This no bake key lime pie recipe is amazingly easy to make. The filling has only three ingredients that when combined bring you a light, fluffy, sweet and tart dessert that everyone will rave over. It simply doesn’t get any easier than this.
The recipe was first published August, 2010 and updated November 2020 with step by step instructions and photos.
About This Recipe and Why It Works
My husband’s side of the family recently gathered for their family reunion.
Bob’s sister and husband Vern hosted the event at their home with a spread of pot luck food that wow’d our crowd.
They laid out a feast of Slow Cooker Pulled BBQ Pork and sliced ham for sandwiches, coleslaw, fresh corn on the cob, calico beans, mac and cheese, fresh slices of watermelon…get the picture? (I hope so since I didn’t take any) :-/
And for dessert? This No-Bake Key Lime Pie Recipe with Cool Whip. And you know it must be easy if she had enough of these pies to feed about 30 people.
This is an excellent recipe to make-ahead, as it freezes well.
With it’s refreshing flavor and that “no-bake” factor, this is a great Summer dessert recipe. The filling is fluffy using Cool Whip, sweet with condensed milk and tart with lime juice. Amazing flavor with every single bite.
And once the graham cracker crust is made, this is basically a 3 ingredient no-bake key lime pie.
A bit if advice? Don’t save this one just for Summer, this is a year round dessert that everyone will enjoy.
No Bake Key Lime Pie Ingredients:
How can something this easy really be this delicious? Let’s take a look.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: You’ll find it on the baking aisle at the grocery store.
- Cool Whip: Talk about a science project. Cool Whip is an imitation whipped cream sold as “whipped topping”. Cool whip has a long list of concerning ingredients and contains very little dairy. With that said, I love the stuff. I could (and have) eaten it by the spoonful from the container. It’s delicious. And this key lime pie with Cool Whip is extremely popular.
- Key Lime Juice: What are key limes? Key limes are known as Mexican or West Indian Limes. They’re more aromatic and more floral in flavor than regular limes.
- Graham Crackers.
- Butter. Salted or unsalted.
- Granulated Sugar
Ingredient Notes and Ingredient Swaps
- Can’t find Key Limes? You can use regular limes. You’ll need to squeeze enough juice to make ½ cup of lime juice. You’ll need 4 – 5 full sized limes. You may also find key lime juice on the juice or baking aisle at your grocery store. I’ve been making this pie long before key limes were available for me to purchase. I’ve made this key lime pie with Nellie and Joe’s Lime Juice, great flavor.
- Pie Crust: If you want to make this key lime pie easier than easy, purchase a pre-made graham cracker or chocolate pie crust from the baking aisle at the grocery store. You can also make your own graham cracker crust or chocolate crust. I’m thinking an Oreo pie crust might be fab here.
How To Make This Recipe, It’s Easy
- Step 1: Place broken up sheets of graham crackers in a food processor.
- Step 2: Use the pulse feature to crush to a grainy consistency. If you don’t have a food processor, break up the crackers with your hands and place them in a zip lock bag. Seal, pressing the air out and use a use a rolling pin to crush them to a grainy state.
- Step 3: Using a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter in the microwave for 30 second increments until melted. Add the sugar and stir.
- Step 4: Step 3: Add in the crushed graham crackers, and use a fork to blend well.
- Step 5: Use a small measuring cup to press the graham crackers into your pie pan. Use your fingers to form the crust up the sides of the pan. Refrigerate the crust for 2 hours before proceeding.
- Step 6: Make the filling for the pie. Use a whisk to simply mix the condensed milk, lime juice and thawed Cool Whip.
- Step 7: Use a spatula to spread the filling into prepared graham cracker crust. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. When ready to serve, top with an additional layer of Cool Whip and decorate with some lime slices.
Common Questions
What is sweetened condensed milk? It’s thick, it’s sticky and not for drinking. Condensed milk is made by removing the water. It’s cooked down to remove moisture. Just like you would a balsamic glaze or red wine reduction. Then sugar is added to prolong shelf life. The sugar prevents microorganisms from growing and sugar thickens this milk even more. Unsweetened condensed milk is sold and labeled as evaporated milk.
