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.
Key lime pie is one of those classic American desserts that’s stood the test of time. With its cool, creamy filling and bright citrus flavor, it’s the perfect balance of sweet and tart. This version has a buttery graham cracker crust and a silky-smooth filling that’s refreshing, creamy, and surprisingly easy to make.
Best of all, it’s made with just a handful of ingredients and can be prepared a day or two in advance, so it’s a great dessert for entertaining. I’ve served it everywhere from summer barbecues to holiday dinners, and it’s always one of the first desserts to disappear.
“Off the charts delicious! The brown sugar in the crust is *chefs kiss* and the tart, creaminess of this pie is next-level.”
Do yOU Really Need Key Limes?
Before we get to the recipe, let’s talk about the limes. Despite the name, you don’t need Key limes to make an outstanding Key lime pie. Key limes are much smaller than the Persian limes (the standard grocery store variety) most of us are familiar with. They’re also packed with seeds, so it takes a lot of them to get the ½ cup of juice this recipe calls for. Unless you live somewhere they’re grown, truly fresh Key limes can also be difficult to find.
Over the years, I’ve made this pie with fresh Key limes, bottled Key lime juice (such as Nellie & Joe’s), and regular Persian limes. My favorite version is made with fresh Persian limes. Their bright, vibrant flavor shines through beautifully in the filling, and they’re easy to find year-round. That said, if you have access to fresh Key limes, by all means use them. They’ll give the pie a slightly different flavor that’s a little more floral and aromatic.
What You’ll Need To Make Key Lime Pie
For the crust, you’ll need finely crushed graham cracker crumbs, light brown sugar, and melted butter. For the filling, you’ll need sweetened condensed milk, Greek yogurt, fresh lime juice and lime zest. Finally, for the topping, you’ll need heavy cream and confectioners’ sugar.
You’ll notice this recipe doesn’t call for egg yolks, like many traditional Key lime pie recipes. After testing it both ways, I found they simply weren’t necessary. The pie sets beautifully without them, thanks to the combination of sweetened condensed milk and Greek yogurt, and I actually prefer the cleaner, brighter lime flavor that comes from leaving them out. As a bonus, there’s no separating eggs, making the recipe even easier to prepare.
Step-by-Step Instructions
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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This recipe was my first ever key lime pie attempt (and only my second pie ever-hey, I’m a guy), but it came out very well and was well received by my son who requested it for a Father’s Day get together. The only thing I would suggest is putting the yoghurt in first, then the sweet condensed milk on top of the yoghurt. I put the sweet condensed milk in the bowl first, and even with an electric beater almost half of the sweet condensed milk stayed on the bottom of the bowl. Even so, the pie came out exceedingly well. Five stars.
We love this pie. It’s my husband’s favorite. How long can leftovers sit in the refrigerator and still taste good?
So glad you like it! It should last 2 to 3 days in the fridge, but keep in mind that the crust is likely to get a bit soggy.
Made it! Easy peasy. Delicious. My main problem is I don’t think the pyrex pie pan i inherited is the right size and it probably needs to be buttered before putting the crust in.
I may have done something wrong but are you sure it’s two cans of 14 oz sweetened condensed milk? I had enough filling to make two pies following this recipe.
Hi Kevyn, I’m sorry you had a problem with this! It’s definitely two 14-ounce cans of sweetened condensed milk. Did you use a deep-dish pie pan?
I’m wondering if people are seeing 28 ounces and thinking 3 1/2 cups of sweetened condensed milk?
I made your key lime pie for a dinner party last night, and everyone raved about it! It’s always a company favorite. Absolutely delicious!
Fabulous dessert enjoyed by the whole family.
I made this Key Lime Pie for my family, and they loved it! It tasted like it was fresh from the Flordia Keys.
My favorite Key Lime Pie! Not so overly sweet, just the right amount of sweetness and tartness combined.
Thank you Jenn for another great recipe! : )
Curiosity question – I have read the comments and plan on making this but wondered re-garding the crust getting soggy – might it work that after you bake the crust, could you paint it with thin layer of melted white chocolate, let it set, then pour in the filling and let it bake the 15 min? Or do you think the white choc would melt into the filling and not make a difference?
Hi Carol, I do think the chocolate layer would melt into the filling/crust. If you serve the pie right after assembling, the crust won’t be soggy. You can make the components up to a day ahead and assemble it before serving.
What caught my eye was
“I made this pie for a pie competition and I won!!”
To be perfectly honest, I am not a fan of Key Lime Pie but My husband loves it. And because I love my husband I decided to make it for him.
I was seriously surprised by the finished product; I loved it. And so did everyone else. I will be making this again. Thank you for sharing such a tasty and easy recipe.
Tammy