Key Lime Pie With Meringue Topping

This recipe for was kindly given to me by a chef at one of my favorite beachfront restaurants many years ago. It is an authentic key lime custard (nice and tart!) topped with a beautiful fluffy meringue. You’ll never go back to a fake green key lime pie. Bottled key lime juice makes it so easy.

Please note that this pie has to be set for 12 hours in the fridge. This step is absolutely 100% critical. If you need a dessert for today, pick a different recipe!

Ingredients and Tools You’ll Need

The essentials are just sweetened condensed milk and key lime juice. This recipe relies on bottled key lime juice. You can’t use regular limes. You just can’t do it. If you can find key limes at the grocery store, you can certainly use them. But they are expensive, small, and super tedious to juice. Bottled key lime juice is readily available in the cocktail section of the grocery store, less than four dollars a bottle, and there is absolutely no difference in taste from juicing fresh.

Please note, your filling will be more yellow than green. That’s okay! It just means you’ve made key lime pie the right way. If it bothers you, you can add a tad of green food coloring, but it is better to not and instead teach people that key lime pie should not be green.

Heart’s Content Farmhouse is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This means that when you click on certain links on this site and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I genuinely believe in and would use in my own kitchen. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

This makes 1 pie with 8 slices. If you’d like to double or triple this recipe, you can make adjustments in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Equipment

• 8 or 9-inch pie pan
• food processor
• stand mixer or hand mixer with a whisk attachment

Ingredients 

Graham Cracker Crust

• 10 graham crackers
• 6 tablespoons butter salted (or add pinch of salt)
• ⅓ cup white sugar
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Lime Filling

• ½ cup key lime juice fresh or bottled (such as Nellie and Joe’s) (use the rest to make a key lime margarita)
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 3 egg yolks reserve whites for the meringue
• 1 teaspoon lime zest optional

Meringue Topping

• 4 egg whites
• ½ cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

How to Make Key Lime Pie

None of the steps are particularly time consuming, but everything needs a lot of time to chill.  So it’s best to make this the day before you need it.

Step One: Make the Crust

Heat your oven to 375°F. Crush those graham crackers in a food processor until they’re crumbs. Melt your butter, mix it all together with the sugar and cinnamon. Press it into your pie pan and bake for 7 minutes. Don’t go longer or you’ll have a rock-hard crust that nobody can cut through.

Step Two: Mix the Filling

Whisk together the condensed milk, lime juice, egg yolks, sour cream, and zest. Make sure you really blend it – no chunky egg bits allowed. Stick this in the fridge. Put your egg whites in a separate bowl and chill them too. They need at least 2 hours in there.

Step Three: Assemble and Bake

Crank your oven down to 350°F. Whip those cold egg whites with the sugar and cornstarch until they form stiff peaks.

Pour your chilled filling into the cooled crust, then pile that meringue on top. Bake 15-17 minutes until the meringue is golden.

Step Four: Chill and Wait

Let it cool on the counter for 2 hours, then into the fridge for AT LEAST 12 hours. I know, I KNOW. But if you skip this, you’ll have key lime soup. Make it today, eat it tomorrow. That’s the rule.

Storage Instructions

If you have any leftovers, be sure to store it in the fridge in an airtight container. It will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge.

It actually freezes okay, although the meringue might look weird. But it will still be tasty. I do this all the time but I wouldn’t do it for a big occasion.

What to Serve

Serve this dessert after a special dinner at home.

• Grilled some steaks with prairie dust seasoning.
• You can easily make these super soft dinner rolls in your bread machine.
• White cheddar scalloped potatoes will not disappoint.
• Cast iron skillet green beans are a delicious veggie side.

Questions and Troubleshooting

More Meringue Topped Pies

• This lemon meringue pie is the classic you know and love, but is simple to make.
• My Grandma’s chocolate meringue pie is not that hard to make either, but everyone seems to go crazy over it.

Printable Recipe