Key Lime Pie

By Vaughn Vreeland

Updated Oct. 11, 2023

Key Lime Pie
Mark Weinberg for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
Total Time
1¼ hours, plus 4 hours’ cooling and chilling
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour 5 minutes, plus 4 hours' cooling and chilling
Rating
4(458)
Comments
Read comments

Key limes, with their distinct tartness and slightly floral aroma, lend a delightfully sharp flavor to this classic American pie. They can be hard to find, especially out of season and outside of Florida, and juicing the diminutive limes can sometimes feel like a big effort. This recipe allows you to choose your own adventure: fresh fruit for Key lime purists, bottled stuff for shortcut seekers, or a blend of Persian lime juice (from the limes most commonly found in grocery stores) bolstered with a little lemon juice, for those seeking a solid substitution. The amount of salt in the crust may seem like a lot, but it offsets the tart curd and rich whipped topping. Try adding ¼ cup of unsweetened shredded coconut to the crust for a fun twist on the classic. This pie freezes like a dream, providing a great make-ahead dessert and a taste of the beach any time.

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Ingredients

Yield:One 9-inch pie

    For the Crust

    • 1½cups/180 grams graham cracker crumbs (from 12 full graham crackers)
    • ¼cup/50 grams packed light brown sugar
    • 1teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal), or ½ teaspoon table salt
    • 6tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

    For the Filling

    • 1(14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
    • 3large egg yolks
    • 1tablespoon fresh finely grated Key lime zest and ½ cup juice (see Tip)
    • ½teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal), or ¼ teaspoon table salt

    For the Topping

    • ¾cup heavy whipping cream
    • 1½ tablespoons confectioners’ (or granulated) sugar, plus more to taste
    • ¼teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) or ⅛ teaspoon table salt
    • 1 or 2Key limes, to zest for garnish
Ingredient Substitution Guide
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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare the crust: In a medium bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs, light brown sugar, salt and butter until well combined. Pour the mixture into a 9-inch pie plate and press it firmly against the bottom and sides. (The bottom of a small measuring cup is useful for ensuring even thickness.)

  2. Step 2

    Bake the crust for 15 minutes, until the color begins to deepen slightly. Cool completely.

  3. Step 3

    While the crust cools, prepare the filling: In a medium bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, yolks, lime zest and salt. Add the lime juice and whisk until evenly combined and noticeably thicker, about 1 minute. (You may be tempted to prepare the curd in advance, but don’t do so more than 5 minutes before baking, as the lime juice may cause the mixture to curdle.)

  4. Step 4

    Pour the filling into the cooled crust and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the curd is set at the edges and slightly jiggly in the middle. Transfer to a rack to cool completely at room temperature, about 1 hour, then cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to overnight.

  5. Step 5

    Just before serving, make the topping: In a large bowl, beat the cream, confectioners’ sugar and salt with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until you have stiff peaks, about 2 minutes. Top the chilled pie with the cream, and then finely grate lime zest on top to garnish. Slice and serve. Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 4 days, or in the freezer for up to one month.

Tip
  • If you can’t find fresh Key limes, regular grocery-store limes, also known as Persian limes, will work fine. In order to better match the distinct tartness of a Key lime, use about ⅓ cup lime juice and add enough lemon juice to reach ½ cup. Bottled Key lime juice is also OK, though it might not have quite as bright flavor as fresh Key limes.

Ratings

4 out of 5
458 user ratings
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Comments

Rob Quartel

I grew up in Florida with a very prolific "Key Lime Pie Tree" outside my bedroom and squeezed thousands of limes over the years for my mother's pies. Most Florida old timers like me assert that a "real" Key Lime Pie is topped with a lightly sweetened meringue, not whipped cream. It seems intuitively obvious that's what the first pie-maker would have done with the leftover whites. I know, there's a debate, but take a second to think about it. And it's a lot more special than whipped cream.

Coco

Never buy bottled lime juice of any kind. Taste horrible. You'll never taste the difference between limes in a key lime pie. Cooks Illustrated did a blind taste test and absolutely no one could tell the difference.

SantaFeJack

My family’s favorite substitution is making the crust out of crushed Ginger Snaps. It wins over graham crackers by a mile!

Alvin Wood

Key lime zest is very bitter and will ruin your pie. We used to have a key lime tree and the one time we included zest the result was inedible. Also, meringue makes for a much better topping than whipped cream.

Jackie S

Made this as indicated - a truly great pie. Except, why the salt in the whipped cream? Doesn't need it. There's plenty of that salty taste between the crust and the filling.

Howard

I would like to double the amount of filling. Any hints on how to cook it and are proportions all the same?

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