Mike’s Key Lime Pie is forever our go-to when we’re craving a zesty slice of key lime pie. It’s the perfect blend of sweet an tart and is easily my favorite pie ever!
This is it.
The ULTIMATE key lime pie.
My father-in-law’s key lime pie is basically the holy grail of pies. I hold every other pie to its mile-high standards and couldn’t imagine getting my key lime fix any other way!
It’s sweet yet oh so tart, relying on a hearty dollop of whipped cream to tame the citrusy bite of lime.
In my opinion, a key lime pie should always follow a few set rules.
1. A graham cracker crust is a must.
2. Your first bite should be equal parts swoon and pucker-face. It shouldn’t be so sweet and creamy that it causes a toothache, and instead must balance it’s sweetness and tartness with refreshing zest. The velvety custard must be bursting with citrus flavor to qualify it for key lime greatness.
3. Nellie and Joe’s Key West Lime Juice is the gold standard.
4. It can’t be green. (this is non-negotiable, people – put down that food coloring!)
For a totally sharable option, you can make this recipe into Mini Key Lime Pies!
The tasty filling from this recipe will yield 12 mini pies and you can either use homemade graham cracker crust or the little premade mini pie shells from Keebler. They’re such a breeze to make and perfectly sweet and shareable!
Homemade Graham Cracker Crust
Crust Ingredients:
- 1 3/4 cups (230g) Graham cracker crumbs (from about 15 Graham crackers)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 4 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon (60g) unsalted butter (if using salted butter, omit the pinch of salt), melted
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Arrange a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350°F (175°C).
- Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor or blender until finely ground. Put in a large bowl, and stir in the sugar and salt. Stir in the melted butter.
- Press into a lightly greased pie dish. Gently press down on the crumbs using your fingers, until the crumbs are a nice even layer at both the bottom of the pan and the sides.
Mike’s Famous Key Lime Pie
This lip-smacking lime pie is so easy my 5-year-old can make it and so legendary it comes straight from her grandpa’s recipe box. Love. It. So.
We made it for a party to share with friends this past weekend and it vanished FAST. Clearly it’s time to make another!
Ingredient-wise you’ll only need a few things to make this amazing dessert: premade or homemade graham cracker crust, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, and key lime juice. For topping you’ll want to grab your favorite whipped topping or make your own tasty whipped cream using the recipe card below. Garnish with some lime slices and get ready to faceplant!
Key Lime Pie
Ingredients
- 9-inch prepared graham cracker crust (homemade works fantastic too)
- 21 oz sweetened condensed milk
- 2 large eggs
- 8 oz Nellie and Joe’s Key West Lime Juice
- 1 lime sliced thin to garnish
HOMEMADE WHIPPED CREAM
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3-4 TBSP powdered sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Gently mix eggs and condensed milk with a hand mixer.
- Continue to beat on LOW while SLOWLY adding lime juice. Mix until juice has been incorporated into the filling.
- If the filling seems extra watery, or if you’d like a slightly sweeter pie, add an extra TBSP or two of sweetened condensed milk and mix.
- Pour into prepared graham cracker pie crust. If using a homemade crust, bake until golden and cool before adding the custard. If using store-bought, pour it right in.
- Bake at 350 F for 10-15 minutes. Mine is typically perfect after 14 minutes. Filling will be wiggly and pale. (should not be browned at all) Allow to cool completely on a cooling rack then transfer to fridge for a minimum of 3/4 hours. May chill overnight if desired.
- If making the homemade whipped cream, first place the beaters from an electric hand mixer and a large glass or stainless steel bowl in freezer. Keep cream in the fridge until ready to whip.
- After they’ve had time to chill (approx. 10-15 min) add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract to your bowl. Start mixing on low speed, then increase the speed to medium-high until soft or stiff peaks form.
- Place bowl in fridge until ready to decorate. Pipe onto the pie using a star tip and piping bag or simply serve a dollop of fresh whipped cream on each slice. Thinly sliced lime wedge make a pretty garnish.
Notes
Nutrition
If you get a chance to try this key lime pie recipe, let me know! Leave some love in the comment form below or tag your photos with @peasandcrayons on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creation!
I can’t wait to see what you whip up!
hungry for more?
Key Lime Pancakes are basically the best part of waking up. Evahhhh! Make them for a weekend breakfast or brunch and prepare to swoon over these dreamy dessert pancakes.
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This Key Lime Pie Smoothie from Live Eat Learn looks amazing!
On the savory side, Edamame Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing is totally a must this summer. This side salad is perfect for parties and picnics and keeps great in the fridge! I also make a mean Spicy Sriracha Lime Chicken Zoodle Soup.
Hey I was wondering could I substitute lemon juice for the lime juice! Btw this is my favorite pie ever I’ve made it so many times!
Hey Liz! I’ve never made a lemon version but I’d love to try it. I’d go with fresh squeezed lemons for the brightest flavor? Let me know if you get a chance to experiment!
It’s been a tradition to buy Key Lime pie when in Florida. But this year I decided to try making one using this recipe. It was Prefect and better than store bought! We now have a new tradition thanks to your excellent recipe.
I’m so stoked it was a hit! The recipe comes from my family in Florida and I love sharing it with others. xoxo
The best sketch Lime Pie recipe I have ever made. I used two cans of condensed milk, turned out perfect. I plan to use only this recipe when making Key Lime Pie. Thank you for sharing.
I made this pie and it was delicious! I liked it even better when I used 2 cans of the sweetened condensed milk. I baked the pie 2 minutes more. I made the crust from scratch with a recipe calling for some light brown sugar.. excellent!
This is a great key lime pie recipe. Reminds me of the ones we get while visiting the keys. Thank you thank you!!
Gah I want a slice right now! So glad it was a hit!
Hey, girl, this pie was great! It has the right mixture or sweet and sour, just like my 9 year old. Highly recommend this to anyone who likes pie. Seriously, it’s fantastic!
Woot! Woot! Glad you enjoyed it!
Tart, smooth, and not too sweet! Yum!
Thank you Kristin!