Mouth-Watering Key Lime Pie

It’s sweet, it’s tart, it’s creamy, buttery, fresh AND flaky. I mean, seriously. This Key Lime Pie is EVERYTHING.

I never knew the absolute bliss of biting into a perfect key lime pie until I moved to Florida. Every summer our backyard is overflowing with fresh key limes from our favorite little tree.

And while I love mojitos as much as the next gal (check out these Fiery Ginger Beer Mojitos!), I can only make so many. So what the heck to do with SO MUCH extra flavor-packed citrus?

You guessed it. This Mouth-Watering Key Lime Pie.

Key Lime Pie Tips and Tricks

The Limes Are KEY

You see what I did there?

There is a difference between limes and key limes. Key lime juice is actually more tart than the juice of regular limes, so it’s important to take that into consideration here.

Green tip: Growing your own citrus is a delicious way to reduce your environmental footprint. Homegrown herbs have zero associated food miles, no pesky plastic packaging, and are free of damaging fertilizers and chemicals. Of course, not everyone lives in the right climate for key limes, but check what plants will thrive in your area!

This recipe calls for 1/2 cup of key lime juice, so if you’re using classic lime juice, you may need to add a little extra.

1/2 cup is already A LOT of juice. A LOT, A LOT. I’m talking, my kitchen looked like a key lime graveyard when I was done squeezing that fresh juice, ALOT.

But it’s important to perfectly balance that tart and the sweet. The solution is to taste your pie filling before adding it to your crust.

This means you’ll have to add your egg yolks last, after you’ve had a chance to taste your mixture. Keep some extra lime juice on hand in case it’s a little too sweet.

It’s All About That Base

Equally as important as your velvety filling is the perfect crust to compliment it.

This is my go-to foolproof graham cracker crust (the same one I use for this delicious Pineapple Pie) and it is an epic mix of buttery, flaky, not-too-sweet crust with a pinch of salt to round it out.

The easiest way to achieve the perfect base is just to throw all your ingredients into a blender or food processor until it becomes a sand-like texture, press it into a pie tin, and bake it for a quick 8 minutes.

Well, second easiest. Of course you could always buy a pre-made graham cracker crust for a quick, no-fuss pie. This is a no judgement zone.

For more awesome pie ideas, check out this Chocolate Mint Pie and this Rich Vegan Dark Chocolate Oreo Pie!

Key Lime Pie

5 from 1 vote

Marley Goldin

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Sweet, buttery graham cracker crust filled with creamy, tangy, fresh custard makes this Key Lime Pie absolutely unforgettable.

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Equipment

• Blender
• Hand Mixer
• Reusable Piping Bag (optional)

Ingredients

  

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Crust

• ▢ 2 cups graham cracker crumbs (2 cups usually = 14 crushed crackers)
• ▢ ½ cup brown sugar
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 8 tablespoons butter (8 tbsp usually = 1 stick)

Pie Filling

• ▢ 28 ounces (2 cans) sweetened condensed milk
• ▢ ½ cup key lime juice (about 14 limes)
• ▢ ¼ cup sour cream
• ▢ 2 key limes, zest of
• ▢ 2 drops green food coloring (optional)
• ▢ 2 egg yolks

Whipped Key Lime Topping (optional)

• ▢ ½ cup heavy whipping cream
• ▢ 1 tablespoon key lime juice (1-2 key limes)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

 

Crust

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Put graham crackers, brown sugar, salt and butter into a blender on high until sand-like mixture forms.
• Press your crust mixture into a pie tin and bake for 8 minutes. Allow to completely cool before adding filling.

Pie Filling

• Bring oven down to 300°F.
• Use a hand mixer to combine sweetened condensed milk, key lime juice, sour cream, lime zest, and food coloring.
• Separate your egg yolks from their whites. Fold in egg yolks, being careful not to overbeat.
• Bake for 18 – 20 minutes until *just* set. Let cool for at least an hour on a cooling rack.

Whipped Key Lime Topping (optional)

• Whip cream until it starts to thicken.
• Add lime juice and powdered sugar and whip until peaks form.
• Once pie is completely cooled, use a piping bag to add a decorative layer, or spread thin layer across the top.

Pro Tips

• You can easily buy a pre-made pie crust and top it with regular whipped cream to simplify this recipe.
• Don’t waste the egg white! It can be used in these Candied Walnuts, Egg White French Toast, Love Potion Cocktail,
• Love a good pie? You gotta check out this list of my best pie recipes!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Diet Vegetarian

Keyword Key Lime Pie

Did you make this recipe?Let me know by leaving a recipe rating below, or by tagging @marleysmenu on Instagram.