Classic key lime pie is one of those dishes that is seemingly simple, but hard to get the right balance of flavor. For years I tried to get the right balance of sweet and tart unsuccessfully until I stumbled upon this secret ingredient; lemon juice. Yes, lemon juice in key lime pie.
It might sound odd, but the truth is that actual key limes are very hard to come by outside of Florida, and when you can find them, they are often very tiny and horribly difficult to juice. The combination of fresh lemon juice and fresh lime juice mimics the key lime juice, and gives the perfect tartness to this classic key lime pie without the bitterness that comes with using all lime juice. Beware, this recipe is not light in calories, but the perfect slice of key lime pie is always worth it!
Note*** This pie needs to come to room temp before it can be chilled in the fridge, so I recommend making this the day before you want to eat it. That way it can set in the fridge overnight. This is a great pie to make ahead of time, as it can sit in the fridge covered in foil for a few days prior to your event.
Key Lime Pie Crust:
- 1 pack of honey graham crackers (9 full graham cracker rectangles)
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup salted butter, melted and browned
Key Lime Pie Filling
- 2 cans of sweet and condensed milk
- 8 egg yolks
- ½ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
- ½ cup fresh squeezed lime juice
- Zest of 2 limes, plus more for garnish
Preheat the oven to 350 and start by making the crust. In a food processor, pulse the graham crackers until they are completely broken down and the consistency of sand. Add in the sugar and pulse to combine. Next, brown the salted butter in a pan, stirring continuously until the butter becomes a deep chestnut brown. This step makes a huge difference in the flavor of the crust, and adds a ton of flavor!
Add the brown butter to the graham cracker mixture and pule to combine until it resembles wet sand.
Press the graham cracker and butter mixture into a 9.5 inch pie pan, making sure that the crust goes all the way up the sides.
Bake the crust at 350 for 10 minutes until it is golden brown and fragrant. Once it is ready, pull the crust out and turn the oven down to 325 degrees. Then begin working on the filling.
This is the easy part! Place both cans of sweet and condensed milk in a bowl and whisk together with the egg yolks. I find it easier to get a smooth mixture when you mix the eggs and milk first. Next add in the lime zest, and finally whisk in the lemon and lime juice a little bit at a time. You want to add in the citrus juice gradually so that it doesn’t curdle the eggs and milk. Once the sweet and condensed milk, eggs, citrus juice, and zest are well combined, add them to the crust. Bake the key lime pie at 325 degrees for 30 minutes until the filling is just set and barely jiggly in the center.
Pull out the pie and let it come down to room temperature. This will take several hours. You want the pie to come to room temperature prior to putting it in the fridge so it doesn’t collect any condensation because this with affect the texture of the custard filling. Once the key lime pie has reached room temperature, place in the fridge until chilled. I like to place my pie uncovered in the fridge for an hour or two, then once the pie has gotten even cooler, I cover it in foil to ensure that there is no condensation that collects while I store it.
Enjoy!