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You are here: Home / Recipes / Dessert / Best Key Lime Pie

Best Key Lime Pie

February 1, 2019

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The Best Key Lime Pie recipe EVER! Tart and sweet and incredibly easy, this Key Lime Pie is sure to be a family favorite! A delicious graham cracker crust filled to the brim with an incredibly creamy filling that is just so quick to make! You won’t be able to stop at just one slice!

Love key lime desserts? Check out my Key Lime Pie Bars and Key Lime Pie Snowball Cookies!

key-lime-pie-recipe

Key Lime Pie

I’m admittedly not much of a pie person. I only share pie recipes that I absolutely love. Recipes like this Key Lime Pie. That incredible combination of tart and sweet is absolutely irresistible and will make this pie a family favorite, guaranteed.

So, confession time. I didn’t squeeze a bunch of key limes for this pie. This is an easy key lime pie recipe, after all 🙂 I used key lime juice. You can find it the produce area in most grocery stores. It makes this pie even easier to make!

Now, if you have access to key limes and want to squeeze them, go right ahead! Absolutely perfect in this pie.

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After all of that, Happy Pi Day! With an electrical engineering degree you can bet I’ve had my fill of pi. But never, NEVER will I have my fill of this pie.

best-key-lime-pie-recipe

So this “key” lime pie recipe is crazy easy. And I mean cray-zee. So easy, you may find yourself making one a week, like I plan to, for the rest of your life.

Key Lime Pie – Always Start with a Graham Cracker Crust

The pie starts with a graham cracker crust. I am terrible at crusts but gosh darnit, a homemade graham cracker crust tastes WAY better than a store bought one and it’s pretty simple to make. Just some graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter will do the trick.

I’m a big fan of graham cracker crusts because they are super easy to make and go so well in many desserts. I use it in this Pistachio Pie and these No Bake S’mores Cheesecake Bars.

(Extra graham crackers? You can find all my recipes that use graham cracker crusts here.)

key-lime-pie-recipe-slice

What Is In Key Lime Pie Filling

Now let’s get to the filling. It’s a whole lotta lime juice, lime zest, sour cream and a couple cans of sweetened condensed milk (a.k.a. nectar of the gods). You just whisk it all together, pour it into your pie shell, bake for 10 minutes and voila – you’ve got a key lime pie that will blow your family and friends away.

  • Key Lime Juice
  • Lime Zest
  • Sour Cream
  • Sweetened Condensed Milk

key-lime-pie-whipped-cream

What You Need To Make this Key Lime Pie

  • Pie Plate – I made this pie in my 9.5 inch Pyrex pie plate. You can use a smaller pie plate no problem. You’ll either have a little extra crust or just make it extra thick. The filling does not expand when baking so go ahead and pour as much of it into your crust as you can.
  • Key Lime Juice or Key Limes – I used key lime juice. I actually order mine on Amazon. I’m a big fan of reading reviews to make sure I get the very best product. This is the one I’m currently crushing on. Truth time. This pie can be made with regular limes if you can’t find key lime or key lime juice. Just sayin’.
  • You’re going to need a zester for this pie. The key lime zest adds SO much flavor to this key lime pie and looks so pretty on top!

The truth is, I’m not much of a decorator when it comes to pies and cakes. I’m all about simple, easy, get-it-in-my-mouth-as-quick-as-possible. You too? Good. Then you’ll like my no-nonsense whipped cream topping.

best-lime-pie-recipe-graham-cracker-crust

If you are in a hurry, and I mean, a BIG HURRY, I would perhaps allow you to use a store bought pie crust and a can of whipped cream. This pie would still be heavenly. No doubt. (Edited to add: I made the crust in the video but as we were running out of time, I used a can of whipped cream in the video below. Works in a pinch!)

More amazing pie recipes to try!

