Chocolate and I are best friends. I have a weakness for lemon raspberry cupcakes. Rainbow Sherbet makes me giddy like a school girl and fresh apple pie out of the oven is like heaven on a plate.
But Key Lime Pie? We are in LOVE! This is hands down my favorite dessert in the world and I will eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Don't judge me! You know you've eaten pie for breakfast before! Lol! 😉
How to Make Key Lime Pie
Let me tell you why my recipe for Key Lime Pie is the best.
(Well, it's not actually MY recipe. I got it from my friend Tonya. She had no idea this was my favorite dessert and she served it to me one night at her house. It was at that point I knew we would be best friends! 😉
The reason this is the best key lime pie recipe is because you don't have to bake it!
It takes a whole 5 minutes to mix the ingredients up. The only hard part is waiting while it freezes up in the freezer!
The pie is also bursting with lime flavor. I promise that if you take this to a potluck or serve it at your next dinner party, you will be declared a genius in the kitchen and all minions will flock to your greatness.
K, I might have exaggerated a bit but you catch my drift. 😉
Ingredients for Key Lime Pie
The ingredients for no bake key lime pie are simple:
- 1 container whipped topping (thawed but firm)
- 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 cup of lime juice
- 1 graham cracker crust (if you want to know how to make pie crust, try my recipe for Homemade Graham Cracker Crust.)
- 2 limes for decoration
If you want extra mad lime flavor in your pie, throw in the zest of one lime and prepare to pucker up!
All you do is mix the first three ingredients together in a medium sized bowl until smooth and then pour it into your graham cracker crust.
The key lime pie will need to freeze a good long while. I prefer to freeze it overnight. This gives the sweetened condensed milk a chance to harden.
Word to the wise: "Don't put your limes on top of the pie until you're ready to serve it."
I did that once and the limes were like green rocks. They were such a nuisance because I couldn't get them off to enjoy the pie underneath!
I mean, when I'm going to splurge and enjoy my favorite key lime pie dessert , I don't want anything ruining my experience! Lol!
So just cut them fresh and learn from my blunders! 🙂
Easy Summer Dessert Options
This is such a perfect dessert for warm summer nights! But let's say you want to really live on the edge and kick your Key Lime Pie into high gear...
You should try Kiwi Lime Pie with Macadamia Nut Crust. Wowza! Just get ready for a party in your mouth!
Another one of my favorite no bake desserts is No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake. It is about as easy as the Key Lime Pie recipe but of course it involves cream cheese and strawberries.
So yeah...now I've made it really hard for you to choose which to make for dessert.
Just do what I do and make both!
Both are guaranteed to make your friends and family smile! And that's why we cook, right?! It's a love language for me and I have a hunch it is for you too.
Happy Cooking y'all!
P.S. If you enjoyed this recipe drop me a comment below. I would love to hear your thoughts!!
Key Lime Pie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 container whipped topping, cold but not frozen
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 cup lime juice
- 1 prepared graham cracker crust
- 2 limes for decoration
Instructions
- Mix the first 3 ingredients together in a medium sized bowl until smooth.
- Pour the mixture into your prepared graham cracker crust.
- Freeze for atleast 2 hours or overnight
- When ready to serve, slice limes to decorate the top.
My wife and I lived in the FL Keys for a few years. I prided myself on my very traditional Key Lime Pie, until I screwed up one day and forgot to make the pie for friends that were coming over that evening for dinner. I came up with exactly what you make, with one exception. My father-in-law grew Key Limes. There’s nothing better. Don’t use limes. They’re not the same. It’s well worth it to seek out Nellie & Joe’s Key Lime Juice. As far as topping, I’ve even gone so far as to candy Key Lime Zest. It’s not for the faint of heart and is definitely not worth the time and effort. I’ve candied lime zest as well. It’s just not the same. I actually micro-plane some bitter-sweet chocolate over the top. It’s a contrast and everybody loves it. I too use an extra-large Keebler graham cracker crust, blind baked with an egg wash. Job well done.
BTW, quick note. Chill the condensed milk and Key Lime juice and then blend them together with a hand beater. Then gently fold in the Cool-Whip. It will set up faster and will not break and will yield a more consistent filling.
Thanks for sharing Chris.
Hi Heidi – what size is the container of whipped topping?
Hi Mary! I regular 8 oz container will do fine.
Do you do e-mail Heidi? Your recipes sound delicious.
Hi Rosalea! Yes, I send out emails every week with the latest recipes. I would love for you to join in! In fact, on the home page, you can sign up for my free Crockpot Ebook too!
Haha!!! Thought I recognized this recipe… lol so glad you love it!!
I just read the recipe and I know we will be enjoying it soon!! Oh my gosh, it sounds and looks delish!!
Yes! I know you will love it! It is perfect for summer time.