Skip to main content

Key Lime Pie Recipe

Liliana Knigin
  |   October 12, 2018   |  
If you're looking for a foolproof Key Lime Pie recipe, with not one but TWO topping options, you've found it! Our recipe calls for a classic Graham crust, with the added sweet twist of Spanish caramelized walnuts. The filling is sweet and rich, and just as it should be.

Prep Time:
Cook Time:
Total Time:
Yield: 1 pie

Key Lime Pie Recipe

Ingredients for the crust
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 3.5 cups of Graham cracker crumbs
  • 18 oz caramelized walnuts
  • 8 oz of salted butter, melted

Ingredients for the pie filling
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 2 cans of sweetened condensed milk
  • ½ cup of key lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon of key lime zest

Ingredients for the Italian merengue topping option
  • 6 egg whites
  • z¾ cup of sugar
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • Squeeze of key lime juice

Ingredients for the whipped cream topping option
  • 1 pint of heavy cream
  • 1/3 cup of powdered sugar, sifted

Directions for crust
  1. Preheat the oven at 350°F.
  2. Add the caramelized walnuts to a blender or food processor and process until they turn close to a powder. Blend in the graham cracker crumbs to and incorporate together. Move the mixture to the bowl and incorporate the melted butter. The mixture should look like and have the consistency of slightly wet sand. With your hand press the mix into a 6-inch springform pans covering all the bottom of the pan. You should be able to create 4 crusts.
  3. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until the edges start to slightly brown. Remove and reserve.

Directions for pie filling
  1. In a blender add 2 cans of condensed milk, 6 eggs yolks, the key lime juice, and blend until well incorporated. Once incorporated, mix in the lime zest with a spoon.
  2. Pour the mix into the pie pans and bake for 10 minutes in the 350 degree oven. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Directions for Italian meringue
  1. Place your oven at high broil.
  2. Bring a sauce pan to medium heat and stir together with a wooden spoon the sugar, water and lemon juice until it turns into a liquid.
  3. In a mixer, add the egg whites and over the next 30 seconds start mixing from a low speed and gradually bringing it up to the highest speed setting. Continue mixing at a high speed until the egg whites stiffen to where you can stand up a spatula in them without falling over. Then, slowly pour in the melted sugar while mixing at a medium speed (be careful not to splatter the hot sugar as you can get burned).
  4. Once the sugar is added, beat at a high speed for 30 seconds. The egg whites should be stiff.
  5. Place the egg whites on top of the pie. Return the pie to the oven on high broil for 1-2 minutes, just be constantly watching as the egg whites will go from lightly browned (which is when you want to take it out) to burnt in a very short time. Remove from the oven, let cool.
  6. Carefully open the spring form pan and remove the pie.

Directions for whipped cream topping
  1. Carefully open the springform pans and remove the pies.
  2. In a mixer, add the heavy cream and powdered sugar. Start mixing starting from a low speed and moving up to the highest speed over 30 seconds. Continue beating at the highest speed until the mixture turns into a stiff whipped cream where you can stand up a spatula in it without it falling.
  3. Move the whipped cream into a piping bag and pipe the whipped cream around the edges of the pie.

This recipe is found in:
Recipes by Course or Meal: Baking, Dessert
Recipes by Occasion: Labor Day and 4th of July Recipes
Recipes by Cuisine: American Recipes
Recipes by Season: Spring and Summer Recipes

Recipe Reviews

There are currently no ratings for this item. Be the first to rate this item.

Author

Liliana Knigin

A foodie with a knack for creating elegant recipes, Liliana has been crafting some of our most delicious recipes for over 20 years.

Read More

Questions and Answers

visit our family of brands
Steaks And Game
For steak and meat lovers.
Gourmet Food World
The chef's ingredient marketplace.