Key Lime Pie Recipe

Preheat and mix crust

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). In a bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Stir in melted butter until the mixture is evenly moistened.

Shape crust

Press the crumb mixture into a 9-inch pie pan, covering the bottom and up the sides to form a crust. Chill for 10 minutes to set, or proceed to bake.

Bake crust

Bake crust for 8-10 minutes until fragrant and lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool completely before filling.

Whisk yolks

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks until pale.

Add lime juice

Slowly whisk in the freshly squeezed key lime juice.

Add condensed milk and zest

Whisk in the sweetened condensed milk, then mix in lime zest and vanilla extract. Add salt if using.

Fill crust and bake

Pour filling into cooled crust. Bake at 325°F (165°C) for 15 minutes, or until the center barely jiggles.

Cool and chill

Let the pie cool to room temperature, then refrigerate at least 3 hours, preferably overnight, to set.

Whip cream

In a chilled bowl, whip heavy cream with powdered sugar and vanilla extract until soft to stiff peaks form.

Serve

Spread or pipe whipped cream over the chilled pie. Garnish with lime zest or lime slices if desired.