Easy Key Lime Pie
This is my favorite key lime pie recipe ever! It's quite easy to make, and it's perfect! Perfect balance between sweet and tart, and the filling is creamy and custardy.
Servings: 8 slices
Calories: 596kcal
Equipment
- Electric hand mixer if not using stand mixer
- Piping bags and tips for decoration
Ingredients
Graham pie crust
- 10 sheets graham crackers or equivalent to 1 ¼ cup graham cracker crumbs
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 5 tablespoons unsalted melted butter
For the filling
- 21 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 4 large egg yolks
- ¾ cups bottled key lime juice or freshly squeezed, see notes
Decoration
- 1 ½ cups cold heavy cream
- 2-3 tablespoons confectioners sugar to taste
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Limes for decoration
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Make the graham pie crust: in a food processor, pulse the graham crackers until fine crumbs form. Add the sugar and melted butter, and pulse a few more times until well combined. Transfer to a shallow 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Press down the bottom and sides using a measuring cup (or a glass) to make a tightly packed pie crust.
- Pre-bake pie crust: Place the prepared pie crust on a sheet pan (to catch any crumbs). Bake for about 10 minutes until set and slightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and let it cool slightly.
- Prepare the filling: Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk the sweet condensed sugar with egg yolks, sour cream, and key lime juice, until completely smooth and evenly combined.
- Assemble pie: Pour the filling into the pre-baked crust and smooth out the surface using an offset or rubber spatula.
- Bake: Place the assembled pie on a sheet pan. Bake for about 18 minutes until the filling is fully set around the edges. The center should be just slightly jiggly.
- Chill: Let the pie cool completely at room temperature, and then chill for 8 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
- Make the whipped cream: When ready to serve, beat the heavy cream on high speed using a stand mixer (whisk attachment) or electric mixer until soft peak forms. Incorporate confectioners sugar and vanilla, and continue beating until stiff peaks form.
- Decorate: Decorate the pie with the whipped cream, lime slices, and lime zest. Enjoy!
Notes
- Pie pan: 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, about 1 inch in height.
- For the crust, I use 10 graham crackers, which is equivalent to 1 ¼ cups of pulsed graham crackers.
- Pack the graham pie crust tightly around the edges and bottom. This, along with par-baking, will prevent any of the filling from leaking.
- How to tell if the pie is ready: The edges should be fully set and the center should be just slightly jiggly. It will fully set when refrigerated.
- Make ahead: It needs to chill in the fridge for at least 8 hours or overnight, but you can make it up to 3 days ahead.
- Freezing: Freeze without whipped cream for up to 2 months. Cover with a layer of plastic wrap then aluminum foil before tightly sealing in a freezer-safe bag.
- Key limes: Bottled key lime juice (I use Nellie and Joe’s brand)
- You can use a pre-made 9-inch graham cracker pie crust if you’d like.
Disclaimer: Nutritional values (per serving) are approximates only.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 596kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 196mg | Sodium: 230mg | Potassium: 397mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 51g | Vitamin A: 1259IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 279mg | Iron: 1mg