My best key lime pie recipe features a rich macadamia nut crust and a creamy, tangy filling that sets perfectly. Made from just 7 ingredients, this classic and refreshing pie is both simple to prepare and tastes elevated with fresh whipped cream on top!
I originally published this recipe in 2017 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and more helpful success tips.
Key lime pie will forever be one of my favorite desserts, and I know I’m not alone! This Florida specialty has been winning over millions for years. Between the buttery crunchy crust, fresh and tangy custard filling, and the essential creamy topping—no dessert can rival this one!
Here’s Why This Key Lime Pie Recipe Works
- Salted macadamias in the crust add flavor (they’re optional)
- Pre-bake the crust so it holds shape
- Sweetened condensed milk thickens the filling without the need for starch or gelatin
- A short bake time sets the custard filling, while still keeping it silky smooth
- Refrigerate the pie so it’s cool, creamy, and sliceable
One reader, Valerie, commented: “I have made this recipe multiple times and it is always a huge hit! The macadamia nuts in the crust really give it that extra ‘something’ that people love but can’t quite pinpoint. One of my favorite recipes from your site… ★★★★★“
One reader, Ellen, commented: “My son and I made this pie together for Thanksgiving. It is the first time we have ever made a key lime pie before. We followed the recipe exactly! Sally, it was the BEST PIE EVER! Absolutely delicious. Everybody loved it and we will without a doubt make this again. Today I am thankful for leftovers! ★★★★★“
Here’s How You Make This Key Lime Pie
This pie requires a few simple steps. Most of the “work” is hands-off as the key lime pie sets up in the refrigerator, so it’s perfect in the summertime. (A lot of readers make this easy pie for Memorial Day weekend, Father’s Day, 4th of July, summer birthday parties, and Labor Day gatherings.)
The instructions are very similar to making this creamy lemon pie (also only 7 ingredients).
- Make the Crust: Use a food processor to combine the macadamia nuts and graham cracker crumbs. Combine with melted butter and sugar, then press tightly into a pie dish.
- Pre-Bake the Crust: Pre-bake the crust before pouring in the key lime filling. Pre-baking solidifies the crust and allows for easy slicing once the pie is ready to serve.
- Make the Filling: Whisk together the 3 filling ingredients—it will be thick! Pour into the warm crust.
- Bake the Pie: It usually only takes about 18–20 minutes. Let it cool completely, then cover and refrigerate the pie prior to serving.
- Garnish and Serve: This is extra delicious with fresh whipped cream on top. If you’re looking for an alternative way to make it, try these individual upside down key lime pies. Basically the same filling as this pie!
Graham Cracker Macadamia Nut Crust
Key lime pie is traditionally made with graham cracker crust. It’s the most wonderful crunchy, sweet, and buttery bed for the fresh key lime filling. But you won’t believe the difference macadamia nuts make. I use about 1/2 cup of macadamia nuts in place of some of the graham cracker crumbs and the result is pure pie bliss.
You need 4 ingredients for this crust:
- Macadamia Nuts (I recommend salted)
- Graham Crackers
- Melted Butter
- Sugar
Pulse the macadamia nuts with graham crackers, then mix with melted butter and sugar. Because key limes are a little sweeter than regular limes, you will love the sweet/tangy key lime filling with the salty graham cracker macadamia nut crust.
Or you could use a Biscoff pie crust instead if you’d like.
3-Ingredient Filling
You just need egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk, and key limes. These 3 ingredients are equally important. Why? The filling works because the acidity of key lime juice naturally thickens sweetened condensed milk, while egg yolks help set the filling into a smooth, sliceable custard as it bakes and chills.
If you’ve tried my key lime pie bars or mini key lime pies, you’ll notice that today’s filling is a little different. I typically add a little cream cheese to those recipes for stability and structure. However, for a smooth and sliceable custard pie, we’ll skip it.
My success tip: Do yourself a favor and buy a bottle of key lime juice from the store. There’s a brand of bottled key lime juice that I love called Nellie & Joe’s in most major grocery stores next to the bottled lemon juice. Otherwise you will spend 100 years juicing 500 tiny key limes yourself. LOL. You need 1 cup (240ml) of key lime juice. (Fresh lime zest is optional for this pie.)
How to Tell Key Lime Pie Is Done
One of the most common and easily remedied key lime pie problems is over-baked pie. It’s tricky to know when the pie is done, but here’s my secret: bake the pie until the filling is only slightly jiggly in the center (about 18–20 minutes). It should be firm to the touch, but not totally solid. The pie will continue to set as it cools.
