If you're looking for a pie to make in the summer, you can't go wrong with Key Lime Pie. It's cool, creamy, tart, and takes just a few short minutes in the oven to bake!
I'm not always a pie person, but I can't turn down a slice of Key Lime Pie. It's sweet and smooth from the sweetened condensed milk, with a nice, tart flavor from the lime juice. Whipped cream cuts through the tartness, while a graham cracker crust gives the pie substance and contrast.
The pie only takes 10 minutes to put together and 15 minutes to bake! Since you have to chill the pie before you serve it, you have to make it ahead, which makes it perfect for potlucks and parties.
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Ingredients & Equipment
My key lime pie starts with my Homemade Graham Cracker Crust, and is topped with whipped cream. The filling itself only takes 3 ingredients: egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk, and key lime juice!
Key Lime Juice is what makes it a key lime pie. That said, you can use regular grocery store limes, with a few caveats. I go into that in the next section.
Sweetened condensed milk gives the pie its creaminess and sweetness. It's not the same as evaporated milk, which is thinner and unsweetened.
Well-beaten egg yolks emulsify the pie filling, give the pie a little lift while it bakes, and make it smooth and silky.
I always top the pie with whipped cream. Fresh is best, but I will use canned spray whipped cream to top one piece at a time, if we won't eat the whole pie quickly.
Since you'll be beating the eggs for nearly 5 minutes, I highly recommend using an electric hand mixer (affiliate link) or a KitchenAid stand mixer (affiliate link), just so you can give your wrists a break.
A 9-inch pie plate (affiliate link) is the best size to bake this in. I recommend glass or ceramic over metal since metal browns more quickly, although the short baking time here makes the difference less important.
I recommend you use bottled key lime juice, but when I've made this using whole limes, I use my electric citrus juicer (affiliate link).
🍋🟩Key Limes Versus Everyday Limes
Key limes do taste different from everyday, Persian limes, but the difference is subtle, as Taste of Home notes. Key limes are also smaller, and you'll need a lot of them to get the quantity of juice for this pie.
I've gone back and forth on whether or not you can use fresh limes. Smitten Kitchen's recipe, one of the sources I adapted this recipe from, uses fresh limes in her pie. However, I found that pie made with fresh lime juice lacked oomph and nuance. It wasn't zingy enough. Perhaps I bought not-great limes?
To add oomph, Deb adds lime zest to her pie as well. When I tried that last, the zest clumped onto my whisk, and my pie was bitter. That's why I recommend bottled key lime juice for a more consistently delicious pie.
Key lime juice is usually found next to bottled lime juice in the grocery store's juice aisle. If you can't find key lime juice, do get whole limes out of the produce aisle instead. Do not use other, regular bottled lime juice; pie made with it will have off flavor.
Recipe Instructions
Key Lime Pie was actually recipe #229 of my 365 Recipe Challenge in 2010. I used the recipe from the Joy of Baking then; in 2015, I followed the Smitten Kitchen recipe. There were few differences between those two versions.
First, make your pie crust. I usually make my Homemade Graham Cracker Crust. You can make it in advance and let it cool, or make it immediately before making the key lime filling, in which case you'll fill the crust while warm.
Some people prefer regular pastry; for that, I suggest my Homemade Pie Crust recipe. Pre-bake the crust for about 10 minutes, as I do in that recipe, then add the filling and bake as usual.
- Beat the egg yolks with an electric hand mixer (affiliate link), or with a stand mixer's whisk attachment, for 5 minutes, until lightened in color.
- Add the sweetened condensed milk, and beat for another 3 minutes. Scrape the bottom of the bowl, and stir in the lime juice.
- Pour into the prepared crust. Bake for 10 minutes if the crust is still warm, or 15 minutes if the crust is at room temperature.
- The pie will be done when the filling is set. It will be uniformly not shiny, and the center will not slosh.
Cool the pie at room temperature, then place in the refrigerator to chill the rest of the way.
Hint: My pie often jiggles ever so slightly when I take it out of the oven, and that's ok and even desired. If I touch it with my finger, sometimes the filling sticks to me, and sometimes it doesn't. The filling will continue to set a little as it cools.
🧊Storage
Since this is a dairy pie, always store it in the refrigerator.
Top the pie with whipped cream immediately before serving. I prefer to use ¾ cup whipping cream with 2 tablespoons of sugar, and I follow the instructions I've written up in my Coconut Cream Pie. Additional whipped cream overwhelms the pie.
The whipped cream will stay inflated for a few days in the refrigerator, but will lose some air. Sometimes we use spray whipped cream on slices of pie if we won't be eating the pie very quickly.
