Perfect Key Lime Pie
- PREP 3hrs 30min
- COOK 25min
- TOTAL 3hrs 55min
Our family loves this recipe for key lime pie. We use our homemade graham cracker crust for the base, and generously top the pie with whipped cream. The filling is tangy, perfectly sweet, and creamy, thanks to the addition of heavy cream (my secret ingredient for the best pie!).
Before slicing, you need to thoroughly chill this pie (for at least 2 to 3 hours in the fridge, and preferably overnight). We prefer to let it cool for 30 to 40 minutes on the counter, then refrigerate it overnight. As it chills, the filling firms up, making it easier to get clean slices. Cutting this pie too early will give you more sloppy slices (although they still taste incredible!).
You Will Need
- Graham Cracker Crust
12 graham cracker sheets or 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs (180g)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar (24g)
6 tablespoons melted unsalted butter (85g)
Pinch fine sea salt
- Key Lime Pie
1 tablespoon lime zest, plus more for garnish
¾ cup fresh lime juice (177ml)
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 ⅓ cup heavy cream (315ml)
1 ½ tablespoons sugar (18g)
5 large egg yolks
- Whipped Topping
1 cup cold heavy cream or heavy whipping cream (240ml)
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Small pinch fine salt
Directions
1Prepare the oven and pan: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Place a 9-inch pie dish onto a large baking sheet.
2Make the graham cracker crumbs: Place the graham cracker sheets into a food processor. Pulse until they form fine crumbs.
3Mix the crust: In a large bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and salt. Pour in the melted butter and stir until the mixture resembles wet sand.
4Press the crust: Pour the crumb mixture into your pie dish. Using the bottom of a glass or a measuring cup, firmly pack the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the dish. For a smooth edge, use the back of a spoon to shape the corner where the side and bottom crust meet.
5Partially bake the crust: Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack until it’s warm to the touch.
6Make the filling: While the crust cools, whisk together the lime zest, lime juice, sweetened condensed milk, cream, sugar, and egg yolks in a medium bowl until smooth. The mixture will thicken slightly. As an optional step, you can taste a very small amount of the filling at this point to see if you need more sugar. It should taste pretty tart, but ever-so-slightly sweet.
7Bake the pie: Pour the filling into the warm crust and bake for 20 to 30 minutes. The pie is done when the edges are mostly set, but the center is still a bit wobbly. The pie will look slightly underdone, which is exactly what you want. It firms up as it cools.
8Cool the pie: Remove the pie from the oven and place it on a cooling rack. Let it cool to room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes, then refrigerate until thoroughly chilled before adding the whipped topping. Leaving this pie in the fridge overnight is best, but 2 to 3 hours will do. As it chills, the filling firms even more.
9Make the whipped topping: Use an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer to beat the cold heavy cream on low speed until it starts to foam. Increase the speed to medium-high. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt, and continue to beat on high speed until medium to firm peaks form (if piping this onto the pie, you will need firm peaks).
10Finish the pie: Swirl or pipe the whipped cream on top of the cooled pie. Sprinkle lime zest over the cream (or decorate with thin lime slices). Refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: The pie with the whipped cream topping will last for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. Keep it chilled until you’re ready to serve.
- Store-bought crust: Feel free to use one, but keep in mind they are usually 8-inch round, so it’s smaller than the 9-inch pie in our photos. You may have some filling leftover. You can skip making the crust, but still partially bake it for 10 minutes.
- Limes vs. key limes: You can use either key limes or regular limes (also called Persian limes) for this recipe. However, when we tested this recipe, we found that regular limes actually tasted even more flavorful than the key limes. So, my family sticks with regular limes.
- How many limes to use: If you’re using regular limes, you’ll need about 7 to 8 limes to get ¾ cup of juice. For key limes, the number can vary greatly depending on their size. In our tests, we needed about 32 tiny key limes to get the same amount of juice.
- Bottled key lime juice: Use ¾ cup bottled key lime juice, such as Nellie & Joe’s, and 1 tablespoon of fresh grated lime zest (from regular limes).
- Use different citrus fruits: While this recipe is written as a lime pie, you can substitute the limes for any tart/sour citrus, like lemons, Meyer lemons, grapefruit, or sour oranges, like Seville oranges. Calamansi limes are also lovely.
- Nutritional facts provided are estimates.