Cool the pie completely on a cooling rack, then cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before garnishing, slicing, and serving.
How to Decorate Key Lime Pie
Let the refreshing citrus flavor stand out, and keep the garnishes simple.
- Homemade whipped cream; in the pictured pie, I used Ateco 826 which is a large piping tip. I piped large swirls around the pie.
- Since you’ll have leftover egg whites, make a meringue topping like the one on this bourbon sweet potato pie—you’ll have time to kill while the pie chills anyway 🙂
- Quartered lime slices or lime zest
- Whole macadamia nuts
- Graham cracker crumbs
I’ve sampled many key lime pies and I can confidently say this is the best one I’ve ever had.
Yes, absolutely. There’s a brand of bottled key lime juice that I love called Nellie & Joe’s, and it’s available in most major grocery stores next to the bottled lemon juice.
The acidity of key lime juice naturally thickens sweetened condensed milk without the need for starch or gelatin, which could change the texture into a pudding pie. Instead, we want smooth custard that sets *just* until sliceable.
7-Ingredient Key Lime Pie
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours, 35 minutes
- Yield: 10-12 servings
- Category: Pie
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This tangy-sweet key lime pie is deliciously simple with an extra thick and nutty crust. You need just 3 ingredients for the filling, and be sure to refrigerate the pie for at least an hour before slicing and serving.
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Macadamia Crust
- 11 (about 160g) full-sheet graham crackers
- 1/2 cup (62g) salted macadamia nuts (I use roasted)
- 2 Tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
- 5 Tablespoons (71g) unsalted butter, melted
Filling + Topping
- 28 ounces (two 14-ounce cans/793g) full-fat sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup (240ml) key lime juice
- 4 large egg yolks*
- 1 teaspoon key lime zest
- garnish: lime zest, quartered lime slices, macadamia nuts, whipped cream, or meringue topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Make the crust: Using a food processor, pulse the graham crackers and macadamia nuts together into coarse crumbs. A few larger pieces of nuts is OK. Pour into a medium bowl and stir in the sugar. Add the melted butter and stir until combined. The mixture will be thick, coarse, and sandy. Try to smash/break up any large chunks. Pour the mixture into an ungreased 9-inch pie dish. Use your hand to pat down the crumbs into the bottom and up the sides to make a crust. Use medium pressure—simply pat down until the mixture is no longer crumbly. Tips: You can use a small flat-bottomed measuring cup to help press down the bottom crust and smooth out the surface, but do not pack down too hard. And run a spoon around the bottom “corner” where the edge and bottom meet to help make a rounded crust—this helps prevent the crust from falling apart when you slice into the pie. For more shaping technique tips, see the graham cracker crust recipe page.
- Pre-bake crust for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave the oven on.
- Make the filling: Whisk the sweetened condensed milk, lime juice, and egg yolks together (or use an electric mixer). Whisk in the lime zest. Pour into warm crust.
- Bake the pie for 18–20 minutes or until only *slightly* jiggly in the center. You want it mostly set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Once cool, cover and chill for at least 1 hour (and up to 3 days) before serving.
- Garnish as desired.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can prepare and pre-bake the crust up to 2–3 days in advance. Cover and store at room temperature. Likewise, you can mix up the filling up to 2–3 days in advance. Cover and refrigerate, then assemble and bake. Baked and cooled pie freezes well up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Food Processor or Chopper | Glass Mixing Bowl | 9-inch Pie Dish | Citrus Zester | Citrus Juicer | Whisk
- Graham Cracker Crust: If you purchase graham cracker crumbs, you need 1 and 1/3 cups (160g) for this recipe. Even though they are already crumbs, you can still pulse with the nuts. If you want to skip the nuts, use this graham cracker crust recipe instead and pre-bake for 8 minutes.
- Can I Use Regular Limes Instead? Yes, you can make this pie with regular lime juice and lime zest.
- Store-bought Key Lime Juice: If you don’t want to juice dozens of small key limes to yield 1 cup (240ml) juice, store-bought key lime juice works too. I really like a brand called Nellie & Joe’s, and you can find it at the grocery store near the bottled lemon juice.
- Leftover Egg Whites: Here are all my recipes using just egg whites, or you can make a meringue topping for the pie.
- Key Lime Bars: Here is my recipe for key lime pie bars. I add some cream cheese to that filling so the bars hold their shape well.
