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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Was delicious, came out wonderfully first time! Good recipe!
I am not a dessert person BUT…..Key Lime pie is my childhood favorite that I got to enjoy for a few weeks every year when we vacationed in Broward County from Massachusetts. It is a pie like no other pie and I just might have to make this wonderful recipe. Thank you Jenn.
I made this pie for a women’s retreat this weekend, and we all agreed that it was the best key lime pie we’d ever eaten. So easy to make (I cheated and used a store-bought graham cracker crust)! It set up well, was creamy and the lime flavor was not overwhelming, just perfect. Thank you, and I am adding this to our family favorites.
Made this pie in advance in smaller, individual servings. Are you able to freeze? Want to keep the crust crisp but will serve in 3-4 days
Hi Allie, I’ve never frozen this and wouldn’t think it was a great candidate for freezing, but a few people have mentioned that they have, and have been happy with the results when thawed. Keep in mind though that the crust will not stay crisp if the filling sits inside it (either in the freezer or the fridge). Hope that helps!
I wanted to give this recipe 5 stars for the flavor but the crust is a major problem. I’ve made graham cracker crusts before so maybe I should have known this one would be a problem when it didn’t want to hold together as I pressed it into the pie plate. Sure enough, the crust turned into crumbs when I tried slicing the pie. It was impossible to get a nice looking slice with the crust intact.
Afterwards, I noticed that many of the reviewers said they added extra butter. That tells me there is an issue with the recipe the way it is written.
I will use this recipe again, now that I know I need to make a revision to the crust. I wish I could have rated it higher because it really is delicious.
I think you must have done something wrong. I have made a few times and no problem with the crust.
hi im not much of a baker – was wondering can i make this inside of a cast iron instead of a pie dish? or a corningware? or one of those older pyrexes (the top of the top/bottom set is short…its glass)…or one of those pans where the bottom comes out (tho its not short).?
which of those is best/ok?
..im not fussed about pretty sides (obviously lol)….and dont want to buy a pie dish
im putting a 5star bc i know it will be lol
Hi Lulu, out of all the options you mentioned, assuming the cast iron pan is similar in size to a deep dish pie plate, I’d go with that. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
The only thing I would watch out for with cast iron is that it retains heat for a lot longer than a traditional pie dish after you take it out of the oven. Because the cooling rate is so important for a recipe like this, I’d be interested to see how things work out with cast iron.
This pie is everything I was looking for in a key lime pie 🙂 Refreshing taste and beautiful texture. I’ve made this roughly 8-10 times now and this is a crowd pleaser, highly requested and a favorite.
I do want to note I added one more tbsp of butter into crust and I buttered the bottom of the pie dish as the crust was sticking to the bottom.
Thank You for sharing this delicious recipe 😘
Can I substitute the sweetened condensed milk for sweetened condensed coconut milk?
Hi Meaghan, I’ve never made this with condensed coconut milk, so it’s hard to say for sure – I’m sorry! Please report back how it turns out if you try it!
Hi–I made this recipe and both my husband and I really loved it….very delicious. There were 2 ingredients that I altered a bit. I added 2 more tablespoons of melted butter to the crust and I used 4 fresh regular limes for part of the lime juice (about 1/3rd cup) and I used bottled juice for the remainder since I didn’t have any more limes. Also, if you are baking the crust in a higher end type of oven (mine is a French door Viking Oven), check the crust after 5 minutes of baking. Mine was done well before the 10 minute mark. I will definitely make this again! Thanks for the recipe : )
My first time of making key lime pie. I am happy I tried this recipe. Even though I used bottled key lime juice….it was still tart. Thank you for sharing the recipe.