Key Lime Pie
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Made with ordinary limes, this “Key lime” pie tastes every bit as authentic as the real deal — plus it’s easier to make.
I use Persian limes, otherwise known as ordinary supermarket limes, to make my “Key lime” pie. Unless you live in the Florida Keys, 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 are 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.
Similar to coconut cream pie and lemon meringue pie, key lime pie can be made with a graham cracker/cookie 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?
What You’ll Need To Make Key Lime Pie
- You’ll need 8 to 10 limes total for this recipe. Choose plump limes that give a little when you squeeze them; they will be easier to juice. You should get about 2 tablespoons of juice from each lime. Be sure to zest the limes before you squeeze the juice from them, as it’s near impossible to do afterward.
- Sweetened condensed milk is canned milk from which water has been removed, and sugar has been added. Be sure not to confuse it with evaporated milk, which is usually sold right alongside.
- With no eggs, it may be hard to believe that this pie will set, but have faith — it will.
How To Make Key Lime Pie
Step 1: Make The Crust
Combine the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and melted butter in a mixing bowl. Stir with a fork first, and then your hands until the mixture is well combined.
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-in deep-dish pie pan. The crust should be about 1/4-in thick. (Hint: do the sides first.)
Bake the crust for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Then let the crust cool a bit while you make the filling.
Step 2: Make the Filling
Begin by zesting the limes.
It’s best to use a rasp grater, which is a long, skinny tool that works well for grating hard cheeses and zesting citrus.
Juice the limes using a citrus reamer, then combine the juice with the sweetened condensed milk, yogurt, and lime zest.
Whisk to combine.
Pour the filling into the cooked graham cracker crust.
Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the filling is almost set.
Let the pie cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then place in the refrigerator to chill thoroughly, about 3 hours.
Step 3: Make the 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.) Top the chilled pie with whipped cream and decorate with lime slices and zest.
Photo by Alexandra Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)
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Key Lime Pie
Made with ordinary limes, this “Key lime” pie tastes every bit as authentic as the real deal — plus it’s easier to make.
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
For the Crust
- Preheat oven to 375 °F 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 1.5-inch (deep-dish) pie pan. The crust should be about ¼-inch thick. (Tip: do the sides first.)
- Bake for 10 minutes, until just slightly browned. Let the crust cool on a wire rack.
For the Filling
- Lower the oven temperature to 350°F.
- 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.
For 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.
- 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.
- Note: The nutritional information was calculated using 2% Greek yogurt.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (10 servings)
- Calories: 481
- Fat: 24 g
- Saturated fat: 14 g
- Carbohydrates: 60 g
- Sugar: 54 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Sodium: 183 mg
- Cholesterol: 76 mg
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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Comments
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Hi Jenn,
Could the key lime pie recipe be doubled for a 9×13” pan? I want to make this for my large family at Easter. If not, I’ll just make two pies. 😋
Thank you! You are my “go to” for the very best recipes!
Linda Florreich
Johns Creek, GA
Hi Linda, I haven’t tried it, but I think it should work. Baking time may be a little different so keep a close eye on it. And thank you for the kind words about the recipes – so glad you like them!
Hi Jenn,
I made the pie using the Meyer lemons and took it to PT for the staff…they loved it! One gal said she took a slice home for her mom, who also enjoyed it!
Thank you so much…both lime and.lemon are huge hits!
Maile
Great recipe. I’ve made this three times and everyone has loved it and asked for more.
Fantastic recipe! Whenever I make it, it goes fast and it is top of the request list with my kids and friends. I have only made it once with limes, the rest of the times I have used whatever lemons I have on hand since lemons are NoCal’s version of zucchini. I have made it with European yogurt (slightly longer cooking time), only 1 can SCM (more lemony and tart, very good), no sugar in crust (don’t miss it), different random things in the crust (Nature Valley Honey&Oats, TJ’s triple ginger cookies are both worth it), and with and without the whipped cream (does not change the speed of group inhalation). Utterly delicious, and I have cited you in our family recipe notes. Thank you!
I used this crust recipe and it was too crumbly. Needed more butter. I didn’t go with this key lime pie recipe because of the yogurt. Not sure how that would taste.
But I do love once upon a chef. My go to recipe finder. Beautiful website. Great recipes!
Hi Jenn,
I’ve been gifted lots of Meyer lemons; have you tried substituting lemons for the limes? I realize this is a lime pie recipe but I’m looking for a creative way to use all these lemons, thank you!
Hi Maile, I’ve never tried it with lemon but some other people have commented that they have and have enjoyed it. I believe Meyer lemons are slightly sweeter than traditional ones, so you may want to reduce or omit the sugar in the crust to account for that. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Hi I am making for Friday can I make this pie and freeze it and thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and garnish Friday morning before work ?
Hi Kim, 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). Please LMK how it turns out if you freeze it!
Full disclosure, I used a pre-made pie shell. I made the rest of the recipe as written, except I used Honey flavored greek yoghurt instead of plain, and it was delicious! I made it again, subbing all lime ingredients for orange, and it was also amazing. The extra oils in the orange make it a little more difficult to mix, but it sets fine. It’s fantastic. So, so yummy.
We LOVE this Key Lime Pie recipe. I’ve made it twice now and it’s always a hit. But, how do we keep the graham cracker crust from sticking on the pie glass dish? The crust fell apart and I wish it looks as pretty as it tastes after cutting into it. Any tips?
Hi Sue, Glad you like it but sorry to hear you’re having a problem with the crust. Are you using all 4 tablespoons of butter in it, or making any other adjustments?
I made this pie for a pie competition and I won!! It was so delicious and everybody loved it!