- Non-US Readers: Don’t have graham crackers where you live? Use 180g ground digestive biscuits instead (about 12 biscuits), with the same amount of nuts and butter, and add an extra Tablespoon (12g) of sugar. Pre-bake for 10 minutes.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hi Sally – I’ve made this several times and it’s a WINNER! My husband prefers a typical pie crust. If I make your pie crust, should I prebake it for the same amount of time as the graham cracker crust, or a bit longer?
Hi Eileen, Yes, you could! You will want to par-bake the crust first.
Hi! What modifications to the recipe should I do if I buy a pre-made graham cracker crust from the store, since I don’t have a pie pan? Should I still pre-bake it?
Hi Hannah, you can use a store bought crust. You may have a little bit of leftover filling since the store bought crusts often aren’t as deep. Bake times should be about the same.
Mine turned out really bitter. I heated my limes in the microwave to make them easier to squeeze. Do you think that may have done it?
Hi Betsy, we’ve never tried heating limes in the microwave, but imagine that could change their taste.
Good morning Sally, what is the nutritional info for the filling?
Hi Kelly, We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
Everyone in my family LOVED this pie! It was my first attempt at Graham cracker crust, but it wasn’t too bad. Trouble was that every person there, wanted to try it, and there were 12 people! Believe me, the tiny slices were not sufficient. I was told that for Easter I HAD to bring 2 pies!
Making this pie for a bake sale. If I garnished with canned reddi whip topping with real cream, and lime wedges the morning of the sale like shown in the picture ,would it hold up in the refrigerator until the next day, or would the whipped cream go bad. Just thought it would look pretty for the sale. Any experience with this?
Hi Linda, we fear the whipped cream will start to wilt/melt in that amount of time.
Best Key Lime Pie I’ve ever had! The custard was light and creamy and the macadamia nuts were a subtle but delicious addition to the crust. I topped it with a Swiss Meringue using 4 egg whites and a cup of sugar for a dramatic presentation.
One suggestion: I would love to be able to leave notes on my saved recipes. Other websites offer this feature and it’s really helpful.
I love your recipes and want to make your lemon cheesecake, but I can’t get block cream cheese in UK. Is it ok to use philadelphia soft cream cheese?
Hi Sue, Yes, we know this is an issue and it’s very frustrating! Look for a soft white cheese with around 33% fat content. Not sure how easy it is to get, but you could try this one, or look for something similar: https://longleyfarm.com/collections/cream-cheese; or use the Philadelphia brand soft cream cheese you are able to find. We haven’t tested these personally, so aren’t sure of the result. Also, some people have reported that they strain off excess liquid from the tub type of cream cheese before using. And we’ve also had UK readers report that they’ve had success subbing half mascarpone for half the cream cheese. In general, you should expect the cheesecake to be softer than it would be if you made it with block cream cheese. If you try it, please let us know how it turns out!
My filing wasn’t as smooth as the recipe looks, it had a texture that I never have had in other key lime pies. What did I do wrong? I’m assuming it had something to do with the eggs.
Hi Rosemarie, we’d be happy to help troubleshoot. Can you describe the texture for us? Did the filling look smooth before baking? Were there bubbles on top of the baked pie? Some bubbles are completely normal. It’s the air from the eggs rising to the surface. Some batches have it, some don’t.
I had this issue also. I believe it’s because I overbaked it as I had a really hard time deciding what “slightly jiggly in the center” meant since I’d never made one before and it’s not shown in the video. I plan to try it again and take it out when it is still quite “jiggly” in the center. A target temperature by instant read thermometer may be helpful.
I have made this pie several times as written and it is absolutely delicious. If I wanted to It into mini pies. What cooking time would you recommend?
Hi Whitney, you can use this recipe for smaller key lime pies, the same way you use it for these mini key lime pies. This filling will work just as well as that one! We’re unsure of the exact bake time if you are making them a different size than the standard muffin pan that recipe uses.
hi is it possible to use left over frozen egg yolks??
Hi QL, frozen (and thawed) egg yolks can typically be used in baking recipes, although the texture can change a bit once thawed. Since egg yolks are a crucial ingredient in this pie filling, we’re unsure how frozen ones may affect the overall texture, as we haven’t tested this ourselves. If you do decide to give it a try, please do let us know how it goes!
Love how easy and tasty this recipe is. I’ll be doing this recipe with the baking club where I teach.
Since students work in teams of 3, we’ll be using premade mini graham cracker crusts and dividing the pie filling between 6 mini crusts. How long should we bake them?
