Sweet, tart and incredibly easy, this Key Lime Pie is sure to become the next family favorite! Bring this to potlucks and you’ll be asked to make it again. A delicious graham cracker crust filled to the top with a custardy filling brightened with fresh lime juice and some zest. It’s quick to make and budget-friendly!
I’m not much of a pie person; I never have liked pie that much. That being said, I will only ever post pie recipes that I absolutely enjoyed, and this happened to be one of them. I never imagined that I would like key lime pie! The amazing combination of tart and sweet drew me in for more. I squeezed a bunch of limes for this. I don’t like using bottled stuff. If you find key limes, I highly recommend using those! They aren’t readily available where I am in PA, so finding them was a pain. If you can’t find key limes, then go ahead and use the bottle of key lime juice. If that isn’t available either, then regular limes are ok.
How to make Key Lime Pie
When I say this recipe is crazy easy, I mean it’s CRAZY easy. The graham cracker crust can be store-bought if you aren’t comfortable with making your own crust, but I recommend doing it yourself. It tastes better homemade and it’s simple to do. (Full ingredient amounts and complete instructions are available in the recipe card down below).
- Graham Crackers: Used in the crust. You can buy a premade crust if you need to.
- Sugar: Used in the crust. None of the sugar goes into the filling itself!
- Butter: To bind the crust together.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: The 2nd key ingredient to the custardy filling.
- Sour Cream: Greek yogurt is an option.
- Key Limes: The KEY ingredient to this pie. (See what I did there?) If you can’t find key limes or bottle juice, regular limes work just as well. You’ll need the juice and zest.
- Optional for Whipped Cream: Heavy Cream, Powdered Sugar, Vanilla Extract, 2 drops of green food coloring (100% optional. I did it for the purpose of a light lime color)
Preheat the oven to 375F. Crush the graham crackers into crumbs in a ziploc bag with a mallet or a rolling pin. Mix together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in a small. Press the mixture into an 8″ or 9″ inch (9.5″ is fine too.) pie pan. Bake for a few minutes, then allow to cool. Turn down the heat to 350F. Whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, sour cream, lime juice, and lime zest in a medium bowl. Pour into the graham cracker crust and bake for a few minutes. The middle will be slightly jiggly, this is ok. Let the pie cool before chilling. Chill for at least 3 hours to overnight. If making the whipped cream, beat the heavy cream and powdered sugar in a mixer until stiff peaks form. Beat in the vanilla. Add 2 drops of food coloring (if using) and fold in until the whipped cream has a light green color. Spread or pipe the whipped cream on top of the cooled pie. Serve.
Tips & FAQs
- Storage: Cover loosely with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. While there are versions of this pie that are frozen, I do not recommend freezing this particular recipe.
- Make Ahead: If you plan to make this ahead of time, make the crust up to a day in advance. Make the filling, bake, and chill the day you plan to serve it, along with the whipped cream, otherwise, the crust will become soggy.
- Can I use regular limes for this recipe? If you don’t live in Florida, or anywhere near it, key limes may be hard to come by. You may have to order it online. There might be key limes available to order or bottled juice. You can use regular limes for this if you don’t have key limes readily available.
Want the recipe? Click print below! Let me know how it came out for you by tagging me on Instagram (@missravenskitchen) and using #missravenskitchen! Follow my Facebook page for updates as well! Let me know if I need to tweak anything.
Key Lime Pie
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups graham crackers, crushed to crumbs
- 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 6 tbsp butter, melted
- 28 oz sweetened condensed milk (2 cans)
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1 cup key lime juice
- Zest from 2 regular limes or 4 key limes
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 drops of green food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Mix together the graham crackers crumbs, sugar, and butter in a small bowl. Stir with a fork first, then your hands until the mixture is well combined. Press the crumbs firmly to the bottom and up the sides of an 8″-9.5″ inch pie pan. Use the bottom of a dry measuring cup to spread it evenly. The crust should be about 1/4-inch thick.
- Bake for 7-10 minutes or until just slightly browned. Let the crust cool completely on a wire rack.
- Turn the oven heat down to 350F.
- Whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, sour cream, lime juice, and lime zest in a medium mixing bowl, until slightly thick. Pour the filling into the crust.
- Bake for 10 minutes. The filling will be almost set; it should wobble a bit. This is ok. You want it like that!
- Let the pie cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then place in the refrigerator to chill thoroughly, about 3 hours to overnight.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, beat together the heavy cream and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form.
- Beat in the vanilla extract. Add in 2 drops of green food coloring (if using) and fold in until a slight green color forms.
- Spread or pipe the whipped cream on top of the cooled pie. Serve immediately. Top with additional zest if desired.
Notes
Storage: Cover loosely with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- While there are versions of this pie that are frozen, I do not recommend freezing this particular recipe.
Make Ahead: If you plan to make this ahead of time, make the crust up to a day in advance. Make the filling, bake, and chill the day you plan to serve it, along with the whipped cream, otherwise, the crust will become soggy.
Can I use regular limes for this recipe? If you don’t live in Florida, or anywhere near it, key limes may be hard to come by. You may have to order it online. There might be key limes available to order or bottled juice. You can use regular limes for this if you don’t have key limes readily available.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
660.03Fat (grams)
31.63Sat. Fat (grams)
18.99Carbs (grams)
87.72Fiber (grams)
1.16Net carbs
86.56Sugar (grams)
75.01Protein (grams)
10.45Sodium (milligrams)
317.93Cholesterol (grams)
95.91The nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and the brands of ingredients used. Nutrition Information is based on 20 servings.
Miss Raven's Kitchen 
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