Did you know that key lime pie is the official Florida state pie?
Needless to say, key lime pie is serious business here.
What is Key Lime Pie?
Key lime pie is an American dessert made with key limes, egg yolks, and sweetened condensed milk baked on a graham cracker crust.
Key limes are way smaller than Persian limes and, more aromatic and tart.
They’re also harder to juice than regular limes since they’re so small. With that said, I recommend using Nellie & Joe’s bottled key lime juice from Key West. It’s very bright with a fresh, tangy key lime flavor so it’s the next best thing.
What Makes This The Best Key Lime Pie?
Being a South Florida native, I’ve tried A LOT of key lime pies in my day and I can definitely say this is the best key lime pie recipe I’ve ever had.
- Tastes sweet, tart and tangy
- Fresh key lime flavor
- Creamy, custardy texture
- Easy to make
- And my favorite part… a buttery Maria cookie crust!
Maria Cookie Crust
Instead of graham crackers, we’re using Maria cookies for the crust of this easy key lime pie recipe!
Maria cookies (aka Galletas Maria) are crisp, slightly sweet, vanilla-flavored biscuits from Spain. They are super buttery which makes them PERFECT for the tangy key lime pie filling!
One regular pack of Maria cookies is typically 7 ounces and has roughly 30 cookies.
When pulsed in a food processor, this should give you about 2 cups of finely crushed Maria cookies which is what we want.
Aside from Maria cookies, we need brown sugar and melted butter for the Maria cookie crust.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Maria cookies. If you can’t find Maria cookies, you can use graham cracker crumbs or a store bought graham cracker crust.
- Light brown sugar + melted unsalted butter. For our Maria cookie crust.
- Egg yolks. You only need the yolks however you can beat the egg whites to make a meringue topping, if you’d like.
- Sweetened condensed milk. We need two 14-ounce cans of sweetened condensed milk for this recipe.
- Key lime juice. Instead of key limes which are very hard to juice, I highly recommend buying bottled key lime juice which you can typically find in most grocery stores next to the lemon juice. If you can’t get ahold of it, you can juice regular limes.
- Fresh lime zest.
- Optional garnishes: crushed Maria cookies or Maria cookie crumbs, limes sliced into quarters, fresh lime zest, regular lime slices, whipped cream, or meringue topping made with the egg whites
Recommended For This Recipe
Pie Plate
We love this gorgeous pie plate that is dishwasher, freezer, oven, and microwave safe!
How To Make This Easy Key Lime Pie
- Make the Maria cookie crust. In a food processor, pulse the Maria cookies until they are finely crushed into crumbs. Transfer to a bowl with brown sugar and melted butter. Stir until you get a wet sand consistency.
- Bake the crust. Into a 9-inch pie plate, add the Maria cookie mixture and press firmly up the sides of the pie dish using your hands and to the bottom of the dish using the bottom of a measuring cup. Bake the crust until set for 10-12 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Make the key lime pie filling. In a medium bowl using an electric mixer or in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk, key lime juice, and fresh lime zest until well combined. Pour the mixture over the cooled crust.
- Bake the pie. Bake the pie for 15 minutes until just set. If the outer rim looks set but the middle jiggles when you gently shake the dish, it’s done.
- Chill the pie. Let the pie cool completely on a wire rack then chill for 1 hour or up to 2 days in the fridge before serving.
This key lime pie tastes so tart and tangy and with the buttery Maria cookie crust, I mean the flavor is out of this world.
How To Store Leftovers
Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week.
I would cover it with aluminum foil or plastic wrap however be sure it doesn’t stick to the top of the pie.
You may also like:
- Key Lime Fudge
- Cuban Shortbread Cookies (Torticas de Morón)
- Classic Cuban Mojito
- Guava Swirl Cheesecake with Maria Cookie Crust
Easy Key Lime Pie with Maria Cookie Crust
Ingredients
- 7 ounces Maria cookies (1 pack; about 30 cookies total)
- 4 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
- 4 egg yolks
- 28 ounces sweetened condensed milk (2 cans – 14 ounces each)
- 3/4 cup key lime juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime zest
- Optional garnishes: fresh lime zest, lime slices, whipped cream, meringue
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- In a food processor, pulse the Maria cookies until they are finely crushed into crumbs. This should give you about 2 cups of finely crushed Maria cookies. Transfer to a bowl with brown sugar and melted butter. Stir all the ingredients together until you get a wet sand consistency.
- Into a 9-inch pie plate, add the Maria cookie mixture and press firmly up the sides of the pie dish using your hands and to the bottom of the dish using the bottom of a measuring cup. Bake the crust for 10-12 minutes until set and golden brown. Set aside to cool.
- Bake the pie for 15 minutes until just set. If the outer rim looks set but the middle jiggles when you gently shake the dish, it’s done. Let the pie cool completely on a wire rack then chill for 1 hour or up to 2 days in the fridge before serving.
- Slice and serve with your favorite garnish. Enjoy!
Maggie says
The combination of the Maria cookies and key lime sold me on this recipe, tangy, sweet, creamy and absolutely delicious! I want all my friends and family to come have a taste it’s sooo good!!!
Jamie Silva says
So happy you loved it!! Thank you!!