A perfect Summer dessert, these pretty frozen key lime pies are made and served as individual servings. Can be made with regular limes, as well.
Cool and refreshing this frozen key lime pie recipe, that can be completely made ahead! No need for key limes. Regular limes will do just fine. Made into individual servings!
Ingredients and substitutions
A few notes about the key ingredients …
Limes – These little desserts started out with the best of intentions. I spied a bag of key limes at the grocery store recently and picked some up, immediately thinking of making a key lime pie of some sort. Then I discovered that if you juice a key lime, you get about 1/2 a teaspoon of juice. After juicing a few and realizing how many I was going to go through to get 1/2 a cup, I switched to plan B. I grabbed a bunch of limes from the fridge and this dessert became more of a frozen regular lime pie.
If you have ready access to tons of key limes, then by all means, juice away. For the rest of us, a half dozen regular limes will do just fine here. The result will still be key lime in spirit :)
Sweetened Condensed Milk – such as Eagle Brand™.
Recipe tips!
I should warn that this dessert is probably one where personal taste will come in to play. I think everyone has their own preference for tart vs. sweet, so you may want to tweak the amount of lime juice and zest to your taste. I tasted the filling before freezing and added a bit more zest, about 1 1/2 Tbsp. in total. Just note that key lime zest is quite bitter, so even if using key limes, you may wish to use regular lime zest. I find it easier to zest limes before they’ve been squeezed for juice, so you may wish to grab some zest first.
Variation
If you prefer on larger version, make it in a single deep dish pie plate instead.
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Get the Recipe: Individual Frozen Key Lime Pie
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs, about 5 crackers if you’re crushing your own
- 2 Tablespoons white sugar
- 3 Tablespoons butter, melted
For the filling:
- 6 large egg yolks, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 14 oz. canned sweetened condensed milk
- 1 Tablespoon grated regular lime zest, plus more to taste
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice, 5-6 regular limes the size of lemons, more if smaller
For the topping:
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream, cold (35% b.f.)
- 1/4 cup icing/confectioners sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Thin lime wedges or zest, for garnishing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. (not fan assisted) Arrange baking cups or ramekins on a baking sheet (will make 8 small ramekins).
- For the crust: combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in a bowl until combined in to a sandy mixture. Sprinkle in to baking cups or ramekins. Do not tamp down. Bake in the preheated oven for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
- For the filling: in a medium heatproof bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and lime juice until combined. Set bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens slightly and is frothy (about 5 minutes or until it reaches 155° F. on an instant read thermometer).
- Remove bowl from heat, and whisk in the condensed milk and 1 Tbsp. of lime zest until well combined. Taste filling and add a bit more zest if it tastes too sweet for you. Pour filling in to cooled baking dishes or ramekins, leaving enough room for whipped topping (don’t fill all the way – about 1 inch of filling is enough). Place baking dishes on a baking sheet and pop in to the freezer for at least 4 hours.
- *Note, you can add whipped topping ahead and freeze or you can do it fresh when you serve.
- For the topping: beat the heavy cream on high speed in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Add the icing sugar and vanilla and beat until firm. Spoon or pipe decoratively onto the desserts and decorate with lime zest or slices. Return to the freezer if not eating right away.
- To serve: Freezer temperatures vary, so your desserts may take more or less time to thaw slightly for eating. I suggest removing from the freezer and testing with a spoon. If your pie is rock hard, you'll need 20-30 minutes for it to soften slightly. If it gives way to a spoon right out of the freezer, about 10 minutes thawing time should be about right. These desserts get quite soft when fully thawed, so be sure to enjoy them semi-frozen – like the consistency of soft serve ice cream.
More frozen dessert recipes to love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
I made this recipe and it was wonderful, everything turned out great! For me, it only made 4 ramekins, what size do you use for this recipe to make 8?
So glad to hear, Katie. My ramekins are really tiny. That don’t look all that tiny until I start putting stuff in them and discover how little they actually hold :)
This looks amazing!!! I see it’s an older post but it’s new to me, so had to chime in and say how fantastic these look!
Thanks so much. They were delicious and I should make more this summer, for sure! :)
The last time I had something similar was at a famous restaurant. It cost six dollars, and was very small. I can’t wait to make this, and often!
I was the same way, Lori. The last one I had was in Key West and it was delicious, but expensive :) You’ll love these!
How far in advance would you recommend making these delicious treats? Could you make them a few days before serving?
Hi Haley, Well … we ate the first few after about 8 hours in the freezer, then the last of them 24 hours later (so 32 hours in the freezer). The second batch was just as nice as the first and they weren’t covered at all. Can’t really comment beyond that as they are all gone, but hope that’s helpful.
i love key lime pie and frozen treats, so i would love this!
You would indeed, Dina. They were a big hit here and didn’t last long!
I’m a sucker for key lime and these look wonderful. Such a great idea and your photography has a sophisticated, elegant, rustic flair. I love it! Thanks and pinned for later.
Thanks Matt! I’m sure you would love these! And thanks for your kind words :)
OMG completely insanity dessert! But of the best kind, of course! my sweet tooth’s mind has been blown ;-)
Thanks Olivia. These were a great cool treat for the hot weather we’re having here!
These are gorgeous Jennifer! Then again, pretty much everything you make is. :)
Thanks so much, Alexandra :)
I haven’t made anything with key limes in soooo long! This dessert looks lovely!
Thanks Katrina. I hadn’t had one in a while either. I was in the mood and it really hit the spot!
These look beautiful! I’ve made key lime bars before and couldn’t believe how many key limes I had to squeeze to get enough juice. It was painful! You’re plan is much better!
Thanks so much, Liz. You’re clearly a much more patient woman than I ;)
What a beautiful dessert! I just love key lime pie – looks so sweet individually served up!
Thanks Jessica. These were delicious!