A Key West icon and delicious dessert, Key Lime Pie was the ONE thing we sought out when we were driving through Key West on our recent road trip, and we sampled multiple versions, a couple of which were standouts (more on this later).
First, let me get to the all-important question of which team you root for–Team Whipped Cream or Team Meringue. One entry from the meringue camp was the key lime pie at Blue Heaven:
And one on the whipped cream side, Joe’s Stone Crab’s Key Lime Pie:
Judy and I quickly identified ourselves as those of the whipped cream persuasion. We also decided that we NEEDED to have a homemade version when we got home. The goal for our homemade version was to make it a bit less sweet (key lime pie is EXTREMELY sweet, we found), and a bit lighter in texture. We found a bag of key limes at a local grocery store, and over the next two weeks on the road, we cared for those limes like they were the last key limes on the planet, storing them in a small cooler and each night transferring them from mini fridge to mini fridge in hotel room after hotel room. It became a ritual. Case in point:
Judy: You got the limes?
Bill: Forgot them in the car again – they’ll be ok at night.
Judy: Go get them now!
Bill: Yes, dear.
So the little key limes made it back to New Jersey, and voila! We got a key lime tart with the perfect level of sweetness, topped with whipped cream. I actually didn’t realize how easy it was to make–or maybe it’s just that Sarah made it look easy! You can decide for yourself. Check out the recipe.
You’ll need:
- 16 graham crackers (about 10 oz.)
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) melted butter
- 2 1/2 cups sweetened condensed milk (two 14 oz. cans)
- 2/3 cup sour cream
- 3/4 cup lime juice
- 1 tablespoon lime zest
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream, cold
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, crush the graham crackers until you have fine crumbs (alternatively, put them in a plastic ziplock bag, press the air out, seal, and smash with a rolling pin).
Mix with melted butter until it has the texture of wet sand. Press the graham cracker mixture into a 10-inch tart ring (a 9-inch may also work, but you may have filling left over, which you can bake in ramekins to make a simple, yummy lime custard!). Bake the crust for 7 minutes, remove from the oven, and set aside.
Meanwhile, combine the condensed milk, sour cream, lime juice, and lime zest.
Pour into the baked tart shell and return to the oven for 5-8 minutes, until set (not browned!). Let the pie cool completely.
Whip the cream until soft peaks form. Top the pie with the whipped cream. You can just pour it on, or pipe it in patterns, which is what Sarah did here.
You can serve it just like that, or add a bit more lime zest to the top.
Serve!
And now…another short travel recap of our time in Florida and Miami. This was the third leg or our southern US road trip.
On our first leg, we visited Anapolis and Richmond and a tasty Sesame Panko Crab Cake recipe was born courtesy of Sarah.
Our second leg had us visiting Charleston and Savannah resulting in an Asian Fried Pork Chop recipe.
All of of travel inspired recipe posts have bonus pictures of our trip so be sure to check them out at the end of each recipe!
After our visit to Savannah, we knew we had a long drive ahead of us to our next stop in Miami. We have been to Orlando many times and did not have much interest in other cities in between, so we decided to make a beeline to Miami and then to Key West.
When we arrived in Miami we headed over to little Havana to have a Cuban sandwich for lunch. They were good alright, but we are quite familiar with excellent Cuban food served up by the restaurants we frequent in Union City, NJ, probably the American city with the most Cubans after Miami. Our own Cuban Sandwich and Tostones recipes are pretty authentic and tasty as well, if I do say so myself!
The next morning after breakfast, we headed over to South Beach, and walked Miami beach. What a beautiful place!
For dinner, we arrived early (before they opened) for the first seating at Joe’s Stone Crab for an epic meal of crab and seafood. The place filled up almost immediately after we sat down and there was a line outside when we left!
Stone crab claws are taken only one at a time per crab, and the crab is thrown back into the water where it can grow back its missing claw! How’s that for sustainability? They were so delicious and the Alaskan king crab was heavenly as well. It was a perfect meal after a day at the beach.
After dinner, we walked along the South Point pier and watched the cruise ships leave port for the evening.
The next morning we started our 3 hour drive to Key West and the scenery was no less than amazing. We walked through the town, watched the sunset, and experienced some great nature sites.
Look at the size of these tarpon swimming below the pelicans and so close to the dock – Humongous!
Chickens were everywhere, and this one made it across the road!
I almost stepped on this guy when trying to find a spot for a picnic lunch. If anyone knows what this big lizard creature is, please let me know!
On the way out the next morning we stopped at Key West Veterans Memorial Park, where there was a seriously cool sand bar trail. The water was about knee deep with a horseshoe shaped path that you could follow.
I took this short video on my iphone that shows some really cool scenes and sea life. It was one of our most enjoyable rest stops on the entire road trip!
Next Stop – New Orleans and the Southwest!
Key Lime Tart
Ingredients
- 15 graham crackers (about 8 oz.)
