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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Followed this recipe to a T. The filling was delicious. My husband said it tastes even better than Joe’s Stone Crab in Miami. And they’re famous for their pie. But! The crust was where I encountered a problem. I followed the recipe exactly, like I said. But the crust completely disintegrated when I cut into it. It was as if I never baked it, which I did. Maybe it needed more butter? I’ll try that next time I guess.
Hi Jenn! Would I be able to make this recipe as individual desserts in ramekins?
Sure, I think you could get away with it. I’d love to hear how they turn out!
More likely not enough sugar. Also, cook theCrust separately so that the sugar in it has time to caramelize and then, when it cools, it’ll be like brittle in peanut brittle. Not quite that hard, but you get the idea.
Just wanted to let everyone know this pie is absolutely delicious – MUCH better than those made with the bottled juice and eggs. It was cool how the filling thickened up so much when we added the lime juice 🙂 my partner’s mom adored it. I saw the note stating to add filling the day of or the crust will be soggy, but I finished baking the pie and chilled it 24h in advance and it was totally fine and not soggy. I also browned the butter in the crust for a notably toasty nutty flavor. Thanks!
I just finished making this the evening before presenting it as an anniversary gift to my husband. He LOVES key Lime pie but has been unimpressed with the selection here in Canada. I’m thinking this may be a nice surprise as a result; however, I see that you said to make it the day of. This concerns me greatly as we won’t be consuming it until the following evening, nor can we eat an entire pie between the two of us, so I truly hope it will still taste great by tomorrow, can either hold up for multiple days or be frozen..yikes. I’m wondering how the grocery stores are able to sell frozen versions…hmm. I may post an update to let others know if it was still yummy after delayed consumption and storage ‘pitfalls’.
I made this for my son on his 20th birthday, on the 7th! He absolutely loved it and my husband wants me to only use this recipe from now on! Thank you for this great recipe! 💚
so easy and delicious!! I followed the recipe exactly!
Do you have to leave it in a fridge for 3 hours?
Yes, I definitely recommend at least 3 hours.
Amazing key lime pie! I only used 1.5 cans of condensed milk as it was sweet enough for us, and added a bit more greek yogurt. Delish!!
can i freeze this pie with the whipped cream already on it?
Hi Amy, While I don’t think this is the kind of thing that I’d suggest making ahead and freezing with or without the whipped cream, if you have leftovers, you may be able to get away with freezing them (please keep in mind I haven’t frozen it myself).
Delicious pie! I added about 25% more lime as my family likes it really tart. Love the yogurt instead of sour cream.
Absolutely delicious; has the perfect balance of sweet and tart. Followed directions exactly (easy peasy) and results were perfect. Made it in a deep dish pie pan which left plenty of room for a generous amount of whipped cream to be piped along the edge of the crust. This recipe is a keeper!
Hi Jen! This pie is amazing as is( I last made it for Father’s Day) but I need some guidance on making the crust gluten -free for a friend’s upcoming birthday!! Do you think gluten- free graham crackers would do the trick ? The texture of the pie and the crust is what makes this recipe so good and I don’t want to compromise the end result!! Thanks so much
Hi Ellen, I think gluten-free graham crackers will work nicely here. Hope your friend enjoys!
Excellent idea! I live in Florida and have always made Key Lime Pie..but you are correct sometimes it’s very difficult to find key limes even for us Floridians. I make mine a bit different, I use eggs and put a high meringue top on it and bake it. I can’t wait to try it with Persian limes. Thank you for the suggestion.