  1. No Bake Blueberry Lemon Cream Pie
  2. No Bake Peanut Butter Cheesecake Pie
  3. 31 Amazing Pies You Need To Try!
  4. Deep Dish Dutch Apple Pie
  5. No Bake Pina Colada Cream Pie

How To Make the Best Key Lime Pie

Print Pin
4.99 from 403 votes

Best Key Lime Pie

The Best Key Lime Pie recipe EVER! Tart and sweet and incredibly easy, this Key Lime Pie is sure to be a family favorite! A delicious graham cracker crust filled to the brim with an incredibly creamy filling that is just so quick to make! You won’t be able to stop at just one slice! 
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword key lime pie, pie
Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time 17 minutes minutes
Total Time 27 minutes minutes
Servings 10 servings
Calories 517kcal
Author Trish - Mom On Timeout

Ingredients

Graham cracker crust

  • 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 6 tbsp butter melted

Key Lime Filling

  • 28 oz sweetened condensed milk
  • 1/2 cup light sour cream
  • 3/4 cup key lime juice
  • zest from 2 regular limes or 4 key limes

Whipped Cream Topping

  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Graham cracker crust

  • Preheat oven to 375F.
  • Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in a small bowl. Press the crumb mixture into an 8" - 9.5" pie pan. Bake for 7 minutes. Cool for at least 30 minutes.

Key Lime Filling

  • Preheat oven to 350F
  • Whisk together sweetened condensed milk, sour cream, lime juice, and lime zest in a medium bowl. Pour into prepared graham cracker crust and bake for 10 minutes.
  • Let pie cool slightly before chilling. Chill for at least 3 hours.

Whipped Cream Topping

  • Beat heavy cream and sugar together in a mixer until stiff peaks form. Beat in vanilla. Spread or pipe the whipped cream on top of the cooled pie. Top with additional lime zest if desired.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 517kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 262mg | Potassium: 359mg | Sugar: 58g | Vitamin A: 810IU | Vitamin C: 2.3mg | Calcium: 269mg | Iron: 0.7mg

Originally published March 14, 2015.

key-lime-pie-collage

And now that we’re all thinking pie… Check out these pies from my friends:

Krispy Kreme Pie  |  Cinnamon Pie  |  Peach Hand Pies

And more pies, just for fun!

easy-mini-chocolate-pecan-pies-recipe

Mini Chocolate Pecan Pies

best-coconut-cream-pie-recipe-easy

Best Coconut Cream Pie

turtle-pecan-pie-bars-recipe

Turtle Pecan Pie Bars

brownie-sundae-pie-pudding-recipe

Brownie Sundae Pie

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For all cake recipes, go HERE.
For all dessert recipes, go HERE.
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Have a great day!

  • 29304

By Trish - Mom On Timeout February 1, 2019 Dessert, Favorites, Pies, Popular Post, Recipes

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Comments

  1. Leigh says

    August 9, 2021 at 3:18 PM

    This pie is a hit every time I make it and everyone always asks for the recipe. An easy, delicious crowdpleaser for sure!

    Reply
  2. Dana says

    August 2, 2021 at 8:33 AM

    Okay – even my super selective (picky1) granddaughter fell in love with this pie! She already has dibs on the next one!

    Reply
    • Trish - Mom On Timeout says

      August 2, 2021 at 10:32 AM

      Haha! That’s amazing! Thanks Dana!

      Reply
  3. Lauren says

    July 22, 2021 at 4:50 AM

    Can you use full fat sour cream instead of light?

    Reply
    • Trish - Mom On Timeout says

      August 2, 2021 at 10:51 AM

      Absolutely Lauren!

      Reply
  4. lauren Hanna says

    July 15, 2021 at 11:27 AM

    Why light sour cream and not full fat? Can full fat be used? I have never been a fan of light. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Trish - Mom On Timeout says

      August 4, 2021 at 2:08 PM

      You can use full fat sour cream with no issues.

      Reply
  5. Esther says

    July 5, 2021 at 12:36 PM

    I Love this pie, super easy to make and it’s delicious, whole family asks for it all the time. Thank you

    Reply
  6. Meredith Tawney says

    June 26, 2021 at 11:26 AM

    This was delicious. My picky husband requested key lime pie for his birthday. He couldn’t stop raving about it. Thank you!

    Reply
  7. Emily says

    June 23, 2021 at 4:28 PM

    Loved it! Tasted even better after chilling overnight. A great summer treat!

