With its outstanding macadamia nut crust, creamy thick lime filling, and sweet whipped cream on top, this is truly the best key lime pie I’ve ever had. And after 1 bite, I think you will agree. Only 3 ingredients required for the filling!
Key lime pie will forever be one of my favorite desserts. This Florida specialty has been winning over my tastebuds for years. Between the buttery and crunchy crust, tangy custard filling, and the essential creamy topping—no dessert can rival key lime pie!
But can we make a good thing even better? Yes.
What Makes This the Best Key Lime Pie?
- Extra thick and nutty crust
- 3 ingredient filling
- Easy to make
- Totally refreshing
- Mega key lime flavor
- Topped with homemade whipped cream
- Sweet, salty, citrus-y, buttery, creamy, and tangy all in one
Here’s How You Make This Key Lime Pie
Key lime pie has a few simple steps. Most of the “work” is hands-off while the key lime pie sets up in the refrigerator, so it’s perfect in the summertime when you’d rather be outside. (A lot of readers make this easy pie for Memorial Day weekend, Father’s Day, 4th of July, summer birthday parties, and Labor Day gatherings.)
- Make the Crust: Use a food processor to combine the macadamia nuts and graham cracker crumbs. Combine with melted butter and sugar, then press tightly into a pie dish.
- Pre-Bake the Crust: Pre-bake the crust for about 8 minutes before pouring in the key lime filling. Pre-baking solidifies the crust and allows for easy slicing once the pie is ready to serve.
- Make the Filling: Whisk together the 3 filling ingredients—it will be thick! Pour into warm crust.
- Bake the Pie: Key lime pie bakes for only 17-20 minutes. Once completely cool, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour prior to serving.
- Garnish and Serve: This is extra delicious with fresh whipped cream. By the way, if you’re looking for an alternative way to serve key lime pie, try my individual upside down key lime pies. Basically the same filling as this pie.
Graham Cracker Macadamia Nut Crust
Key lime pie is traditionally made with graham cracker crust. It’s the most wonderful crunchy, sweet, and buttery bed for the fresh key lime filling. But hey, how about getting a little nutty? You won’t believe the difference macadamia nuts make. I use about 1/2 cup of macadamia nuts in place of some of the graham cracker crumbs and the result is pure bliss. Macadamia nuts are a gem and, as it turns out, often overlooked in the baking world. Why though? They’re so good.
You only need 4 ingredients for this crust:
- Macadamia Nuts (I recommend salted)
- Graham Crackers
- Melted Butter
- Sugar
Pulse the macadamia nuts with graham crackers, then mix with melted butter and sugar. Because key limes are a little sweeter than regular limes, you will love the sweet/tangy key lime filling with the salty graham cracker macadamia nut crust.
3 Ingredient Key Lime Pie Filling
Yes, my key lime pie filling is only 3 ingredients. (!!) If you’ve tried my key lime pie bars or mini key lime pies, you’ll notice that today’s filling is a little different. I typically add a little cream cheese to the filling to ensure stability and structure, but decided to skip it today. We’re keeping it traditional with this classic key lime pie, which means we’re using egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk, and key lime juice.
My success tip: Do yourself a favor and buy a bottle of key lime juice from the store. There’s a brand of bottled key lime juice that I love called Nellie & Joe’s in most major grocery stores next to the bottled lemon juice. Just make sure you’re using key lime juice, not regular lime juice. Otherwise you will spend 100 years juicing 500 tiny key limes yourself. You need an entire cup of key lime juice and yes, it will take you 100 years to squeeze them all!
How to Tell Key Lime Pie Is Done
One of the most common and easily remedied key lime pie problems is over-baked pie. It’s tricky to know when the pie is done, but here’s my secret: bake the key lime pie until the filling is only slightly jiggly in the center (about 15–20 minutes). It should be firm to the touch, but not completely liquid or totally solid. The pie will continue to solidify as it cools.
Cool the pie completely on a wire rack, then cover and chill for at least 1 hour before serving. I recommend garnishing your key lime pie prior to serving.
How to Decorate Key Lime Pie
Let the key lime flavor stand out and keep garnishes simple.
