This post may contain affiliate links, view our disclosure policy.
If you’re craving a bright, tangy dessert that tastes like sunshine – this Key Lime Pie with a homemade buttery graham cracker crust is just what you need ☀️🌴. It has a silky smooth, sweet, and tangy key lime creamy custard pie filling, and it’s topped with key lime whipped cream. This key lime pie recipe is simple, foolproof, and packed with authentic key lime flavor.
For more key lime desserts be sure and make Key Lime Pie Cookies, Key Lime Cheesecake and Key Lime Lush dessert. For a completely no bake version of this classic pie recipe try my No Bake Key Lime Pie ❤︎
🌴The Best Key Lime Pie with Homemade Graham Cracker Crust
Key lime pie is my absolute favorite thing to make in the summertime! This pie is sunshine and summer in dessert form ☀️ It has a light, bright citrus flavor, buttery sweet crust, and the key lime pie filling is a custard-like texture – seriously, it really is THE BEST spring and summer dessert.
Plus, it’s so easy to make with simple ingredients and no complicated steps. Just a few minutes prep, some time in the oven, and then you leave it in the fridge to chill for several hours. The long fridge time is essential because it helps the pie thicken and set, and all the flavors blend together to form this perfect pie.
If you’ve never baked with bottled key lime juice – now is your chance. So go grab a bottle at the store and get baking because the tart and sweet flavor of key lime juice is perfection in desserts.
Why You’ll Love This Pie Recipe
- 🌴 Easy to make with just a handful of ingredients
- 🌴 Perfect balance of sweet and tart
- 🌴 It’s summertime and sunshine in dessert form
- 🌴 A homemade graham cracker crust adds rich buttery flavor
- 🌴 Make ahead friendly – lots of fridge time needed so make it the day before!
- 🌴 A crowd-pleasing dessert favorite for summer bbq’s, gatherings, and pool parties
Simple Ingredients Needed
Graham Cracker Crust Ingredients
- Graham Cracker Crumbs : You can buy a box of graham cracker crumbs that are already crushed and ready to use, or use whole graham crackers that you finely crush in a food processor, food chopper, or inside a Ziploc bag and pound it with something heavier like a rolling pin.
- Granulated Sugar
- Melted Butter
Key Lime Pie Filling Ingredients
- Sweetened Condensed Milk
- Full-Fat Sour Cream : It’s important to use full fat sour cream because the fat content will help it set and thicken properly when in the fridge. It’s also what gives the filling it’s custard-like texture.
- Bottled Key Lime Juice : I use the Nellie Joe brand of Florida Keys key lime juice. You will find it near the bottled lemon juice and other shelf-stable bottled juice at the store. It’s usually on the top shelf. Bottled key lime juice is not the same as bottled regular lime juice.
- Fresh Lime Zest : 2 regular limes; they do not need to be key limes or anything like that.
Key Lime Whipped Cream Ingredients
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- Powdered Sugar
- Key Lime Juice
- Lime Zest or Fresh Lime Slices : This is an optional garnish. I don’t use it because fresh zest as a garnish can be very tart and the flavor is really strong. So use it if you want to amp up the lime flavor even more.
How To Make Classic Key Lime Pie (Printable Recipe Card)
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a medium bowl, add the crushed graham cracker crumbs, granulated sugar, and melted butter. Stir until it’s well combined, the crumbs are evenly coated, and the mixture resembles wet sand. Firmly press the crust mixture into a 9-inch pie plate in an even layer on the bottom and up the sides. Use the back of a spoon or the flat bottom of a small cup or measuring cup to make sure it is’ packed in tightly.
Bake the graham cracker crust for 7 minutes. When done, remove the pie plate from the oven and let it cool at room temperature while you prepare the key lime filling (it does not need to cool completely, just while you’re making the filling).
In a large bowl, add the sweetened condensed milk, sour cream, key lime juice, and lime zest. Stir with a wire whisk until its combined and smooth. Pour the filling mixture into the graham cracker pie crust.
Bake for 10 minutes.
Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool at room temperature, on a wire cooling rack, for 30 minutes.
Cover the pie with Saran Wrap or plastic wrap – making sure that the plastic wrap is touching the top of the pie (like a protective covering) to prevent condensation while refrigerating. Refrigerate the pie for at least 6-8 hours or overnight is even better.
When ready to serve, prepare the key lime whipped cream. Add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and key lime juice to a large bowl. Using an electric hand mixer, or the stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat on medium-high speed (increase speed as needed) until stiff peaks from.
Spread the whipped cream on top of the pie in an even layer, or serve each slice with a dollop of whipped cream, or you can place the whipped cream inside a piping bag with a large 1A tip and pipe it on top of the pie in a decorative pattern.
Cut into slices and enjoy!
How To Store Leftover Key Lime Pie
Keep the pie stored in the refrigerator, covered with a lid or plastic wrap, for up to 4-5 days. Serve the pie chilled from the fridge. If it sits out at room temperature for too long, the pie will soften, so it is best to serve it directly from the fridge.
I store the leftovers with the whipped cream on top. I use a pie plate that comes with a higher dome shaped lid. This way the whipped cream stays intact. Overtime, the whipped cream will soften the longer it’s in the fridge – but my family has never found this to be a problem. You could also store the whipped cream separately in an airtight container and just dollop some on each slice of pie before serving.
Pro Tips From The Test Kitchen
- I highly recommend using full fat sour cream and not reduced-fat or light. You need the fat and thickness to help the pie set properly.
