Key Lime Pie
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Bright, tangy, and ultra-creamy, this key lime pie has just the right balance of sweet and tart—perfect for warm days and easy entertaining.
I’ve been making this Key lime pie for years, and it’s one of my favorite desserts to serve when the weather warms up. Inspired by the classic pie made famous in the Florida Keys, it has a buttery graham cracker crust and a cool, creamy filling that’s the perfect balance of sweet and tart. Best of all, it’s easy to make with just a handful of ingredients—you can use regular limes from the grocery store, and Greek yogurt stands in for the usual egg yolks (trust me, it works). I’ve served this pie everywhere from summer barbecues to holiday dinners, and it’s always a crowd-pleaser.
“The best key lime pie I’ve ever had!! Tart, sweet, fresh but rich.”
Do You Really Need Key Limes?
Despite the name, you don’t need Key limes to make an outstanding Key lime pie. Over the years, I’ve made this pie with bottled Key lime juice (such as Nellie & Joe’s), fresh Key limes, and regular limes (also called Persian limes), and I actually prefer regular limes. They’re easy to find year-round and have a bright, fresh flavor that makes an exceptional pie. If you have access to fresh Key limes, though, they’re delicious too, lending the pie a slightly more floral, aromatic flavor.
What You’ll Need To Make Key Lime Pie
For the crust, you’ll need finely crushed graham cracker crumbs, light brown sugar, and melted butter. For the filling, you’ll need sweetened condensed milk, Greek yogurt, fresh lime juice and lime zest. For the topping, you’ll need heavy cream and confectioners’ sugar.
You’ll notice this recipe doesn’t call for egg yolks, like many traditional Key lime pie recipes. After testing it both ways, I found they simply weren’t necessary. The pie sets beautifully because the lime juice’s acidity reacts with the proteins in the yogurt and sweetened condensed milk, thickening the filling as it bakes (the same basic reaction that turns milk into cheese). And from a taste standpoint, I actually prefer the cleaner, brighter lime flavor that comes from leaving the yolks out. As a bonus, there’s no separating eggs, making the recipe even easier to prepare.
“Outstanding! Sets up beautifully and has the most perfect lime flavor.”
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Mix the crust. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and melted butter, stirring first with a fork, then finishing with your hands until the mixture looks like damp sand and holds together when you squeeze a bit in your palm.
Step 2: Press the crust into the pan. Work the crumbs up the sides of the pan first, then press the bottom—it’s easier this way. Press firmly; a loosely packed crust tends to crumble when you slice the pie later.
Step 3: Blind bake. Bake just until the edges turn a shade darker and it smells toasty. This short bake deepens the flavor of the crust and keeps the crust from turning soggy once the filling goes in, but it doesn’t need to brown deeply.
Step 4: Zest, then juice. Zest every lime you plan to juice before you cut into them—it’s nearly impossible to zest a lime once it’s been squeezed. A rasp grater makes this fast; a reamer or your hands work fine for juicing.
Step 5: Whisk the filling. Whisk the condensed milk, yogurt, zest, and juice together until completely smooth. The mixture will look thick, almost like a pudding.
Step 6: Bake and chill. Pour the filling into the warm crust and bake until the center looks just set. Let it cool for a bit on the counter, then pop it in the fridge for at least 3 hours to set completely. It’ll firm up further as it cools and chills.
Step 7: Whip the cream. Beat the heavy cream until it just starts to hold soft peaks, then add the confectioners’ sugar and continue beating until it’s thick enough to hold its shape when you lift the whisk. Don’t take it too far past this point—overwhipped cream turns grainy and starts to look more like butter than a topping.
Pro Tip: A hand whisk works fine here too if you don’t feel like pulling out the mixer—it just takes a bit more elbow grease.
Step 8: Top and serve. Top with the whipped cream shortly before serving rather than hours ahead, since cream loses its shape sitting on a cold pie for too long. A knife wiped clean between cuts will give you the neatest slices.
Key Lime Pie Video Tutorial
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Key Lime Pie
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 1½ cups finely crushed graham cracker crumbs, from about 12 whole graham crackers
- ⅓ cup (packed) light brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the Filling
- Two 14-oz cans sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (2% or whole milk)
- 1 tablespoon grated lime zest
- ¾ cup fresh lime juice
For the Topping
- 1 cup cold heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon grated lime zest
- 8 to 10 thin lime slices
Instructions
- Make the Crust: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position.
