Classic Key Lime Pie
Creamy, tart-sweet Key Lime pie has long been a favorite dessert of restaurant-goers. But if your dining-out days are few and far between, and you don't want to go long stretches without this delightful dessert, it's easy to make at home.
Read our blog about this pie, with additional photos, at Bakers' Banter.
Crust
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- *While it isn't traditional, add 1/3 to 1/2 cup (1 1/4 to 1 7/8 ounces) toasted coconut to the crushed cracker crumbs, if desired.
Filling
- grated rind of 1 medium lime, about 3 tablespoons, not packed
- 3 large egg yolks
- 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk (1 1/4 cups)
- 2/3 cup bottled Key Lime juice OR freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon lime oil, optional
Directions
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1) Select a pie pan whose inside top dimension is at least 9", and whose height is at least 1 1/4". Preheat the oven to 325°F. |
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2) Make the crust by stirring together all of the crust ingredients, mixing till thoroughly combined. |
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3) Press the crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of the pie pan. |
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4) Bake the pie crust for 15 minutes; it'll start to darken in color a bit. Remove it from the oven, and place it on a rack to cool while you make the filling. |
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5) Whisk the grated lime rind and egg yolks at high speed of an electric mixer for about 4 minutes. The mixture will lighten in color and thicken somewhat, looking kind of like Hollandaise sauce. |
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6) Stir in the sweetened condensed milk, mixing till smooth. Beat at high speed for 3 minutes; the filling will become slightly thicker, and gain a bit of volume. |
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7) Add the lime juice, stirring just to combine. The mixture will thicken. Add lime oil to taste. |
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8) Pour the mixture into the crust, and return the pie to the oven. Bake for about 25 minutes, till it appears set around the edges, though still a bit wobbly in the center. The center should read about 145°F. |
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9) Remove the pie from the oven, and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for several hours before serving. Slice and serve each piece with a lightly sweetened dollop of whipped cream, if desired. |
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Yield: one 9" pie, about 8 servings. |
Recipe summary
- Hands-on time:
- 15 mins. to 20 mins.
- Baking time:
- 40 mins. to 40 mins.
- Total time:
- 55 mins. to 60 mins.
- Yield:
- 9" pie, about 8 servings.
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- Recipe comments (8) »
Tips from our bakers
- Lime oil (1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon) enhances the lime flavor of this filling. Keep in mind that bottled Key Lime juice is quite strong and "lime-y," requiring only the smaller amount of lime oil; while freshly squeezed juice from Persian limes is less strong, and could use the boost offered by the larger amount of lime oil.
- If you're making your own whipped cream from heavy or whipping cream, it can be confusing to know how much to start with. FYI, 1 cup of whipping cream yields about 2 1/2 cups of whipped cream. So, for an 8-slice pie, with 1/4 cup whipped cream on each slice, you'd want to start with about 3/4 cup of whipping cream. And how much sugar? Completely up to you. Just add granulated or confectioners' sugar a spoonful at a time, to taste.
Reviews
03/14/2010
I'm not usually a fan of Key Lime Pie but this pie was the perfect balance of sweet and tart. It was also very easy to make!
11/01/2009
I gave four stars, although this pie is delicious, because when I finely grated only the green rind of a lime I got about 2 tsp., but it was fine. I used commercial key lime juice. My husband and I like a tart pie. After tasting the filling, I did not add the lime oil, since the filling was already quite tart--the oil would've put it over the top. (This pie was more tart than any Key Lime Pie we've gotten in Key West.) With those caveats, this is a good recipe, and I will bake it again.
09/11/2009
I've made this twice in 10 days, once for us and once for my book club. It was a big success and not hard. I found a good key lime juice locally (I live in FL). It is nice and tart, not too sweet. I bake a lot of bread but I don't make many desserts, so I'm glad to add this to my repertoire.
09/10/2009
I don't comment often, however this is one area in which I am well versed, being a true 4th generation South Floridian (recently relocated to TX). Many many times I have made this recipe, which is generally a true Key Lime Pie recipe if slightly altered. This one has lots of key lime juice and the addition of lime oil and lime zest (the recipe says "rind") will make it even more tart. If you have found it makes your cheeks pucker, you might leave out those ingredients and it'll be more of a true Key Lime Pie. Real key lime pie uses key lime zest and contains no Persian lime anything. Persian limes have a remarkably different flavor. There is more flavor difference between Key lime and Persian (or other) lime than there is between lime and lemon. The old school Floridian recipe is getting lost amongst "key lime pie" which contains such ingredients as lime jello or meringue topping. I would love to see the old one come back to life as it truly is a unique and delicious desert. King Arthur almost brings it back here. To make TRUE Key Lime Pie, leave out the lime oil and only use zest if you can get a key lime, available in many stores as imports from Mexico or the Caribbean. The recipe is quite tart without zest anyway. All other steps are the same, however after cooling the pie to warm room temperature we add a mixture of 1 1/2 c sour cream and about 1/2 c sugar (to taste), then return the pie to the oven for about 5 minutes, just to allow it to set a bit. This adds a nice creamy sweetness to off set the tartness of the base of the pie. It will still be quite tart! This is the Key Lime Pie my father ate as a boy, in the 40s and 50s, the one my grandmothers entrusted to me to keep alive the old school true Key Lime Pie. Sorry to comment without having baked this -exact- recipe, however I hope there is something of value here.
09/10/2009
Loved the flavor of this pie! Will keep it with a few changes. One, three tablespoons of "lightly packed" lime zest is too much. I used two tablespoons & it was too much. Also, a medium lime won't produce that much lime zest, if you are taking off only the green part! Two, I used an 1/8 t. of lime oil - just right. Thanks for another great recipe, even though I'll change some things!! Read the blog every time you send an email!!!
09/08/2009
I made this for a party this weekend and it was easy and delicious. I ran out of limes so added one lemon. Using fresh juice (even my unorthodox mix of Persian limes and one lemon) was definitely better than the old recipe I used to make with bottled Key lime juice.
09/07/2009
Easy to follow and outrageously delicious! Define crowd pleaser.
09/01/2009
I spent most of my life in Key West and collected recipes from several "Conchs" for this pie. I prefer the recipe that incorporates beaten egg whites into the pie mixture. I also prefer to use regular pie crust instead of the cracker crumbs. Frest Key limes can be found in season in local supermarkets and fresh juice it the best ingrediant. Your recipe is a good one, much preferable to those that don't require baking.
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