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Irresistible Key Lime Pie Bars

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These Irresistible Key Lime Pie Bars are just that – IRRESISTIBLE! Made with the perfect graham cracker crust and fresh key lime juice, these bars are bound to become your new favorite dessert! Love all things key lime? Make sure to try my Key Lime Pie Fruit Dip and famous Key Lime Pie!

best-key-lime-pie-bars-recipe

Key Lime Pie Bars

If there is one type of food that I enjoy more during the summer than any other time of year – it would have to be citrus. Orange. Lemon. Lime. Oh, especially lime. Key lime to be exact. It’s so utterly refreshing with that bit of tartness that makes your mouth water….#cantgetenough

So do you guys remember the Key Lime Pie I made a few months back? Yeah. I called it Key Lime Pie but I actually couldn’t find any key limes so I just made it with regular lime juice. The verdict? Ridiculously good. And, you could totally sub in key lime juice in the recipe, obvi.

key lime bars on cutting board cut into squares

Buuut, a few of you were like, “What the heck Trish??“, so, for this key lime pie bar recipe I stepped up my game and used actual key limes, juiced those babies, and made these legit.

Do I Need REAL Key Limes?

A bunch of key lime zest also made their way into and on top of these bars for the ULTIMATE key lime pie bars EVER. My handy dandy zester made short work of these key limes.

key-limes-with zester

Holy key lime.

But guess what? You can also buy key lime juice that is outstanding. Yep, it’s a thing. I used it in this Key Lime Pie Fruit Dip and it has amazing flavor.

What Kind of Crust?

So let’s start with at the beginning with the graham cracker crust. Because, duh, that’s how key lime pie bars should ALWAYS start.

graham cracker crust

The crust is such a key component to these bars because it needs to withstand the cutting and hand-holding that happens before they can be devoured.

Butter, graham cracker crumbs, and sugar is all it takes – it’s the ratio that makes the difference. And the quality of ingredients of course. I am excited to be partnering with Challenge Butter as an ambassador again this year and even more excited to be using their top-quality butter in my recipes, including these Irresistible Key Lime Pie Bars.

Challenge Butter is made with 100% real cream butter – nothing artificial – just the way I like it. No hormones, additives or fillers. And straight from the farm to the fridge in just 2 days – can it get any fresher?

butter

Ingredients Needed for Filling

You only need FOUR ingredients for the key lime bars filling (three for the crust and then a little zest and powdered sugar to finish these bars off).

  • sweetened condensed milk
  • egg yolks
  • key lime juice
  • key lime zest

You’ll notice the 5 egg yolks in the recipe below. These yolks create a richness and creaminess that will have your friends and family begging for your recipe. (Just send them my way!) Sweetened condensed milk, fresh key lime juice and zest round out the perfectly tart filling.

key lime pie bars close up cut and ready to serve

Do Key Lime Pie Bars Need To Be Refrigerated?

The bars are baked to perfection, chilled, and topped with a generous dusting of powdered sugar and even more key lime zest. I like to zest a lemon too for some additional color.

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

key lime bars with powdered sugar and zest on a white plate

And then finally, when the pictures are taken, it’s time to dive in. These bars are not only gorgeous but utterly delectable as well. If you prefer a thicker bar, bless you, just use an 8×8 inch baking dish instead of the 9×9 inch I used here.

key lime pie bars stacked on a cake stand with lime slices

Take these delicious Key Lime Pie Bars to your next BBQ, picnic, or family gathering – you won’t regret it!

More Yummy Desserts

  1. Coconut Cream Pie
  2. To Die For Carrot Cake
  3. The BEST Ambrosia Salad
  4. Easy Ice Cream Cake
  5. No Bake Lemon Pie

How To Make Key Lime Pie Bars

Print Pin
5 from 6 votes

Irresistible Key Lime Pie Bars

These Irresistible Key Lime Pie Bars are just that - IRRESISTIBLE! Tart and sweet, this easy dessert is made with the perfect graham cracker crust and fresh key lime juice. Bound to become your new favorite dessert!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword key lime bars, key lime pie bars
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 32 minutes
Total Time 37 minutes
Servings 16 servings
Calories 187kcal
Author Trish - Mom On Timeout

Ingredients

Graham Cracker Crust

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

Key Lime Filling

  • 14 oz sweetened condensed milk 1 can
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup key lime juice
  • 2 tbsp key lime zest

Topping

  • powdered sugar optional
  • 2 tbsp key lime and/or lemon zest optional

Instructions

Graham Cracker Crust

  • Preheat oven to 375F.
  • Spray an 8-inch or 9-inch square pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
  • Combine graham cracker crumbs, butter, and sugar in a small bowl and stir until combined.
  • Press the graham cracker crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan and press down firmly. Use the bottom of a measuring cup to really pack it in.
  • Bake the graham cracker crust for 7 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Key Lime Filling

  • Preheat the oven to 350F.
  • Whisk the sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, lime juice and zest together in a medium bowl.
  • Pour over cooled crust and bake for 25 minutes. Let the bars chill before serving.
  • Dust with powdered sugar and sprinkle with additional zest if desired. Cut into bars.
  • Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Nutrition

Calories: 187kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 124mg | Potassium: 121mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 285IU | Vitamin C: 2.9mg | Calcium: 86mg | Iron: 0.5mg

key-lime-pie-bars-collage

 More sweet treats to try!

mini-chocolate-pecan-pies-recipe

Mini Chocolate Pecan Pies

easy-smores-rice-krispies-treats-pinwheels-recipe

S’mores Rice Krispies Treats Pinwheels

best-coconut-cream-pie-recipe

Dad’s Coconut Cream Pie

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

Disclaimer: As an Ambassador for Challenge, I was provided product and compensation for this post by Challenge Butter, but all opinions are, as always, 100% my own. I LOVE Challenge Butter! Thank you for supporting the brands that make Mom On Timeout possible!

Comments

  3. Melissa says

    Oh yum! Graham cracker crusts just make everything AMAZING! Am I right? I want to make these right now. Alas! I am graham cracker-less! I shall have to rectify that!

    Reply

  9. Ali @ Home & Plate says

    Key Lime bars and cakes are my favorite dessert. Especially in the summer. There is nothing better than the tartness of the key lime and the sweetness of the graham crackers. Pinning for later.

    Reply

  12. Mir says

    Key lime is one of those dessert flavors I can’t stop eating. So if I made the bars thicker, I’d just eat the whole thing faster. Nothing screams summer more than this. And I’m glad your zester got a workout. Makes for amazing desserts!

    Reply

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