Key Lime Pie – tart and sweet key lime filling on top of a buttery graham cracker crust. With swirls of homemade whipped cream.
Is key lime pie something everyone should have for easter? The answer is so simple. YES. This might not very traditional, but it will make literally everyone at the table happy. Trust me! This pie is so easy to come together and you will have it saved for all future needs. I promise.
For more easy easter recipes, check these ones out!
- Easy And Lemoney, Lemon Bundt Cake
- Brown Butter Carrot Cake
- The Greatest Brown Butter Snickerdoodle Blondies
Jump to:
Why this Key Lime Pie Recipe?
- Minimal ingredients – this has a few ingredients, but the combination of them all makes the pie so wonderful.
- Tart – the balance of the sweetness and tart is perfect!
- Easy to make – you can make this pie in under 10 minutes (including the zesting time) and you don’t even have to decorate it fancy!
- Perfect for easter – With easter on this Sunday, this would make the most perfect addition to a easter brunch or dinner!
Ingredients You Will Need
Here, are some ingredients that you will need for this recipe that you may not have in your pantry. For a full list, check out the recipe card for below.
Graham cracker – you can use full rectangular or graham cracker crumbs. Just make sure they are plain or honey flavored.
Limes – I just grabbed a bag of them, this recipe does use a lot of limes (roughly 12 limes)
Sweetened condense milk – you need full fat/sugar. Don’t use light
Sour cream – this recipe will only work if you use full fat sour cream.
Heavy whipping cream – my favorite brand is Darigold.
Step By Step – The Crust
Furthermost, here are some instructions to make the crust portion. You can use a pie tart pan like I did or a regular pie pan, or pre-made crust. I also used my favorite mini food processor. (I use this all the time for baking)
Step 1: Prep your pan. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Using a 9 inch tart pan with a removable bottom, lightly spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
Step 2: Combine all the ingredients. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar. Step 3: Mix. With a rubber spatula, stir until all the graham cracker crumbs are combined with the melted butter. You should be able to squeeze the mixture and have it stick together.
Step 4: Transfer to the pan. Transfer the mixture to the prepped pan and press down firmly with your hand or a flat bottom of a cup. Make sure to get the side crevices of the pan.
Step 5: Bake. Bake for 12 minutes. Make the filling while the crust is baking.
Step by step – Key Lime Pie
For this part of the pie, all you need is bowls, whisk, and a rubber spatula.
Step 1: Combine all the ingredients. In a medium size bowl, combine the lime zest, lime juice, sour cream and sweetened condensed milk and lightly whisk until you have a smooth and creamy mixture.
Step 2: Pour and bake. Pour the filling on top of the crust and bake for 10-11 minutes. The filling is done when the mixture will be slightly jiggly in the center, but the sides and edges will be firm.
Step 3: Cool the filling. Let the pie cool for 10-15 minutes before transferring to the fridge to set up for at least two hours. (I set mine in the freezer for 30 minutes and it was completely set.)
Step 4: Make the whip cream and serve. Once the pie has set, make the whip cream. To make the whip cream, add the cream and sugar to a medium size bowl and using a hand mixer whip the mixture until it form soft peak. I used wilton 1M to pipe the dollops on top.
FAQ – Key Lime Pie
Can I use a pre-made crust?
Yes, as long as its 9 inch, or 8 inch.
Can I use an 8 inch pan?
Yes! Just bake for 1-2 minutes longer.
Can I used a square pan instead of a round?
Yes! My favorite pan is this one. Line with parchment paper to easily remove from pan.
Storing and freezing
Store the key lime pie in an airtight container like a cake carrier. Store up to 5 days in the fridge.
Freezing – Key Lime Pie
Freeze the pie in individual slices using plastic wrap. Freeze up to 30 days and let thaw for 1-2 hours.
You can freeze the whole pie before decorating. Chill the pie overnight first in the fridge. Using plastic wrap, wrap the chill pie and freeze for 2-3 months, and let it thaw for 24 hours before serving.
How to serve: once the pie is cooled and the whip cream is on top, you can cut it up into 8 or 12 slices. Serve at cold!
For more recipes like this, here are some below.
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Recipe
Key Lime Pie
Ingredients
For the crust
- 1 cup finely ground graham crackers about 9 full rectangular crackers pulverized I used Keebler’s graham cracker crumbs
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
For the key lime filling
- 3 tablespoon lime zest about 6 small limes
- ½ cup lime juice about 12 small limes
- ½ cup full fat sour cream
- 2 14 oz cans sweetened condensed milk
For the topping
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
Instructions
For the crust
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Using a 9 inch tart pan or a 9n inch pie dish, lightly spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar. With a rubber spatula, stir until all the graham cracker crumbs are combined with the melted butter. You should be able to squeeze the mixture and have it stick together.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepped pan and press down firmly with your hand or a flat bottom of a cup. Make sure to get the side crevices of the pan.
- Bake for 12 minutes. Make the filling while the crust is baking.
For the filling
- In a medium size bowl, combine the lime zest, lime juice, sour cream and sweetened condensed milk and lightly whisk until you have a smooth and creamy mixture.
- Pour the filling on top of the crust and bake for 10-11 minutes. The filling is done when the mixture will be slightly jiggly in the center, but the sides and edges will be firm.
- Let the pie cool for 10-15 minutes before transferring to the fridge to set up for at least two hours. (I set mine in the freezer for 30 minutes and it was completely set.)
- Once the pie has set, make the whip cream. To make the whip cream, add the cream and sugar to a medium size bowl and using a hand mixer whip the mixture until it form soft peak. I used wilton 1M to pipe the dollops on top.
Ali says
I made this with a few substitutions, in regard to making it gluten free. I used gluten free Graham crackers and also used lactaid sour cream. It came out PERFECT. Molly’s step by step instruction makes it SO easy to execute this flawlessly in both taste and direction. It came out so delicious and everyone absolutely loved it. I stored leftovers in the fridge but they didn’t last long enough to get soggy or anything. It is the perfect balance of sweet, tangy and creamy and will 10/10 make this recipe again!
Molly Murphy says
Oh my gosh!! Thank you! This information will be helpful for people who have food allergies! I appreciate it!
-Molly