    Reply
  8. Jamie says

    June 13, 2021 at 6:31 AM

    Of course I started this recipe without realizing I don’t have a pie tin on me 🤦‍♀️ would it be fine to do Key lime pie bars in a 8×8 glass square pan? Or will it just fall apart and be a big mess after the 1st piece is cut? Any suggestions?

    Reply
    • Trish - Mom On Timeout says

      June 17, 2021 at 6:03 PM

      That should be fine! This sets up very firm.

      Reply
  9. Melissa says

    June 12, 2021 at 12:16 PM

    This sounds like a great dessert! I like that it’s eggless. Some key lime pies can definitely taste eggy. Has anyone made this in advance & frozen it? How was it after it thawed?

    Reply
    • Kathy Thompson says

      June 30, 2021 at 11:14 AM

      So easy and it freezes wonderfully. In fact, we prefer it barely thawed, it’s even more refreshing. I wanted to judge this easy recipe with more fussy ones using eggs and other ingredients. Obviously eggs make a slightly more custard-like filling but taste wise, I didn’t see the benefits and neither did my family of tasters:).

      Reply
      • Corinne says

        August 9, 2021 at 6:00 PM

        Has anyone tried freezing it with the whipped cream topping? Trying to decide whether to just freeze the pie or go ahead and put the whipped cream on top too?

        Reply
        • Barbara T says

          August 22, 2021 at 10:10 AM

          Not sure about freezing with the cream but I made the whipped cream with 1 cup whipping cream (no sugar but I never put sugar in whipped cream). I spread it over the top but I found it too much cream which detracted a bit from the lime base. I would definitely freeze for a bit at least next time as I found the base a bit too soft even if delicious.

          Reply
  10. Ivette Garcia says

    June 10, 2021 at 12:34 PM

    I’ve made this pie many times for family and friends. The last time I made it I switched out the sour cream for whipped cream cheese and everyone said I finally got the pie right loll. Go figure.
    Great recipe!!

    Reply
  11. Melissa says

    June 5, 2021 at 7:54 AM

    I’ve followed this recipe a few times and get nothing but amazing compliments every time. People say “it’s the best key lime pie I’ve ever had” thanks for a great easy recipe!

    Reply
  12. Janet Enns Conner says

    June 4, 2021 at 2:31 PM

    I made this pie for my boss for her birthday. She asked if this was a old family secret recipe. I have also made them into tarts in a small muffin tin. I reduced the cooking time a bit due to them being small.People could grab and go. Had raving reviews.

    Reply
  13. Alexis says

    June 2, 2021 at 7:13 AM

    My fiancé loves key lime pie so we have made and tried several different ones together (including one from the Great British Bake Off that Paul Hollywood said was the best thing he’s ever eaten) and THIS key lime pie is my favorite!! I have made it a few times now and it always turns out a hit.

    Could this be made into mini key lime pies?

    Reply
    • Trish - Mom On Timeout says

      June 17, 2021 at 6:14 PM

      Thanks Alexis! And yes, it sure can! Mini pies would be perfect!

      Reply
  14. S says

    May 8, 2021 at 1:05 PM

    Great recipe, have made this numerous times and it always turns out good. A couple of tips for first timers:
    – Unsalted or salted butter works
    – Crushing your gram crackers in a ziplock bag with a rolling pin works great
    – It’s hard to find key limes, especially key lime juice… regular limes work perfectly fine for this
    – I’d advice not making the whipped cream topping, it doesn’t sit well in the fridge and kind of “melts”. Much easier to spray a bit of whipped cream on when you go to serve it.
    – Also this is slightly easier than a cheesecake, its harder to mess up.
    Hope you enjoy!

    Reply
  15. Diane says

    May 1, 2021 at 10:39 AM

    This Key lime pie recipe is a keeper!!! Made this pie exactly as written except for replacing one can of sweetened condense milk for a fat free can. My guest loved this dessert and my husband thought it was the best pie he every had. I highly recommend this recipe for key lime pie. i will make this again and again and again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you for this recipe.

    Reply
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Hi, I’m Trish!

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