Key Lime Pie & Tarts

CATEGORIES: Cheesecakes and Tarts, Pies and Pastries, St. Patrick's Day, Tropical
author photo BY
kate jones

As all you long-time readers know, we absolutely love limes around here. You’ll also probably know that Brazilian Lemonade is my favorite drink in the whole world. So yeah, this key lime pie (and tarts, if you prefer)? It’s pretty much Brazilian Lemonade as a pie. The pie itself only has 4 ingredients and is truly one of the easiest desserts I know how to make, so between that and the fact that it’s my favorite drink in pie form, I don’t think things get better than that.

Key lime pie from Our Best Bites

This recipe is pretty tart, but that’s the way I like it. I also like to cut that tartness with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream instead of the more traditional meringue. Meringue is gorgeous, but I also think it’s gross. Can we still be friends?
 
This recipe can either be made as a pie or as tarts. And it’s awesome both ways. However, I like making them as tarts because of the following reasons:
 
  1. They’re cute.
  2. Who doesn’t want their very own mini pie?
  3. You get more out of the recipe (10 tarts as opposed to 8 slices of pie).
  4. The mess is completely self-contained; you don’t need plates or a pie server.
  5. Double the recipe, pop a whole slew of these onto a baking sheet, and you have enough tarts for a party in just a few minutes.
  6. I must be held accountable at the end of the day for any and all empty tart tins. There are no slivers of pie mysteriously disappearing throughout the day.

You’ll need 5 egg yolks (if you need help separating your eggs, large cookie scoop), a can of sweetened condensed milk (I’m all for generics most of the time, but most generic sweetened condensed milks I’ve found are a little gritty, so I always spring for the name brand), and some freshly squeezed lime juice (key limes if you have the patience for those tiny little things…I do not, so I just look for small, thin-skinned limes that spring back when I press them.)

Key lime pie from Our Best Bites ingredients

You’ll also need 10 mini graham cracker crusts or 1 8-serving graham cracker crust.
pie crusts for key lime pie from Our Best Bites
Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, sweetened condensed milk,
adding sweetened condensed milk to key lime pie from Our Best Bites
egg yolks,
sweetened condensed milk and egg yolks for key lime pie from Our Best Bites
and lime juice.
Adding lime juice to key lime pie from Our Best Bites
To juice the limes, I use a small citrus juicer like this and absolutely love it–it’s not too big (so it’s great for lemons and limes and is easy to store), has measurements on the side, is sturdy, and strains the pulp and seeds.
 
small citrus juices
Distribute the mixture evenly among graham cracker crusts (if you’d like, you can use large cookie scoop to make sure things are equal, or you can just eyeball it).
 
key lime tarts on pan for our best bites
Place tart pans on a baking sheet and bake in preheated oven 10-11 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature, then chill in fridge until ready to serve.
key lime pie tarts from Our Best Bites
 
Before serving, add a dollop of sweetened whipped cream. Key Lime Pie Tarts from Our Best BitesIf you plan on making these ahead of time, use stabilized whipped cream–regular whipped cream will not last more than a few hours before it starts to deflate).
Bite of Key Lime Pie from Our Best Bites
Key Lime Pie Tarts from Our Best Bites

large pie instructions

 If you want to bake this as a single large pie, just use a standard 9″ (8-serving) graham cracker pie crust and bake for 15 minutes. Top each slice with whipped cream before serving.
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Key Lime Pie Tarts from Our Best Bites

Key Lime Pie & Tarts

  • Author: kate jones
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 8-10 servings
Print Recipe

Description

This is the best Key Lime Pie we’ve ever eaten and it only has 4 ingredients! One of the easiest make-ahead desserts you can make!

Ingredients

10 mini graham cracker crusts OR 1 8-serving (9″) graham cracker crust
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
Around 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice. If you’re going to use bottled regular lime juice, don’t.

Instructions

tart instructions

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, combine egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk, and lime juice. Distribute evenly among graham cracker crusts (I used my cookie scoop to make sure things were equal). Place tart pans on a baking sheet and bake in preheated oven 10-11 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature, then chill in fridge until ready to serve.

Before serving, add a dollop of sweetened whipped cream.
 

whole pie instructions

 To bake this as a single large pie, just use a standard 9″ graham cracker pie crust and bake for 15 minutes. Top each slice with whipped cream before serving.

53 comments

  1. I made these tonight for book club! They were tasty, easy, and fun!! What a fabulous idea! I bought a few too many limes, so I’m making them again tomorrow for a family party.
    Thanks for a yummy recipe that I will use again and again!!!

    Reply

  3. Thank you for this recipe! My boyfriend is from Venezuela and this is his favorite pie. I was afraid I might end up having to buy it from a store, but you have solved my problem. Thank you!

    Reply

  5. Pooh! And i added lime juice to my homemade whipped cream rather then the usual vanilla, since i have failed to get more since i ran out weeks ago!!! I thought it was a good substitute!

    Reply

  6. This was a total hit! I just made this for my boyfriends surprise birthday dinner. My picky sister even liked it! She said it was way better then my lemon mEringue pie (which she doesn’t like!) I paired it with chili-lime steak and the salad, but ate them as separate dishes and the coconut rice from your cookbook! Everything was fabulous!

    Reply

  7. I made these adorable tarts today for a family get together. Everyone loved them (even me and I don’t like keylime at all). Thanks for the wonderful recipe. Love the site!

    Reply

  9. These look terrific — and I like the "additional" portions! However, after spending the last hour poking around your blog (I just found you), I have one thought for you: Key Lime Pie in a Jar.

    I may need to go to the store… ^_^

    Reply

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