Did we make you a Salted Key Lime Pie!? YOU BETCHA!! And it has an easy pretzel / graham cracker crust that is going to blow your mind.
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One of my best friends Adam, you will for sure recognize him from my IG, is the king of ALL THINGS PIE. It's just the way the world works. He makes incredible pies for all occasions. Any dinner party. Any holiday. Any birthday... it's his specialty. He's also just an incredible cook and baker in general so all of his food is spectacular, not to mention gorgeous because he's a food stylist, but I'm really into his pies at the moment!! We came up with this Salted Key Lime Pie for you guys because honestly, it feels right for summer.
Let me just tell you why it's so amazing! It doesn't require too much time in the oven - so that's a win. It's tart and sweet and salty and all the things you want in a summer pie! It's easy to make ahead of time for a dinner party - just save the whipped cream topping until right before you're ready to serve. And the crust - omg the crust. It's a pretzel and graham cracker mixture which is truly out of this world and you'll be obsessed. It really amps up the salty/sweet situation!!
What you'll need to make Key Lime Pie:
For the Crust
- Crushed pretzels
- Graham cracker crumbs
- Brown sugar
- Unsalted butter
For the Filling
- Egg yolks
- Lime zest
- Fresh key lime juice
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Vanilla extract
Salted Whipped Cream
- Heavy cream
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Sea salt
How to make Key Lime Pie:
Start by preheating your oven to 325º F.
Next start on the crust. In a food processor pulse the pretzels until they resemble a sand like texture. You’ll need ¾ cup for the crust and set aside 2-3 tablespoons for the garnish. Add in graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and melted butter and pulse until combined. Then dump the key lime pretzel pie crust mixture into a 9-inch pie dish. Use the bottom of a drinking glass or measuring cup to press the crumb mixture evenly over the bottom and up the sides, keeping it as uniform as possible. Bake the pie crust for 15-20 mins until lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack to cool for about 30 min while you make the filling.
To make the filling, combine the egg yolks and the lime zest in a stand mixer and beat with the whisk attachment for 2-3 min on medium low, until light in color. Mix in the condensed milk followed by the lime juice and the vanilla, set the filling aside until the crust has completely cooled.
Once the crust has cooled, pour the filling into the crust and pop it into the oven for 17-20 mins, the filling will puff slightly and might get a very pale golden color, you want the filling to still have a little wiggle as it will continue to set after removing it from oven. Let the Key Lime Pie cool for an hour, and then refrigerate it for about 4 hours.
Shortly before serving make the whipped cream by combining the cold heavy cream, a pinch of salt and the vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Starting on a low speed slowly add in the powered sugar and then crank the speed to medium high and continue to beat until soft peaks form.
When ready to serve, dollop salted whipped cream around the edges of the pie and top with pretzel crumbs and a sprinkle of flaked salt!
Variations and Substitutions:
- Can you substitute something else for key lime juice? Yes - key lime juice can be made with ¼ cup fresh lemon juice and ¼ cup fresh lime juice.
Tips & Tricks:
- If you don't have a food processor you can totally make the crust by hand in a plastic bag. Just roll the pretzels out into sand like consistency with a rolling pin.
- If you don't have a stand mixer you can absolutely use a hand mixer.
FAQ's:
What's the difference between limes and key limes?
Key limes are more aromatic, a bit more tarter and more floral.
What is Key lime pie filling made of?
Key Lime Pie filling is made of egg yolks, lime zest, lime juice, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla extract.
What is special about Key lime pie?
It doesn't require too much time in the oven - so that's a win. It's tart and sweet and salty and all the things you want in a summer pie! It's easy to make ahead of time for a dinner party - just save the whipped cream topping until right before you're ready to serve. And the crust - omg the crust. It's a pretzel and graham cracker mixture which is truly out of this world and you'll be obsessed. It really amps up the salty/sweet situation!!
If you like this Key Lime Pie recipe here are some other recipes you should try:
If you tried this recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting today
Salted Key Lime Pie
Ingredients
For the Crust
- ¾ cups crushed pretzels, and more for garnish (about 6 ounces)
- ½ cup graham cracker crumbs
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the Filling
- 4 egg yolks
- 4 teaspoons fresh lime zest
- ½ cup fresh key lime juice
- 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Salted Whipped Cream
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of sea salt
- crushed pretzels and lime twists for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 F.
- Use a food processor to pulse the pretzels into a mostly fine crumb (sand like texture), you’ll need ¾ for the crust and 2-3 tablespoons for garnish.
