Name: Key Lime Pie with Raspberry Sauce
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 29 min
Total time: 249 min
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cup Graham Crackers (crushed); 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter (melted); 5 Tablespoons granulated sugar (divided); 3/4 cup Key Limes (juiced); 1 Tablespoon Key Lime zest; 4 egg yolks; 1 14 ounce can condensed milk; 1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream; 12 ounces raspberries; 1/4 cup granulated sugar; 1 Tablespoon lime or lemon juice

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The Perfect Summertime Dessert Key Lime Pie

Key Lime Pie is the official pie of the 27th State, Florida! And since key limes are grown in Florida it only makes sense for it to be the official pie! Don’t you agree?

Key limes are not only grown in Florida but California and Mexico to name a few. The limes available in the grocery stores mostly come from Mexico. At least that is how it is in my neck of the woods.

Key Limes are a seasonal fruit with the peak season being June through August. So every June I make it a habit of starting the summer with this tangy yet sweet dessert!

Jump to Recipe

Key limes are usually sold in a group of 20-25 in a net bag in the produce section at the grocer. I like to pick up 3 bags which will make 3 pies.

Since they don’t last long I go ahead and use the first bag for one pie and juice the other two bags for later use; freezing in two separate containers so when I’m ready to make another pie all I have to do is pull one jar out of the freezer and let it come to room temperature. That way I can may key lime pie whenever I wish. Oh yeah, I also prepare my zest allowing it to dry and save it for later too.

If making this pie in the off season or you are unable to find those cute little key limes at your grocery store you can purchase key lime juice in a bottle.

Key Limes or Persian Limes

Key Lime Pie get its name hence Key Limes from the Florida Keys!

The Persian Lime is in the center surrounded by Key Limes.

The way to tell the difference between key limes and persian limes is that the key limes are much smaller and have a slight yellow color and they have seeds inside. Key limes have a thinner, slight yellow color skin whereas the persian limes are medium sized green. Key limes also have a different taste than persian limes as that they are more tangy and somewhat bitter. But they sure do make an awesome pie.

Key Lime Pie Crust

The best crust for a Key Lime Pie is a homemade graham cracker crust. Of course you can buy one at your local grocer but it is so easy to make and tastes much better than store bought.

To make the crust all you need are some crushed graham crackers, sugar and melted butter. Mix that all together, press into a 9″ pie pan, bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 minutes and there you have it! Simple as 1, 2, 3!

Graham Cracker Crust Ingredients — About 12 Graham Cracker sheets, melted butter and granulated sugar.

Removing Juice From The Key Limes

The only labor intensive part about this recipe is getting the juice out of the key limes. But it is well worth every bit of it!

I tried using a citrus press, you know the kind, it is a hand held kitchen tool that is usually yellow. The citrus press works great on lemons and persian limes. I do not recommend using one of those tools for key limes. It just did not do a very good job of removing all the juice.

I also tried using a reamer. I love my reamer and it worked good but having to juice anywhere from 20 – 25 little key limes got a little tiring using the reamer.

The easiest way I found to juice key limes was by using a tabletop glass citrus juicer . I highly recommend going this route to juice key limes. You will also want to strain the pulp from the juice. The tabletop glass citrus juicer noted above has a built in strainer and measuring cup. If you don’t have that style you will need a small strainer.

So you don’t have key limes nor any key lime juice, although I have not tried it I heard you could use half lime juice and half lemon juice as a replacement for the recipe. Maybe one of these days I will try that to see how it tastes but not any time soon. I will stick with the key limes for this recipe.

Pie Filling

The ingredients are as simple as the graham cracker crust recipe. The recipe for the pie filling calls for 1 14-ounce can of condensed milk, 3/4 cup key lime juice, 4 egg yolks and 1 Tablespoon key lime zest. A microplane will zest the limes perfectly!

Mix all the ingredients together, transfer to a cooled graham cracker crust and bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15-17 minutes. Place pie on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before serving.

Top It Off With Whipping Cream!

After the pie has cooled why not top it with some homemade whipping cream!

In a large mixing bowl combine 1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream with 2 Tablespoons sugar (granulated or powdered). Using an electric hand mixer beat cream until medium to stiff peaks form. Be careful not to whip it too long or it will start turning into butter.

For a fancy looking design top Key Lime Pie with whipping cream. You can either cover the entire pie or just the edges. Make your own design and if you want a variety of decorating tips I suggest getting a decorating kit.

Decorating a Key Lime Pie — I used Wilton decorating tip #2D with a twist to the wrist for piping on the whipped cream.

Add A Little Color!

Raspberries really add a final touch to this wonderful pie. Either top with raspberries or make a homemade raspberry sauce.

To make the sauce you will need 12 ounces of raspberries, 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 1 Tablespoon lime or lemon juice. See full instructions below.