This easy Key Lime Pie is made with only a few ingredients and every bite is so refreshing! The texture is irresistibly creamy with a tart and bold burst of flavor from fresh squeezed limes. Made in a homemade graham cracker crust, you won’t be able to stop at just one slice!

My Key Lime Pie starts out with a homemade graham cracker crust. You can buy pre-made to make this process easier and quicker but the homemade version tastes SO MUCH better than store-bought. The buttery sweetness compliments the citrus filling perfectly. All you need is graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter! I’m such a sucker for graham cracker crusts because it goes so well with a lot of my favorite desserts. 

You’re going to love this soft and fluffy no bake dessert. Cool, creamy, luscious and so simple and the best part? It can be made way in advance so you don’t have to worry about making a dessert last minute. 

Do you have to use key limes for this dessert?

Not at all! I’ve tried both in desserts and there isn’t a huge difference in taste. Key limes are slightly smaller and more of a yellowish color so you would need a lot of them to get 1/2 cup juice. If your local grocery store has fresh key lime juice, that works great as well. Key Limes aren’t always available so in a pinch, limes work great!  

Yield: 8-10 servings

INGREDIENTS

Graham Cracker Crust

• 6 tablespoons butter, melted 
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar 
• 1 1/2 cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs

Pie

• 8 oz full fat cream cheese, room temperature 
• 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 2 cups heavy cream, divided
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice, about 7
• 1 tablespoon lime zest

Whipping Cream

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream (COLD) 
• ¼ cup granulated sugar 
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. In a medium sized bowl, stir together melted butter, granulated sugar and graham cracker crumbs until combined. Press crumbs into a 9 inch pie place. Bake for 7 minutes. Cool.
3. Add softened cream cheese to the bowl of your stand mixer and beat until smooth. Add sweetened condensed milk, lime juice and lime zest and mix just until combined. 
4. Add 1 cup whipping cream and beat on high for 4-5 minutes until the mixture is thick and creamy.
5. Pour pie mixture over prepared crust and smooth the top. Chill in the refrigerator, uncovered, for at least 6 hours or best to let it set overnight.
6. Place the bowl of your standing mixer and wire whip attachment into the freezer to chill for at least 15 minutes.
7. Add whipping cream, granulated sugar and vanilla extract to the chilled bowl. Using the wire whip attachment, beat the ingredients together on low speed and slowly increase to high speed as it begins to firm up.
8. Beat until stiff peaks form, stopping once to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
9. Cover key lime pie with whipping cream, and garnish it with lime zest and lime slices.