- Homemade whipped cream
- Since you’ll have leftover egg whites, make a meringue topping—you’ll have time to kill while the pie chills anyway 🙂
- Sliced limes cut into quarters
- Lime zest
- Whole macadamia nuts
- Graham cracker crumbs
I’ve sampled LOTS of key lime pie and I can confidently say this the best key lime pie I’ve ever tasted.
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Key Lime Pie with Macadamia Nut Crust
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours, 35 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 servings
- Category: Pie
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This tangy sweet key lime pie is deliciously simple with an extra thick and nutty crust. Only 3 ingredients needed for the filling!
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Macadamia Crust
- 11 (about 160g) full-sheet graham crackers
- 1/2 cup (62g) salted macadamia nuts (I use roasted)
- 2 Tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
- 5 Tablespoons (71g) unsalted butter, melted
Filling + Topping
- 28 ounces (two 14-ounce cans; 793g) full-fat sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup (240ml) key lime juice
- 4 large egg yolks*
- garnish: lime zest, lime slices, macadamia nuts, whipped cream, or meringue topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Make the crust: Using a food processor, pulse the graham crackers and macadamia nuts together into crumbs. A few larger pieces of nuts is OK. Pour into a medium bowl and stir in the sugar. Add the melted butter and stir until combined. The mixture will be thick, coarse, and sandy. Try to smash/break up any large chunks. Pour the mixture into an ungreased 9-inch pie dish. With medium pressure using your hand, pat the crumbs down into the bottom and up the sides to make a compact crust. Do not pack down with heavy force because that makes the crust too hard. Simply pat down until the mixture is no longer crumby/crumbly. Tips: You can use a small flat-bottomed measuring cup to help press down the bottom crust and smooth out the surface, but do not pack down too hard. And run a spoon around the bottom “corner” where the edge and bottom meet to help make a rounded crust—this helps prevent the crust from falling apart. For more shaping technique tips, see the graham cracker crust recipe page.
- Pre-bake crust for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave the oven on.
- Make the filling: Whisk the sweetened condensed milk, lime juice, and egg yolks together (or use an electric mixer). Pour into warm crust.
- Bake the pie for 17–20 minutes or until only *slightly* jiggly in the center. You want it mostly set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Once cool, cover and chill for at least 1 hour (and up to 3 days) before serving.
- Garnish as desired. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can prepare and pre-bake the crust up to 2–3 days in advance. Cover and store at room temperature. Likewise, you can mix up the filling up to 2–3 days in advance. Cover and refrigerate, then assemble and bake. Baked and cooled pie freezes well up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Food Processor or Chopper | Glass Mixing Bowl | 9-inch Pie Dish | Zester | Citrus Juicer | Whisk
- Graham Cracker Crust: If you purchase graham cracker crumbs, you need 1 and 1/3 cups (160g) for this recipe. Even though they are already crumbs, you can still pulse with the nuts. If you want to skip the nuts, use this graham cracker crust recipe instead and pre-bake for 8 minutes.
- Leftover Egg Whites: Here are all my recipes using just egg whites, or you can make a meringue topping for the pie.
- Non-US Readers: Don’t have graham crackers where you live? Use 180g ground digestive biscuits instead (about 12 biscuits), with the same amount of nuts and butter, and add an extra Tablespoon (12g) of sugar. Pre-bake for 10 minutes.
Keywords: Key Lime Pie with Macadamia Nut Crust
More Refreshing Dessert Ideas
When the temperatures rise, the last thing you want to do is spend time in a hot kitchen. You’ll appreciate these simple, delicious, and totally refreshing desserts:
- Creamy Lemon Pie
- No-Bake Cheesecake
- Lemon Berry Trifle
- Mini Key Lime Pies
- Peanut Butter Pie
- Strawberry Shortcake
This recipe turned out perfect. Crust, filling and display. It cut into beautiful pieces and the taste was even better the next day. Your instructions were on point!
★★★★★
I love key lime pie. But I have an egg allergy. How can I prepare with out the eggs?
Hi Martha, I’m sorry to hear that! I’m not sure any egg substitutes would work in this recipe, because egg yolks are a key ingredient here. We do have a section on the site dedicated to egg-free baking recipes, I hope you can find something in there you love as much or more!
Absolutely the BEST key lime pie! After making the original recipe, I substituted crushed biscoff cookies for the graham crackers and deleted the sugar in the crust. I did use the melted butter and chopped macadamia nuts. Absolutely wonderful
★★★★★
This is my go to recipe, it’s amazing! I have two in the oven now!
