Key lime pie is the ultimate combination of tangy and sweet and is guaranteed to light up your taste buds! The smooth, creamy key lime filling is light, refreshing, and sits perfectly on top of the buttery, crisp graham cracker crust.
This easy key lime pie recipe is by far one of my favorite desserts to make. The refreshing and bright key lime filling sits so perfectly on top of the buttery, crisp graham cracker crust. Top with some whipped cream for serving and prepare to fall into key lime heaven!
Ingredients for Key Lime Pie
Graham Cracker Crust:
- Graham cracker crumbs
- Granulated sugar
- Butter, melted
Key Lime Pie Filling
- Key lime juice: Key limes are smaller and slightly less green than regular limes. Using bottled key lime juice is easy and a huge time saver. I used Nellie and Joe's, but any brand of bottled key lime juice will work, just check that key lime juice is the only ingredient listed. You can also substitute with regular lime juice, but you'll have to use fresh-squeezed since bottled lime juice is concentrated and way too strong.
- Cream cheese: Brick-style, full-fat, and softened to room temperature.
- Powdered sugar: A little sweetness to balance out the tangy cream cheese.
- Cream: Heavy cream is best, but whole milk or half & half will also work. Just don't use low-fat milk or the filling will be too runny.
- Sweetened condensed milk: A classic key lime pie ingredient, perfect for balancing out the rest of the filling ingredients.
- Egg yolks: Egg yolks add richness, flavor, and are what cause the filling to thicken during baking.
- Vanilla extract: Pure or imitation is fine.
How to Make Key Lime Pie
Preheat your oven to 350°F and lightly spray a 9" deep-dish pie pan or a 9" tart pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Make the Graham Cracker Crust
Mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter in a large bowl or bowl of a food processor. Add the crust to the pan and use the flat side of a glass or measuring cup to pack it down tightly and evenly into the bottom and around the sides. Place the pan on a large rimmed baking sheet, which makes transferring in and out of the oven easier, and prebake the crust for 10 minutes while you make the filling.
Make the Filling
In a large bowl, use a hand-held mixer to beat the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, heavy cream, and sweetened condensed milk until smooth with no lumps. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula. Add the key lime juice and mix until smooth. Use a whisk to mix in the yolks and vanilla extract until evenly combined and the filling is smooth.
Bake: Pour the filling into the prebaked crust and bake the pie for 22-24 minutes, or until the filling is set.
Allow the pie to cool completely in the fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight (recommended). Slice and serve with whipped cream, enjoy!
More Pie Recipes:
Key Lime Pie
Equipment
- 9" deep-dish pie pan or 9" tart pan with removable bottom
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust:
- 1 and ¼ cups graham cracker crumbs
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 5 tbsp. salted butter, melted and slightly cooled
Key Lime Filling:
- 4 oz. cream cheese (¼ cup) , full-fat and softened to room temperature
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp. heavy cream
- 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
- ½ cup key lime juice, bottled or fresh-squeezed
- 6 large egg yolks
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and lightly spray a 9" deep-dish pie pan or 9" tart pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Make the Graham Cracker Crust:
- Add the graham cracker crumbs, granulated sugar, and melted butter to a large bowl or the bowl of a food processor and mix until evenly combined.
- Add the crust to the pie pan and use the flat side of a glass or measuring cup to pack it tightly and evenly into the bottom and around the sides.
- Place the pie pan on a large rimmed baking sheet and prebake the crust for 10 minutes while you make the filling.
Make the Key Lime Filling:
- In a large bowl, use a hand-held mixer to beat the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, heavy cream, and sweetened condensed milk until combined and smooth with no lumps.
- Use a whisk to mix in the key lime juice, egg yolks, and vanilla extract until combined and smooth. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Pour the filling into the prebaked crust and bake the pie for 22-25 minutes. It should be mostly set and not too wobbly.
- Remove the pie from the oven and allow to cool at room temperature and then cool completely in the fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight before slicing.
- Slice and serve topped with whipped cream. Leftovers last, covered tightly, in the fridge for 3-4 days.
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