By: Jill Mills Updated: May 30, 2025

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With a smooth, creamy filling in a graham cracker crust, this Key Lime Pie is infused with tangy citrus flavor. Super easy to make and perfect for summer!

A slice of key lime pie on a spatula above the pie

There’s no need to travel to the Florida Keys for a slice of key lime pie! This recipe makes it super easy to make the classic Floridian dessert at home in just a few simple steps. As someone who LOVES key lime, as you probably noticed from my many other key lime desserts, like key lime cupcakes, key lime pie cookies, and no bake key lime cheesecake, I’m pretty picky about my key lime pie. It has to have just the rich texture and a robust, tangy citrus flavor. I’m happy to confirm this recipe hits all those notes and more!

Why This Is The Best Key Lime Pie Recipe

Here are a few things I love about this pie recipe.

LOTS of key lime flavor. There’s over a cup of freshly squeezed key lime juice in this pie, ensuring every bite is infused with tangy key lime flavor.
Smooth, creamy filling. The filling is rich, smooth, and creamy thanks to sweetened condensed milk and egg yolks. Just be sure to let it chill completely before slicing so that it has time to set completely.
Super easy! Anyone can make this key lime pie recipe. No fancy tools or techniques required, just a bowl and a whisk. The hardest part is waiting eight hours to dive in!

Overhead view of key lime pie ingredients

Recipe Ingredients

Each part of this recipe is made with a few simple ingredients. Scroll down to the recipe card for the exact measurements.

Graham Cracker Crust:

Graham crackers – Crushed to make graham cracker crumbs for the crust.
Unsalted butter – Melted, to help hold the crust together.
Granulated sugar – Adds extra sweetness to the crust.

Key Lime Pie Filling:

Sweetened condensed milk – Be sure to grab sweetened condensed milk, which is milk with water removed and sugar added, and not evaporated milk. They’re usually next to each other on the shelf!
Key lime juice – I recommend freshly squeezed key lime juice, which takes about 25 key limes. However, if you live somewhere that key limes are not readily available, bottled key lime juice will work too.
Lemon juice – Adding lemon juice helps to add more depth to the citrus flavor of the pie.
White granulated sugar – Helps to balance the acidity of the limes and lemons.
Egg yolks – Yolks only, no egg whites! They add extra creaminess and richness to the filling.

Fresh Whipped Cream:

Heavy whipping cream – Make sure that it stays cold so it whips up properly.
Powdered sugar – Stabilizes the whipped cream.
Vanilla

Key Limes vs Regular Limes

What’s the difference between a key lime and a regular lime? Key limes are smaller and more aromatic with a stronger lime flavor than regular limes, aka Persian limes. Since they are smaller, there’s less juice per lime, but it’s worth juicing extra for the robust, tangy lime flavor.

Some people do opt to use Persian limes to make desserts like this key lime pie, but I highly recommend using bottled key lime juice if you can’t find key limes.

How To Make Key Lime Pie

The great thing about this key lime pie recipe is that it’s incredibly easy to make! The printable version of the instructions can be found in the recipe card below.

Graham cracker crumbs in a food processor

Adding sugar and melted butter to graham cracker crumbs in a food processor.

Make the crust. Preheat the oven to 350F. Pulse the graham crackers to fine crumbs or crush them with a rolling pin. Combine with the melted butter and sugar. Press the crumbs into an even layer on the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate. Bake for 5 minutes. Set aside.

Pouring key lime filling into a graham cracker crust

Make the filling. Whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, fresh lime juice, lemon juice, sugar, and egg yolks until smooth.
Bake. Pour the filling into the pie crust. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the edges of the filling are set and the center is just beginning to set.
Cool. Let the pie cool on the counter for an hour before transferring to the fridge to cool completely for 8 hours.
Add the whipped cream. Whip the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla on high speed until stiff peaks form. Pipe or spread onto the pie and finish with slices of lime and fresh lime zest.

Tips & Tricks

Here are a few things to keep in mind when making this delightful pie.

Press the crust firmly. I like to use the bottom of a glass to help press the graham cracker crumbs up the sides of the pie dish. If the crust isn’t packed in firmly, it will crumble and break when sliced.
Avoid overbaking. The center is the pie should be just starting to set when this pie is pulled from the oven. It will continue to set as it cools.
Cool slowly. To prevent cracks in the pie, let it cool for at least an hour at room temperature before refrigerating it.
Chill overnight. I recommend making key lime pie in advance so that it can chill in the fridge overnight. 8 hours is the minimum amount of time for the center to set, so making it the night before just keeps things simple.

Proper Storage

Fridge. Leftover key lime pie should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. It will last for 3-4 days.
Freezer. Once chilled and completely set, wrap the pie (or pie slices) tightly in plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before serving.

Key Lime Pie

Why This Is The Best Key Lime Pie Recipe