Description
This 7-Ingredient Key Lime Pie recipe features a crunchy graham cracker macadamia crust and a tangy, creamy key lime filling. Perfectly balanced sweetness and tartness make it a refreshing dessert that’s simple to prepare and sure to impress.
Ingredients
Scale
Graham Cracker Macadamia Crust:
- 11 full-sheet graham crackers (about 160g)
- 1/2 cup (62g) salted macadamia nuts, roasted
- 2 Tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
- 5 Tablespoons (71g) unsalted butter, melted
Filling + Topping:
- 28 ounces (two 14-ounce cans/793g) full-fat sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup (240ml) key lime juice
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon key lime zest
- Garnish options: lime zest, quartered lime slices, macadamia nuts, whipped cream, or meringue topping
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C) to prepare for baking the crust and pie.
- Make the Crust: Using a food processor, pulse graham crackers and macadamia nuts into coarse crumbs with a few larger pieces of nuts remaining. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in sugar. Add melted butter and mix until combined into a thick, coarse, sandy mixture. Break up any large chunks. Press mixture evenly into the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9-inch pie dish using medium pressure to form a firm crust with rounded edges.
- Pre-Bake Crust: Bake the crust in the oven for 8 minutes. Remove and leave the oven on for the filling.
- Prepare Filling: Whisk together sweetened condensed milk, key lime juice, and egg yolks until smooth. Stir in the key lime zest. Pour filling into the warm crust evenly.
- Bake Pie: Bake the pie for 20 minutes or until the center is slightly jiggly but mostly set. Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack.
- Chill Pie: Once cooled, cover and refrigerate the pie for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days before serving.
- Garnish and Serve: Garnish with lime zest, quartered lime slices, macadamia nuts, whipped cream, or meringue topping as desired. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- If graham crackers are unavailable, substitute with 180g ground digestive biscuits (about 12) plus an extra Tablespoon (12g) sugar. Use the same amount of nuts and butter. Pre-bake crust for 10 minutes instead of 8.
- Use medium pressure when pressing crust to avoid a crust that’s too dense.
- Chilling the pie allows the filling to fully set and enhances flavor.
- For best results, use fresh key lime juice and zest for authentic flavor.
- Leftover pie should be stored in the refrigerator and consumed within one week.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/12 of pie)
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 35 g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 13 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 120 mg