★★★★★
Hi Sally! I checked Amazon, and there are several varieties of the Nelli & Joe’s Key lime juice. Which one of those do you recommend? Thank you!
Hi L, we use the Nellie and Joe’s key west lime juice!
Definitely my go to recipe for Key lime pie
★★★★★
I love this recipe! It is my favorite key lime pie ever!! I want to make loads of it for a potluck and figured it would be easier for serving if I made this pie into bars.
Can I bake it in a 9×9 pan?
Hi Lizzy, we’re so glad this is a favorite for you! We recommend following our key lime pie bars recipe for a bar version. Enjoy!
Could I also use freshly squeezed lime juice for this recipe if I’m planning on making it? And how would I be able to take it to the office for the next day and store it after it’s set and topped with whipped cream?
Hi Allison, you can certainly use fresh squeeze key lime juice. If you have a refrigerator to store the pie in, it should be fine!
Thank you for the advice. If I pipe the top with whipped cream and cover it with foil and store it in the fridge, then after I take it to the office with me and put it in the office fridge after my morning early to mid-March commute, will it still be ready to eat?
It should be fine!
Make sure you are using a pie pan that is 9 inch by 2 inch. Most pie pans purchased in stores are not as deep. You end up with too much liquid and not enough crust exposed. What a mess 🙁
Not bad. The filling was definitely easy to make, but was sort of disappointingly simple. If you’re looking for a really top notch, gourmet key lime pie, use a different recipe. If you just want a straight-forward pie, this is the one.
★★★★
Do you have aRecipe for the jelly like filling for fresh strawberry pie?
Hi Ollie, we have these strawberry pie recipes: strawberry cream cheese pie, strawberry no bake cheesecake pie, strawberry rhubarb pie.
Can i make this in a tart pan? I believe i have 9in, 10in and 11in pans. Which would be best?
Hi Mj, that should be fine and the 9 inch pan would be best. Enjoy!
Would the bake times be different
It will be about the same since we are using a 9 inch pie dish. Just keep your eye on it towards the end and bake only until it’s *slightly* jiggly in the center.
LOVED IT!!! So easy & so good. I’m wondering if I could use this recipe & spread out in a few 3 or 4 inch pie tins? What temp & timing would I use for that? Also, could I freeze it? Thank you for the amazing recipe!
★★★★★
Hi Allison, so glad you love this key lime pie recipe! Yes, you can use this recipe for smaller key lime pies — the same way you use it for these mini key lime pies. This filling will work just as well as that one! We’re unsure of the exact bake time. Baked and cooled pie freezes well up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
This recipe is amazing. I love the macadamia nuts blended into the crust and the filling is perfect.
★★★★★
Delicious! I made the crust according to your recipe. Any time I need a graham cracker crust, I’ll be adding in macadamia nuts.
As for the key lime, could it have been any easier? No. And it was perfect. I even remembered to take a photo this time. I just can’t figure out how to send it.
I’m going to use pecans instead of macadamias, should I roast them before mixing into the graham crackers.
You can use either, but we do love the flavor of roasted. Let us know how it goes!
Always a hit! I’ve made this recipe several times. Started adding a bit more mass to the crust, 10-20% more than specified. I’m also a big fan of cashews over the macadamia nuts!
I made this for a party, and everyone loved it! It was delicious! Besides the lemon blueberry tart this is the best thing I’ve made from this blog! Thank you.
★★★★★
I’m thinking I’ll just use my regular pie dish, but it’s a Pyrex 9.5 inch. The recipe calls for a 9 inch – will a 9.5 work?
Hi Amanda, that should work just fine — enjoy!
Thanks so much. Would there be any issue doing this in a deep pie dish?
Hi Amanda! The filling won’t fill out a deep dish pie dish, but it will work. Let us know how it goes!
Is it possible to find out which tip was used for the whipped cream?
Hi Amanda, I used Wilton 1M tip. The whipped cream was on the softer side this day, so it didn’t hold shape well.
Good morning…….I prefer using fresh lime juice. Shall I keep the volume if juice at 1 cup and secondly, may I add lime zest? Thank you in advance.
