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–+ servings
six key lime pie bars on sheet pan with sliced lime behind with white flowers, forks beside, and small white bowl of lime zest in front on marble surface

Key Lime Pie Bars

4.75 from 8 votes
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Refrigeration Time 4 hours
Author: Traci Crossland
Citrusy, perfectly sweet, as well as tart, and oh so delicious! These Key Lime Pie Bars are easy to make, full of flavor, and truly the best summertime bake. YUM!

Ingredients

Graham Cracker Crust

  • 1¾ cup graham cracker crumbs
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 6 Tablespoons salted butter melted

Filling

  • 10 large egg yolks
  • 3½ cups sweetened condensed milk
  • 1¼ cups key lime juice
  • 2 teaspoons lime zest

Meringue

  • 3 large egg whites room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup water
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Graham Cracker Crust

  • Heat oven to 350°F.
  • Line an 8 inch square pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
  • In a small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar.
  • Add butter and mix well.
  • Press evenly into bottom of prepared pan.
  • Bake for 5 minutes.

Filling

  • In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks, condensed milk, lime juice, and lime zest.
  • Pour over crust.
  • Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until set.
  • Remove from oven, and allow to cool.
  • Refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours.

Meringue

  • Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry.
  • Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan.
  • Heat and stir until sugar is melted.
  • Stop stirring and cook to 246°F - 250°F.
  • Remove from heat.
  • With mixer running, stream hot sugar syrup into egg whites.
  • Beat until cool.
  • Pipe on top of cooled pie.
  • Brown with a kitchen torch, if desired.

Notes

Substitutions:
  • If you don't have key limes, you can use regular limes!
  • 1 3/4 cups of graham crackers is about 1 1/2 packs of graham crackers crushed.
  • For something easier, you can use Chantilly cream as the topping.
Expert Tips:
  • When lining the pan with parchment paper, make sure that you leave enough on the sides to have "handles"! This will make it super easy to lift out the bars.
  • 3 1/2 cups of sweetened condensed milk is equal to 2 cans.
  • If crushing your own graham crackers, make sure there are no large chunks!
  • Once you mix up the crust, be sure to work quickly! It can dry out and become difficult to work with/not bake right if left out too long.
  • A tart tamper or small measuring cup will greatly help when pressing down the crust!
  • Make sure the filling is well mixed before adding it to the crust.
  • The egg whites for the meringue need to be whipped to about medium peaks. Turn off the mixer and make your syrup. Once the syrup is at temperature, turn the mixer on high and slowly stream the syrup in.
  • Do NOT stir the syrup once the sugar is dissolved.
  • Also, keep a bowl of water and pastry brush nearby. You will need to brush the sides of the pan down to keep the sugar from crystalizing.
  • Beat the meringue until it’s completely cool. This takes about 5-10 minutes. You can feel the temperature of your mixing bowl to gage if the meringue is cool.
  • To get super clean cuts, be sure to clean the knife after each cut!
  • We chose the leave the meringue un-toasted, but if desired, you can lightly toast it with a kitchen torch.

Nutrition

Serving: 1barCalories: 338kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 7gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 143mgSodium: 173mgPotassium: 246mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 45gVitamin A: 426IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 167mgIron: 1mg

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.