The pie will still be tasty in the fridge for up to 5 days. I do leave mine open to air if I don't have stray odors in my fridge, but putting leftovers in an airtight container is the safer bet.
Fun fact: Key lime pie is actually a relatively light pie, with fewer than 400 calories a slice before you add whipped cream.
Recipe FAQ
If you can't find key lime juice, you can use regular, whole Persian limes that you find in the grocery store. You'll need about 4 to get ⅔ cup, but buy a few extra just in case. As I discovered when I made my Classic Margarita recipe, different sizes of limes give dramatically different amounts of juice, and you don't want to run out.
If you want, you can add a little lime zest to the pie filling after you've beaten the eggs, but be careful not to use any pith. Wash your limes very well before using, and avoid ones that look very waxy. The last time I used zest in key lime pie, my pie was bitter; you may have better luck.
Whatever you do, do not use other bottled lime juice in the pie.
Bottled key lime juice is basically intended to go into pies. Regular bottled lime juice is more multipurpose. Both bottles list filtered water, lime juice concentrate, lime oil, and sodium benzoate (a preservative). Interestingly, the everyday bottled lime juice has an additional preservative, so it contains sulfites.
I believe that the key lime juice is formulated to taste good specifically in key lime pie, while everyday bottled juice is intended to be used in smaller quantities. I've found that any time I use bottled lemon or lime juice in large quantities, like in my Classic Margarita, it gives an off taste. That's why I only use bottled key lime juice in my pie.
The filling for Key Lime Pie is gluten-free! The pie can be made gluten-free if you find a gluten-free graham cracker crust. As always, double-check the ingredient lists if you need to eat gluten-free.
Egg yolks in this recipe act as an emulsifier and make the pie filling smooth, as well as slightly aerating it. Seek out a dedicated egg-free Key Lime Pie recipe if you must avoid eggs.
Since the key lime pie only takes 3 egg yolks, you'll end up with leftover egg whites. 3 egg whites is exactly what my Almond Cake recipe takes!
If you're not ready to use the egg whites within a few days, freeze them. Pour them into a freezer bag, squeeze out the air, and lay it flat so it stores easily with other items. (PS: label it so you don't forget how many you have!) Thaw on a plate in the refrigerator overnight, because sometimes the bags get holes in them.
You can also save up enough egg whites to make an angel food cake; those often take 10-12 egg whites. You can also make macaroons, macarons, or meringues, or you could use them as a substitute for an egg in other recipes that take more than one egg.
🥛More Sweetened Condensed Milk
If you love sweetened condensed milk like I do, check out these recipes!
🍋More Citrus Recipes
For more bright, citrusy treats, try these recipes!
Interested in other recipes? I save and share recipes I like or want to try on my Pinterest page - follow me there! You can also check out my Facebook page for more recipes and helpful tips. I'm also happy to try to help troubleshoot my recipes there.
Have you tried this recipe? Or have a question about it? Rate it or leave a comment below! (PS: rating my recipes helps other people find them, too!)
📖 Recipe
Key Lime Pie
Equipment
- 9-inch pie plate (affiliate link)
- mixer
- juicer (optional but recommended if using whole limes)
Ingredients
- 1 graham cracker crust (try my Homemade Graham Cracker Crust!)
Pie Filling
- 3 egg yolks
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk (1 can)
- ⅔ cup key lime juice (160 grams)
- Whipped cream (for topping; made from ¾ cup whipping cream and 2 tablespoons sugar)
Instructions
- If making my Homemade Graham Cracker Crust, prepare it immediately before making the pie filling. While the homemade crust bakes, make the filling.
- Beat the egg yolks with an electric hand mixer (affiliate link) or the whisk attachment of a stand mixer for 5 minutes, until the yolks have lightened in color.
- Add sweetened condensed milk and beat for another 3 minutes.
- Add the lime juice and stir until combined.
- Scrape filling into the crust and bake at 350F. If your crust is still warm from the oven, bake for 10 minutes. If using a premade or room temperature pie crust, bake for 15 minutes.
- The pie is done when filling is set. The surface of the pie should be not shiny, and the center will not be sloshy, and will just barely jiggle. Cool for 30 minutes at room temperature, and then refrigerate until cold.
- Top with whipped cream before serving. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
[Originally written in 2010 and redone in January 2015. Completely revised and updated June 17, 2025.]
Leona Konkel says
I really can't recommend my Key Lime Pie recipe enough. It's so easy to throw together, especially if you decide to use a store-bought crust and canned whipped cream! Let me know if you try it, and how it turns out!