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A plain slice of key lime pie being lifted from a pie pan with a pie knife
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4.96 from 129 votes

Key Lime Pie

This Key Lime Pie recipe comes straight from Savannah, Georgia. It is smooth and creamy with the perfect blend of tart and sweet.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Key Lime, Key Lime Pie, Pie
Servings: 8
Calories: 342kcal
Author: Erica Walker

Equipment

  • Hand Mixer
  • Conventional Oven

Ingredients

For the crust:

  • 1/3 cup butter melted
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

For the filling:

  • 4 egg yolks
  • 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
  • 6 key limes for zesting and juicing
  • Nellie & Joe's Famous Key West Lime Juice (if needed)
  • whipped topping to garnish (optional)

Instructions

For the crust:

  • Combine melted butter and sugar in a medium bowl. Stir in crushed graham crackers.
    Crushed graham cracker crumbs in a bowl to make crust for Key Lime Pie
  • Spread evenly into 9-inch pie plate and press onto bottom and sides to form an even crust. The bottom of a measuring cup works great for pressing the crumbs firmly into the pie plate.
    Chill for an hour until firm OR bake at 375-degrees for 5 min and allow to cool before filling.
    Crushed graham crackers mixed with butter being flattened in a pie dish making a homemade pie crust for key lime pie

For the filling:

  • Preheat oven to 350-degrees. 
    Zest key limes until there are 2 teaspoons of zest, then juice them. Pour the fresh key lime juice into a 1/2 cup measuring cup.
    If the 1/2 cup isn't filled, add bottled key lime juice to fill it completely.
    Lime wedges to juice for key lime pie
  • Whisk the egg yolks until they are thick and turn to a light yellow. Use a stand mixer or an electric mixer. Slowly add sweetened condensed milk while mixing on a low speed. 
    Eggs in a large bowl to be mixed to make filling for key lime pie
  • Gradually add the key lime juice and zest and continue to mix on a low speed just until blended.
    Condensed milk, lime juice, and egg yolks mixed together to make filling for key lime pie
  • Pour the mixture into the prepared pie shell and bake 15 minutes. Remove and let cool. 
    Key lime pie filling that has been poured into a graham cracker crust to make key lime pie recipe
  • Serve with a garnish of whipped topping and lime slices, if desired. Store pie in refrigerator until ready to serve
    Whipped cream being piped onto key lime pie as a topping

Video

Notes

Substitutions

If key limes and/or key lime juice are not available, you can still make this pie!
  • Use Nellie & Joe's Key Lime juice in place of fresh key limes.
  • Substitute the juice of 1 lime in place of the 6 key limes. Make sure you have 1/2 cup of juice.

Nutrition

Calories: 342kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 135mg | Sodium: 228mg | Potassium: 228mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 37g | Vitamin A: 499IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 166mg | Iron: 1mg