I have a particularly fond memory when it comes to the best key lime pie recipe. Of course, it goes back to middle school. Olive Garden was home to my Peak Pie luxury in my youth. Dinner was good, but what I couldn’t wait for was dessert. A slice of black thyme cake and a key lime pie he is one. Whipped cream was piled high and the latter was just exquisite. I couldn’t say anything actual There is one thing I know for sure when I was young and ate the delicious pie of my dreams. That said, my discerning palette of desserts has only evolved over the years.
Summer is in full swing, and my dessert cravings are bright, exciting, and full of enthusiasm. A refreshing dessert at the end of a meal, but also perfect for a small reward. The best key lime pie recipe ticks all the boxes for a great summer dessert. It’s a dish that celebrates the season, so everyone can spend a little longer around the table. I was more than a little excited to put a few recipes through the bake-off test to see once and for all what constitutes the best key lime pie.
traffic rules
Generally, I’m here to tell everyone that all recipes are followed exactly as written without any adjustments for individual tastes or flavor preferences. This is still true, but for this particular bake-off, I made half a serving of all recipes instead of the whole pie (my pie loving heart) do There are limits! ). I used a scale to weigh it in half to ensure accuracy when baking.just trying to minimize There is food loss here! All pies were baked the night before and tasted the next day.
Ranking guidelines
My team of 7 taste testers all aligned on the following guidelines when ranking each pie.
- Filling flavor. Not too sour, not too sweet, bright and tangy taste. The lime should come forward, but not overwhelmingly.
- fill texture. Creamy and smooth, not too thick and firm enough to hold its shape.
- Crust texture. It should add a nice crunch without ruining the pie.
Most key lime pie recipes only call for a handful of ingredients. Lime, condensed milk, egg yolk. Because of this, slight variations in portion sizes and additional ingredients create nuances that make each recipe stand out.
Now comes the best part. Keep scrolling to discover the best Key Lime Pie Bake Off recipes.
The first time I tried this recipe, I had to go back and double-check if I missed something, which is usually not a good start. The nice thing about this best key lime pie recipe candidate is that it’s almost completely unbaked. Bake the graham cracker crust, stuff it and freeze it. However, the rest had some issues.
First, there were some taste testers who weren’t too interested in the status of raw egg yolks. Some traditionalists argue that key lime pie should be made with raw filling, but my team was unanimous against raw eggs. Some noted that this also affected the flavor, making it a bit eggy.
But the biggest problem was the texture. The recipe says to set the pie before slicing so it can be sliced, but the pie basically melts within 30 minutes (not ideal!). Overall, I like the novelty of frozen pies, but I had some structural concerns with this one. If you do try it, eat it right out of the freezer for a firmer pie.
Our comments on this pie were actually very positive and everyone enjoyed their slices. The taste of the pie filling was not too sweet and well-balanced, and the lime flavor was also good and delicious. There was some debate as to whether the meringue topping was really necessary. The salted vanilla meringue was delicious, but most taste testers preferred the meringue to be topped with whipped cream.
As someone who has put together all kinds of recipes, I thought it would take a lot of time and effort to make meringue, even though fresh cream is enough. (However, it was a great way to use up leftover egg whites when only egg yolks were used for the filling.) It surpassed it in points.
Let me be clear, this is a really good key lime pie recipe. But I have to admit I was skeptical when I learned that they didn’t use lime zest and that the filling contained vanilla. However, upon further consideration (and more deliberate tasting), I discovered that the vanilla adds a beautiful floral flavor to the filling.
The taster noted that this leaned a bit on the sweet side but would satisfy many of the sweet tooth in the group. Even testers who weren’t fans of key lime pie enjoyed it the most. However, I think that the taste will change because the lime peel is not included. For a stronger lime flavor, mix it into the filling. The texture was incredibly smooth and overall made for a pretty good pie.
This Key Lime Pie has all the classic ingredients and was very well received. This recipe combines Miette’s homemade graham crackers and Martha Stewart’s key lime pie filling in one pie pan. To be honest, this was my first thought. When buying a box is so easy (and convenient!), do you really need to make homemade graham crackers? However, using homemade crackers makes a noticeable texture difference in the dough. Yes, I have permission to use store-bought crackers. In the final judging, I liked the zesty lime flavor of the filling. And we all quickly became fans because of this pie’s creamy texture.
Drumroll please…this might be one of the best key lime pies I’ve ever had. But I admit. I was skeptical at first due to the added coconut milk in the filling. I knew this flavor would work well, but I wasn’t sure if it would be too strong when paired with lime. But the coconut milk softened the lime and acted as a nice sweet base to keep it from being too sour.
Some tasters didn’t even realize it contained coconut milk. The lime flavor was distinctly felt without being overpowering, and what I realized after baking all the pies was that Adriana’s recipe was the only recipe that called for salt in the filling. It makes a difference in how it brings out the flavor. The rich creamy texture was perfect and the pie was eaten whole by all the tasters. Don’t walk to make this pie, run.
This post was originally published on June 9, 2022 and has since been updated.