Yes you can. If you’re feeding a crowd and want to get a head start, prepare the pies a few days in advance then cover the top with a layer of plastic wrap, then a layer of foil. Simply allow for an overnight thaw in the refrigerate before serving.
You’ll need about 12 key limes, or 4 – 6 regular sized limes to yield the ½ cup lime juice called for in this recipe.
I’ve not tried it, but I doubt it would hold up to create a dense fluffy texture like Cool Whip. I’d say stick with the Cool Whip not only for ease but guaranteed success.
How to decorate a Key Lime Pie
Tips For Success:
- Crust: You can purchase pre-crushed graham crackers on the baking aisle to make a pie crust, but try making your own. Purchase a box of graham crackers, It’s easy to make using a food processor. Plus you’ll have extra crackers left over for snacks.
- Preparing Crust: When pressing the graham cracker crust into the pan, don’t pack it too tightly. This will cause it to harden and become hard to remove from the pan when ready to serve. Just press it into the pan until it’s well formed to the bottom.
- Cool Whip: Make sure the Cool Whip has completely thawed. Place it in the refrigerator for a 4-5 hours or leave it at room temperature. You can also remove the lid and place it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Important: Use the setting for defrost.
- Refrigerate: For best results, once assembled, make sure to refrigerate No-Bake Key Lime Pie overnight. This will allow the dessert to set up and become firm enough for serving.
- Slicing: As with any cheesecake type dessert, use a sharp knife for slicing and serving. Each time you start a new slice, dip the knife in warm water and wipe clean with a paper towel. This will insure easy neater slices.
- This pie works well in a purchased chocolate pie crust, such as an Oreo pie crust. Or a regular pie crust. If using a chocolate pie crust garnish with thin slices of shaved chocolate and additional Cool Whip.
Presentation Tips:
- Purchase some extra cool whip and spoon it into a pipping bag. Pipe swirls of whipped topping around the edge, or dollop them spaced on top of the pie.
- If you use the chocolate crust, dress up the top of each slice of pie with a bit of shaved chocolate for chocolate curls. How do you make chocolate curls? Just take a bar of semisweet chocolate. I like to refrigerate the chocolate first. Then I simply use a box grater, the side with the slicer. Or you can use a very sharp paring knife to very thinly slice the chocolate.
- Decorate with thin sliced limes. Using a knife, make a single cut to the center of the lime. Then twist it.
- Making this no-bake key lime pie with Cool Whip in a 9″ tart pan will give it an even snazzier look.
No Bake Key Lime Pie Recipe
This is such an easy key lime pie recipe, that I’ve made it 2 – 3 pies at a time to serve at pot lucks or back yard bbq parties. Its most certainly a crowd pleaser. No-bake Key Lime Pie is a perfect Summer dessert made with just a few simple ingredients.
More Summer Pie Recipes
- Peach Crumble Pie Made With Canned Peaches an easy peach pie recipe with a streusel topping.
- Lemon Tart with Sour Cream Lemon Curd, This beautiful refreshing lemon tart recipe combines fresh lemon juice, sour cream and egg yolks for a perfectly creamy sweet curd filling.
- Strawberry Tart with Lemon Cream Cheese Filling, This is easy to make and a perfect dessert for fresh strawberry season. Perfect dessert for Summer back-yard BBQ’s. Who doesn’t love strawberries and cream?
- Fresh Peach Blueberry Pie: Fresh fruit, a little bit of spice and you’ve got a beautiful fresh peach pie.
And if you’re looking for more dessert recipes, don’t miss my category for Dessert Recipes. You’ll find my recipe for Cherry Delight. A dessert that’s not too sweet, and simple with ingredients. Who can resist a graham cracker crust topped with pecan studded cream cheese, Cool Whip and cherry pie filling.
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Easy No-Bake Key Lime Pie
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups Graham Cracker Crumbs about 10 sheets of graham crackers
- 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- ⅓ cup Sugar
- 14 ounces Eagle Brand Milk sweetened, condensed milk
- 8 ounces Cool Whip defrosted, plus extra for topping
- ½ Cup Key Lime Juice or juice from 12 key limes, or 4 – 6 regular sized limes.
