We set off to create a great key lime pie with a soft yet set filling that straddled the fine line between sweet and tart. We started with what many think of as the go-to recipe for key lime pie filling: the one on the back of the bottle of Nellie & Joe’s Famous Key West Lime Juice.
Get our Key Lime Pie recipe:
Buy our winning food processor:
Buy our winning baking sheet:
Buy our winning wire rack:
Buy our winning whisk:
Buy our winning Stand Mixer:
ABOUT US: The mission of America’s Test Kitchen (ATK) is to empower and inspire confidence, community, and creativity in the kitchen. Founded in 1992, the company is the leading multimedia cooking resource serving millions of fans with TV shows (America’s Test Kitchen, Cook’s Country, and America’s Test Kitchen: The Next Generation), magazines (Cook’s Illustrated and Cook’s Country), cookbooks, a podcast (Proof), FAST channels, short-form video series, and the ATK All-Access subscription for digital content. Based in a state-of-the-art 15,000-square-foot test kitchen in Boston’s Seaport District, ATK has earned the trust of home cooks and culinary experts alike thanks to its one-of-a-kind processes and best-in-class techniques. Fifty full-time (admittedly very meticulous) test cooks, editors, and product testers spend their days tweaking every variable to find the very best recipes, equipment, ingredients, and techniques. Learn more at
If you like us, follow us:
35 Comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
OMG, people it's just pie. What the heck is a pie purist? It's a jerk with an opinion, that's what. Ritz crackers mock apple pie must make y'all lose your minds. lmao
There's 2 kinds of pies, good or bad.
Yum. Thank you.
If you don’t use Key lime juice, then it’s just lime pie, which is fine. Just don’t call it “Key lime pie.” 💁🏼
You can’t call it Keylime pie if there’s no key limes in it. It’s like calling almond milk milk. There’s no milk in it with that being said it looks delicious and I’m going to make it, but I will use key limes
When I was a young teen we had a big key lime tree outside my bedroom window. All these decades later can still smell the sweet, intoxicating aroma of those pretty little white and pink blossoms, they perfumed my room for weeks every spring. All these decades later I also remember what a pain in the neck it was to juice dozens of those wee key limes to get enough liquid for a pie. Honestly, regular limes are perfectly fine for pies!
I agree with ATK on the use of key limes being necessary. Tasting lime juice head to head between Persian and Key limes resulted in nearly no difference for me or my friends that participated. None of us could consistently guess which was which.
Why doesn't someone make a "crumb crust mold"? I mean you can get every other kitchen gadget but when it comes to making a crumb crust the only tool we have is the bottom of measuring cup? We ought to be able to just dump our prepared crumbs into a pie pan, press another one on top, and you're done. This doesn't work though because there isn't enough space between two equal sized pie pans. We need some one to make an upper pan that leaves about a 1/4 inch cavity between the pans (bottom & sides). I know there are artisans who make wooden molds for this purpose but they cost hundreds of dollars but just two interlocking metal pans shouldn't cost much more than two pie pans by themselves.
A table-banger of a recipe! Is there any higher recommendation?
I love ya but no meringue, that’s for lemon pie. And no key lime juice? Cmon ATK. It shouldn’t have pretzels either. Dropped the ball on this one
I have postcard made in Key West with the original Key Lime pie recipe. I used to live in Key West. I also have the original recipe on a wall hanging that was printed at Key West Hand print fabrics. Nothing but real Key Lime juice should be used in a Key Lime Pie!
I like my lime zest baked into the pie.
Congrats on your yummy LIME CUSTARD PIE. I bet it's delish. However, as it contains no key limes, it is not a key lime pie.
Why does the intro feel like a college lecture? Christ. Less foreplay.
Yum! 😋❤
I make an ice box lemon pies every Thanksgiving. My family destroys it!
As a Floridian, I was cut to the quick when you didn't actually use Key Limes.
Also, for the meringue, all of the people who I know (including myself) take the pie fresh from the oven, top it with a meringue made from the 5 leftover egg whites, sugar to taste, and a teaspoon of key lime juice whipped to stiff peaks, then folded with around a teaspoon of grated key lime zest. The meringue is then mounded onto the pie, smoothed/styled, and it's returned to the oven which has been raised to 450 degrees. Bake again for 2 to 5 minutes — until it's just starting to brown.
Either serve warm, or chill in the 'fridge.
Also, (not totally traditional, but gaining popularity) I make the crust from ginger snap cookies.
If you don’t use Key Limes or Key Lime juice, it’s not Key Lime pie! Key Limes have their own unique taste that can’t be duplicated by using regular limes, and it will NOT taste like the key lime pie you get in the Florida Keys!
You can get Key Lime juice from a company called Nellie and Joe’s in Pompano Beach Fla.
It makes a great Key Lime pie.
Odd that ATK opted not to use key limes to make key lime pie, even though they had key limes on hand.🤷🏼♂️🤷🏼♂️I think that makes it lime pie, not key lime pie.
Gurls!!!
I was on board until you chose to use regular limes. It ain't key lime pie. I'm sure it's still delicious but it's a different flavor. And now I see you adding meringue. Just no.
Nice.
I bet this pie is delicious. Key limes or not. I love key lime pie.
This is not a Key Lime Pie. It is a Lime pie. You really should apologize! I love your shows. Key Limes are what makes it Key lime pie. You broke my heart here. Meringue topping IS traditional.
On something as Iconic as key Lime Pie perhaps you talked to someone in the Keys about your copy? Shame on you.
I make Lime Pie with the standard (not this) Key Lime Pie recipe, but use "regular limes" and the results are excellent. I add some lime zest to the filling. When available at my local grocery store Key Limes are labeled as Grown In Mexico, so they aren't exactly authentic either. I have tried bottled Key Lime juice in the past, and concluded that pies made with fresh "regular limes" taste better.
I used to make a key lime pie from a mix. It was a mix that started as lime bars. (Think lemon bars but made with limes.) The lime bar mixture was mixed for 2 minutes with heavy whipping cream. It was extremely sweet, so I would crush 4-1000 mg vitamin C tablets for strong tartness. I would pour all of the mixture into a supersized graham cracker crust. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Then enjoy!!! They no longer make the lime bar mix, at least I can't find it.
How ever Marie Calendars makes a good substitute.
Yummy
NOT key lime pie without REAL key limes. Yes the tiny ones that you need a dozen and they are a pain to juice. They ARE worth it in the final taste of the pie
This is NOT a key lime pie! It’s a lime pie. There is a HUGE difference in flavour between key limes and Persian limes. The key limes are worth the extra effort to source them. This is just clickbait. 🙄
At 10:00 notice that she sped up the mixer
This looks wonderful. As always ATK explains each step clearly so even a novice can follow along.
Ole Glen and Friends is gonna have interest in this one.
I do not like the meringue! Yuck! I always scrape it off.
No. No. No. You made a "LIME" pie, not a key lime pie. C'mon America's Test Kitchen – i'm shocked you'd do this and try to sell it off as a key lime pie. False advertising!
NO! This is not a key lime pie. This is a Persian lime pie. They are not equal! Why bother giving an entire history lesson on key lime pies and then NOT use the key limes? Title should be corrected… just sayin’. 🙄