You’re going to love these 7-ingredient key lime pie bars, a square version of my favorite key lime pie recipe. Cream cheese adds the most delightful cheesecake flavor (and helps the bars set!), and a buttery graham cracker crust is a wonderful base for the tangy filling.
I originally posted this recipe in 2014 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and more helpful success tips.
Like key lime pie (or even mini margarita cheesecakes!), these key lime pie bars are truly one of the most refreshing, flavorful spring/summer desserts. And you know what? They’re incredibly easy to make.
Today’s recipe is typically my go-to when I need a no-fuss crowd pleasing dessert. I just brought them to a BBQ the other night! (See even more BBQ cookout desserts.)
Why You’ll Love These Key Lime Pie Squares
- All the texture and flavor of traditional key lime pie, but a little more cheesecake-y
- Only 7 ingredients (see all of my 8 ingredients or fewer recipes)
- Tangy-sweet flavor
- Thick, buttery graham cracker crust, or spice things up with gingersnap crumbs!
- Grab & go—no fork needed!
One reader, Lisa, commented: “Loved, loved, loved these bars. Made them for Easter and EVERYONE said to keep this recipe. It was very easy and delicious. Creamy and tart. Very well balanced, especially when topped with homemade whipped cream. Definitely making these again… ★★★★★”
You Need Just 7 Ingredients:
And this includes the crust. I count key lime zest AND juice as 1 ingredient… key limes!
Start With a Crumb Crust
Below you’ll find my basic graham cracker crust recipe. It fits into a 9-inch square baking pan perfectly, as well as many 8-inch and 10-inch pans, and pie dishes. I love this particular crust because it’s altogether crunchy, buttery, thick, and not overly sweet like many crumb crusts of its kind. I use it for strawberry cream cheese pie, lemon blueberry cheesecake bars, and these mini key lime pies.
- You need a careful ratio of 3 ingredients: graham cracker crumbs, sugar, & melted butter.
- Use a food processor or blender to grind 12 full-sheet graham crackers into crumbs.
- Stir the graham cracker crumbs and sugar together before mixing in the melted butter.
- Press into your lined pan just until it’s no longer crumbly. Do not pack down too hard.
Other crust options:
- Gingersnap Crust: The original version of this recipe called for a crust made from finely crushed gingersnap cookie crumbs mixed with melted salted butter. I used store-bought gingersnaps, the hard and crunchy kind. The sweet/spicy flavor of the gingersnaps is an unexpected and delightful contrast to the tangy flavor of key lime. If you’d like to make the crust with gingersnaps, you can find the instructions in the recipe Notes. (Gingersnap cookie crumbs would be unbelievable on these upside down key lime pies, too!)
- Graham Nut Crust: Or you could combine graham cracker crumbs with ground macadamia nuts, like I do in my favorite key lime pie recipe.
- Pretzel Crust: Or try the pretzel crust from these peanut butter cup pretzel bars.
No matter which crumb crust you choose to use, press it into a 9-inch square baking pan lined with parchment paper, and give it a head start in the oven while you mix together your filling. (10 minutes prebake, as instructed below.)
Key Lime Pie Square Filling
This 4-ingredient filling is tart, creamy, and sweet. The perfect balance of all three. Tangy, not sour. Smooth, with just the right custard-meets-cheesecake texture.
First, you need key lime juice.
Key limes can be difficult to track down out of season, which is the majority of the year. They’re smaller, more yellow, and a little sweeter than standard limes. You can substitute regular limes for key limes in this recipe, or use half lime juice and half lemon juice.
Yes, absolutely. The brand I typically buy is called Nellie & Joe’s Key West Lime Juice, and it’s sold in most major grocery stores next to the bottled lemon juice. Not only does this make it possible for year-round key lime pie squares, but it’s also a lot easier than juicing all those tiny key limes by hand!
You also need the following ingredients:
- Cream Cheese: I don’t use it in my key lime pie recipe, but I wanted today’s filling to lean a little more towards key lime cheesecake. The flavor is subtle—we’re only using 4 ounces of cream cheese in the filling (1/2 of a brick), and that small amount manages to produce the creamiest key lime pie bars in the world. Avoid the fat-free kind.
