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–+ servings
slice of pie on white plate
Print Recipe

Key Lime Pie with Meringue Topping

A key lime pie made from scratch using real key lime juice, a graham cracker crust, and a fluffy meringue topping.
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time15 minutes
chilling time1 day
Total Time1 day 1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, european
Keyword: key lime pie with bottled juice, key lime pie with meringue topping, the best key lime pie
Servings: 8 slices
Calories: 198kcal
Author: Katie

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)
  • 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

Instructions

Make the Graham Cracker Crust

  • Preheat oven. Preheat the oven to 375 with the rack in the center.
  • Crush grahams. Crush the graham crackers into crumbs using a food processor. Melt the butter and add it to the graham cracker crumbs along with the sugar and cinnamon. Press the crumbly mixture into a 9-inch pie plate.  Bake for 7 minutes. Do not overbake, or the crust will be too hard to slice. Cool at room temperature before filling.
    food processor with graham cracker crust.

Make the Key Lime Filling

  • Combine other ingredients. Combine the sweetened condensed milk, key lime juice, egg yolks, sour cream, and lime zest. Make sure to blend well using a whisk until there are no bits of egg yolk visible. Chill the filling in the fridge.
    bowl of key lime filling.
  • Place egg whites in a separate bowl. Place egg whites into a separate bowl, cover, and chill for at least 2 hours.

Assemble and Bake

  • Preheat. Preheat oven to 350.
  • Make meringue. Make the meringue by whipping the chilled egg whites, sugar, and pinch of cornstarch until stiff peaks are formed. Pipe or spread the meringue on the pie.
    meringue in bowl.
  • Assemble and bake. Pour the chilled filling into the cooled crust. Pipe or spread the meringue on the pie. Bake for 15-17 minutes, until meringue is browned.
    grid of process of assembling pie.
  • Chill. Cool at room temperature for 2 hours, then refrigerate for at least 12 hours.  

Video

Notes

You can't rush this pie. The chilling stage is essential for the pie to set.  
Not a fan of Meringue? Just leave it off. Bake the pie after pouring in the custard for 8 minutes, just to set it.  The chilling stage is still needed.
Meringue weeping? It happens to the best of us. The cornstarch will prevent this, but over time the humidity of the fridge can cause your meringue to run a bit. It's best the next day and will usually weep on day 2. 

Nutrition

Calories: 198kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 158mg | Potassium: 83mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 135IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 1mg