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Key Lime Pie as served, showing the finished dish

Dessert recipe

Key Lime Pie Recipe

A practical, source-aware recipe for key lime pie, with the history kept close to the method.

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Key Lime Pie. Photo: Southernscholar at English Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain).

Developed by the Recipe Desk. This original editorial recipe uses measured ingredients, explicit timing and yield, allergen notes, storage guidance, and step-by-step visual cues. Use the stated doneness and texture cues because ingredients, ovens, and kitchen equipment vary.

Recipe card

Key Lime Pie

A practical, source-aware recipe for key lime pie, with the history kept close to the method.

Prep
15 min
Cook
30 min
Yield
8 servings
Difficulty
Easy

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp. finely grated Key lime or regular lime zest
  • ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt
  • 11 graham cracker sheets (about 6 oz. or 170g)
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 4–5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
  • 6 large egg yolks
  • 1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
  • 2 tsp. finely grated Key lime or regular lime zest, plus more for serving
  • ⅔ cup fresh Key lime or regular lime juice
  • ¼ tsp. Diamond Crystal or Morton kosher salt, plus more
  • ¼ tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1½ cups heavy cream
  • ⅓ cup (37 g) powdered sugar

Method

  1. Crust for Key Lime Pie, showing the ingredients and preparation at this stage
    Step 1: Crust for Key Lime Pie.
    1

    Crust

    Crust

  2. Filling and Assembly for Key Lime Pie, showing the ingredients and preparation at this stage
    Step 2: Filling and Assembly for Key Lime Pie.
    2

    Filling and Assembly

    Filling and Assembly

Storage

Cool completely, cover, and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat only when the texture benefits from it.

Allergens

No major allergens identified from the listed ingredients. Always check product labels for cross-contact.

Why this dish belongs here

The history behind the method

This dessert builds on the history of the sharp citrus that sailed with empires and brightened global cuisine, linking the dish to lime’s longer story in food culture.

Explore the ingredients

Lime history

Trend and context sources

  1. [1]Original Key Lime Pie recipe — Bon Appétit
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Written by The Foods That Shaped Us Research Desk

The Foods That Shaped Us Research Desk is the publication byline for collaboratively maintained food-history articles, Case Files, Trend Desk analysis, and original Recipe Desk development. Historical work is grounded in cited sources. Recipes use measured formulations and receive an editorial consistency, safety-note, and image-provenance review before release.

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