Key Lime Pie: Tips, Techniques, and Fluffy Key Lime Pie Recipe

Key lime pie is an American dessert made with a creamy filling from key lime juice, egg yolks, and sweetened condensed milk in a graham cracker pie crust. Key limes are used because they are considered more tart and fragrant than the Persian limes found in most grocery stores. The pie can be topped with a traditional meringue topping or whipped cream.

The combination of egg yolks and acidic lime juice causes a chemical reaction that thickens the filling without baking, although baking is still recommended to reduce the possibility of Salmonella.

Fresh key limes are preferred over the bottled key lime juice, although bottled juice can work when no fresh limes are available.

The zest from fresh key limes has a thin skin and fragrant quality that makes a delicious pie filling. If don’t have access to fresh key limes or key lime juice, try using fresh Persian limes that you can find commonly in grocery stores.

There is no comparison between a fresh homemade graham cracker crust and a store-bought pie crust. Graham cracker crusts are quick and easy to make, without the fuss of having to make pie dough from scratch—skip the eggs and messy flour to clean up afterward.

To make a graham cracker crust, follow these steps.

1. 1. Place graham crackers in a resealable plastic bag.
2. 2. Crush until fine with a rolling pin.
3. 3. Once the crumbs are made, simply combine with melted butter, press into a pie dish, and bake off until firm.
4. 4. Let your pie crust cool all the way to create a sturdier crust before adding the filling.

Graham cracker crust also pairs perfectly with smooth dessert fillings such as banana cream pie, lemon meringue pie, chocolate cream pie, and cheesecake.

Next time you’re making a key lime pie, follow these six easy tips for a perfect pie, every time.

1. 1. Let the crust cool. Once you’ve baked the crust, make sure to let it cool all the way in the pie pan before adding the filling, at least 10–15 minutes.
2. 2. Use a rolling pin for the crust. When making a graham cracker crust, the weight of a rolling pin works well for crushing crackers into fine crumbs.
3. 3. Zest the limes first. Zest your limes before squeezing the juice, they’ll be much easier to zest. Use a fine grater for the best results.
4. 4. Use a citrus press. If it’s your first time working with key limes, note that they’re small in size with many seeds. Use a citrus press to easily extract the juice and remove the seeds.
5. 5. Make the night before. The filling needs a minimum of 6 hours to firm up in the refrigerator. Make the pie ahead, the night before for an easy dessert to serve at dinner. Top with whipped cream right before serving.
6. 6. Wrap with plastic wrap. When letting the pie set up in the refrigerator, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, making sure not to let it stick to the filling.