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This easy Key Lime Pie recipe is quick to assemble, bursting with bright citrus flavor, and perfect for warm summer days! A homemade saltine crust pairs beautifully with the rich, sweet and tart filling that’s made by whisking together egg yolks, lime juice, lime zest and sweetened condensed milk. Finish it off with fluffy pillows of whipped cream for a simple, refreshing dessert that tastes like a tropical vacation!
Traditional Key Lime Pie Recipe
This easy key lime pie recipe is just one version of the traditional dessert. From different types of crust to different toppings, every pastry chef and every home cook seems to have a slightly different take on the classic!
Origin
Key lime pie, the “official Florida state pie,” dates back to the late 1800’s. Legend has it that a cook named Aunt Sally created the pie for William Curry, a ship salvager and Florida’s first self-made millionaire. Her pie was a twist on the more common lemon icebox pie, taking advantage of the readily-available Key limes at the time.
Others claim that the dessert originated around that same time in South Florida when sponge fishermen prepared the cool tart pie with meager rations that were available on their ships. Regardless of the story that you believe, word of this delicious citrus pie spread quickly. By the mid-1930’s, home cooks in the Florida keys finally wrote down their favorite Key lime pie recipes…and the rest is history!
The Filling
In general, a key lime pie is an American dessert pie made with Key lime juice, egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk. Sure, you’ll find shortcut or no-bake variations with Cool Whip or Jell-O pudding, but a traditional recipe almost always includes these three simple ingredients.
The filling has a yellow tint (not green), largely due to the egg yolks in the custard. Traditionally, the filling was not baked, but instead set up when the proteins of the egg yolks and condensed milk curdled in the acidic lime juice, naturally thickening the mixture. Today, we bake most Key lime pies to pasteurize the eggs and ensure that the filling is nice and thick!
Can I use regular limes in place of Key limes?
Yes! Key limes are smaller, seedier, have higher acidity, stronger aroma, and thinner rinds than the more common Persian lime. The Key lime juice is sweet and tart, and often used in desserts like Key lime pie. That said, it can be hard to find fresh Key limes in a regular grocery store, so regular Persian limes will work fine in this recipe.
If you want to make it more authentic, you can purchase a bottle of Key lime juice to use here. I like this brand (affiliate link) which comes straight from Key West! Pair it with the fresh zest from a regular lime.
The Crust
Some key lime pies are baked in a flaky, pastry crust, some are baked in a graham cracker crust, and others might have no crust at all. This particular key lime pie has a very traditional filling, but I’ve paired it with a saltine cracker crust. I saw a similar crust on a lemon icebox tart in a cookbook, and instantly knew that it would be the perfect addition to a key lime pie. After all, it adds a salty element that works so nicely with the creamy, sweet filling. The combination of sweet-and-salty lime reminds me of a salt-rimmed margarita!
The Topping
Some Key lime pies have a meringue topping, some have no topping at all (maybe just a fresh lime garnish), and still others — like this pie — include a topping made with fresh whipped cream. You can never go wrong with slightly sweet, fluffy pillows of whipped cream that balance the acidity in the custard filling. It’s a match made in heaven…and it’s so darn easy!
I piped the whipped cream onto the pie with a piping bag and a 1M tip, but you certainly don’t need to bother with that. You can just spread the fluffy whipped cream all over the top of the pie and call it a day. Each slice will still be incredibly delicious!
Ingredients
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need to make an easy Key Lime pie recipe. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Saltine cracker crumbs, unsalted butter, and sugar: form the pie crust.
- Egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk, Key lime zest and Key lime juice: whisked together to make the filling.
- Heavy cream and confectioners’ sugar: whipped into a light, airy topping.
How to Make Key Lime Pie
This made-from-scratch pie is so quick and easy — just remember to allow plenty of time for chilling. I’ve also included a couple of shortcuts in my tips below, so check those out if you’re looking for an even easier Key lime pie recipe!
- Bake the crust in a 350° F oven for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Whisk together the filling and pour it into the warm crust.
- Bake the pie in the same 350° F oven until the filling sets, about 10 minutes.
- Rest on a wire rack until the pie is cool enough to touch, then transfer the pie to the refrigerator to cool completely, about 2-3 hours.
- Just before serving, make the whipped cream and spread or pipe it on top of the pie.
- Slice and serve!
Make Ahead
This convenient make-ahead dessert holds up surprisingly well in the refrigerator overnight. To prepare it in advance, bake the pie (without the whipped cream topping), wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 1 day. You can also prepare the whipped cream up to 1 day ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator in a separate bowl. Add the whipped cream to the top of the pie just before serving.
Storage
Wrap the pie with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. The pie is best when enjoyed within 1 day of baking; however, the leftovers will keep for a few extra days. The crust just gets a little bit soggy as it sits (but it will still be delicious)!
Can you freeze Key lime pie?
