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Easy Key Lime Pie Recipe

This easy Key Lime Pie recipe is quick to assemble, bursting with bright citrus flavor, and perfect for warm summer days!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword easy key lime pie recipe, key lime pie, key lime pie recipe, traditional key lime pie recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Chilling Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 45 minutes
Servings 8 slices
Calories 517kcal
Author Blair Lonergan

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.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice with whipped cream topping | Calories: 517kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 185mg | Sodium: 298mg | Potassium: 271mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 1057IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 182mg | Iron: 1mg