I was inspired to make Key Lime Pie after watching The Great British Bake Off. Ryan Chong made one that was called the 'best bake of the series' by the judges. Technically this pie is a lime pie, as it's hard to get hold of key limes outside of America, so regular limes are used instead. If you can get key limes of course, then you can make a true Key Lime Pie! Ryan used short crust pastry for his pie, but I've made it a little simpler and more in keeping with the American classic recipe by using a biscuit base. I've combined digestive biscuits with ginger nuts for a hint of ginger flavour - inspired by Ryan! The filling is super zingy and I've topped the pie with whipped cream to set off the sour lime. If you've never made Key Lime Pie before, this is a great place to start!
Ingredient Tips & Equipment Information
- You can use either butter or a baking spread for the biscuit base.
- I used a combination of digestive biscuits and ginger nut biscuits for the base, if you want to omit the ginger then you can use all digestive biscuits. Or if you want a stronger ginger hit, use all ginger nut biscuits. You could even add some ground ginger to the biscuit crumbs if you're a big ginger fan!
- I piped the whipped cream on top of the tart using a Wilton 1M and Wilton 6B nozzle. You can also simply dollop it on top.
- You must use condensed milk for this recipe, evaporated milk will not work.
- A US cup measure or a shot glass make handy tools for pressing the biscuit base into the tin and up the sides evenly.
- Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
- For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.
For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.
How to make Key Lime Pie
To make the base, use a food processor to whizz up the digestive biscuits and ginger nuts into crumbs. Mix them with the melted butter and press them into a loose bottomed tart tin. Then bake it for 10 minutes and leave to cool. To make the filling, whisk the egg yolks together, then whisked in the condensed milk with an electric mixer.
Then add the juice and the zest of the limes and whisk it for a few minutes. Pour the lime filling into the base and bake it for 15 minutes until it is set, but it still wobbles in the centre. Leave to cool completely. To decorate, whip up the cream with the icing sugar and the vanilla, and pipe it onto the pie. Or dollop it on with a spoon.
How long does the Key Lime Pie last for and can it be frozen?
The pie should be stored in the fridge and will last for 3 days. Unfortunately this recipe is not suitable for freezing.
Can this recipe be made gluten or dairy free?
You can make this recipe gluten free by using gluten free biscuits for the base. Most shops, especially larger stores, will stock gluten free biscuits. Whilst you can make dairy free versions of a Key Lime Pie with other ingredient combinations, this recipe is not suitable for being made dairy free.
Can you make this recipe with a pastry base?
Yes, you can follow the shortcrust pastry recipe used in my Bakewell Tart recipe.
Can this recipe be made with other citrus juice?
I haven't tried to make it with other citrus juices, but I think it would work well with lemon, orange or passion fruit juice too.
Why should you make this recipe?
Key Lime Pie filling is so zingy and sour, it makes your mouth tingle in such a good way! The whipped cream balances it out perfectly and the base adds crunchy texture. It's a great summer dessert and an excellent refresher after a heavy meal. Key Lime Pie is one of those classic desserts that everyone has to try!
Troubleshooting
If you have any questions about this recipe, or if something went wrong and you need help, please use the comment form below and I will get back to you. You can also get in touch with me on my Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. I'd love to hear from you!
Recommended equipment & ingredients*
- 9" tart tin
- Mixing bowls
- Kitchen scales
- Food processor
- Zester
- Whisk
- Piping bags
- Measuring spoons
- Wilton 1M Piping nozzle
- Citrus juicer
- Cooling rack
*I earn a small amount of money if you buy the products after clicking on the links. You will not be charged anything extra for this. Thank you for supporting The Baking Explorer!
More recipes using lime...
