Key Lime Pie is the Queen of Summer Desserts

A traditional key lime pie with a few small upgrades makes this the Queen of Summer Desserts. The graham cracker crust comes together quickly followed by the creamy key lime filling before being topped with whipped cream.

Prep:
45
minutes
Cook:
10
minutes
TOtal:
55
minutes

Ingredients

  • Zest of 1 lime
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • ⅔ cup (155g) Key lime juice
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 Tablespoon heavy cream
  • 8 (120g) regular-sized graham crackers
  • 1½ Tablespoons (24g) sugar
  • 6 Tablespoons (84g) unsalted butter
  • Pinch of salt (omit if using salted butter)

Instructions

  1. Zest the lime directly into the bowl of a stand mixer. Separate four eggs, discarding the whites and adding the yolks to the mixing bowl. With the whip attached, turn the mixer on to high speed and whip for 10 minutes.
  2. While the yolks are whipping, measure out your remaining ingredients into a large liquid measuring cup. After 10 minutes of whipping, turn the mixer off and add the remaining ingredients. Turn the mixer back on the lowest setting, and combine for one more minute.
  3. Remove the entire bowl from the mixer, scraping the whisk all the way to the bottom of the bowl to make sure the filling is completely incorporated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let sit for 30 minutes. The filling will thicken as the sugar and lime juice start to chemically cook the egg yolks. It’s fine if the filling sits for a little longer than 30 minutes, but if you anticipate leaving it for more than 45 minutes, put it in the refrigerator to rest.
  4. While the filling is resting, make the pie crust. Grind the graham crackers in your food processor. Stir in the sugar and salt with your fingers. Melt the butter and pour-over. Stir together by hand until graham crumbs are evenly saturated.
  5. Press into the base of a pie plate, and up the sides. Use the flat bottom of a measuring cup to even out the surface of the crust if necessary. Refrigerate until needed.
  6. Preheat the oven to 300 F, 15 minutes before you plan to bake. After the filling has sat for at least 30 minutes, scrape all of it into the pie shell with a rubber spatula. Smooth the top if necessary. Bake the pie for 10 minutes. The filling will jiggle some, but as a whole, not a liquidy filling. Cool at room temperature then transfers to the refrigerator to chill completely.