Key Lime Pie tastes like summer. The tartness of the key limes balanced with the sweetness of the graham cracker crust and sweetened condensed milk filling mirrors the bittersweetness of summer. The pie itself was invented in Key West, Florida, a destination I visited countless times growing up in Florida.
Key Lime Pie is the perfect pie for beginner bakers to make. The dough doesn’t need to rest or rise because it’s made of crushed graham crackers, so the hard work is already done for you. You’ll want to make this pie again and again and your friends will beg you to.
Key Lime Pie
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 1 1/2 cups crumbled Honey Maid graham crackers (about 8 crackers)
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 3 tbsp sugar
Key Lime Pie Filling
- 1/2 cup key lime juice (about 10 key limes or 1 lb)
- 4 egg yolks
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
Make the graham cracker crust
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Mix together 1 1/2 cups crumbled Honey Maid graham crackers, 1/3 cup melted butter, and 3 tbsp sugar in a medium bowl. Pour the mixture into a 9-inch pie pan or tart pan. Press it against the bottom and sides to create a pie crust.Note: if using a tart pan, double the ingredients.
- Bake the crust for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Then, take it out of the oven to cool.
Make the filling
- While the crust cools, make the filling.
- Squeeze the juice out of 10 key limes until you have 1/2 cup key lime juice. If you're using bottled key lime juice from the store, skip this step.
- Separate 4 egg yolks from egg whites. Put the egg yolks in a bowl with 14 oz sweetened condensed milk (one can). Mix well with a hand mixer until the egg yolks are fully incorporated.
- Keep mixing and slowly add in 1/2 cup key lime juice.
Bake the Pie
- Once the graham cracker crust has cooled. Pour the filling into the crust and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, take the pie out of the oven and refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.
- After your key lime pie has set in the fridge you can top it with whipped cream, a fun fruit design, or both.
What is a key lime?
Key limes are smaller counterparts to limes. They have a more yellowish coloring when compared to the typical Persian limes you find year-round at the grocery store. The more yellow a key lime gets, the more ripe it becomes.
Unlike most citrus, key lime season is in the summer instead of the winter. If you can’t find key limes in your local area, you can opt for bottled key lime juice. You can order Mrs. Biddle’s Key Lime Juice on Amazon (linked here).
As you can imagine, fresh is always best. I squeeze my fresh key lime juice into a jar to use all summer long and freeze the rest into ice cubes to use year-round.
Can I use regular limes in key lime pie?
You technically could substitute key limes for regular limes or even lemons in this Key Lime Pie recipe but you won’t get the distinct Key Lime Pie taste you crave. The tartness of key limes balances well with the sugar. If you need to substitute for limes or lemons, make sure you taste your filling before baking because it might need more sugar to balance out the tartness.
Graham cracker crust
The crust of Key Lime Pie is made by combining crushed graham crackers, melted butter, and sugar. Honey Maid graham crackers are non-negotiable in this recipe. I’ve made it with other graham cracker brands and it doesn’t turn out the same. If you can’t find Honey Maid, you can add a bit of extra sugar to the crumbled mixture to mimic the sweetness of Honey Maid.
You can make the pie in a standard 9-inch pie or tart pan. If you make it in a tart pan, you’ll want to double the recipe for the crust because tart pans have more surface area to cover with every ridge and crevice on the border. You won’t use all of the double mixture but you don’t want to be short.
The graham cracker crust in this recipe can be repurposed for other pies like a chocolate pie.
Decorate your pie
You can top your pie with whipped cream, extra graham cracker crumbles, or fruit (like pictured here). Because the surface of the pie is smooth, it’s a blank canvas to get creative.
Happy key lime pie baking!
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