- In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and melted butter; stir with a fork first, and then your hands until the mixture is well combined. Using your fingers and the bottom of a glass or dry measuring cup, press the crumbs firmly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 x 1½-in (23 x 4-cm) pie pan. The crust should be about ¼-in (6-mm) thick. (Tip: do the sides first.)
- Bake for 10 minutes, until just slightly browned. Let the crust cool on a wire rack.
- Make the Filling: Lower the oven temperature to 350°F (180°C). In a large bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, yogurt, lime zest, and lime juice. Pour the thick mixture into the warm graham cracker crust. Bake for 15 minutes, until the filling is almost set; it should wobble a bit. Let cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then place in the refrigerator to chill thoroughly, about 3 hours.
- Make the Topping: In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add the confectioners’ sugar and beat until medium peaks form. Top the pie with the whipped cream. Decorate with the lime zest and lime slices. Store the pie in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Slice the pie into wedges, wiping your knife clean between slices, and serve cold.
Notes
- Make-Ahead Instructions: You can make the crust a day ahead of time, but the filling should be added on the day of serving, otherwise the crust will get soggy.
- The nutritional information was calculated using 2% Greek yogurt.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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This is easily one of the most refreshing pies I have tasted. I am adding this to my list of favourite desserts!
My dearest friend of 30 years has always told me her favorite pie is Key-lime. I decided to try from scratch and found your recipe. Donna’s birthday was January 3rd. My boyfriend, Randy helped me make it by zesting and juicing the limes. The hard part was waiting to taste it with Donna and her husband, JR. “This is the best Key-lime Pie I have ever tasted!” she said to me. Even won over my boyfriend who never cared for Key-lime pie before. He and I have a new thing going on in the kitchen now. It’s making the best Key-lime pie ever!!! It’s so smooth and creamy that you want to eat it slowly and enjoy all the decadent flavors. Got to go! On my way out again for more limes. It’s a 10 in my book!
I can’t rate this recipe, because I chose not to make it in favor of an “authentic” key lime pie recipe. Nearly two hours later, curious about what is so great about the tiny, green, hard-to-zest, hard-to-juice “key limes” I was able to get ahold of here in Wisconsin, I found this article from Serious Eats: https://www.seriouseats.com/are-key-limes-worth-the-price.
Next time I want to make a ‘Key Lime’ Pie and I’m not in south Florida, I’m going to save myself the time and money and make this version. It may not be truly authentic, but neither is the version that I’ve got in the oven right now. Sometimes we just need to do the best we can with what is available to us — thanks for the recipe!
I’ve made key lime pie before, but wanted to try a recipe without eggs for a family member with a dietary restriction. I was skeptical that the filling would set, but I was proven wrong! It set beautifully and the slices were picture perfect. I tasted the filling as I was mixing it and felt like it needed more lime flavor, so I added an extra teaspoon of zest and the juice of an additional “regular” lime. I used Pamela’s gluten-free graham crackers for the crust (using the recipe on the box…and the crust was just as good, if not better than when I’ve made it with regular graham crackers). This pie got rave reviews from everyone, even people who didn’t think they liked key lime pie!
This is the first Key lime pie I have ever made . I used to get it when I went diving in the Keys a long time ago . I cooked Christmas dinner ( Detroit style pizza ) and decided to take a shot at a key lime pie . I could not believe how good it was ! The compliments were endless . I did omit the topping so we could enjoy the taste of the limes . There is nothing I would change . Thanks for posting this recipe !
Loved this pie!! I made it for dessert after Christmas dinner and it was so good!! I’m trying to think of another reason to make it again!! Yummm!!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️
terrible recipe. The amount of condensed milk obliterated the tartness of the lime.
It’s no wonder heart disease and obesity are the number one banes for Americans. The amount of fat and sugar is truly egregious. The taste is so unpleasant it is not worth all the lard and
sugar!!!!!
Wow, was that necessary??
Accordingly to multiple people, this pie was perfect!
no lard
All year long we had the parents/grandparents talk about this pie! Best Key Lime Pie ever!
I’m gluten free and dairy free and I can not eat it.
But it is such a winner with everyone we are making again!
Wow was that necessary!?
Pie Was perfect.
Spot on! Wouldn’t change a thing. Turned out perfectly. Smooth, right amount of tartness and sweetness, and raving reviews at the table!
I have made this pie several times. It is hands down the best key lime recipe I have come across. Thank you so much!