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    Home > Recipes > Pies + Tarts

    Perfect Key Lime Pie

    Published: Apr 27, 2021 | Updated: Oct 31, 2022

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    The perfect Key Lime Pie recipe has arrived! It is silky smooth and delightfully tart! With or without the meringue topping, it is perfection! 

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    perfect key lime pie

    A few years ago at the restaurant I went to put something in the oven and, when I returned to my station (i.e. “desk”) there was a suprise. I had never seen limes this small. And now I had 10 bags of them, squarely perched on my desk.

    Chef had made a random fruit drop. The first time this happened it was with wild blueberries and I was baffled at where they came from, but by the time the key limes arrived, I knew what was up. I had not been a huge fan of the pre-packaged key lime juice I'd had up to this point. I had no idea what magic was in store for me with fresh key limes (10 bags full!)

    YouTube video

    Fresh key lime juice is what sets this key lime pie WAAAAY apart. Sure, sure, the crème fraïche and the touch of kosher salt to balance the sweetness are pretty divine as well. But real key limes are almost floral, and they have a softer tartness that plays so nicely with the sweetened condensed milk and the savory graham cracker crust. 

    If you haven’t zested and juiced a case of key limes, then you are in for a life experience! ?

    perfect key lime pie

    When testing recipes for the SHOP, I tasted several brands of pre-squeezed key lime juice and I cannot tell you how sad it was. They add salt and something else to preserve it, and the resulting flavor is dull and let's just say blah. I decided we would only use fresh key lime juice in our key lime pie and it makes all the difference. People go legit nuts for this key lime pie. It has well-earned its place in my 20 Best Thanksgiving Pie Recipes!

    perfect key lime pie

    And now you can make it yourself! Other than juicing itty-bitty limes, it is super easy and comes together in a flash. An optional Italian Meringue topping pulls it all together, but you can also use my Marshmallow Fluff Frosting for the top! There is more sugar, so it will be sweeter and more dense. It will also hold up better and longer without weeping. Your call, either way there will be a slice of heaven!

    Perfect Key Lime Pie one of 20 best thanksgiving pie recipes

    Perfect Key Lime Pie

    Chef Lindsey
    The perfect Key Lime Pie recipe has arrived! It is silky smooth and delightfully tart! With or without the meringue topping, it is perfection!
    PRINT Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 30 minutes
    Cook Time 45 minutes
    Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 12 people
    Calories 523 kcal

    Ingredients
     

    Filling:

    • 900 g Sweetened Condensed milk
    • 120 g Crème Fraîche (½ cup)
    • 200 g Key lime juice (¾ cup)
    • 1 tablespoon Lime zest (optional)
    • ¾ teaspoon Kosher Salt

    Crust:

    • 126 g Butter (melted, 9 Tablespoons)
    • 240 g Graham cracker crumbs (2 cups)
    • 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
    • 44 g Light brown sugar

    Meringue:

    • 240 g Egg Whites
    • 225 g Sugar (divided)
    • ⅓ cup Water
    • ½ teaspoon Cream of tartar
    • 1 teaspoon Vanilla
    Makes: 9inch9 x 9inch round
    Metric - US Customary

    Instructions
     

    Make the crust:

    • Combine all ingredients and press into molds. Bake 8 minutes at 350°F

    Make the filling:

    • Whisk together all the ingredients and pour into baked crust. The crust can still be warm!
    • Bake at 325°F (not convection) 45-60 minutes until they start to have bubbles in the center and the edges have puffed and slightly cracked.
    • Allow to cool completely at room temperature and then wrap well and chill 2 hours to overnight. For a deep dish, over night is best!

    Optional Meringue:

    • In a small pot combine 150g sugar with water. Stir to incorporate. Wipe down and sugar crystals that stuck to the sides. Over medium-high heat, begin to cook the sugar.
    • Once the sugar begins to bubble, begin whisking the whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Once they begin to foam, slowly add the remaining 75 g sugar and turn the mixer on high.
    • The goal is that the sugar syrup hits 238°F (right before soft ball) as the whites get to stiff peaks.
    • You can lower the heat on the stove to give the whites more time or lower the speed on the mixer to give the syrup more time. You are in control!
    • Once the whites are at stiff peaks and the syrup hits 238°F, turn up the speed on the mixer to high and slowly pour the syrup down the sides of the mixer bowl into the whites. Beat until cooled slightly.
    • Mound on top of the cooled key lime pie! This meringue isn’t very stable because there isn’t high ratio of sugar to whites, so it is best to add it the day you serve it (or the day before).

    Video Instructions

    YouTube video

    Notes

    Yield: 1, 9-10” deep dish pie
    Keyword easy pie recipe, graham cracker pie crust, key lime
    Tried this recipe?Mention @cheflindseyfarr
    perfect key lime pie

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    • Old Fashioned Buttermilk Pie
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    Hi, I'm Lindsey! I am the baker, recipe developer, writer, and photographer behind Chef Lindsey Farr. I believe in delicious homemade food and the power of dessert! 

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