With its excellent macadamia nut crust, creamy but thick key lime filling, and candy whipped cream on prime, that is actually the most effective key lime pie I’ve ever had. And after 1 chunk, I believe you’ll agree. You want 4 elements for the crust, and solely 3 elements for the filling.
Key lime pie will perpetually be one in every of my favourite desserts, and I do know I’m not alone! This Florida specialty has been profitable over tens of millions for years. Between the buttery crunchy crust, recent and tangy custard filling, and the important creamy topping—no dessert can rival this one!
However can we make factor even higher? Sure.
One reader, Valerie, commented: “I’ve made this recipe a number of occasions and it’s all the time an enormous hit! The macadamia nuts within the crust actually give it that further ‘one thing’ that folks love however can’t fairly pinpoint. One in all my favourite recipes out of your website… ★★★★★“
What Makes This the Greatest Key Lime Pie?
- Additional thick and nutty crust
- 3-ingredient filling
- Straightforward to make
- Completely refreshing
- Main key lime taste
- Topped with do-it-yourself whipped cream
- Candy, salty, citrus-y, buttery, creamy, and tangy multi function
One reader, Ellen, commented: “My son and I made this pie collectively for Thanksgiving. It’s the first time now we have ever made a key lime pie earlier than. We adopted the recipe precisely! Sally, it was the BEST PIE EVER! Completely scrumptious. Everyone beloved it and we’ll certainly make this once more. As we speak I’m grateful for leftovers! ★★★★★“
Right here’s How You Make This Key Lime Pie
This pie requires a couple of easy steps. A lot of the “work” is hands-off as the important thing lime pie units up within the fridge, so it’s good within the summertime. (A variety of readers make this straightforward pie for Memorial Day weekend, Father’s Day, 4th of July, summer season birthday events, and Labor Day gatherings.)
- Make the Crust: Use a meals processor to mix the macadamia nuts and graham cracker crumbs. Mix with melted butter and sugar, then press tightly right into a pie dish.
- Pre-Bake the Crust: Pre-bake the crust for about 8 minutes earlier than pouring in the important thing lime filling. Pre-baking solidifies the crust and permits for simple slicing as soon as the pie is able to serve.
- Make the Filling: Whisk collectively the three filling elements—it will likely be thick! Pour into the nice and cozy crust.
- Bake the Pie: It often solely takes about 18–20 minutes within the oven. Let it cool fully, then cowl and refrigerate the pie for at the very least 1 hour previous to serving.
- Garnish and Serve: That is further scrumptious with recent whipped cream on prime. By the best way, for those who’re on the lookout for an alternate strategy to serve it, strive my particular person the other way up key lime pies. Principally the identical filling as this pie.
Graham Cracker Macadamia Nut Crust
Key lime pie is historically made with graham cracker crust. It’s essentially the most fantastic crunchy, candy, and buttery mattress for the recent key lime filling. However you received’t consider the distinction macadamia nuts make. I take advantage of about 1/2 cup of macadamia nuts instead of among the graham cracker crumbs and the result’s pure pie bliss. Macadamia nuts are sometimes missed within the baking world, in favor of different nuts. Why, although? They’re so good!
You want 4 elements for this crust:
- Macadamia Nuts (I like to recommend salted)
- Graham Crackers
- Melted Butter
- Sugar
Pulse the macadamia nuts with graham crackers, then combine with melted butter and sugar. As a result of key limes are just a little sweeter than common limes, you’ll love the candy/tangy key lime filling with the salty graham cracker macadamia nut crust.
3-Ingredient Filling
Sure, you want simply 3 elements. (!!!) In the event you’ve tried my key lime pie bars or mini key lime pies, you’ll discover that in the present day’s filling is just a little totally different. I usually add just a little cream cheese to these recipes for stability and construction. Nonetheless, for a basic and custard-y pie, we’ll skip it. You simply want egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk, and key limes.
My success tip: Do your self a favor and purchase a bottle of key lime juice from the shop. There’s a model of bottled key lime juice that I really like known as Nellie & Joe’s in most main grocery shops subsequent to the bottled lemon juice. In any other case you’ll spend 100 years juicing 500 tiny key limes your self. LOL. You want 1 cup (240ml) of key lime juice. (Contemporary lime zest is elective for this pie.)
The best way to Inform Key Lime Pie Is Completed
Probably the most frequent and simply remedied key lime pie issues is over-baked pie. It’s difficult to know when the pie is finished, however right here’s my secret: bake the pie till the filling is barely barely jiggly within the middle (about 18–20 minutes). It needs to be agency to the contact, however not completely stable. The pie will proceed to set because it cools.
