7-Ingredient Key Lime Pie Recipe

With its excellent burgher burger macadamia nut crust, creamy but thick key lime filling, and candy whipped cream on high, that is actually one of the best key lime pie I’ve ever had. And after 1 chunk, I feel you’ll agree. You want 4 components for the crust, and solely 3 components for the filling.

overhead photo showing slice of key lime pie being removed from glass pie dish.

Key lime pie will ceaselessly be considered one of my favourite desserts, and I do know I’m not alone! This Florida specialty has been successful over tens of millions for years. Between the buttery crunchy crust, recent and tangy custard filling, and the important creamy topping—no dessert can rival this one!

However can we make a very good factor even higher? Sure.

One reader, Valerie, commented: “I’ve made this recipe a number of instances and it’s at all times an enormous hit! The macadamia nuts within the crust actually give it that further ‘one thing’ that individuals love however can’t fairly pinpoint. One in every of my favourite recipes out of your website… ★★★★★

What Makes This the Greatest Key Lime Pie?

  • Further thick and nutty crust
  • 3-ingredient filling
  • Simple to make
  • Completely refreshing
  • Main key lime taste
  • Topped with home made whipped cream
  • Candy, salty, citrus-y, buttery, creamy, and tangy multi function
key lime pie slice on silver plate with whipped cream on top.

One reader, Ellen, commented: “My son and I made this pie collectively for Thanksgiving. It’s the first time we now have ever made a key lime pie earlier than. We adopted the recipe precisely! Sally, it was the BEST PIE EVER! Completely scrumptious. All people liked it and we are going to for sure make this once more. In the present day I’m grateful for leftovers! ★★★★★

Right here’s How You Make This Key Lime Pie

This pie requires a couple of easy steps. A lot of the “work” is hands-off as the important thing lime pie units up within the fridge, so it’s excellent within the summertime. (A variety of readers make this simple pie for Memorial Day weekend, Father’s Day, 4th of July, summer time birthday events, and Labor Day gatherings.)

  • Make the Crust: Use a meals processor to mix the macadamia nuts and graham cracker crumbs. Mix with melted butter and sugar, then press tightly right into a pie dish.
  • Pre-Bake the Crust: Pre-bake the crust for about 8 minutes earlier than pouring in the important thing lime filling. Pre-baking solidifies the crust and permits for simple slicing as soon as the pie is able to serve.
  • Make the Filling: Whisk collectively the three filling components—will probably be thick! Pour into the nice and cozy crust.
  • Bake the Pie: It normally solely takes about 18–20 minutes within the oven. Let it cool fully, then cowl and refrigerate the pie for at the very least 1 hour previous to serving.
  • Garnish and Serve: That is further scrumptious with recent whipped cream on high. By the best way, in case you’re on the lookout for another approach to serve it, strive my particular person the wrong way up key lime pies. Principally the identical filling as this pie.
ingredients on counter including 2 sweetened condensed milk cans, egg yolks in bowl, melted butter, graham cracker crumbs, and sugar.
key lime juice in a glass measuring cup

Graham Cracker Macadamia Nut Crust

Key lime pie is historically made with graham cracker crust. It’s essentially the most fantastic crunchy, candy, and buttery mattress for the recent key lime filling. However you received’t imagine the distinction macadamia nuts make. I exploit about 1/2 cup of macadamia nuts instead of a few of the graham cracker crumbs and the result’s pure pie bliss. Macadamia nuts are sometimes neglected within the baking world, in favor of different nuts. Why, although? They’re so good!

You want 4 components for this crust:

  1. Macadamia Nuts (I like to recommend salted)
  2. Graham Crackers
  3. Melted Butter
  4. Sugar

Pulse the macadamia nuts with graham crackers, then combine with melted butter and sugar. As a result of key limes are a bit sweeter than common limes, you’ll love the candy/tangy key lime filling with the salty graham cracker macadamia nut crust.

graham cracker crust pressed into glass pie dish.

3-Ingredient Filling

Sure, you want simply 3 components. (!!!) If you happen to’ve tried my key lime pie bars or mini key lime pies, you’ll discover that at present’s filling is a bit totally different. I sometimes add a bit cream cheese to these recipes for stability and construction. Nonetheless, for a traditional and custard-y pie, we’ll skip it. You simply want egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk, and key limes.

My success tip: Do your self a favor and purchase a bottle of key lime juice from the shop. There’s a model of bottled key lime juice that I really like known as Nellie & Joe’s in most main grocery shops subsequent to the bottled lemon juice. In any other case you’ll spend 100 years juicing 500 tiny key limes your self. LOL. You want 1 cup (240ml) of key lime juice. (Contemporary lime zest is elective for this pie.)

custardy filling in glass bowl and shown again spread in graham cracker crust.

The way to Inform Key Lime Pie Is Achieved

Some of the widespread and simply remedied key lime pie issues is over-baked pie. It’s difficult to know when the pie is completed, however right here’s my secret: bake the pie till the filling is barely barely jiggly within the heart (about 18–20 minutes). It must be agency to the contact, however not completely stable. The pie will proceed to set because it cools.

Cool the pie fully on a wire rack, then cowl and chill for at the very least 1 hour earlier than garnishing, slicing, and serving.


The way to Embellish Key Lime Pie

Let the refreshing citrus taste stand out, and hold the garnishes easy.

  • Do-it-yourself whipped cream
  • Because you’ll have leftover egg whites, make a meringue topping—you’ll have time to kill whereas the pie chills anyway 🙂
  • Quartered lime slices
  • Lime zest
  • Complete macadamia nuts
  • Graham cracker crumbs

I’ve sampled many key lime pies and I can confidently say that is one of the best one I’ve ever had.

slice of key lime pie being removed from glass pie dish.

Refreshing Dessert Concepts

When the temperatures rise, the very last thing you need to do is spend time in a sizzling kitchen. You’ll respect these easy, scrumptious, and completely refreshing desserts:

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