- Add in graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and melted butter and pulse until combined then dump into a 9 inch pie dish. Use the bottom of a drinking glass or measuring cup to press the crumb mixture evenly over the bottom and up the sides, keeping it as uniform as possible
- Bake the pie crust for 15-20 mins until lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack to cool for about 30 min while you make the filling.
- Use a stand mixer with the whisk attachment to combine the yolks and the zest, beat for 2-3 min on medium low, until light in color. Mix in condensed milk followed by lime juice and vanilla, set aside until crust is cooled
- Pour the filling into the cooled crust and pop into the oven for 17-20 mins, the filling will puff slightly and might get a very pale golden color, you want the filling to still have a little wiggle. Remove from oven, let cool for an hour. Then refrigerate about 4 hours.
- Shortly before serving make the whipped cream. Combine the cold heavy cream, pinch of salt and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, starting on low speed slowly add in the powered sugar and then crank the speed to medium high and continue to beat until soft peaks form.
- When ready to serve, dollop salted whipped cream around the edges of the pie and top with pretzel crumbs and a sprinkle of flaked salt!
Notes
- What’s the difference between limes and key limes? Key limes are more aromatic, a bit more tarter and more floral.
- Can you substitute something else for key lime juice. Yes – key lime juice can be made with ¼ cup fresh lemon juice and ¼ cup fresh lime juice
I have a premade graham cracker crust that I'll use because I don't have any pretzels. I have key lime juice and have always used the recipe on the bottle, but I think the addition of egg yolks will be an improvement. The unused whites will make great meringue cookies! The salted whipped cream is a great idea, but instead of dollops I'll just spread it on top.
Hi Gaby,
Possible to use a hand mixer? Thansk!
sure thing!
Great go-to recipe! Easy to make and so incredibly good. Needed more butter for the crust, otherwise I followed the recipe exactly. Third time making it!
My husband and son LOVE Key Lime everything. I've made this recipe twice now and it's amazing! It's a keeper for sure. The pretzel/graham cracker combination for the crust is genius! The first time I made this pie, I did not pay close attention while making the crust. So my crust came out crumbly. My bad. The second time I made this pie, I paid closer attention and it was perfect. I did use regular limes because I did not have access to Key Limes and no one noticed.
Made this today, it’s so good!! I couldn’t find key limes so I did the recommended 1/4 cup each Fresh lime and lemon juice and it was excellent. Thank you Gaby for another great recipe. So happy I turned on Kelly and Ryan when you were a guest. Fan for life
THANK YOU
I love this recipe! I’ve made it twice this summer and it was a hit both times. I added about 1 extra tbsp butter to help with the crust. Perfect for a summer bbq dessert or just for fun! Another great Gaby recipe!!
Very GOOD!!!! My next pie i make is gonna be a BLACKBERRY LEMON CREAM CHEESE PIE
Gaby, we made the pie last weekend. Everything was great except the key lime filling was on the bitter side. How can we eliminate the bitter taste? We'd like to make it again.
probably was just the type of citrus you used? did you use key limes? or make the blend with lemon and lime?
We used key limes. Someone suggested skipping the zest.
you probably included too much of the "white" pith instead of just the zest.
This was the best pie!! I have been craving key lime pie for weeks and hadn't made it because I thought no one in my family liked it. Ended up making it for a family BBQ with some fellow key lime lovers, and everyone devoured it. I'm not sure if everyone didn't realize they liked key lime pie, or this recipe changed their opinions - but either way, make it!! I promise you won't regret it.
Happy Fourth,
I am making this deliciousness today. I shared the recipe with my sister, daughter, and 3 close friends. All were delighted.
Ilona M. Fox
In the oven now! Super easy to make and smells delish! I can’t wait to serve at a dinner party tomorrow evening. Salty, sweet is my jam...and never met key lime I didn’t like!
SO happy
I'm going to make this for the 4th of July! The crust looks amazing.
Gaby, how do you make those beautful lime peel garnishes? Could you or Matt do a tutorial video on Insta?
I’m going to make this for my birthday this weekend. You mention you can make it ahead minus the garnish, would 24hrs be pushing it? Thanks for sharing this, I can’t wait to eat it!
totally fine!!
Does your friend Adam want to relocate to the Middle of Nowhere and bake beautiful pies? Probably not...lol. But...if he's thinking of a lifestyle change, have him contact me. Btw. Def trying this recipe. I live on Key Lime Lane...you can't make this up!
I can't believe I have never made a key lime pie. I love it, but have never made it myself. This weekend I will step it up!!