Hi Lynn, what fun! We’re unsure of the exact bake time needed for 6 inch pies. Bake pies until only *slightly* jiggly in the center. You want it mostly set and it will finish setting completely when cooling.
Using regular limes, are the measurements the same as using lieu limes?
Yes!
hi Sally, I recently got a tip to swirl in raspberry sauce before cooking for a amazing flavor contrast. would that work here
We haven’t tested it, but let us know if you do! Sounds delicious.
Wow! This was creamy and incredibly tasty- it will definitely be a recipe I make again and can’t wait for summer to make it! I used the graham cracker only recipe attached for the crust and it was a hit!
I would love to try this recipe but I have a question:
I know that citrus zest is important for full flavor in citrusy desserts, but I don’t love the mouthfeel of zest in a creamy filling. (I’m also not a huge fan of its appearance.) Is there any way to include the zest, but remove or strain it out before adding the filling to the crust? Thanks in advance!
Hi Carolyn, you could try straining out the zest, or you could simply leave it out. Hope you enjoy the pie!
You use a very small amount if zest and if you use actual key limes they are really thin skinned. Not at all like lemon zest. I
Would think you could leave it out but just made the recipe and you cant even see the zest (I did not add extra as garnish).
Can I use a deep dish pie pan?
Hi Linda, The filling won’t fill out a deep dish pie dish, but it will work. Let us know how it goes!
Could I use an 8inch pie plate, and if so what should I alter in the recipe?
Hi Grace, you can, you’ll just need a bit less filling—the crust will fit well as-is. Enjoy!
I use regular lime juice as I can’t always find key lime juice and it still is delicious. The macadamia nuts in the crust really elevate this recipe. It is easy to make but the beautiful end result makes me feel oh so accomplished!
Thank you!
Have you tried looking for key lime juice near the alcohol mixers? That’s where I found it in my grocery store!
Definitely the best key lime pie I’ve ever had!! All my neighbors agree!!! Just perfect. I served it with a topping of mascarpone whipped cream. Delicious!
This is my favorite key lime pie recipe. It is also the favorite of family and friends, judging from the the many requests I get to make it.
Hi there, could I use this recipe for mini key limes?
Hi Cara, you can use this recipe for smaller key lime pies — the same way you use it for these mini key lime pies. This filling will work just as well as that one! We’re unsure of the exact bake time.
I love the idea of using nuts in the crust. Can you use another nut in place of the macadamia nuts?
Hi Sousou, you could use pecans or any other nut in place of the macadamia nuts.
Great recipie. I add a pinch of salt, but everything else is perfection. I’ve used fresh from the tree key limes and the bottled key lime juice is just as good.
Can I use regular pie crust?
Yes you could! You will want to par-bake the crust first.
I made this with the meringue topping and altogether it was a little too sweet for my taste, but still very delicious. Perhaps next time I might try subbing a little bit of unsweetened condensed milk
My family enjoys this recipe but macadamia nuts are sometimes hard to find. Would you suggest a substitute?
You could simply make an all-graham cracker crust. Hope it turns out great!
This is my go to recipe for a pie that I make to take to any function! My friends & family always ask if I’ll make my key lime pie!
I have a one crust pie left over can I use it to bake a lime pie? I don’t make pies often so I buy the pie crusts, I probably should bake the crust first? By the way I love your banana muffins, perfect every time! Happy Thanksgiving! We had ours in October here in Canada!
Hi Saundra, Yes you could! You will want to par-bake the crust first.
I just wanted to say this is the most perfect key lime pie recipe! I have a key mini-lime tree that I keep indoors in the winter. Made two pies for Thanksgiving and one little one for us to taste before. Just delicious! Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi Sally! I made this recipe and when I put it off the oven it’s jiggly all over but it doesn’t seem like is raw, any advice?
Hi Elizabeth! The pie will set up more as it cools. You want to bake until it’s just slightly jiggly in the center.
I have made this dessert as my “go to” since you originally put in online! Conservatively, I’ve probably made this 40 times. It isn’t an exaggeration to say that every person that has eaten this pie, has loved it.
I like a slightly thicker crust, so I usually throw in a few more sheets of the graham crackers and tad more butter to make sure it all holds together. I’ve also made this using salted butter with no problems. It is such a foolproof recipe. Thanks!!
Hi Sally, is it OK to freeze the Key lime? pie recipe? Love EVERYTHING you make!!!
Hi Lynn, you certainly can freeze this pie. See the recipe notes! Baked and cooled pie freezes well up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Enjoy!