Versatile, perfectly sweet and citrusy, and quintessentially tropical, these mini key lime pies use nothing but fresh ingredients. Finally, a key lime pie that doesn’t use sweetened condensed milk!

The story

I have so many thoughts and feels about this recipe! First, the citrus. I love citrus-y desserts, which is convenient since I married into a Greek family. Fun fact: Greeks love lemon. And rightfully so. I mean, it’s universally awesome. It keeps fruit from browning. It brings out flavor in cooking. It keeps poultry from having that weird, gamey taste (I learned this from my husband’s YiaYia, and now I don’t hate cooking poultry!).

And citrus in desserts is wonderful. Some people love that super sweet flavor of candy or vanilla, and some want that rich, deep flavor of chocolate. But there is something refreshing about citrus desserts. The sweet and slightly sour taste makes me so happy. So I’ve been hunting for some good citrus desserts. Weirdly, I don’t have many. My raspberry tart uses a great lemon raspberry filling that’s very similar to this recipe, but it’s more gelatinous and works best as a tart filling, so it’s not as universal as the curd in these mini pies.

Second, the ingredients. Most citrus pies use sweetened condensed milk to create that creamy, sturdy filling. However, I try to avoid condensed milk if I can help it. I’ve spent the last several months searching for a good lemon pie filling, starting with my lemon curd recipe and working from there. I figure it has a bright lemon taste and is entirely from scratch, so there has to be a way to change the consistency to that of a lemon cream pie. It’s been a struggle, resulting in many a runny pie. They’re delicious, don’t get me wrong. But I was struggling to find the right consistency for a filling.

Knowing that I wanted to make key lime something for my friend’s baby shower (it’s her favorite dessert, so how could I not?), I kept at it. And I loved every taste-testing moment of creating this recipe. The key was in the right balance of citrus, eggs, butter, and gelatin.

Yep, gelatin is one of my go-to’s for stabilizing just about anything. It’s actually good for you, has no taste (at least in the small amounts used in baking), and is fairly simple to work with. I don’t own a microwave (one of the most common ways to prepare gelatin), and I still think it’s easy to use. But you also need to cook the eggs long enough or you will still get a runny filling.

Finally, the versatility. You can use the filling as a curd on scones (please, please have some tea with it if you do!). You can make a full blown pie or tart, made even better if you fold in some whipped cream. You can use it as a cake filling (but not a heavy dense cake or a super high one…let’s not pretend this is cement here).

Also, you can use any citrus! I used faux key lime juice in these mini pies (because no one had key limes anywhere???). I just might make my next batch with grapefruit, because it’s my favorite citrus.

Tips for this dessert

You can make faux key lime juice!

I searched high and low (okay, I didn’t have time to check Whole Foods), but I couldn’t find key limes. So I did some research on the difference and went with mostly regular lime juice mixed with some Meyer lemon juice (to create that somewhat sweeter, more fragrant taste). It worked! Ideally, you’ll make these with key limes, but I wrote the recipe for limes and Meyer lemons, since I have no idea how many little itty bitty key limes you’d need to zest and juice to get 3/4 cup juice.

Zest every lime/lemon/key lime you use before juicing it

Some recipes call for the zest of just one or two limes or lemons. I feel that’s a waste. I zest then juice one citrus fruit at a time until I have enough juice. Sometimes I wind up with more zest than others, but I feel you can’t ever have too much zest.

You can also make this with cornstarch

Instead of the gelatin, you’d mix 1 to 2 tablespoons cornstarch with equal amounts of water (or juice, as I do with the gelatin). Since the cornstarch needs to cook to thicken, you’ll add it at the beginning. I’ve only done this once, so you may want to look at other recipes that use cornstarch to thicken lemon curd to get a better sense of how best to use it. I prefer gelatin because it doesn’t leave a sticky texture or starchy taste.

Increase the butter and/or eggs for a richer curd

I started the search with a very rich, almost too buttery (I didn’t know there was such a thing) lemon curd. I’ve adjusted the butter and eggs for my taste, but if you want a richer, velvety curd, you can easily adjust it. I wouldn’t do more than 6 tablespoons of butter, as more will likely result in a runny curd. If you increase the eggs, use just the yolk, as more than 3 whites will just scramble, and know that more eggs means more thickening, so your cook times may differ.

Fold in whipped cream for a creamier curd

That was one of the more obvious sentences I’ve ever written, but it’s true. I chose to simply top with freshly whipped cream, to keep that strong citrus taste in the curd. However, you can tone it down by folding in 1 cup of cold heavy cream that has been whipped to stiff peaks, adding a couple tablespoons of powdered sugar to the cream if you’d like. This option is ideal if you are making an actual pie and not mini pies.