Key Lime Pie
Ingredients
For the base
- 250 g Digestive biscuits
- 100 g Gingernut biscuits
- 150 g Butter or baking spread melted
For the filling
- 3 Egg yolks
- 397 g Condensed milk
- 4 Limes zest and juice
For decoration
- 300 ml Double cream
- 1 tbsp Icing sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- Lime zest optional
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 160C Fan/180C/350F/Gas Mark 4
- To make the base use a food processor to whizz up the digestive biscuits and ginger nuts into crumbs, or you can put them in a bowl and bash them with a rolling pin
- Mix the melted butter into the biscuit crumbs and press them into a loose bottomed 23cm/9" tart tin
- Bake the biscuit base for 10 minutes, take out and set aside to cool
- To make the filling, whisk the egg yolks together with an electric mixer for a few minutes
- Then whisk in the condensed milk
- Add the juice and the zest of the limes and whisk the mixture for a few minutes
- Pour the lime filling into the base and bake it for 15 minutes or until it is set, but it still wobbles a little. Let it cool completely
- Whip up the cream with the icing sugar and vanilla, pipe or dollop it on top of the cooled pie then sprinkled over the lime zest
- Serve immediately and store any leftovers in the fridge for 2-3 days
Notes
- You can use either butter or a baking spread for the biscuit base.
- I used a combination of digestive biscuits and ginger nut biscuits for the base, if you want to omit the ginger then you can use all digestive biscuits. Or if you want a stronger ginger hit, use all ginger nut biscuits. You could even add some ground ginger to the biscuit crumbs if you're a big ginger fan!
- I piped the whipped cream on top of the tart using a Wilton 1M and Wilton 6B nozzle. You can also simply dollop it on top.
- You must use condensed milk for this recipe, evaporated milk will not work.
- A US cup measure or a shot glass make handy tools for pressing the biscuit base into the tin and up the sides evenly.
- Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
- For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.
Nutrition
If you like this, check out more of my Sweet Tarts & Pies recipes!
Recipe adapted from Good Food. Ryan's recipe can be found on the BBC website.
Sarah Barnes
I reckon I could manage three slices! Looks delish 🙂
Joanna Frangos
Lovely recipe, great format to follow.... might have a go at that one in a couple of weeks when I have family coming for lunch
Sarah, Newport
Looks amazing, well done!
Anonymous
No stemmed ginger?
thebakingexplorer
No I didn't copy Ryan's recipe, I just did a classic Key Lime Pie 🙂 was very delicious!
Emine Hassan
Love your updated pics!
I made a key lime pie the other day using oreos for the crust. I used an American recipe though, and ended up with too high a ratio of butter to biscuit in the base - it was still delicious though. This is deffo one of my fave desserts!
Interesting too that we call it a key lime pie when we are blatantly not using key limes. Lime pie sounds so wrong though.
Anyway, love your pics and so glad I re connected with your blog after finding you on Insta!
Em x
thebakingexplorer
Thank you! I know what you mean about the fact they're not key limes, everyone knows the dessert as key lime pie now because it became so famous, but very few have access to the genuine key limes - I'd love to try them to see the difference. It's great to re-connect, I remember you from when I first started blogging but I've not seen you around for a while. Glad to see you're back!!
Kate
Wow, I love how you piped the cream on top! I’m in the States, and we use graham crackers for the crust, but I like the mix you used for the crust. Also, I don’t know how widely it’s available, but I use a bottled Key lime juice, which has been surprisingly good...Nellie and Joe’s juice. That whipped cream is beautiful!
thebakingexplorer
Thank you Kelly! Yes I've heard that graham crackers are your version of digestive biscuits, maybe you could add a little ground ginger powder to get the same flavour? You can get lime juice in bottles over here, but it's not key lime.
Lesley Sinclair
I absolutely love this. Really easy recipe to follow and the end result is just scrummy. First time making and trying Key Lime Pie and will definitely be making it again xx
Jo
Could you please use regular measures,not metric,
thebakingexplorer
Hi Jo, what do you mean by regular measures? Regular to me is metric 🙂 I also provide cups and ounces measurements, just click the "US customary" button underneath the list of ingredients and the amounts will change to cups/ounces. I hope that helps!
Kate
I made this recipe yesterday as a summery dessert and it turned out perfectly! Since the recipe uses only egg yolks I used up the egg whites by putting meringue on top instead of cream and it was so tasty! The lime filling is tangy and sweet and the perfect consistency! It was a really easy recipe to follow and I highly recommend it! You can check out my results of the key lime pie on @bakesbybeanie on Instagram!
thebakingexplorer
I'm so happy you enjoyed it Kate! And great idea topping it with meringue!!