American
Key Lime Pie
A graham crust holds a tangy key lime custard that bakes until the center is set. Whipped cream goes on after the pie is cold.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 28 min
- Total
- 48 min
- Servings
- 8
- Difficulty
- Medium
Why you’ll love it
- The filling is baked, not left as a raw-yolk custard.
- 160°F in the center and a set jiggle, not a liquid center, is the stop.
- Key lime juice is sharper than regular lime. Regular lime still works if that is what you have.
- The pie needs a full chill or the slice will not hold.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
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Instructions
- 1
Heat the oven to 350°F.
- 2
Stir the graham cracker crumbs, granulated sugar, and melted butter. Press the mixture into a 9-inch pie plate, covering the bottom and up the sides.
- 3
Bake the crust 10 minutes, until it smells toasty and the edges look dry. Cool 10 minutes.
- 4
Whisk the sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, key lime juice, key lime zest, and salt until smooth.
- 5
Pour the filling into the crust. Bake 15 to 18 minutes, until the center is set with a slight jiggle and is not liquid.
- 6
Check the center with an instant-read thermometer. It should read at least 160°F. If it is lower or the center still sloshes, bake 3 more minutes and check again.
- 7
Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate at least 4 hours, until the slice holds a clean edge.
- 8
Whip the heavy cream with the powdered sugar to soft peaks. Spread it on the cold pie just before serving.
Pro tips
- Bottled key lime juice is fine. Fresh juice needs about 1 pound of key limes for 1/2 cup.
- A set custard wobbles in the center like gelatin. A raw one ripples and looks shiny and wet.
- Zest before you juice if you are using fresh limes.
Easy substitutions
- key lime juice
- 1/2 cup fresh regular lime juice
- graham cracker crumbs
- vanilla wafer crumbs
- heavy cream
- a dollop of sweetened whipped topping
Storage and reheating
Storage
Refrigerate covered up to 3 days. The whipped cream softens after the first day, so add it close to serving if you can.
Reheating
Do not reheat. Serve cold.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 328
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
Moderate · Oven
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