Yes, you can freeze the baked Key lime pie. To do so, let the pie cool completely in the refrigerator. Once cool, wrap the pie tightly with plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to 1 month. When ready to enjoy, thaw the pie in the refrigerator for a few hours.
Recipe Variations — Easy Key Lime Pie Recipe
- For a shortcut, bake the filling in a prepared, store-bought graham cracker crust.
- For another shortcut, top the pie with frozen whipped topping (such as Cool Whip) that you thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
- Graham cracker crust: if you prefer a sweeter, less-salty graham cracker crust, combine 12 full-size graham crackers (crushed) with ¼ cup sugar and 6 tablespoons of salted butter. Press the crumb mixture into the pie plate and bake in a 350° F oven for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown.
- For another delicious twist, swap out the saltine crust and use a Nilla wafer cookie crust as shown here.
- Instead of Key lime juice and zest, use regular Persian lime juice and zest.
- Make it a lemon pie with lemon juice and lemon zest!
Tips for the Best Key Lime Pie Recipe
- Use unsalted butter for the crust. While I normally prefer baking with salted butter for more flavor, the saltine crackers are salty enough on their own — you don’t want to add extra salt to the crust with salted butter.
- Zest your limes before squeezing the juice.
- If you can’t find fresh Key limes at your grocery store, you can purchase Key lime juice (affiliate link) and still have an authentic Key lime pie recipe! You can also swap out the Key limes and just use the juice and zest from regular limes if you prefer.
- Allow plenty of time for the pie to cool completely before topping and slicing. Two to three hours should be plenty, but you can also prepare the pie a day ahead and leave it in the fridge overnight. This gives the filling a chance to set so that it’s not a runny mess!
- If you’re spreading the whipped cream all over the top of the pie, just whip it until soft peaks form. If you prefer to pipe the whipped cream onto the pie (as shown here), you’ll want the whipped cream to be a little bit stiffer, so whip it for an extra 30-60 seconds or so.
More Easy Summer Desserts to Try
- Quick and Easy Banana Pudding
- Strawberry Shortcake
- Bisquick Peach Cobbler
- Peach Crisp
- Old-Fashioned Icebox Cake
- Strawberry Crisp
- No-Bake Chocolate Eclair Cake
- Blackberry Cobbler
- Ice Cream Sandwich Cake
Easy Key Lime Pie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ sleeves saltine crackers (about 6 ounces or 54 crackers)
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 4 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
- 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- ½ teaspoon Key lime zest
- ½ cup Key lime juice
- 1 cup heavy cream, chilled
- ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Place the crackers in a zip-top plastic bag. Use a rolling pin or mallet to crush the crackers into fine crumbs, but not powder. Transfer to a bowl.
- Add the melted butter and the sugar to the cracker crumbs.
- Use the bottom of a measuring cup to press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Freeze for 10 minutes.
- Bake the crust for 12-15 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack so that it can partially cool while you prepare the filling. Leave the oven on.
- In a large bowl, use a whisk to gently combine the egg yolks and the sweetened condensed milk (be careful not to whip it too aggressively or you will incorporate unwanted air bubbles into the filling). Add the lime zest and the lime juice to the egg mixture; gently whisk to combine.
- Pour the filling into the warm pie crust. Return to the oven and bake until the filling has set, about 10 minutes.
- Transfer the pie to a wire rack to cool. When the pie is cool enough to touch, place it in the refrigerator until completely cooled, about 2-3 hours. Place a large bowl and a whisk (or electric mixer whisk attachment) in the refrigerator to chill as well (you’ll use these for the whipped cream later).
- Once the pie is completely cool, prepare the whipped cream topping. Using the chilled whisk or electric mixer attachment and bowl, whip the cream with the confectioners’ sugar until it holds soft peaks (about 3 minutes).
- Spread the whipped cream over the top of the pie.
Notes
- Use unsalted butter for the crust. While I normally prefer baking with salted butter for more flavor, the saltine crackers are salty enough on their own — you don’t want to add extra salt to the crust with salted butter.
- Zest your limes before squeezing the juice.
- If you can’t find fresh Key limes at your grocery store, you can purchase Key lime juice (affiliate link) and still have an authentic Key lime pie recipe! You can also swap out the Key limes and just use the juice and zest from regular limes if you prefer.
- Allow plenty of time for the pie to cool completely before topping and slicing. Two to three hours should be plenty, but you can also prepare the pie a day ahead and leave it in the fridge overnight. This gives the filling a chance to set so that it’s not a runny mess!
- If you’re spreading the whipped cream all over the top of the pie, just whip it until soft peaks form. If you prefer to pipe the whipped cream onto the pie (as shown here), you’ll want the whipped cream to be a little bit stiffer, so whip it for an extra 30-60 seconds or so. I used a pastry bag and a 1M tip to pipe the whipped cream here.
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