- Egg Yolks: Egg yolks stabilize and set up the key lime filling.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: One 14-ounce can of full-fat sweetened condensed milk sweetens the dessert and provides a smooth texture. I also use this in my oatmeal lemon crumble bars.
- Lime Zest: Lime zest gives the filling some colorful speckles, not to mention even more lime flavor. Zest either 1 regular lime or 2 key limes.
Spread the filling over the crust while the crust is still warm. Why? This will help the filling adhere to the crust a little better.
The bars don’t take long to bake to bake, but they do require cooling and chilling before you can slice into them.
How to Cut Neat Squares
Cool baked key lime pie bars at room temperature for about 1 hour, and then refrigerate them for 2 hours or until the bottom of the pan feels cold. If you cut the bars into squares too early, they’ll fall apart. If I’m serving these at a party or event, I prepare them the night before just so I know they’ll cool and chill long enough to yield neat squares.
Slice them with a sharp knife and wipe the knife clean between each cut.
Are you hungry yet? Because I don’t have any key lime pie squares left to share. 😉
For more summer dessert inspiration, see my roundups of favorite Memorial Day recipes, 4th of July Desserts, and BBQ cookout dessert recipes.
Key Lime Pie Bars
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours, 30 minutes
- Yield: 16 bars
- Category: Bars
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
You need just 7 ingredients to make these simple key lime pie bars, a handheld version of my key lime pie recipe. Today’s bars are creamy and tangy with a simple graham cracker crust. Be sure to cool and chill the bars before cutting into squares.
Ingredients
Crust
- 12 full-sheet graham crackers (to yield 1 and 1/2 cups (180g) graham cracker crumbs)
- 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
Filling
- 4 ounces (113g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 4 large egg yolks
- 14-ounce (397g) can of sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 cup (120ml) key lime juice
- 2 teaspoons lime zest (about 1 lime or 2 key limes)
- optional for garnish: whipped cream and lime slices
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 9-inch square baking pan (I love this one and this one) with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to easily lift the bars out of the pan. Set aside.
- Make the crust: If you’re starting out with full graham crackers, use a food processor or blender to grind them into fine crumbs. You can also place them in a zip-top bag and crush them into fine crumbs with a little arm muscle and a rolling pin. Stir the graham cracker crumbs and granulated sugar together in a medium bowl, and then stir in the melted butter. The mixture will be thick, coarse, and sandy. Try to smash/break up any large chunks. Press into the bottom of the lined pan.
- Prebake crust: Bake the crust for 10 minutes. Cool for a few minutes as you prepare the filling in the next step.
- Make the filling: Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Beat in the egg yolks. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the sweetened condensed milk, key lime juice, and lime zest until combined. After mixing the filling with your mixer, give it a final whisk by hand to make sure there are no cream cheese lumps at the bottom of the bowl. Pour/spoon filling evenly onto the warm crust.
- Bake for about 18-20 minutes, or until the edges of the bars appear set and the center is only *slightly* jiggly.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes at room temperature on a wire rack and then chill in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours.
- Lift the parchment paper out of the pan and cut into squares. Feel free to garnish with whipped cream, lime slices, and/or extra lime zest. I used Wilton 1M piping tip on the pictured bars.
- The bars stay fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can freeze the bars for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Food Processor | 9-inch Square Baking Pan (like this one or this this one) | Glass Mixing Bowl | Citrus Zester | Citrus Juicer | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Cooling Rack | Piping Bag (Reusable or Disposable) | Wilton 1M Piping Tip
- Non-US Readers: Don’t have graham crackers where you live? Use 200g ground digestive biscuit crumbs instead (about 13–14 biscuits), the same amount of butter, and add a bit more sugar (about 1/3 cup, or 67g). You may need to add a few extra minutes to the pre-baking time, as digestive biscuits are not quite as crispy-crunchy as graham crackers. And from what I understand, spreadable cream cheese sold in a tub in countries outside of the US is a little different from the spreadable cream cheese in the US. It’s thicker, sturdier, and more solid and should be OK to make cheesecake. I have no experience with it, but this is what I’ve heard from other non-US readers.