Instructions
- For the Graham Cracker Crust: Purchase pre-ground graham crackers. Or if using sheets of graham crackers, break them into a food processor and pulse until a grainy texture. Or crush them with a rolling pin in an enclosed zip-lock bag.
- In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter. Add the sugar and stir. Mix in the crushed graham cracker crumbs and still until well coated with the butter mixture.
- Using a small measuring cup, press the crust into a 9" pie pan. Use your fingers to form the crust up the side of the pan. Refrigerate for two hours.
- For the Pie: Stir all ingredients together and mix with a whisk. Pour into a prepared pie crust. Refrigerate overnight. The pie also freezes well.
- Top with additional Cool Whip, lime slices and serve.
Video
Notes
-
- Crust: You can purchase pre-crushed graham crackers on the baking aisle to make a pie crust, but try making your own. Purchase a box of graham crackers, It’s easy to make using a food processor. Plus you’ll have extra crackers left over for snacks.
-
- Preparing Crust: When pressing the graham cracker crust into the pan, don’t pack it too tightly. This will cause it to harden and become hard to remove from the pan when ready to serve. Just press it into the pan until it’s well formed to the bottom.
-
- Cool Whip: Make sure the Cool Whip has completely thawed. Place it in the refrigerator for a 4-5 hours or leave it at room temperature. You can also remove the lid and place it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Important: Use the setting for defrost.
-
- Refrigerate: For best results, once assembled, make sure to refrigerate No-Bake Key Lime Pie overnight. This will allow the dessert to set up and become firm enough for serving.
-
- Slicing: As with any cheesecake type dessert, use a sharp knife for slicing and serving. Each time you start a new slice, dip the knife in warm water and wipe clean with a paper towel. This will insure easy neater slices.
- This pie works well in a purchased chocolate pie crust, such as an Oreo pie crust. Or a regular pie crust. If using a chocolate pie crust garnish with thin slices of shaved chocolate and additional Cool Whip.
- If you can’t find key limes, regular limes will work fine. You’ll need about a dozen key limes and 4 – 6 regular sized limes. You can also purchase Nellie and Joe’s Famous Key Lime Juice.
- This pie works well in a purchased chocolate pie crust, such as an oreo pie crust. Or a regular pie crust. If using a chocolate pie crust garnish with thin slices of shaved chocolate and additional whipped cream.
Nutrition
Key Lime Pie Recipe No Bake …It’s What’s For Dessert.
Why Trust My Recipes? I am a Culinary School Graduate and believe that everyone should try to cook as often as they can. I’ve been cooking for 50 years, and my recipes are tried and true tested and tested and then tested again before published. To read more take a look at my About Page.
Thank you, Lee Ann, for bringing back the memories with this old favorite, and for sharing your family’s pot luck menu with all of us! Many of our personal family favorites, and as we have a family pool gathering coming up, I will be making several of these – especially the pulled pork, calico beans, mac and cheese and I think I will dust off another old one…the layered overnight salad with the lettuce, cheese, sour cream, peas, bacon, tomatoes, etc. I will definitely be trying this key lime pie recipe, especially since I can make several in advance and freeze them! I’ll do a gluten-free carrot cake for my husband, as it will be his b-day! Thanks for all the inspiration in bringing back the oldies! Ann, Highlands Ranch
Made this twice in the last month and my husband loves it.
This pie is good! The recipe was printed at least far back into the 70’s when my mother made it often. Very quick, very simple and very delicious!
I make real whipped cream it is delicious and I used the pecan crust. For people with celiac disease this is a perfect time for them I make this for my grandson that has the disease and he loves it every time.
Hi Ann and thanks so much for your note. And the tip about celiac safe!
Key lime is my favorite pie. Can’t. Get. Enough. 🙂 This looks terrific — thanks.
What can be used for the topping? I tried Cream Cheese, but that didn’t work.
Your post made me homesick!!! Many years ago I lived in Denver and beautiful Buena Vista and have often driven past all the tourist areas you mentioned! How I miss the beauty of the mountains, aspens and pines.
This recipe looks simple and zesty! Can’t wait to offer it up to the husband!
Thanks!