Nothing beats the refreshing tang of an Easy No Bake Key Lime Pie! With a creamy, citrusy filling in a buttery graham cracker crust, this easy dessert comes together with no oven needed. Just mix, chill, and enjoy a sweet, zesty treat!
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No Bake Key Lime Pie
I love sweets (obviously) but my top two favorite desserts are Tiramisu and Key Lime Pie. I've been making homemade (real) Key Lime Pies for years - ever since my husband's grandmother shared her easy Key Lime Pie recipe with me.
So this No Bake Key Lime Pie is (almost) as good as a traditional Key Lime Pie - except this no bake pie can be ready to eat much faster because it's a no bake version.
Why You'll Love this No Bake Key Lime Pie Recipe
No Oven Needed – Perfect summer dessert for when you want to keep things cool in the kitchen.
Quick & Easy – Simple ingredients and minimal prep make it a hassle-free dessert.
Cool, Refreshing & Light – The tart dessert has tangy lime flavor that is balanced by the creamy sweetness for a perfectly refreshing treat. It's the perfect easy recipe for a hot day!
Great Make-Ahead Dessert – Chills beautifully in the fridge, making it the perfect dessert for parties and gatherings.
Foolproof Recipe – No complicated baking techniques, just mix, pour, and chill.
Crowd-pleaser - Loved by kids and adults alike, it's a hit at any event and I absolutely a family favorite at my house!
Customizable – Easily tweak the recipe with different crusts or toppings. Grab a store-bought graham cracker crust or use whipping cream instead of Cool Whip.
More No Bake Pie & Dessert Recipes
Tools Needed
With a little bit of patience and a few common kitchen tools, you can make this easy Key Lime Pie with condensed milk.
- Food processor or blender
- 9-inch pie pan
- Large mixing bowl
- Whisk or Electric Mixer
- Spatula
- Piping bag
- Star tip
- Knife
- Measuring cups and spoons
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Ingredients
These are all basic ingredients that you can find at your local grocery store.
Homemade Graham Cracker Crust
- Graham Crackers—If you don't have a food processor, you can skip that step by using graham cracker crumbs.
- Salted Butter, melted
Light Brown Sugar
Creamy Filling
- Sweetened Condensed Milk
- Key Lime Juice: Fresh key lime juice is best, made from real key limes, but I've found Nelly and Joe's bottled key lime juice to be delicious and a great substitute.
- Key Lime Zest
- Cool Whip or other brand of whipped topping, divided
- Key Lime, sliced
- Fresh Mint, optional
Find the full recipe with ingredients measurements in the recipe card below.
Substitutions
Graham Crackers - You could also use pretzels for a sweet and salty flavor or a gluten-free graham cracker or pretzel to make the dish GF. Another sweet option is to use crushed vanilla wafers or Golden OREO cookies for a cookie crust.
Graham Crackers, Butter, and Brown Sugar - You can skip all three of these ingredients and use a store-bought crust but if you can make a homemade graham cracker pie crust - it's so much better!
Sweetened Condensed Milk – you can use coconut-sweetened condensed milk for an increased tropical flavor.
Key Limes – you can use regular limes, but the flavor will be much different. Key limes are more acidic and tarter than regular limes are. So, if you use regular limes, the pie will not have the bite of tart and tanginess that key lime is known for. You an also use the Nellie and Joe's Key West Lime Juice I mentioned above.
How to Make a No Bake Key Lime Pie
This is the best Key Lime Pie Recipe because it's no bake!!
- Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor or blender until fine crumbs.
- Add in the melted butter and brown sugar. Pulse the mixture a few times just until combined.
- Press the crumbs into a 9-inch pie pan. Place the crunchy crust into the refrigerator for one hour.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the sweetened condensed milk, fresh lime juice, and the zest of the key lime. Gently fold half of the Cool Whip into the sweetened condensed milk mixture.
- Pour the creamy lime filling into your graham cracker crust and spread it into an even layer.
- Place the remaining Cool Whip into a piping bag with a star tip. Pipe the cool whip onto the pie in a crescent moon shape.
- Arrange the Key lime slices and mint on top of the Cool Whip. If you want to use real whipped cream for this step, I have a recipe here that you can whip into stiff peaks and also pipe onto the top of the pie.
- Place the pie into the refrigerator for one to two hours to allow the filling to set. This will be the hardest part - waiting for it to set!
Gluten Free No Bake Key Lime Pie
This is a really easy pie recipe to switch to a gluten-free recipe. Simply use gluten-free graham crackers to make your homemade crust or a Pecan Pie Crust for a GF Key Lime Pie.
Serving Suggestions
This pie is perfect for hot summer days - take it to a picnic, backyard BBQ or pool party. It's also a crowd pleaser perfect for a potluck or family reunion.
There are lots of good things to serve with your No Bake Key Lime Pie - here are some favorites...
- Candied citrus peels
- Toasted coconut
- Fresh whipped cream - I have a recipe here for how to make it with heavy cream and sugar!
Storage Directions
No-bake Key Lime Pie should be covered with plastic wrap or stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. It can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight if frozen before serving.
FAQ
If you would like to make it creamier, you can add 4 oz. of room temperature, softened cream cheese to the filling. You'll want to use full fat cream cheese for the best results. This cream cheese version is also delicious!
Yes, a pre-made graham cracker crust will work, but it will not have the same fresh buttery and slightly salty taste that the fresh crust will hold. So, the overall flavor of the pie will be different.
Yes, if you would like to use a traditional pie crust that has been pre-baked, you can do that. Just be sure that the crust is completely cooled before adding the filling.
Actual Key limes are smaller than your regular Persian limes. They are grown in the Florida Keys and are more acidic, more fragrant, and have an intense tartness to them that regular limes do not have. So, when making desserts, Key limes are better at bringing the tart and intense flavor of the lime forward.
Yes, you can make it the night before, as it will give it more time to set up. In doing so, you also ensure that your flavors have blended better for a more full-body flavor of the lime and that you will get cleaner cuts and slices.
Yes, you can substitute lemon juice in this easy no bake Key Lime pie. Or you can hop over to my Easy Lemon Icebox Pie recipe!
More Delicious Lime Recipes
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PrintRecipe
Easy No Bake Key Lime Pie
- Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
Nothing beats the refreshing tang of an Easy No Bake Key Lime Pie! With a creamy, citrusy filling in a buttery graham cracker crust, this easy dessert comes together with no oven needed. Just mix, chill, and enjoy a sweet, zesty treat!
Ingredients
- 12 graham crackers
- ½ cup salted butter, melted
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
- ¼ cup key lime juice
- 1 key lime, zested
- 8 oz cool whip, divided
- 1 fresh Key lime, sliced
- Fresh mint, optional
Instructions
- Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor or blender until fine crumbs.
- Add in the melted butter and brown sugar. Pulse the mixture a few times just until combined.
- Press the crumbs into a 9-inch pie pan.
- Place the crust into the refrigerator for one hour.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the sweetened condensed milk, key lime juice, and the zest of the key lime.
- Gently fold half of the Cool Whip into the sweetened condensed milk mixture.
- Pour the filling into your graham cracker crust and spread it into an even layer.
- Place the remaining Cool Whip into a piping bag with a star tip.
- Pipe the cool whip onto the pie in a crescent moon shape. Arrange the Key lime slices and mint on top of the Cool Whip.
- Place the pie into the refrigerator for one to two hours to allow the filling to set.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Chill Time: 2 hours
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No Bake
Beth
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