- Gingersnap Crust: The original recipe used to call for a gingersnap crust. To make this version, combine 2 cups (240g) finely crushed crunchy gingersnap cookies with 3 Tablespoons melted salted butter. Pre-baking and baking instructions remain the same.
- Can I Bake This in a 9×13-inch Pan? You can, but I have had better results baking a smaller batch, as written, in the 9-inch pan. If you want to make a larger batch, double each ingredient and bake in a 9×13-inch pan. Prebake the crust for 10 minutes, pour in the filling, and bake for about 35 minutes.
- Leftover Egg Whites: Here are all my recipes that call for egg whites.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I love this recipe, wonder how would I add macadamia nuts to this crust? Would you recommend that?
Hi Margo, you can simply use the crust from our regular key lime pie instead. Enjoy!
I’d love to make this recipe with the gingersnap crumb option for the crust, but I’m confused. The graham cracker crust ingredients include 1/4 cup of sugar. The ingredients in the Notes for the gingersnap crust do not include sugar. Is sugar not necessary for the gingersnap crust option? Thanks for the help and the 12 zillion perfect recipes!
Hi John, store-bought gingersnap cookies contain more sugar, so you do not need additional sugar to help bind and sweeten the crumb crust.
Everything about this recipe was perfect! I made these for Father’s Day and they are delicious! Thank you, Sally, for sharing your recipes. I look forward to trying many more.
Hi Sally,
I can’t find key lime juice – could I just use regular lime juice for these bars?
Absolutely! Same amount and no other changes needed.
Can I use regular limes?
Hi Meagan, You can substitute regular limes for key limes in this recipe, or use half lime juice and half lemon juice.
Hi Sally! I’m wondering if I can use this recipe in a 9″ pie plate? Thank you for all your delicious recipes!!
Absolutely. Same bake time.
These bars are so easy to make and absolutely delicious!
Surprisingly, these were a miss for me. I have never made a Sally recipe that wasn’t excellent, so this is a first. I used the bottled lime juice recommended and think I would have preferred using fresh squeezed limes (as I do for her key lime pie recipe). I also wasn’t crazy about the cream cheese.
Wow were these ever tasty. Flavour really developed on the second day. Highly recommend the gingersnap crust
These turned out great,
I made these for Church today. They were so delicious, everyone raved about them! Thanks another great recipe!
Loved, loved, loved these bars. Made them for Easter and EVERYONE said to keep this recipe. It was very easy and delicious. Creamy and tart. Very well balanced. Especially when topped with homemade whipped cream.
Definitely making it again. I could not find Key Limes the day I was baking it so I used regular lime juice. Yummy
Great flavor, I just wish the filling were thicker. Can you double the filling? How long would it need to bake if I did that? Thanks
Hi Wendy, if you use an 8 inch pan instead of a 9 inch pan, the filling will be thicker. We’re unsure of the exact bake time for thicker bars in an 8×8 pan – keep an eye on them in the oven and bake until the edges begin to brown (maybe about an additional 5-7 minutes). Let us know how they go!
These bars are delicious! Perfect tartness! Super ease to throw together!
I LOVE that you included a link to all your egg white recipes at the bottom. That’s exactly what some of us were thinking when we saw the four egg yolks. Sally never ceases to amaze with her comprehensivess.
So happy to see an alternate for key lime zest as I’ve only seen real key limes in my local grocery once.
I will be making this recipe all summer! It’s so delicious!! I used Biscoff cookies instead of graham crackers. It was a great substitute.
Those work wonderfully! So glad you enjoyed these bars.
Absolutely delicious! Didn’t have key limes so I used the lime juice you recommended. I also used prepared graham cracker crumbs, its all I had. It turned out delicious. My guests loved it, and my husband loved it even more!