Cool the pie fully on a wire rack, then cowl and chill for at the very least 1 hour earlier than garnishing, slicing, and serving.
The best way to Enhance Key Lime Pie
Let the refreshing citrus taste stand out, and preserve the garnishes easy.
- Home made whipped cream
- Because you’ll have leftover egg whites, make a meringue topping—you’ll have time to kill whereas the pie chills anyway 🙂
- Quartered lime slices
- Lime zest
- Complete macadamia nuts
- Graham cracker crumbs
I’ve sampled many key lime pies and I can confidently say that is the most effective one I’ve ever had.
Refreshing Dessert Concepts
When the temperatures rise, the very last thing you wish to do is spend time in a scorching kitchen. You’ll recognize these easy, scrumptious, and completely refreshing desserts:
Straightforward Key Lime Pie
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook dinner Time: half-hour
Whole Time: 3 hours, 35 minutes
Yield: 8-10 servings
Class: Pie
Technique: Baking
Delicacies: American
Description
This tangy-sweet key lime pie is deliciously easy with an additional thick and nutty crust. You want simply 3 elements for the filling, and make sure to refrigerate the pie for at the very least an hour earlier than slicing and serving.
Graham Cracker Macadamia Crust
Filling + Topping
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Make the crust: Utilizing a meals processor, pulse the graham crackers and macadamia nuts collectively into coarse crumbs. A number of bigger items of nuts is OK. Pour right into a medium bowl and stir within the sugar. Add the melted butter and stir till mixed. The combination will likely be thick, coarse, and sandy. Attempt to smash/break up any massive chunks. Pour the combination into an ungreased 9-inch pie dish. Use your hand to pat down the crumbs into the underside and up the perimeters to make a crust. Use medium stress—merely pat down till the combination is now not crumbly. Suggestions: You need to use a small flat-bottomed measuring cup to assist press down the underside crust and easy out the floor, however don't pack down too onerous. And run a spoon across the backside “nook” the place the sting and backside meet to assist make a rounded crust—this helps stop the crust from falling aside while you slice into the pie. For extra shaping method ideas, see the graham cracker crust recipe web page.
- Pre-bake crust for 8 minutes. Take away from the oven and depart the oven on.
- Make the filling: Whisk the sweetened condensed milk, lime juice, and egg yolks collectively (or use an electrical mixer). Whisk within the lime zest. Pour into heat crust.
- Bake the pie for 18–20 minutes or till solely *barely* jiggly within the middle. You need it largely set. Take away from the oven and permit to chill fully on a wire rack. As soon as cool, cowl and chill for at the very least 1 hour (and as much as 3 days) earlier than serving.
- Garnish as desired.
- Retailer leftovers within the fridge for as much as 1 week.
Notes
- Make Forward & Freezing Directions: You possibly can put together and pre-bake the crust as much as 2–3 days prematurely. Cowl and retailer at room temperature. Likewise, you'll be able to combine up the filling as much as 2–3 days prematurely. Cowl and refrigerate, then assemble and bake. Baked and cooled pie freezes nicely as much as 3 months; thaw in a single day within the fridge.
- Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): Meals Processor or Chopper | Glass Mixing Bowl | 9-inch Pie Dish | Zester | Citrus Juicer | Whisk
- Graham Cracker Crust: If you are going to buy graham cracker crumbs, you want 1 and 1/3 cups (160g) for this recipe. Though they're already crumbs, you'll be able to nonetheless pulse with the nuts. If you wish to skip the nuts, use this graham cracker crust recipe as an alternative and pre-bake for 8 minutes.
- Can I Use Common Limes As an alternative? Sure, you can also make this pie with common lime juice and lime zest.
- Retailer-bought Key Lime Juice: In the event you don’t wish to juice dozens of small key limes to yield 1 cup (240ml) juice, store-bought key lime juice works too. I actually like a model known as Nellie & Joe’s, and you will discover it on the grocery retailer close to the bottled lemon juice.
- Leftover Egg Whites: Listed here are all my recipes utilizing simply egg whites, or you can also make a meringue topping for the pie.
- Key Lime Bars: Right here is my recipe for key lime pie bars. I add some cream cheese to that filling so the bars maintain their form nicely.
- Non-US Readers: Don’t have graham crackers the place you reside? Use 180g floor digestive biscuits as an alternative (about 12 biscuits), with the identical quantity of nuts and butter, and add an additional Tablespoon (12g) of sugar. Pre-bake for 10 minutes.
