Sweet and Tangy Key Lime Pies

What better way to say goodbye to summer than with individual key lime pies! This recipe took some research because I wanted to get the filling just right, and I wanted to really bring out the lime flavor, but I didn’t want to use egg yolks or commit time to baking these pies. So, I found a few no-bake, eggless recipes and I tweaked them to include both lime zest and lime juice.

I love how these turned out and I’m really happy with how the filling combines a sweet and tart flavor profile to make a delicious pie.

My biggest tip for this recipe is to be patient and to put in the necessary time during the prep stage–it’s worth it in the end!

Below are the ingredients and instructions. I chose the ready-to-use Keebler mini pie crusts so I could dedicate the time to prepping the limes and focusing on how to decorate these pies. Choose your battles!

Ingredients:

 

• 3/4 cup key lime juice, fresh squeezed (about a pound of limes)
• 2 teaspoons of lime zest
• 5 lime slices, cut into quarters to use as garnish
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 8 oz. cool whip, plus more for garnish (I ended up buying 2 containers to be sure I had enough)
• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 3 packs (6 mini pies each) of Keebler mini graham cracker pie crusts

OR

• 1/2 stick butter, unsalted, melted
• 1 sleeve honey graham crackers, turned into crumbs

Instructions:

If you want to make your own pie crusts:

Crush the graham crackers in a bag or use a food processor to create a fine chop. Add the crumbs to a bowl. Melt the butter on the stove top or microwave and pour into the bowl with the graham cracker crumbs. Mix together and fill your individual pie pans.

OR

1.) Line a tray with your 18 ready-to-go Keebler pie crusts.

2) Let the cool whip thaw and the cream cheese soften as you prep your limes.

3.) Wash your limes and dry thoroughly.

4.) Zest 6-7 limes to have 2 teaspoons of zest and extra for decorating.

5.) Slice the zested limes in half and juice them until you have 3/4 cup of lime juice. Make sure to strain the juice to filter out the pulp.

6.) Using some of the limes you didn’t zest, cut slices into quarters to use as a garnish. 18 or so should be good to decorate each pie.

7.) Cream the cream cheese in a stainless steel bowl with a hand mixer.

8.) Add the condensed milk and mix until smooth.

9.) Add the lime zest and lime juice to the mixture, and mix again until smooth and well incorporated.

10.) Using a rubber scraper, fold in the thawed cool whip to your cream cheese/lime mixture.

11.) Once the pie filling is mixed together, fill each individual pie pan with filling. I used a small ladle to minimize the mess and to create some consistency from pie to pie.

12.) Freeze the pies for 4 hours to set the filling.

13.) Remove the pies from the freezer and begin decorating.

I used granulated sugar to coat my lime quarters and then set those aside while I piped cool whip onto each pie. Then I sprinkled lime zest onto them and set a mini, sugared lime wedge on top.

Be creative and have fun with your decorations. You can make each pie the same or mix it up with different decorating techniques for yummy, individualized desserts your friends and family will love!

Serve chilled and enjoy!

    

P.S. I decorated 12 of the mini pies for now (and I’m calling my friends and family to help me eat them) and I’m freezing the other 6 undecorated to be enjoyed at a later time!