These taste just like some expensive lime bars that I’ve become obsessed with from a high-end grocery store near my house! They’re so easy and inexpensive to make! I used half lemon and half lime juice (regular and not key lime) because that’s what I had on-hand. I added a splash of vanilla to the filling and a pinch of salt. Delicious and easy. The guests at my Memorial Day bbq inhaled them!
So glad they were a hit, Alice!
This recipe was delish!! Brought them to work fo ra summer treat! I absolutely love a tart treat and super easy!!!
Delicious! Sally, thank you so much for sharing your marvelous recipes. I am fairly new to baking and appreciate the details and videos you share.
Thank you so much for making our recipes, Charlotte!
Hi sally! I want to bake this without the egg yolks. Can you please share the substitute for 4 egg yolks used in this recipe. Thank you!
PS – I’m a big fan
Hi Jusleen, egg yolks stabilize and set the filling, so we don’t recommend omitting them. We’re unsure of a suitable substitute, but let us know if you decide to try anything (although it may be best to find a recipe specifically written without egg yolks). Thank you!
These were delicious and very easy to make!
I used a mixture of pretzel, Graham and pecan, and monk fruit sugar.
Added soaked chia to crust. Sprinkled zest and coconut to top of crust before adding lemon mixture.
Orange / lemon and lime zest and juice.
Once chilled I added, cooked strawberries for festive memorial day.
Thank you for the recipe.
In Canada we only seem to have 12floz cans of sweetened condensed milk. Can I get away with two less oz? Thanks Sally & team
Hi Haley, unfortunately, we don’t have any experience baking in Canada, so haven’t tested this recipe with 12-ounce cans, I’m sorry! I wish I could tell you how it would turn out, but I’m really not sure. If you do try making it with one 12-ounce can, please let us know how it turns out!
Hi Haley, I’m from Canada too, and was curious about your question. I’ve always just used the 300 ml cans cans since I am loathe to buy a second can just for a few more tablespoons. I searched on the American Eagle Brand website and found this answer. I hope it helps.
Why does my 14oz can of Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk only measure out to 10oz in a measuring cup?
Sweetened condensed milk is measured by weight, not fluid ounces, because of the product thickness. It does not measure the same as what we normally think of when measuring a regular liquid such as water or regular milk because of its density. If you take one fluid cup of water and one fluid cup of sweetened condensed milk and set them on scales side by side, you will find that the sweetened condensed milk weighs more than the water.
When poured into a liquid measuring cup, one 14oz can (shown as “Net Weight”) of sweetened condensed milk is 10 liquid ounces. Most recipes call for one 14oz. can of sweetened condensed milk, but some call for a smaller amount like 1/2 a cup or a 1/4 cup. Other examples of foods that are measured by weight are regular yogurts, jams and jellies, honey, caramel sauce and corn syrup. This article also has a great explanation of measurements! https://www.loveandoliveoil.com/2020/01/weight-vs-volume-measurements-in-baking-and-the-best-way-to-measure-flour.html
I’m having this exact issue now. Are you saying that you can successfully use 1 300ml can in this recipe and keep all the other ingredients the same?
Hello Haley and Jenn, another Canadian here to tell you, this recipe works fine with the 300 ml cans. I’ve made it a number of times and have even used one less egg yolk and an extra ounce of cream cheese to sub, because I had that amount of yolks to use up. Also I’ve used key lime zest but just use ReaLime brand juice. Works great! My favourite for the crust is the PC English style gingersnaps. So good!!
Could you use pecans in place of macadamia nuts? If so, what amount would you recommend? Thanks for the assistance!
Hi Amanda, we haven’t tested this recipe with pecans, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. I’d try keeping the amount (measured after grinding) the same. Let us know how it turns out!
Great easy desert. Made it yesterday
for our dinner of chicken salad. Served four hours later.
YUM!
How can I make a gluten free crust?
Hi Ginny, we haven’t tested it ourselves, but some readers have reported good results with gluten-free graham crackers. If you try it, let us know how it turns out!
Can these be frozen?
Hi Tracy, you can freeze the bars for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving. Enjoy!
Could you substitute fresh lemon juice for the lime juice?
Hi Shelley, that should work just fine. Enjoy!