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 literally just made this today and my spouse loved it. Easy and delicious. Thank you for sharing!
Loved by my entire family of avowed chocoholics. And so easy to make, too! I made the mistake of adding the whipped topping right before serving; it flopped when I served it, but the pie was too delicious for the eaters to care about aesthetics. Next time (and there will definitely be a next time), I will be sure to chill the pie with the topping for an hour at least.
Can’t wait to try. Can I make the filling a day ahead and then pour it into the crust the day of?
Yep – hope you enjoy! 🙂
First time making this and it was perfect, well, it tastes perfect. Im still an amateur. Loved making this!
We had this Key Lime Pie for a family dinner this July and it was the BEST Key Lime Pie any of us ever had! I had gotten your recipe in an email and I forwarded it to my daughter, who wanted to bring a dessert. Since we LOVE Key Lime Pie I thought this looked good. Well, she made it exactly as directed, said it was easy, and it looked fantastic decorated with the thinly sliced limes. She was kind enough to leave half the leftovers with us, and we just finished the last piece today. It was just as good as the first day! Love the cheesecake-like consistency and creaminess. I am making a hard copy of your recipe to add to my recipe file. I am not a baker, but your recipe, with the pictures of each step, look like something even a beginner could follow. Thank you for all the recipes you send. I have tried several and they were great, too!
I made this recipe for our Saturday date night. This is the first time I made and ate a Key Lime Pie. It was amazing! The Key Lime Pie recipe will forever be in my dessert repertoire. Forever your fan, Michelle, Edmonton, AB, Canada
Hi Jenn! I made this yesterday and my entire family loved it! Thank you! Question, where did you get your pie dish from? It is so cute!
Sorry, I forgot to click the stars. 😅 All of your recipes are fantastic!
Hi, I like reallly tart key lime and lemon pies. There’s alot of condensed milk, can I add more lime juice and what would you suggest the ratio be? Or
Thanks! I’ll be making it tomorrow:)
Hi Carol, I worry that adding too much more lime juice will make the pie too runny, but you could probably get away with an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons. Hope that helps!
Hi Kelly, So glad you enjoyed! I wish I could tell you where the dish came from but it was a vintage find from my food photographer.
This was my first time making key lime pie and I will search no further for a recipe! This pie came out absolutely perfect and was crazy easy to make. It was a huge hit for the 4th of July!
This was excellent and so easy! In case anyone makes the same mistake I did and only bought one 6 oz. serving of Greek yogurt, I added an egg yolk to the filling mixture. It probably would have been fine with only 6 oz. but my usual key lime pie recipe (Joe’s Stone Crab) uses 3 yolks with the filling. It was an easy and delicious fix. Great recipe!
I served this pie for 4th of July celebration dinner and it was a hit. BEST.KEY LIME PIE. EVER. This is a keeper.