With its excellent macadamia nut crust, creamy but thick key lime filling, and candy whipped cream on prime, that is actually the perfect key lime pie I’ve ever had. And after 1 chew, I feel you’ll agree. You want 4 components for the crust, and solely 3 components for the filling.
Key lime pie will without end be certainly one of my favourite desserts, and I do know I’m not alone! This Florida specialty has been profitable over thousands and thousands for years. Between the buttery crunchy crust, recent and tangy custard filling, and the important creamy topping—no dessert can rival this one!
However can we make a superb factor even higher? Sure.
One reader, Valerie, commented: “I’ve made this recipe a number of occasions and it’s all the time an enormous hit! The macadamia nuts within the crust actually give it that further ‘one thing’ that folks love however can’t fairly pinpoint. Considered one of my favourite recipes out of your web site… ★★★★★“
What Makes This the Greatest Key Lime Pie?
- Additional thick and nutty crust
- 3-ingredient filling
- Straightforward to make
- Completely refreshing
- Main key lime taste
- Topped with selfmade whipped cream
- Candy, salty, citrus-y, buttery, creamy, and tangy multi functional
One reader, Ellen, commented: “My son and I made this pie collectively for Thanksgiving. It’s the first time we’ve ever made a key lime pie earlier than. We adopted the recipe precisely! Sally, it was the BEST PIE EVER! Completely scrumptious. Everyone beloved it and we are going to undoubtedly make this once more. At this time I’m grateful for leftovers! ★★★★★“
Right here’s How You Make This Key Lime Pie
This pie requires a number of easy steps. Many of the “work” is hands-off as the important thing lime pie units up within the fridge, so it’s excellent within the summertime. (Loads of readers make this straightforward pie for Memorial Day weekend, Father’s Day, 4th of July, summer season birthday events, and Labor Day gatherings.)
- Make the Crust: Use a meals processor to mix the macadamia nuts and graham cracker crumbs. Mix with melted butter and sugar, then press tightly right into a pie dish.
- Pre-Bake the Crust: Pre-bake the crust for about 8 minutes earlier than pouring in the important thing lime filling. Pre-baking solidifies the crust and permits for simple slicing as soon as the pie is able to serve.
- Make the Filling: Whisk collectively the three filling components—it will likely be thick! Pour into the nice and cozy crust.
- Bake the Pie: It often solely takes about 18–20 minutes within the oven. Let it cool utterly, then cowl and refrigerate the pie for not less than 1 hour previous to serving.
- Garnish and Serve: That is further scrumptious with recent whipped cream on prime. By the way in which, when you’re in search of another solution to serve it, attempt my particular person upside down key lime pies. Principally the identical filling as this pie.
Graham Cracker Macadamia Nut Crust
Key lime pie is historically made with graham cracker crust. It’s probably the most great crunchy, candy, and buttery mattress for the recent key lime filling. However you received’t imagine the distinction macadamia nuts make. I exploit about 1/2 cup of macadamia nuts instead of a few of the graham cracker crumbs and the result’s pure pie bliss. Macadamia nuts are sometimes ignored within the baking world, in favor of different nuts. Why, although? They’re so good!
You want 4 components for this crust:
- Macadamia Nuts (I like to recommend salted)
- Graham Crackers
- Melted Butter
- Sugar
Pulse the macadamia nuts with graham crackers, then combine with melted butter and sugar. As a result of key limes are somewhat sweeter than common limes, you’ll love the candy/tangy key lime filling with the salty graham cracker macadamia nut crust.
3-Ingredient Filling
Sure, you want simply 3 components. (!!!) Should you’ve tried my key lime pie bars or mini key lime pies, you’ll discover that at the moment’s filling is somewhat totally different. I sometimes add somewhat cream cheese to these recipes for stability and construction. Nonetheless, for a traditional and custard-y pie, we’ll skip it. You simply want egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk, and key limes.
My success tip: Do your self a favor and purchase a bottle of key lime juice from the shop. There’s a model of bottled key lime juice that I really like referred to as Nellie & Joe’s in most main grocery shops subsequent to the bottled lemon juice. In any other case you’ll spend 100 years juicing 500 tiny key limes your self. LOL. You want 1 cup (240ml) of key lime juice. (Recent lime zest is non-compulsory for this pie.)
How you can Inform Key Lime Pie Is Completed
One of the vital frequent and simply remedied key lime pie issues is over-baked pie. It’s difficult to know when the pie is completed, however right here’s my secret: bake the pie till the filling is simply barely jiggly within the heart (about 18–20 minutes). It needs to be agency to the contact, however not completely stable. The pie will proceed to set because it cools.
