I’ve always made key lime pie the traditional way in the oven, but over the last year, I discovered that making the key lime pie filling on the stove is way easier, gives you more control over the texture, and is also much faster. It’s an added bonus that this summertime treat spends less time in the oven because it keeps the house much cooler! This coconut key lime pie is pretty close to the classic pie, but gets a boost of coconut flavor from shredded coconut in the crust, and a tablespoon of coconut oil in the filling.
I’ve talked about this before, but after years of trial and error, I have come to the conclusion that equal parts lemon and lime juice make the perfect key lime pie. Key limes can be tough to find, and when you do find them, they are so tiny that you need bags of them to make a single pie. This trick of combining lemon and lime juice gives the same tart flavor without the hassle.
Coconut Key Lime Pie Filling
- 3 eggs
- 1 14 oz. can of sweet and condensed milk
- Zest of 2 limes
- ¼ cup lime juice
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Optional** 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream + 1 teaspoon powdered sugar
Coconut Key Lime Pie Crust
- 1¼ cups unsweetened finely shredded coconut
- 1 sleeve of graham crackers (about 9), lightly crushed
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup (½ stick) salted butter, melted, cooled
- 1 flax “egg yolk” [1 tablespoon ground flax seeds mixed with 1 ½ tablespoons water]
Preheat oven to 350°.
Arrange coconut in a thin, even layer on a rimmed baking sheet and bake, stirring halfway through, until golden brown, about five minutes; let cool.
In a small bowl, mix the ground flax seeds with water and let them gel (this will take about five minutes). You can just use a regular egg yolk in the crust, but I find that the flax egg replacement works really well and does not waste an extra egg.
Pulse graham crackers, sugar, salt, and toasted coconut in a food processor until crackers are coarsely ground. With the motor running, stream in butter, followed by the flax mixture. Do not overprocess; you should have fine crumbs that are the texture of wet sand.
Transfer mixture to a 9 inch glass pie dish and press firmly and evenly up sides and across the bottom. Place pan on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until crust is set and edges are brown, 12–15 minutes. Let cool.
Whisk eggs, juice, zest, salt, and condensed milk in a small saucepan until well combined. Place the saucepan over low heat, and whisk continuously until the mixture is very thick and you can see the trail of the whisk in the custard. Turn off heat and add in the butter and coconut oil, and whisk to combine.
Add the custard into the prepared pie shell and smooth into one even layer. Let the coconut key lime pie cool at room temperature for one hour, then place in the fridge to cool completely for at least two to four hours.
If you want to add the optional whipped cream topping, make sure that your heavy whipping cream is very cold. If you have space, I also recommend placing the mixing bowl in the freezer for 15-20 minutes before whipping. If you’re using a stand mixer, just add the cream and powdered sugar to the bowl and whisk at high speed until stiff peaks form. Stiff or firm peaks stand straight up when the beaters are lifted. Medium-stiff peaks are just stiff enough to stand up firmly but with a slight curl at the tip. This should take about a minute or two in the stand mixer.
If you’re whisking by hand, vigorously whisk for about three to five minutes until stiff peaks form.
Spread the whipped cream over the top of the coconut key lime pie. I like to leave about an inch boarder about the edges of the pie so you can see the key lime filling underneath. I also top the whipped cream with lime zest, but this is a totally optional garnish.
Store this coconut key lime pie in the fridge!