This past week while talking with friends during my adventures in pie-making, I couldn’t help but notice one thing:
Everyone has a favorite pie.
And they tend to be very eager to tell you about it.
Seriously, I had no idea that friends I have known and loved for years had such deep and strong opinions about their favorite pies! But perhaps more so, I had no idea that they would all love so many different kinds of pies. Some people were passionate about their pecan pies. Some couldn’t wait to taste a bite of French Silk. Others were requesting that bourbon being added to a peach pie.
But I was surprised that the most requested pie — at least amongst my friends — was actually a classic Key Lime Pie.
Apparently, people love their Key Lime Pie!
Some friends had made it with their families growing up. Some said it gave them fond memories beach and fresh lime trees (since you know that we live about as far away from those as possible in Kansas City!). Some had the tradition of always ordering it at a favorite restaurant. And some just flat-out loved it.
Whatever the reasoning, Key Lime Pie was definitely a favorite amongst my friends, and they ate in a flash during our night of taste-testing. Although you’d better believe I also had a slice!!
Key Lime Pie was actually the first pie I chose to make in my lineup of pie recipes last week — partly because I love it, but partly because it is one of the easiest pies to make. I’m not kidding. This recipe is pretty much foolproof!
All you need is to make a graham cracker crust, whisk together the ingredients for that perfectly sweet and tart key lime filling, bake it briefly then refrigerate for a few hours. And voila — a delicious Key Lime Pie will be ready to go with less than about 30 minutes of prep work. (Or less than 20 if you decide to “cheat” and use the bottled key lime juice at the store. No judging here — if you want to save your fingers from squeezing a zillion limes, it’s an option!)
So if you were one of the many who would instantly shout out “Key Lime” if I asked about your favorite pie, you should definitely give this one a try. Enjoy!
Key Lime Pie
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups finely-ground graham cracker crumbs
- 2 tablespoons white granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons melted butter
Filling Ingredients:
- 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup key lime juice (preferably fresh, but bottled juice also works)
- 1 tablespoon lime zest
- optional toppings: whipped cream, lime twist, lime zest
Instructions
To Make The Graham Cracker Crust:
- Prep the oven. Heat oven to 350°F.
- Mix the crust. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter until evenly combined. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie dish.
- Bake. Bake for 10 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack until ready to add the filling.
To Make The Filling:
- Whisk the filling. While the crust is baking, whisk together the condensed milk and egg yolks in a medium mixing bowl until combined. Add lime juice and zest and whisk by hand for 1 minute until combined and slightly thickened.
- Bake. Pour the filling into pre-baked pie crust and bake the pie for 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let the pie cool until it reaches room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or until chilled and set.
- Garnish. Top with whipped cream just before serving, if desired, sprinkled with a hint of lime zest and finished with a lime twist. Serve and enjoy!
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.
Awesome key lime pie! I made this yesterday for my boyfriend. He loved it! Super easy too!
I made this pie over the weekend for the very first time. I have to say everything was fine except one thing. My issue with this recipe was 1/2 cup of key lime juice being a bit too much for my family’s personal taste but that can be adjusted in the future. Otherwise, it was a good recipe and Surprisingly, I had no issues with making the crust.
Would there be a good way to freeze this?
Hi Leni! To freeze this, wrap it tightly with foil or plastic freezer wrap, and/or place in a freezer bag. We would freeze it without the whipped cream though. We hope you enjoy!
As is the case with all graham cracker crumb recipes, *please* indicate how many actual crackers a given volume of crumbs represents.
Hi Ian, you can actually buy the crumbs at the store, so that’s easy to measure, but if you’re using whole graham crackers, we recommend pulsing about 7 or 8 crackers first and then measuring. You may need to add a couple more — 1 1/4 cups of crumbs is equivalent to about one sleeve of graham crackers.
I just made this last night and boy did it go fast! It was so delicious and way easier than I ever imagined it would be! Your recipes never disappoint!! I was considering doubling the recipe and using a 13x 9 pan like someone mentioned in the comments, would I need to double the bake time to 30 minutes?
We’re so glad to hear it was a hit, Nadia, and thank you for your sweet words! We’re happy you like the blog. If you’re going to try and double this and use a 13×9 pan, we’re not sure you would exactly need to double the bake time, but it will take longer. We’d suggest setting your timer for 20 min, and then check after that, checking in increments of 5. We hope this helps!
Can you double recipe and use 13×9 dish and make into bars???
Hi Ana! Ooh, we think that’s a fabulous idea! We haven’t tried it, but we think doubling it should be enough for a 13×9 dish for bars. We hope you enjoy!
Made this key lime pie tonight and it was so easy and delicious. The family loved it and the friends we had over ate two helpings. Thanks for the great recipe.
Thank you Kim, we’re so glad you enjoyed it! :)
I just made this for Father’s day and it was a major hit!! It was so easy to make too. Thanks for the recipe.
We’re so glad to hear that, Erin! : )
For those planning to make this in the future: there was not enough filling to fill a 9 inch pie pan. I would recommend adding a little more condensed milk.
Thank you for sharing, Joana. We haven’t had that problem before, but that’s good to know.
Hey. your recipe looks to die for. I am making a Key Lime pie for my friend’s mother on Friday and I was wondering how many limes you typically use as I’d prefer to use fresh. Thanks and have a great day!