How to Make Homemade Key Lime Pie With Persian Limes

Do you really need key limes to make homemade key lime pie, or can you get away with Persian limes? Yes, yes, you can! Here's how to pull it off.

It’s officially summertime so all of the summery, citrus desserts are coming out of the woodwork. Out of all of them, key lime pie is probably the most iconic. The tangy sweetness is something that can’t be replicated.

As you search through the store, however, you notice that you can only find Persian limes on the shelf. Can you really make key lime pie without the key limes? We’re here to say that you should be able to pull it off.

To help you make a pie that your entire family will love, here is the best recipe for homemade key lime pie.

1. Is it Really Okay to Use Persian Limes?

Persian limes are the basic ones that you'll find at most retail stores. The benefit of using them is that it's much harder to squeeze the juice out of key lime than it is Persian ones.

If you use them in a key lime pie the taste will be different but it won't be a bad different per se. As long as you freshly squeeze the limes instead of going with the bottled stuff, you should be fine. 

2. What You'll Need 

On to your list of ingredients. For the graham cracker crust, you'll need 1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs, 1/3 cup of white sugar, 6 tablespoons of melted butter, and a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. 

For the filling grab, a 14 ounce can of condensed milk, 2/3 cups of Persian lime juice, 2 teaspoons of grated lime zest, and 4 large egg yolks. The topping will call for, 1 cup of heavy whipping cream and two tablespoons of powdered sugar. 

3. Preparing the Crust 

Mix together your graham cracker crumbs, white sugar, melted butter, and cinnamon. Once it's good and blended press it into your pie pan. Allow the crust to bake for 7 minutes. 

4. Making the Filling

While the crust is baking you can be preparing the filling. Grab a bowl and whisk your condensed milk, Persian lime zest, Persian lime juice, and the egg yolks. After it's combined to your liking, pour it into your finished crust and pop it back into the oven. 

It will need to bake for around 20 minutes. When this time is up, move it onto a wire rack and let it cool for an hour. After it's cooled, it will need to go into the fridge to chill for 3 hours. 

5. Topper 

The last step is making the topper. All you have to do is beat your cream and powdered sugar with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Spread this whipped cream over the pie and then garnish it with thin slices of Persian limes and lime zest.   

How to Make the Best Homemade Key Lime Pie with Persian Limes 

You may be nervous about making this popular citrus treat with Persian limes instead of key limes but rest assured it can be done and it will be delicious. All you have to do is follow this recipe and you'll make the best homemade key lime pie your family has ever had. 

Try our seasonal citrus box while its available...the Craft Citrus Club!

Our Rio box is a 15-lb curated box of our fresh-harvested citrus from South Texas. The fruit is NOT gassed, rather it is tree-ripened. Our season runs from Nov-May for  oranges, grapefruit and mandarins.

Our Grande box is a 30-lb box of either fresh-harvested Rio Red Grapefruit or Sweet Oranges from South Texas.