Classic Key Lime Pie Recipe

This is the CLASSIC Key Lime Pie Recipe you’d get in Florida: a graham cracker crust with a creamy key lime filling and homemade whipped cream on top. If you want to transport yourself to Key West, this is the recipe to take you there.

I promise, one bite of this creamy heavenly dessert and you’ll be hooked!

I’ve had Key Lime Pie in Florida and I set out to make an authentic version here at home to satisfy my key lime craving!

Authentic Key Lime Pie Recipe

This recipe is one of my FAVORITE pies! Here’s why I love it so much:

• It’s easy and simple to make.
• It’s just like the one I had in Miami!
• It has a Graham Cracker Crust, creamy Key Lime Filling, and Fresh Whipped Cream!

Making Key Lime Pie from scratch

This pie is such a simple one that it’s easy to make entirely from scratch. There are three main parts to this pie:

1. A Graham Cracker Crust
2. Key Lime custard filling
3. Fresh whipped cream topping

While my version of this pie is a baked recipe, you can make no-bake Key Lime Pie using Cool Whip instead of the eggs, but that’s a whole different recipe.

How to make Graham Cracker Crust

Traditionally, this pie has a graham cracker crust. The crust is crunchy and not too sweet, which complements the sweet and sour creamy filling.

Making your own graham cracker crust is beyond easy and I highly recommend it because the store-bought ones aren’t as good.

How to make a graham cracker crust for key lime pie: Simply crush your graham crackers with a rolling pin or in a food processor and stir them with melted butter and brown sugar. Press into a 9-inch pie plate and pre-bake the crust for 7 minutes.

Normally I don’t cook my graham cracker crusts but it is important to do for this pie so that the crust forms a shell; that way the filling won’t drip through, making it soggy.

Learn all about making graham cracker crust from scratch.

How to Make Traditional Key Lime Pie

The filling of a key lime pie is a cooked custard. It’s like lime curd but it’s set, like in a lemon meringue pie.

The filling has just FOUR ingredients:

Sweetened Condensed Milk: use regular, not fat-free. You can find sweetened condensed milk in the baking aisle; make sure to buy regular and not low-fat or nonfat. In the US, it comes in 14-ounce cans.

Egg yolks: the egg yolks are what makes the pie set and gel without using gelatin, so they’re super important to the recipe.

Key Lime juice and zest: you can substitute regular limes for the zest but not the juice, more on that below

To make your filling: you just have to whisk all the ingredients together – that’s IT. Pour it into the partially baked crust and bake until set.

Can you use regular limes in place of key limes?

You can tell the difference between a regular lime (Persian or Tahitian lime) and a Key Lime by the size as well as the flavor. Key limes are smaller and rounder with more seeds and more aromatic and intense flavor.

It might be tempting to just use regular limes in a Key Lime pie but, then, it’s just a lime pie, so use real key limes!

Key limes have a shorter supply and aren’t fresh all year long like regular limes, so if you can’t find them then I suggest using bottled key lime juice, not regular limes.

When choosing between squeezing a ton of Key Limes and using a bottle of juice I will tell you that fresh is best but I won’t judge you for skipping all that juicing!

Once the pie is baked, cool it completely and then chill it until it’s cold and set. Before serving, top it with fresh whipped cream and slices of lime.

Storing Key Lime Pie

Always store this in the refrigerator, loosely covered. Whipped cream tends to run after it sits, so for best results, top it right before serving.

With the creamy tart filling, crunchy crust and sweet whipped cream, this is the Key Lime Pie of your dreams!

Tips and FAQ for Key Lime Pie

• How to avoid a soggy crust: make sure to bake the crust before adding the filling to ensure it stays crunchy.
• Does Key Lime Pie need to be refrigerated? Yes – store it in the refrigerator.
• Can I use a store bought crust? Yes you can – and you won’t need to pre-bake it.
• How to tell it’s done: the top will be set looking – not watery.
• How to decorate Key Lime Pie: I love using a 1M tip (large star tip) with a piping bag full of whipped cream to decorate the top. Garnish with lime slices.
• If you can’t find key limes, use Persian Lime Zest and bottled key lime juice (found in the juice aisle).

If you love key lime desserts, be sure to check out my Key Lime Eclair no-bake dessert and my Key Lime Cheesecake!

If you love lime in general, then you must try my Lime Curd Pie, too.

Have you tried this recipe? I’d love it if you’d leave a comment and review below!

This Classic Key Lime Pie Recipe has a graham cracker crust, key lime custard filling and whipped cream topping. It’s totally from scratch!