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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Key lime pie is my husband’s favorite dessert, and he said this is the best key lime pie he’s ever had. I made it for our anniversary, and now he wants it for every holiday 🤪 We’re honest with each other about new recipes; we both love to cook, but I do most of the baking. This recipe will definitely be in our family’s regular rotation.
Could this be made using Fage’s Bestself lactose free yogurt and sweetened condensed coconut milk?
Hi Carol, the lactose free yogurt should be fine, but I’ve never made this with sweetened condensed coconut milk, so it’s hard to say for sure. If you do try it, I’d love to hear how it turns out!
How long will the filling stay good in the refrigerator if stored separately from the pie crust? In other words, how many days in advance can I mix up the filling? I’m hoping that four days in advance is ok.
Hi Sue, Since there aren’t any eggs, I think that should be fine. Hope you enjoy!
I made this yesterday and my husband said it was the best dessert he ever had! Ever!
THIS IS IT! Friends/family have been trying to recreate an incredible beach resort bakery key lime pie – and this is the closest we’ve ever come. We made a game of it & baked / blind tasted all sorts of award winning, traditional, and celebrity chef recipes – and this is the clear winner. Everyone agreed that THIS recipe was nearly identical (or better) than the magical key lime pie we’d make special trips to the beach for. I’m shocked because there are no egg yolks, but everyone liked it better without them! Its rich, thick and creamy instead of gelatinous. The greek yogurt is nice and subtle whereas recipes that call for sour cream can sometimes have a sour undercurrent. And although we prefer the filling as written, (very well balanced), it’s super easy to boost the tartness if that’s your thing. Our graham crust is a little different with an added pinch cinnamon that adds a layer of warmth that goes really well with the cool pie. So excited!!! Thank you!
This pie was absolutely delicious! My husband and I are both picky key lime pie critics and I made this for his birthday and we both loved it! I did use Nellie & Joe’s Famous Key West Lime Juice instead of the regular lime juice and it was perfection. Definitely recommend this recipe, it was so easy!
I love to use Nellie’s too. Did you substitute it equally for the regular limes and did your pie set up well? I have trouble with eggs so this recipe would be a great alternative. Thanks!
This pie was exceptional! My husband of 30 years has always wanted key lime pie for his birthday and I always made it for him – from scratch. Not my favorite task but I don’t deny him much because I love him mad and its only once a year. My pies were always made with the little tiny key limes or if I couldn’t find the key limes, I used the bottled key lime juice (not bad but not great). I never thought about using regular limes. My recipe also called for incorporating eggs and I always made an Oreo crust (really good flavors together). I got the recipe from a restaurant in Coconut Grove, Florida and its been a good recipe. But! I tried this one and it was a hit! We both really loved it. I will always make this recipe from now on. Thank you for making my life sweeter and easier.
Can you share the recipe from the restaurant in Florida? Just curious to see how it differs from this one. Thanks
I made this pie exactly as directed. I loved the filling. It is awesome. I had two problems though. First, I trusted the statement that 12 graham crackers would be about the right amount. Be sure to measure the crumbs before adding the butter, otherwise the proportions will be off and it won’t hold together. Second, I will skip adding the lime slices to the top as a decoration. If you don’t eat the entire pie immediately, they become very bitter and distort the flavor of the pie just by being in contact with the whipping cream. That ruined the pie. Nobody eats the limes on top anyway. I will make this recipe again with these modifications.
I didn’t have extra limes to slice on top so I used sliced fresh strawberries. Worked great and looked very pretty. Tasted good, too.
This recipe is just so phenomenal! I have made it a number of times and still surprise myself with how enjoyable it is.
This time we made it as individual lime pie cups for a baptism lunch. I subbed melted coconut butter instead of real butter into the crumb layer and gently toasted it all in the oven. Packed that into each glass, then added the lime filling, then – without baking it further – topped it all with whipped cream and a crispy coconut roll in each. Beautiful and delicious!
Thank you, as always, Chef Jenn!
I made this for a small dinner party and everyone loved it. I did not make the topping, as it seems to take away the true tangy lime deliciousness. Be sure to let it set before serving to maintain the shape. Enjoy!
The pie was good but my topping was runny. I put it in the freezer and mixed it again and it was a little better. Overall, the pie had good flavor but wasn’t the prettiest. I’m not sure what I did wrong on the topping. I started out with key limes but after sweezing an entire bag I only got about 1/4 of a cup so I got regular limes for the rest. This pie would’ve been quick had I gotten just regular limes like the recipe called for.
the amount of fat content makes a huge difference when you are making a whipped topping. it if does not have at least 35% it ends up being really watery.