- They key lime juice is a bottle key lime juice, no need to try and find fresh key limes, and you will find in the juice aisle alongside the bottled lemon juice and bottled lime juice. Please note that bottled key lime juice is not the same thing as regular bottled lime juice. The one they sell in stores is labeled as ‘Nellie and Joes Famous Key Lime Juice’. That is the one I have always used.
- If you don’t want to make a homemade graham cracker crust you can purchase a ‘ready-crust’ graham cracker crust from the grocery store instead.
- When zesting a lime make sure to wash the lime first and only zest the outermost layer of the lime – the green part. Don’t zest deeper that that into the white layer or else the zest will be very bitter.
- Make sure that when you cover the pie with plastic wrap that the plastic wrap is touching and laying tight against the top of the pie. This will help prevent condensation while it is refrigerating for several hours.
More Delicious Summertime Desserts
- Lemon Lush
- Lemon Blueberry Streusel Muffins with Lemon Glaze
- Lemon Poke Cake
- Pina Colada Lush Dessert
- Orange Pineapple Cake
- Easy Pineapple Dream Dessert
- Lemonade Pie
- Coconut Pistachio Cream Pie
- Coconut Lemon Poppyseed Muffins
- Coconut Tres Leches Cake
Key Lime Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 1½ cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons butter melted
Key Lime Filling
- 2 cans (14 oz each) sweetened condensed milk
- 3/4 cup bottled key lime juice (see notes)
- 1/2 cup full-fat sour cream
- zest from 2 limes
Key Lime Whipped Cream
- 1½ cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon bottled key lime juice
- fresh lime zest or fresh lime slices (optional garnishes)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Very light spray a 9-inch pie plate with nonstick cooking spray and set it aside.
Graham Cracker Crust
- In a medium bowl, add the crushed graham cracker crumbs, granulated sugar, and melted butter. Stir until it's well combined, the crumbs are evenly coated, and the mixture resembles wet sand. Firmly press the crust mixture into a 9-inch pie plate in an even layer on the bottom and up the sides.*Use the back of a spoon or the flat bottom of a small cup or measuring cup to make sure it is' packed in tightly.1½ cups graham cracker crumbs, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 6 tablespoons butter
- Bake the graham cracker crust for 7 minutes. When done, remove the pie plate from the oven and let it cool at room temperature while you prepare the key lime filling (it does not need to cool completely, just while you're making the filling).
Key Lime Filling
- In a large bowl, add the sweetened condensed milk, key lime juice, sour cream, and lime zest. Stir with a wire whisk until it's combined and smooth. Pour the filling mixture into the graham cracker pie crust.2 cans (14 oz each) sweetened condensed milk, 3/4 cup bottled key lime juice, 1/2 cup full-fat sour cream, zest from 2 limes
- Bake for 10 minutes. When done, remove the pie from the oven and let it cool at room temperature, on a wire cooling rack, for 30 minutes.
- Cover the pie with Saran Wrap or plastic wrap – making sure that the plastic wrap is touching the top of the pie (like a protective covering) to prevent condensation while refrigerating. Refrigerate the pie for at least 6-8 hours or overnight is even better.
Key Lime Whipped Cream
- When ready to serve prepare the key lime whipped cream. Add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and key lime juice to a large bowl. Using an electric hand mixer, or the stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat on medium-high speed (increase speed as needed) until stiff peaks from.1½ cups heavy whipping cream, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon bottled key lime juice
- Spread the whipped cream on top of the pie in an even layer, or serve each slice with a dollop of whipped cream, or you can place the whipped cream inside a piping bag with a large 1A tip and pipe it on top of the pie in a decorative pattern.
- Add the optional lime zest and/or fresh lime slices. Cut into slices and enjoy!fresh lime zest or fresh lime slices
Notes
- I highly recommend using full fat sour cream and not reduced-fat or light. You need the fat and thickness to help the pie set properly.
- I make this pie the night before and let it refrigerate overnight until I serve it the next day.
- They key lime juice is a bottle key lime juice, no need to try and find fresh key limes, and you will find in the juice aisle alongside the bottled lemon juice and bottled lime juice. Please note that bottled key lime juice is not the same thing as regular bottled lime juice. The one they sell in stores is labeled as ‘Nellie and Joes Famous Key Lime Juice’. That is the one I have always used.
- If you don’t want to make a homemade graham cracker crust you can purchase a ‘ready-crust’ graham cracker crust from the grocery store instead.
- When zesting a lime make sure to wash the lime first and only zest the outermost layer of the lime – the green part. Don’t zest deeper that that into the white layer or else the zest will be very bitter.
- Make sure that when you cover the pie with plastic wrap that the plastic wrap is touching and laying tight against the top of the pie. This will help prevent condensation while it is refrigerating for several hours.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
I’d love to see it! You can share it with me on @togetherasfamilyblog and follow on Pinterest @together-as-family-blog-recipes or Facebook @togetherasfamilyblog for more!
Can’t wait to try this! All the ones I’ve tried were sour also. Looks so good, thanks for sharing!
Hi Cheryl! Thanks for stopping by 🙂 I still dream about this pie, I need to make it again!
I really need to make a key lime pie soon. My husband has been talking about it for quite some time now… I just never get to it. This looks lovely. It is on my short term to do list, thanks for the inspiration!
Hey Carlee! I hope you get a chance to make it. I still think about it! Thanks for stopping by and commenting 🙂
Can I make this pie without baking it?
There isn’t a reason why you have to bake the pie from a health and safety standpoint. However the crust and filling will set up better if baked. I’ve never tried this pie as a no bake, but If you try it let me know how it goes!