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Home » Recipe Search » Pies & Tarts

Aug 18, 2019(last updated November 26, 2022)

Easy Key Lime Pie

3.67 from 3 votes
BySam Adler
Jump to Recipe

Super fun to make, this easy key lime pie recipe is tangy, creamy, and feels like summer no matter what time of year you make it.

3 slices cut out if a mini key lime pie

Key lime pie to me means Key West.

Living in South Florida we have been able to drive down to the keys when we have a couple days off and get on island time.

All the streets down there include blocks and blocks of different restaurants and bakery’s claiming they have the best key lime pie. Obviously we had to try them all. We even tried one that was dipped in chocolate and sold by the slice on a stick. I need to get on that.

Mini key lime pies drizzled with white chocolate on a white background

After our trips there, we’re always left craving more and so instead of taking the 4 hour drive down to key west when the craving hits, I make my own!

If you love summery desserts than you have got to make this key lime pie! If your’e looking for something refreshing to drink check out London’s Mango Lassi!

Easy Key Lime Pie Recipe

This recipe is super refreshing, creamy, and has some serious southern tang to it. There is no shortage of flavor in this pie, plus the contrast between soft custard and crunchy graham cracker keeps you digging in.

slices cut into mini key lime pies

Key limes vs regular limes

The thing about key lime pie though is that to be authentic you have to use key limes. They are smaller than regular sized limes and therefore don’t give you as much juice per piece. So to make your life easier you can either do one of two things:

  • Buy key lime juice. This one is my favorite brand and you can generally find it in any grocery store or this link.
  • Use regular limes! It’s totally fine to use regular limes, your secret is safe with me.

Or you can for sure get key limes, and squeeze out the juice of each one, but then we wouldn’t be able to call this easy key lime pie anymore lolllllll.

A spoon taking a piece out of a mini key lime pie

How to make this easy key lime pie recipe:

This recipe uses a graham cracker crust, so first you combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter and bake until ready about 8- 10 mins. Then comes the best part- mixing the rest of the ingredients in one bowl.

Ingredients:

  • eggs
  • lime juice and zest
  • condensed milk
  • half n half
  • graham cracker crust

Eggs, lime juice, zest, condensed milk, and half and half all go in one bowl and get mixed up and poured into the graham cracker crust. Bake for just a few minutes. The hardest part is waiting for it to cool and chill.

How to decorate key lime pie:

If you are serving the pie right away- whipped cream and lime slices are a great option. You can decorate the border of the pie with the cream and arrange slices all around. Or you can just garnish with some more zest! Little flakes of green would be so pretty against the white whipped cream.

If you are making this in advance ( up to 2 days in advance is fine! ) – whipped cream is not a good idea because it can deflate or melt. For this recipe I drizzled some melted white chocolate, and lime zest and was super happy with how they looked even the next day.

Another option is to sprinkle some graham cracker crumbs on top for more texture and flavor.

A mini key lime pie drizzled with white chocolate

How to store:

You gotta keep this pie in the fridge! Covered, with plastic wrap or stored in a large plastic bag, it will be fine for 3-4 days. You can freeze it too if you wrap it tightly in foil and plastic wrap. It’ll be fine for up to 2 months.

One last thing- you can totally play around with this recipe and make it into bars or mini individuals like I did here (this recipe makes about 6 mini tarts). I usually make it in a round pan but you can make it in a square 8×8 too. If you do play around with it, let me know how it goes!

Check out these other summer inspired recipes:

  • Lemon Poppyseed Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
  • Blueberry Lemon Scones
  • Peach Slab Pie

This post has an affiliate link which means if you purchase something off of that link I make a small commission at no extra cost to you, thanks for supporting my blog!

 

3 slices cut out if a mini key lime pie

Easy Key Lime Pie

Super easy to make, this key lime pie recipe is tangy, creamy, and feels like summer no matter what time of year you make it.
3.67 from 3 votes
Print Pin SaveSaved! Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: easy pie recipe, refreshing summer dessert, southern pie recipe
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 6 -10
Calories: 586kcal
Author: Sam Adler

Ingredients

For the graham cracker crust:

  • 2.5 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • ½ cup butter melted
  • 3 tablespoon granulated sugar

For the Filling:

  • 3 egg yolks large
  • 1 14 ounce can condensed milk
  • ⅓ cup half n half
  • Zest of 1 lime
  • ½ cup key lime or lime juice
  • Whipped cream or zest for garnish

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 375 ° F.
  • In a medium sized bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar until it resembles a mixture like wet sand. Press the crumbs into a 9" tart pan (see other options below) and bake for 8-10 minutes until golden brown. Cool.
  • Meanwhile combine the egg yolks, condensed milk, half n half, zest, and lime juice and whisk until combined evenly. Pour the mixture into the cooled graham cracker crust, lower the oven temperature to 350°F and bake for 8-10 mins, until heated through. Cool, and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours before serving. Garnish and decorate!

Notes

This can be made in mini 4" tart pans or into bars in a square 8x8 inch pan. 

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Easy Key Lime Pie
Amount Per Serving (1 slice)
Calories 586 Calories from Fat 261
% Daily Value*
Fat 29g45%
Saturated Fat 16g100%
Cholesterol 167mg56%
Sodium 466mg20%
Potassium 376mg11%
Carbohydrates 74g25%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 53g59%
Protein 10g20%
Vitamin A 849IU17%
Vitamin C 8mg10%
Calcium 262mg26%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Filed Under: Pies & Tarts

About Sam Adler

Sam Adler is a Le Cordon Bleu professionally trained pastry chef, Saveur Blog Award winner, food photographer, and food blogger over on FrostingandFettuccine.com. She has been featured in numerous online and in-print publications including Taste of Home Magazine, Saveur Magazine, The Feed Feed, and Food Blogger Pro. Sam lives in Hollywood florida with her husband, two young kids, and french bulldog. When she’s not baking and dancing in her kitchen you can find her at her favorite yoga spot.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ellen Felder says

    October 11, 2020 at 11:31 pm

    Is there anything that can be substituted for condensed milk? Anything non dairy maybe?

    Reply
    • Sam says

      October 12, 2020 at 8:41 am

      Hi! you can try coconut condensed milk!

      Reply

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XO, Sam

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Hi! Im Sam Adler,

I'm a professionally trained pastry chef and food photographer.
This is a place where you will find easy yet impressive looking desserts. I also share a ton of food photography resources too! What can I say, I love pretty & delicious baked goods! Learn more about me!

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2 tbsp Stonemill Pure Vanilla Extract
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