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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Great recipe! Thanks! Next time I may try using Greek LIME yogurt if I can find it. I also used store bought Pecan pie crust, a little texture.
Made this for a small Fourth of July picnic and it was delicious. It got rave reviews and my husband even said it’s is the best key lime pie he has ever had! I will definitely be making this again. Thank you!
Can i use plain whole milk yogurt instead of greek yogurt?
Hi Cathy, Yes, just strain it because it’s not as thick. Sour cream would also be a fine substitute with no straining.
I have made this several times and it is really good; however, I have one consistent issue. The crust. I can never get the crust to fully pack down and it ends up being very crumbly when trying to eat it. How can I get the crust to stick together better and pack down firmly? Does it need more butter?
Hi Stephanie, I’m sorry you’ve consistently had a problem with the crust! Yes, I’d add another tablespoon or so of butter. That should help it bind better.
I used store bought already made graham cracker crust and it turned out great.
Can I use non fat greek yogurt?
Alicia, non-fat yogurt will work — the filling just won’t be as rich.
So easy and absolutely delicious. The perfect summertime dessert! I will absolutely be making this again. Follow the recipe exactly and you can’t go wrong.
Made this with my neighbor’s 12 year old son…it is his favorite dessert! Followed the recipe exactly, except for using Biscoff for a crust And sour cream for the yogurt (both had been hanging around the kitchen waiting to be used up:). He did all of the work while I just read the recipe aloud to him. Sent him home with the pie, whipping cream, zest and confectioners sugar. Just got this message from him…”the best pie EVER,”. Thank you for the recipe for a fun morning for this 70 year old and her sweet neighbor:)
❤️
I made this to bring to a BBQ and per usual, made 1.5x the recipe so to make extra in cupcakes as testers/dessert at home. This was a BIG hit at the party, and the day after I am eating a extra cupcake version and it’s even better after sitting in the fridge.
A few minor tweaks:
– Increase the crust
– Decrease the filling. For 1.5x the recipe, I made a pie + 6 cupcakes. I could get away with 1x filling.
– For the filling, double the lime juice.
– Increase the topping, the cream really balances the flavor/texture of the pie as a whole.
Definitely a repeat recipe. Thank you!
Well Jen, you’ve done it again. Ive always wanted to like key lime pie.. especially being from FL but it just never seems right. Well someone in my circle said they love key lime pie so I figured I’d try to make them one. Found your recipe and having used a few before felt it was a good start for me. I read through the other comments and decided to use a premade graham cracker crust… Because I’m lazy.. 2c plain Greek yogurt to cut the sweetness, upped the lime zest to however much came, it was for sure more than the tbs spoon, off my 10 limes. I zested another lime.on top of the whipped cream And I love it, it’s smooth and creamy, not toothache sweet and it was so easy. I can’t wait to make this for others! I may do this in a rectangular baking (9×11)dish to share with more people.
Made this for the first time yesterday for a friend; KLP is her favorite. I used Keebler premade crusts and added one extra Tbs. of confectioners sugar in the topping. It was for a birthday and it turned out great. Very tasty and just the right amount of lime flavor. I’m probably bragging a bit, but I think it was as good as any key lime pie I’ve ever eaten. She thought the same. Outside of juicing a bunch of limes, this is a simple pie to make. Highly recommend this recipe to pie lovers everywhere. Thank you for sharing this.
Rick in Indiana
Did you bake the crust before adding the filling?
I made this pie for Father’s Day this past Sunday because it’s my dad & grandpa’s favorite, and everyone loved it!!! I don’t bake often enough, but my grandma loves to cook/bake and she said it was the best key lime pie she’s ever had! 🙂