Make Ahead

Ellen Bennett's Key Lime Pie (In Springform Pan)

July  5, 2021
4
3 Ratings
Photo by Ellen Bennett
  • Makes 1 9-inch pie
What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Crust
  • 18 whole graham crackers (the 4-section large pieces)
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup butter, melted
  • Filling
  • 1 tablespoon (heaping) lime zest
  • 1/2 cup lime juice
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
  • FROSTING (optional):
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Key lime zest
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 (16-ounce) package powdered sugar
  • 3 tablespoons Key lime juice
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons milk
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
  2. To make the crust, crush crackers in a food processor or zip-top bag. Pour them into a bowl and stir in sugar and melted butter. Press into a pie pan—I also love using a nonstick springform pan. Bake for 5 minutes or until golden and set, and remove from oven.
  3. To make the filling, whisk lime zest, lime juice, and egg yolks in a mixing bowl. Add condensed milk and mix on high until smooth and thick. Pour mixture into crust and bake for 15 minutes.
  4. Pour filling into crust and bake in middle of oven 15 minutes. Cool pie completely on rack (filling will set as it cools), then chill, covered, for at least an hour but hopefully longer!!! (Eight hours is ideal!)
  5. Serve with sweetened whipped cream and more grated lime zest OR do what I did and make a topping you can cover the whole pie with, a sort of buttercream frosting, if you will.
  6. To make the frosting: Just before serving, cream the butter in a bowl with an electric mixer then add lime zest, vanilla extract, salt, powdered sugar, and milk—and decorate the heck out of your pie. I love using flowers to decorate because it's super simple but so pretty and colorful. :)

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Donna Hayes
    Donna Hayes
  • geekchorus
    geekchorus
  • RoseO
    RoseO
  • Gail Oliver
    Gail Oliver

4 Reviews

geekchorus July 5, 2021
In addition to notes above--the picture is absolutely not of this pie. I doubled the filling--per one of the other reviews--and still didn't have this height.
 
RoseO August 14, 2016
This recipe needed some serious testing before being an e-mail feature. Made it today In a 9" spring form pan. Too much crust, not enough filling and too much topping. I feel it should have specified an 8" pan, 1/2 the amount of crust, double the filling and 1/2 the topping.
 
Donna H. August 11, 2016
Sorry, that looks like a cake, as soon as you put filling into a springform pan, I think that labels it as a cake. 🤔
 
Gail O. August 10, 2016
Thank you so much for this recipe. I love key lime pie and have been looking for a great recipe. Will be attempting this weekend.

Gail @ OnlineShopLove.com