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    Key Lime Pie

    17/09/2012 by thebakingexplorer 10 Comments

    Key Lime Pie
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    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!

    How to make Key Lime Pie...

    To make the base I used my food processor to whizz up the digestive and ginger nuts into crumbs. I mixed them with the melted butter and pressed them into a loose bottomed tart tin. Then I baked it for 10 minutes. To make the filling, I whisked the egg yolks together, then whisked in the condensed milk with my electric hand mixer.

    Then I added the juice and the zest of the limes and whisked it for a few minutes. I poured the lime filling into the base and baked it for 15 minutes until it was set, but it still wobbled in the centre.

    Key Lime Pie

    To decorate the Key Lime Pie I whipped up the cream with the icing sugar and the vanilla, and I piped it onto the pie. You can of course just dollop it on with a spoon. I sprinkled over some more lime zest too.

    Key Lime Pie

    The 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!

    Recommended equipment & ingredients*

    9" tart tinMixing bowlsCooling rack
    Kitchen scalesPiping bagsZester
    Food processorWilton 1M Piping nozzleCitrus juicer

    *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...

    Coconut & Lime Loaf CakeMojito CheesecakeMango & Lime Muffins
    Coconut & Lime Loaf CakeMojito Cheesecake (No Bake)Mango & Lime Muffins

    Key Lime Pie

    An American classic - buttery biscuit base with a zesty lime filling and whipped cream topping
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Pie
    Prep Time: 30 minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes
    Total Time: 55 minutes
    Servings: 12
    Author: thebakingexplorer

    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 Can of condensed milk
    • 4 Limes zest and juice

    For decoration

    • 300 ml Double cream
    • 1 tbsp Icing sugar
    • 1 tsp Vanilla extract
    • Lime zest
    Metric - US Customary

    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 hand 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 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 days
    Made this recipe?Share on Instagram with me @TheBakingExplorer or tag #thebakingexplorer!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 437kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 123mg | Sodium: 286mg | Potassium: 209mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 851IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 134mg | Iron: 1mg

    Recipe adapted from Good Food. Ryan's recipe can be found on the BBC website.

    If you like this, check out more of my Sweet Tarts & Pies recipes!

    Key Lime Pie
    Key Lime Pie

    Pin for later!

    Previous Post: « Double Chocolate Cookies
    Next Post: Chocolate Fondants »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sarah Barnes

      September 17, 2012 at 1:36 pm

      5 stars
      I reckon I could manage three slices! Looks delish 🙂

      Reply
    2. Joanna Frangos

      September 17, 2012 at 3:20 pm

      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

      Reply
    3. Sarah, Newport

      September 20, 2012 at 7:06 pm

      5 stars
      Looks amazing, well done!

      Reply
    4. Anonymous

      October 05, 2012 at 9:29 pm

      No stemmed ginger?

      Reply
    5. thebakingexplorer

      October 06, 2012 at 6:50 pm

      No I didn't copy Ryan's recipe, I just did a classic Key Lime Pie 🙂 was very delicious!

      Reply
    6. Emine Hassan

      April 06, 2018 at 7:04 pm

      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

      Reply
      • thebakingexplorer

        April 07, 2018 at 7:59 pm

        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!!

        Reply
    7. Kate

      August 21, 2018 at 6:38 am

      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!

      Reply
      • thebakingexplorer

        August 21, 2018 at 9:42 am

        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.

        Reply
    8. Lesley Sinclair

      February 24, 2021 at 9:15 pm

      5 stars
      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

      Reply

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