Hi Julie, yes, same amount of fresh key lime juice and you can add lime zest to your liking. Hope you enjoy this pie!
Can cream cheese be added to this recipe like you have in the key lime pie square recipe?
Sue
Hi Sue, you can simply use the recipe for mini key lime pies but make it as a full size pie. See recipe notes there for more details!
Favorite recipe. Can you make these into individual pies without the cream cheese? I love this recipe but want individual servings.
★★★★★
Hi Egla, so glad you love this key lime pie recipe! Yes, you can use this recipe for mini key lime pies — the same way you use it for these mini key lime pies. This filling will work just as well as that one!
Delicious and easy! I turned to this recipe after the one from Cook’s Country (America’s Test Kitchen) let me down. Just remember to let it cool down completely at room temp and let it chill uncovered in the fridge for an hour or so before covering it. Otherwise you’ll end up with a little condensation.
★★★★★
This is a fantastic recipe and I always get great feedback when I make it. I struggle with the crust though. Even with a pre-bake, it is a battle for me to get the pie out. Slices are always pretty wonky and broken up. Any idea what I could be doing wrong? Thanks for your wonderful recipe!
★★★★★
Hi Meghan, if you’re having troubles removing the crust, it might be just slightly over baked. For next time, try reducing the pre-bake by just a minute. Make sure it is tightly packed in the pan and that your graham cracker / nuts are sufficiently ground up (although a few large pieces of nuts is fine). Hope this helps and we’re so glad you’ve been enjoying this pie!
I used a classic graham cracker crust (no nuts) and this filling. Fantastic. I topped it with the not-so-sweet whipped frosting (really a whipped cream). What a great combination.
★★★★★
I absolutely love this recipe. The keylime was tangy and sweet- an absolute hit. I usually use your graham cracker crust recipe without the nuts, but I’d like to try something different this go around. My nieces love pecans. Can I use any nut for this recipe? Thank you!
Hi Kim, you can absolutely use pecans or any other nut in place of the macadamia nuts. So glad you enjoy this recipe!
I made it with crushed cashews. So good!!!
This Key Lime Pie is amazing! Very easy to make and it was delicious. A big hit with the family. It tasted even better on the next day! The crust is easy and so delicious, much better than buying the ready made at the supermarket. All homemade! Love it!!!
★★★★★
I love this recipe! I’ve made it so many times and it’s always a favorite at holidays. I was wondering if this recipe could be made in bar form instead of in a pie pan?
Hi Chloe! We recommend following our key lime pie bars recipe instead. Enjoy!
This recipe is dangerously simple (I could have delicious key lime pie with this little effort??)
I baked this to take to my kids’ school for Pi Day and got so many compliments about how delicious it is! Winning!!!
★★★★★
I made this for the first time today. Absolutely delicious!!!!! I followed the directions for a 9 inch pie, and it seemed like there was going to be too much filling, so I didn’t put all of it in the shell, so my question is can I cook the remaining filling in the microwave and chill it just to eat as is. The next time I make it, I will put it in a bigger pie plate. Thank you!
Hi Jean! We recommend making some mini key lime pies with the leftover filling! You can bake it on a graham cracker crust in a mini muffin tin (like in this mini key lime pies recipe) or use this method for upside down key lime pies.
I have made this recipe multiple times and it is always a huge hit! The macadamia nuts in the crust really give it that extra ‘something’ that people love but can’t quite pin point. One of my favorite recipes from your site, Sally!
★★★★★
If I use graham cracker crumbs, how much should I use? Thanks
Hi Ellen! You can use this graham cracker crust recipe – enjoy!
Please send beginning recipes that are easy because I haven’t cooked in 40 years thank you
★★★★★
Hi there! This got rave reviews and was absolutely the best key lime pie that everyone had ever had!
This time I need to make them in a muffin tin…I know you have a recipe for mini key lime pies but this recipe was my mom’s very favorite and I was reallly hoping to make this one. Could you please council me on approximately how long to bake it in muffin tins? Would it be about 15 minutes like the mini pie recipe or does the lack of cream cheese mean less time?
Thank you in advance for making our late Mother’s Day extra special!!
★★★★★
Hi Gillian! You can absolutely make these in muffin tins — follow the bake time and directions for mini key lime pies, but use this filling instead. So glad to hear you enjoy this one!