Cool the pie utterly on a wire rack, then cowl and chill for not less than 1 hour earlier than garnishing, slicing, and serving.
How you can Embellish Key Lime Pie
Let the refreshing citrus taste stand out, and hold the garnishes easy.
- Do-it-yourself whipped cream
- Because you’ll have leftover egg whites, make a meringue topping—you’ll have time to kill whereas the pie chills anyway 🙂
- Quartered lime slices
- Lime zest
- Entire macadamia nuts
- Graham cracker crumbs
I’ve sampled many key lime pies and I can confidently say that is the perfect one I’ve ever had.
Refreshing Dessert Concepts
When the temperatures rise, the very last thing you need to do is spend time in a sizzling kitchen. You’ll recognize these easy, scrumptious, and completely refreshing desserts:
Straightforward Key Lime Pie
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook dinner Time: half-hour
Complete Time: 3 hours, 35 minutes
Yield: 10-12 servings
Class: Pie
Technique: Baking
Delicacies: American
Description
This tangy-sweet key lime pie is deliciously easy with an additional thick and nutty crust. You want simply 3 components for the filling, and you should definitely refrigerate the pie for not less than an hour earlier than slicing and serving.
Graham Cracker Macadamia Crust
Filling + Topping
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Make the crust: Utilizing a meals processor, pulse the graham crackers and macadamia nuts collectively into coarse crumbs. A couple of bigger items of nuts is OK. Pour right into a medium bowl and stir within the sugar. Add the melted butter and stir till mixed. The combination will likely be thick, coarse, and sandy. Attempt to smash/break up any giant chunks. Pour the combination into an ungreased 9-inch pie dish. Use your hand to pat down the crumbs into the underside and up the perimeters to make a crust. Use medium stress—merely pat down till the combination is not crumbly. Ideas: You should utilize a small flat-bottomed measuring cup to assist press down the underside crust and easy out the floor, however don't pack down too onerous. And run a spoon across the backside “nook” the place the sting and backside meet to assist make a rounded crust—this helps stop the crust from falling aside if you slice into the pie. For extra shaping approach ideas, see the graham cracker crust recipe web page.
- Pre-bake crust for 8 minutes. Take away from the oven and go away the oven on.
- Make the filling: Whisk the sweetened condensed milk, lime juice, and egg yolks collectively (or use an electrical mixer). Whisk within the lime zest. Pour into heat crust.
- Bake the pie for 18–20 minutes or till solely *barely* jiggly within the heart. You need it principally set. Take away from the oven and permit to chill utterly on a wire rack. As soon as cool, cowl and chill for not less than 1 hour (and as much as 3 days) earlier than serving.
- Garnish as desired.
- Retailer leftovers within the fridge for as much as 1 week.
Notes
- Make Forward & Freezing Directions: You'll be able to put together and pre-bake the crust as much as 2–3 days upfront. Cowl and retailer at room temperature. Likewise, you possibly can combine up the filling as much as 2–3 days upfront. Cowl and refrigerate, then assemble and bake. Baked and cooled pie freezes properly as much as 3 months; thaw in a single day within the fridge.
- Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): Food Processor or Chopper | Glass Mixing Bowl | 9-inch Pie Dish | Zester | Citrus Juicer | Whisk
- Graham Cracker Crust: If you buy graham cracker crumbs, you want 1 and 1/3 cups (160g) for this recipe. Though they're already crumbs, you possibly can nonetheless pulse with the nuts. If you wish to skip the nuts, use this graham cracker crust recipe as a substitute and pre-bake for 8 minutes.
- Can I Use Common Limes As a substitute? Sure, you can also make this pie with common lime juice and lime zest.
- Retailer-bought Key Lime Juice: Should you don’t need to juice dozens of small key limes to yield 1 cup (240ml) juice, store-bought key lime juice works too. I actually like a model referred to as Nellie & Joe’s, and you'll find it on the grocery retailer close to the bottled lemon juice.
- Leftover Egg Whites: Listed below are all my recipes using just egg whites, or you can also make a meringue topping for the pie.
- Key Lime Bars: Right here is my recipe for key lime pie bars. I add some cream cheese to that filling so the bars maintain their form properly.
- Non-US Readers: Don’t have graham crackers the place you reside? Use 180g floor digestive biscuits as a substitute (about 12 biscuits), with the identical quantity of nuts and butter, and add an additional Tablespoon (12g) of sugar. Pre-bake for 10 minutes.
