve had in the Florida Keys. I had thought about buying the bottled key lime juice but opted to use fresh regular limes as directed and I was not disappointed.
***I read one review that said that the pie did not set. I think using greek style yogurt is subjective because there are so many variations. Since I always have low fat plain yogurt on hand, I decided to drain the yogurt with a couple tablespoons of cultured sour cream overnight with cheescloth and a strainer. The texture and tang was spot on and the pie was perfectly set and looked gorgeous. Following the cooking instructions, the filling was creamy and silky. Just yum.
This dessert was so heavenly! I received many yums and signs of contentment while eating. Your recipes are always a hit and I really don’t use anything else. “Is this a Jennifer recipe?” is a frequent question asked in our house.
❤️
Looking forward to making this pie! Can I make it a week ahead and freeze it?
I’ve never frozen it so I can’t say from experience, but I think with all the dairy it has, it may not be the best candidate for freezing. If you decide to make it and freeze some, please report back!
I have made many Key Lime Pie recipes over the years and this is by far the easiest and the best!
My bestie’s husband swooned over it 🙂 It’s nice and tangy and not too sweet. Perfect!
I got some real Key Limes and am going to make this pie using them. Hope it turns out well. Your pie looks amazing!!! This has to be one of my all time favorite pies as well. Thanks for sharing the recipe. 🙂