Whisk constantly and don’t cook too high!

Often, recipes like this call for tempering the eggs. I chose not to do that here, because I knew I would be able to whisk constantly as the mixture cooked. If you follow the recipe as-is, be sure you cook it on low or medium low and whisk constantly. If you prefer tempering the eggs, you’ll whisk them in a separate bowl, cook the sugar, salt, zest, and juice until sugar is dissolved and mixture is very hot, slowly stream about half of it into the eggs while whisking very fast and nonstop, then add back into the bowl and continue cooking as in my recipe until it thickens.

Watch the coconut!

The toasted coconut is optional but really gives a special something to these key lime pies. However, just remember that it can go from toasted to burnt in about 30 seconds.

Mini Key Lime Pies

prep time: 40 minutes

chill time: 30 minutes in freezer (4 hours in fridge)

total time: 1 hour 10 minutes (4 hours 40 minutes in fridge)

Servings: 12-24, depending on the containers you use

Ingredients:

for the crust:

1 sleeve graham crackers

3-5 tablespoons sugar (to taste)

4-5 tablespoons butter, melted

for the key lime curd:

2 eggs and 2 yolks (or 3 eggs or 6 yolks, it’s a forgiving recipe--just don’t include more than 3 whites, as those can alter the consistency)

Juice and zest of 3 limes and 2 Meyer lemons* (should come to ¾ or so cup juice)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut up

½-¾ cup sugar (to taste, I tend toward ⅔ cup)

pinch sea salt

1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin*

for the whipped cream:

½ cup heavy whipping cream, very cold

3 tablespoons powdered sugar

splash vanilla extract

for the coconut topping (optional):

½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Instructions:

Toast the coconut so it can cool before using. Spread in a single, even layer on a baking sheet and bake at 375 for about 5-10 minutes, or until the flakes become golden brown and fragrant. Check frequently to avoid burning. Set aside to cool on the pan.

Pulse the graham crackers and sugar in a food processor or blender until fine-ground, like coffee grounds. Add 4 tablespoons melted butter and pulse until it comes together. Add more butter or sugar if needed. Since this isn’t making an actual pie, it’s okay for it to be a bit crumbly, which is why I only used 4. For health.

Using clean hands, take about 1 tablespoon and press together slightly (like pressing crust into a pie pan) as you sprinkle into your mini pie containers (I used a combination of 4 ounce mason jars and leftover cups from Amazon). Pressing some of the crust gives more of that yummy graham crust texture rather than a sandy texture. Place containers on a baking tray and refrigerate while you make the curd. If these will be traveling or sitting in warmer temps, freeze instead.

Bloom the gelatin by sprinkling over one tablespoon of the citrus juice in a small prep bowl and whisking slightly to mix.

Create a makeshift double boiler with a small glass bowl that will sit over a saucepan with about ⅓ to ½ of the bowl in the pan. In the bowl, whisk the eggs, yolks, juice, zest, sugar, and salt. Put about an inch of water in the saucepan and bring to a simmer (I always turn the burner to high then turn it down once it boils. I’m impatient.) Set your bowl over it and cook on medium low (or whatever low-ish temp keeps a good simmer), whisking constantly. Continue to cook until the mixture thickens and either reaches 180 degrees or begins to resemble a loose pudding (about 10 minutes, depending on your stove and the amount of sugar you used). The goal is to no longer have a watery mixture but one that is close to the curd texture you want.

Once the mixture has thickened, add the bloomed gelatin and whisk quickly for one minute then remove from heat. Immediately add the butter, one tablespoon at a time. If you want a creamier, richer curd, you can double the butter, but taste as you go because the butter flavor can quickly overpower the curd.

Place the curd in the refrigerator, stirring every few minutes. Alternatively, you can cover with plastic wrap so that it touches the curd and no surface is exposed to air. After it has cooled to room temperature or a little cooler, you can spoon it evenly into your mini containers. Refrigerate or freeze until it has set enough to be eaten with a spoon.

When ready to serve, combine all whipped cream ingredients in a chilled bowl/bowl of a stand mixer until combined. Whisk by hand or in a stand mixer on high until moderately stiff peaks form, being careful not to go beyond stiff peaks. Given the serving method, there’s no need for super sturdy whipped cream. Place a dollop--or two, if you’re like me--on top of each mini pie then sprinkle with a few pinches of toasted coconut.

Enjoy!