- 6 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 1/2 cups sweetened condensed milk (two 14 oz. cans)
- 2/3 cup sour cream
- 3/4 cup lime juice
- 1 tablespoon lime zest
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream (cold)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, crush the graham crackers until you have fine crumbs (alternatively, put them in a plastic ziplock bag, press the air out, seal, and smash with a rolling pin).
- Mix with melted butter until it has the texture of wet sand. Press the graham cracker mixture into a 10-inch tart ring (a 9-inch may also work, but you may have filling left over, which you can bake in ramekins to make a simple, yummy lime custard!). Bake the crust for 7 minutes, remove from the oven, and set aside.
- Meanwhile, combine the condensed milk, sour cream, lime juice, and lime zest.
- Pour into the baked tart shell and return to the oven for 5-8 minutes, until set (not browned!). Let the pie cool completely.
- Whip the cream until soft peaks form. Top the pie with the whipped cream. Serve!
Steve H says
Hi!! Uk person here. Ive used so many of your wonderful recipes, I thought it was about time I left a comment. We dont have Graham crackers over here, consequently on Tuesday I baked homemade Graham crackers, yesterday I smashed them up to make the base, followed by the lime layer. Tonight I made meringue for the top (improvising a bit) and served it to 8 of our close mates. It went down an absolute storm. Thank you so much for publishing your lovely recipes, hope there are many more to come xx
Sarah says
Wow, love this dedication to the recipe! The homemade graham crackers sound amazing. Digestive biscuits or biscoff biscuits are another option for the crust if you want a quicker way through. I also love the idea of meringue rather than whipped cream!
dee says
Hi I’m a great fan of your site! and I’ve tried lot of your recipes! sometimes I fail, and sometimes I get applaus from the family-lol…. and love all your Travels! I live Vicariouly through you travels. anyway-I’ve made Key Lime Pie many of times, but on your recipe you don’t use eggs, yet you put it in the oven, what keeps it together? I’m curious? thank you for time
Sarah says
That’s a good question, Dee. The oven just manages to set the dairy in the pie. I’m not sure how this works, but it definitely works! I’ve made this pie for my best friend over the last couple years. Key lime pie is her favorite, and she told me this was the best she’s ever had!
Alisa says
Your “lizard” creature is an iguana. In recent years they have become a bit of a problem in Miami and the Keys. They grow very large, can swim exceptionally well, and are apparently prolific. Usually, they just bask around, but can become territorial and aggressive, and children have sustained serious injuries trying to catch them.
Thank you for this interesting adaptation of Key Lime pie. I am a third generation Floridian transplanted to Texas now, and always bring home bottles of Key Lime juice when we make our annual trek back to Florida. I’ve never tried adding sour cream to the mix and can’t wait to try it. Unless the sour cream makes a huge difference, you may find the baking step unnecessary. A chemical reaction takes place when you mix the lime juice with the sweetened condensed milk that thickens the mixture instantly. Most recipes just call for stirring the mixture together and simply chilling to set. Perfect for staying out of a hot kitchen in the Sunshine State.
Bill says
Hi Alisa,
Thanks for your comment. I figured it was an iguana or something like that but that guy was big! We like the adjusted version because many of the key lime pies we tried were too sweet for our palates. Hope you enjoy it!
Malorie says
Hi Bill and family, I’m from Downunder and a subscriber of your website every time I wanna cook something new I always search your website for foods to make I have tried key lime today and it’s was so nice, delicious and easy to make. Everyone loves it a tilt all hit, I’m too lazy to make my is crust though and fortunately there’s a ready made pastry flan at my local supermarket. It turned out really well. If I have more time in my hands next time I’ll definitely make my own crust! Thanks so much for posting new recipes! 5 stars to all of you!
Sarah says
Thank you Malorie! Love this tart––glad you liked it too. :)
Ann says
Would it be okay to store in the fridge before serving or is it best to serve at room temp?
Sarah says
Absolutely, Ann. Totally depends on whether you like your key lime pie cold or at room temp. I actually think it’s better slightly cold.
Ann says
Great! I’m planning to make this for my friend’s Bday party and wanted to see if I could make it the day before to save time.
Craig says
This was the best Key Lime Pie I’ve made yet. My wife’s (& her mother & grandmother’s) recipe makes the custard different and they top with meringue. I had some trouble keeping my crust together (maybe too many crackers) so we just scooped up the crumbs and put them on top of the whipped cream. Really good. Thanks
Kaitlin says
Hi Craig, that’s awesome! Glad you enjoyed it :)
Allison says
This might be a silly question. I have never made tarts before. How do you get the tart out of the pan?
Sarah says
Hi Allison, the best way is to get a tart ring with a bottom that detaches from the sides. You can also use a spring-form pan, but these non-stick tart rings work the best, I’ve found.
Chip says
I made it last night. I had no idea Key Lime tart was so easy to make. I cheated and used a graham cracker pre-made crust. The Key Limes here are from Mexico. I used a little over a bag. Everyone is loving it! Thanks for the awesome recipes.
Sarah says
Thanks Chip! Using a pre-made crust, the whole process was just about pouring in the filling! We heartily encourage these kitchen short-cuts. :)