Key Lime Pie is my favorite pie to have during the summer. It's cool, creamy, and tart, and takes just 15 short minutes to bake!
Key Lime Pie at a Glance
- ⏱ Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🔥 Cook Time: 15 minutes
- 🧊 Cooling Time: 3 hours
- ⏳ Total Time: 3 hours 25 minutes
- 👪 Serves: 8
- 🍽️ Calories: 332
- 🌾 Main Ingredients: Graham cracker crust, sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, key lime juice, whipped cream
- 👌 Why You'll Love It: A creamy, tangy key lime pie that's consistently delicious thanks to bottled key lime juice.
SUMMARIZE & SAVE THIS RECIPE ON
Key Lime Pie was 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. I'm not always a pie person, but I can't turn down a slice of Key Lime Pie. Just 3 ingredients - sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, and key lime juice - make it sweet, smooth and tart. 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 after it bakes, it's a great make-ahead dessert when you're serving a crowd.
If you love tart, creamy desserts like this, you'll also enjoy my Lemon Bars with a Shortbread Crust.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- 🥛 Consistently creamy - thorough mixing makes the filling very smooth.
- 🍋🟩 Bright and tangy - bottled key lime juice makes for a delicious pie every time.
- ⚡ Quick to make - just 25 minutes of active time before it chills.
Key Ingredients
Crust: Homemade crusts taste best, but you can use store-bought if preferred. I prefer my Classic Homemade Graham Cracker Crust, but some prefer a regular Homemade Pie Crust.
Key lime juice: What makes it a key lime pie. That said, I sometimes use regular grocery store limes; see below.
Sweetened condensed milk: Gives the pie its creaminess and sweetness. It's not the same as evaporated milk, which is thinner and unsweetened.
Egg yolks: They emulsify the pie filling and make it smooth and silky.
Whipped Cream: I prefer freshly whipped cream, but spray whipped cream is fine in a pinch, especially if you won't eat the entire pie in one day.
Fresh Limes or Bottled Key Lime Juice?
Key limes do taste different from everyday, Persian limes, but the difference is subtle, as Taste of Home notes. They're also smaller, so you'll need a lot of them to get enough juice for this pie.
Smitten Kitchen's recipe uses fresh limes and zest. The last time I used zest, it clumped on my whisk and turned the pie bitter, so I leave it out now.
I've made this pie with bottled key lime juice and freshly juiced Persian limes. Fresh juice still makes a good pie, but bottled key lime juice is consistently zingier and more delicious. Key lime juice is usually found in the grocery store's juice aisle next to bottled lime juice - and don't grab that regular bottled juice.
Both bottled juices list filtered water, lime juice concentrate, lime oil, and sodium benzoate (a preservative), but regular bottled lime juice also has sulfites as an additional preservative. In my experience, large quantities of regular bottled citrus juice tastes off.
If you can't find key lime juice and have to resort to regular limes, pick up plenty; as I discovered when I made my Classic Margarita recipe, different sizes of limes give dramatically different amounts of juice, so be sure you have enough.
How to Make a Key Lime Pie
You can start with a room temperature or a warm, par-baked pie crust; either one works.
One: Beat the egg yolks with an electric hand mixer, or with a stand mixer's whisk attachment, for 5 minutes, until lightened in color.
Two: Add the sweetened condensed milk, and beat for another 3 minutes. Scrape the bottom of the bowl, and stir in the lime juice.
Three: Pour into the prepared crust. Bake for 15 minutes if the crust is at room temperature, or for 10 minutes if the crust is still warm.
Four: The pie will be done when the filling is set. It will no longer be shiny, and the center will jiggle slightly but not slosh. If I touch my pie with my finger, sometimes the filling sticks, and sometimes it doesn't.
Cool the pie at room temperature; the filling will continue to set a little as it cools. Place in the refrigerator to chill the rest of the way.
Serving and Storage
Serve cold, and top the pie with whipped cream immediately before serving. I use ¾ cup whipping cream with 2 tablespoons of sugar, and mix according to the instructions in my Coconut Cream Pie. Using more than that amount of whipped cream overwhelms the pie.
Always store leftovers covered in the refrigerator; it'll pick up stray odors otherwise. The pie will still be tasty for up to 4 days, but the whipped cream will deflate some after a few day - top individual slices with spray whipped cream if you won't eat the entire thing in one day.
Key Lime Pie FAQ
The filling for Key Lime Pie is gluten-free! The pie can be made gluten-free if you find a gluten-free crust. As always, double-check the ingredient lists if you need to eat gluten-free.
No, egg yolks in this recipe act as an emulsifier and make the pie filling smooth. 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!
To freeze them, pour them into a labeled freezer bag, squeeze out the air, and lay it flat so it stores easily with other items. Thaw overnight on a plate in the refrigerator, in case it leaks.
You can add to the bag to save up whites for an angel food cake, which often takes 10-12 egg whites. You can also make macaroons, macarons, or meringues, or substitute them in other recipes taking more than one egg.
More Citrusy or Milky Recipes
If you need more bright, citrusy treats in your life, I recommend my Orange Muffins (which happen to be vegan - no special ingredients necessary) or Grapefruit Scones. If you love sweetened condensed milk like I do, check out my from-scratch Tres Leches Cake (which is never soggy), or my 5-ingredient layered Cookie Bars - which can also use up some of those graham cracker crumbs you've got leftover from making a crust!
I hope this becomes a recipe you'll return to. If you try it, a star rating below helps others find it - and I'd love to hear how yours turns out in the comments! 💕 Questions or trouble? Drop a note, and I'll do my best to help.
📖 Recipe
Key Lime Pie (3-Ingredient Filling)
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
- Your crust can be room temperature, or freshly par-baked and warm.
- 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. Bake for 15 minutes if using a premade or room temperature pie crust. If your crust is still warm from the oven, bake for 10 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 - about 3 hours.
- Top with whipped cream before serving. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
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!