Key Lime Pie
This easy Key Lime Pie has the perfect crisp Graham Cracker crust, an incredible light and creamy filling that is sweet, tart, and citrusy. The pie is topped with heavy whipping cream and lime slices and sprinkled with more Graham Crackers. A traditional dessert that comes together quickly and can be served year-round.
Equipment
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 280 g Graham cracker crumbs 2 sleeves
- 50 g Granulated sugar
- 115 g Butter melted
Key Lime Filling
- 800 g Sweetened condensed milk 2 cans
- 120 g Sour cream
- 3 Limes zested
- 170 g Lime juice
- 2 Egg yolks
Decoration:
- 240 g Heavy whipping cream
- 2 tsp Vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp Powdered sugar
- 1 Lime cut into thin slices or wedges
- Graham cracker crumbs and some bigger pieces
Instructions
Graham Cracker Crust:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C.
- Take the Graham crackers, place them in a blender, and pulse until you have fine crumbs. If you don’t have a blender, you can break the crackers into smaller pieces and place them in a zip-lock bag. Roll over the bag with a rolling pin and crush the crackers by rolling back and forth until they resemble fine crumbs.
- Pour the fine cracker crumbs into a small bowl, add the sugar, and mix to combine.
- Place the butter in a small bowl in the microwave, and carefully melt it on the soften/melt setting. You can also use the stove top if you prefer to melt the butter that way.
- Add the melted butter to the Graham crackers and mix until well incorporated.
- Take your 9-inch pie crust and press the Graham mixture into your pie plate up the edges. I like to use a small measuring cup and press the mixture into the pie dish and along the edges. Then smooth it out along the top of the edges.
- Place the pie dish in the preheated oven and bake for 6-8 minutes. That may seem like a very short baking time, but you want the crust to be just slightly golden and not brown, or it will become hard.
- Let the crust cool at room temperature for about 15 minutes, then carefully place it in the freezer (or refrigerator) to speed up the cooling process. Make sure you don’t bump it hard into something since the crust is still fragile right after baking.
Key Lime Filling:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C.
- While the crust is cooling, you can start working on your filling.
- You want to start by washing the limes. Then take your zester and zest just the outer layer (green part) of three limes. Don’t go too deep into the white; that part is bitter.
- Then cut the limes in half and start juicing them. I use this hand juicer, and it works really well. It will take about 6-8 Persian Limes to get 3/4 cups of lime juice. I like to save one lime for later for decorating.
- Pour the sweetened condensed milk, sour cream, egg yolks, and lime zest into the bowl of a stand mixer (if you don’t have one, you can use a hand mixer). Mix it on low until thoroughly combined. You might want to scrape down the sides once or twice. Then increase the speed to medium-high for about 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides again as needed.
- Whip until the batter has thickened. It takes at least 3-5 minutes, sometimes more, for it to fluff up and get thicker. So don’t skip on the longer whipping! Otherwise, you will end up with a runny pie.
- Pour the thickened filling into the cold crust and spread it into an even layer.
Bake and decorate:
- Place the pie dish in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes. It is done when the center is still slightly jiggling when given a careful shake. Ensure to set a timer; you want to avoid it from getting brown and dry.
- Let the pie sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before you place it in the refrigerator to chill thoroughly. Chilling will take at least 3 hours. Of course, you can take it out sooner, but it might not be as set as if you had it sit longer in the fridge.
- Once the Key Lime Pie is cooled, pour the cold heavy whipping cream into a small mixing bowl, and with a hand mixer, whip until stiff peaks form. Then add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and whip until combined and the heavy cream is thick enough for piping.
- Scoop the whipped cream into a pastry piping bag with a star tip (if you don’t have a pastry piping bag, you can use a zip lock bag and cut off the tip). Next, pipe 12 (or more if you like) rosettes around the edges of the pie.
- Cut the set-aside lime into small slices or wedges (whatever you prefer) and place them onto the whipped cream rosettes. Drizzle some Graham crackers over the top and put it back in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Notes
Cover leftovers and place them in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 502kcalCarbohydrates: 63gProtein: 8gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 104mgSodium: 310mgPotassium: 349mgFiber: 1gSugar: 47gVitamin A: 827IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 241mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition Facts
Key Lime Pie
Amount per Serving
Calories
502
% Daily Value*
Fat
26
g
40
%
Saturated Fat
15
g
94
%
Trans Fat
0.3
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
1
g
Monounsaturated Fat
7
g
Cholesterol
104
mg
35
%
Sodium
310
mg
13
%
Potassium
349
mg
10
%
Carbohydrates
63
g
21
%
Fiber
1
g
4
%
Sugar
47
g
52
%
Protein
8
g
16
%
Vitamin A
827
IU
17
%
Vitamin C
8
mg
10
%
Calcium
241
mg
24
%
Iron
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.