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Epicurious

Our Favorite Key Lime Pie

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A key lime pie in a deepdish ceramic pie plate topped with a mound of whipped cream and with one slice cut out.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, food styling by Rhoda Boone

To construct our best Key lime pie recipe, we tested several of the top-rated recipes in our archives and combined elements we loved about each into one winning dessert. We started with fresh Key limes (named for the Florida Keys), which have a floral lime flavor and inherent bitterness that balances perfectly with the sweetened condensed milk in the pie filling. Key limes can be tricky to find in some local grocery stores, but there are many great places to buy citrus online, such as Weee!. You could sub in regular lime (e.g., Persian lime) juice if need be, which is more tart—but be sure to use fresh juice. Shelf-stable bottled Key lime juice can be astringent, and for such a simple filling, using good ingredients is essential. We also found that cutting the filling with a small amount of fresh lemon juice tempers the intensity of the lime and results in a perfectly tangy-sweet custard.

We tweaked the typical homemade graham cracker crust by adding a dash of cinnamon for warmth. Blind-baking the pie crust before adding the key lime filling ensures it stays crunchy. Finally, we opted for whipped cream over a meringue topping because we like how the rich creaminess of the former balances the tart pie.

Looking to prep a summer party dessert ahead of time? Once cooled to room temperature, the pie can stay in the fridge loosely covered for up to two days.

Editor’s note: This recipe was originally published in June 2015. Read More: The Best Ways to Use Leftover Egg Whites.

Recipe information

  • Total Time

    1 hour, plus cooling time

  • Yield

    1 (9") pie

Ingredients

For the crust:

11 (2¼x4¾") graham crackers
2 Tbsp. sugar
1½ tsp. ground cinnamon
Pinch kosher salt
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:

1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
4 large egg yolks
7 Tbsp. fresh Key lime juice
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

For the topping:

1 cup chilled heavy cream
2 Tbsp. powdered sugar

Special Equipment:

A 9" pie plate

Preparation

  1. Make the crust:

    Step 1

    Place rack in the center of oven and preheat to 350°F.

    Step 2

    Pulse graham crackers, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a food processor until fine crumbs form. With the motor running, drizzle in melted butter and process until well-combined. Transfer mixture to pie pan and press into bottom and up sides with a flat-bottomed measuring cup.

    Step 3

    Bake pie crust until golden brown and set, 8–10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes.

  2. Make the filling and bake pie:

    Step 4

    Whisk condensed milk and yolks together in a large bowl. Add Key lime and lemon juices and whisk until well-combined (mixture will thicken slightly).

    Step 5

    Pour filling into crust and bake until center is just set, about 15 minutes. Transfer pie to a wire rack and let cool completely (filling will set as it cools), about 1 hour. Transfer to refrigerator and chill until cold, at least 1 hour.

    Do Ahead: Pie (without topping) can be made, loosely covered, and chilled for up to 2 days.

  3. Make the topping:

    Step 6

    When ready to serve, whip cream with a whisk or electric mixer to very soft peaks. Sprinkle sugar over cream and continue whipping until it holds stiff peaks. Dollop cream in center of pie (leaving at least a 1" border of visible pie filling) and serve.

TagsDessertPieAmericanSouthernGraham CrackerKey LimeLimeCitrusFruitLemonNut FreeVegetarianMake AheadBakingElectric MixerEpicurious

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