5 ingredient key lime pie; smooth and zesty lime custard baked into a buttery chocolate chip coconut crust.
Whenever I think of warm weather puds or sunny day desserts, key lime pie is always always up there.
Of course, ice cream and cheesecake and fruit salads have their respective places, but there’s something about the tang of this American favourite that just can’t be substituted. I may have never visited the Florida Keys, but I’m eternally grateful for what the people and their limes have provided us with.
It’s not a dessert seen that often on European shores, mostly due to the (admittedly disappointing) lack of limes present in our various cuisines. In fact, I had to hunt in several different places just to find limes here in Italy. Lemons, oranges, and grapefruits make glorious citrussy ingredients, but lime offers that touch of the tropical that makes this recipe marvellous.
Essentially, the key lime pie centres around an impossibly smooth and creamy citrus-spiked custard. It’s airy and light while offering a sharp tang from the zest and juice of no less than 3 limes. Cradling it is a buttery chocolate chip coconut biscuit base, at least, in this case. Normally it can be found with a Graham Cracker crust, or a simple short pastry, but a little extra flavour never hurts.
This particular 5 ingredient version makes this recipe even easier to whip up at home. A food processor and electric whisk will make the process even simpler, but it’s absolutely doable even without. The simple crust requires just a few minutes and 2 every day ingredients. The custard can then be made with just eggs, limes, and condensed milk (and a bit of patience, of course).
A very short bake and just a couple of hours of chilling time will have this 5 ingredient key lime pie on your table ready to tuck in to. It’s an ideal dessert to keep in the fridge to enjoy on those hot afternoons, or as a lovely palate-cleansing after-dinner treat.
If you like, you could stretch those 5 ingredients to a couple more for finishing or decoration. The spare egg whites could help make a meringue topping, you might want to pile on some whipped cream, or you may even drizzle over some dark chocolate. I love keeping it simple with a bit of extra zest on top, but you slice and serve and eat it however you want to, my dears.
Much like vengeance, as long as it’s served cold, it’s good.
Want to save this key lime pie for later? You can pin the image below!
To make this 5 ingredient key lime pie, simply follow the recipe below:
Ingredients
- 250g (9 oz) coconut chocolate chip biscuits (you could also use plain, cocoa, etc)
- 120g (8 tbsp) salted butter
- 4 large egg yolks
- 397g (1 ½ cups) tin of sweetened condensed milk
- Zest and juice of 3 limes
Instructions
- Grease and line a tin to bake the pie in, I’d recommend a 18-20cm (7-8 in) fluted tin. Ideally, use a tin with a removable base/bottom!
- Gently melt your butter, either in a small pan on the stove or in small bursts in the microwave, until liquid. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Using a small food processor, or a food-safe bag and rolling pin, bash and/or blitz your biscuits into fine crumbs.
- Add the melted butter to the biscuit crumbs, and stir to combine into what resembles wet sand.
- Tip the biscuit mixture into your prepared tin and use the back of a spoon or the base of a glass to smooth and flatten it out into an even pie crust shape.
- Place the tin with the biscuit mixture into the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up slightly.
- Meanwhile, preheat your oven – 160 C / 140 C fan / 325 F / gas mark 3.
- To begin the lime custard, place your egg yolks in a large bowl (you can save the whites for omelettes or a meringue topping!) and whisk vigorously by hand, or with an electric whisk, for 1-2 minutes to lighten them.
- Add the whole tin of condensed milk and whisk for a further 1-2 minutes.
- Zest and juice the limes into the bowl and whisk for another 1-2 minutes to ensure the filling is lovely and airy.
- Pour this mousse-like mixture carefully into the biscuit crust.
- Place into the oven – at 160 C / 140 C fan / 325 F / gas mark 3 – to bake for 15-17 minutes.
- By this stage the custard should be set or just have the SLIGHTEST wobble, so remove it from the oven and allow it to cool.
- Chill the cooled pie in the fridge for at least 2 hours before slicing and serving with icing sugar, whipped cream, or extra lime zest.
- Enjoy!
BE A MAVERICK: why not try using ginger biscuits for the crust instead for a spicy twist?
This 5 ingredient key lime pie will keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days, but is best enjoyed fresh!
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