Warm weather days are here. It’s been a long, rough winter for our friends up North. Spring never sprung. It just sort of waited until it was almost time for early summer to take the lead. In South Florida, transitions between seasons are always subtle. But, Floridians have gotten pretty good at reading these minor changes…mostly since many of us are usually desperate for any sort of break in the heat. Our seasons basically fluctuate between hot and less hot, with a few (very few) “cold fronts” in the winter months where we see temperatures dip all the way down into the 50’s…basically a polar vortex for us. One person’s winter is another person’s day at the beach. Either way, I made a happy, sunny treat perfect for the balmy days to come. Say hello to Strawberry Key Lime Pie. She’s refreshing, silky, and she’ll will win you over with her sweet and slightly tart personality.
This pie started out as a Guava Key Lime Pie until I realized that guava nectar and fresh guavas may not be readily available everywhere. So, even though I loved the tropical flavors in that pie, I decided to sub the guava with something easier to find that is still summery. So, strawberries went in instead.
The strawberries turned out to be a very good and very delicious idea. They balance out some of the tartness of the lime with their mild fruity, sweet flavors. Limeberry – it’s a happy marriage. I also love the peachy-pink color the berries give to the pie. Just make sure to use ripe strawberries because they are juicier and sweeter. Frozen would be okay too since those are usually picked and frozen at their peak.
As for the limes, I used regular limes, not Key limes. What’s the difference? Key limes are much smaller than the limes (usually Persian limes) we find in our typical produce sections. They are also more bitter. They can be difficult to work with since they carry very little juice and are quite firm. You would probably need 5-6 times the number of Key limes than Persian limes in any given recipe to get the same amount of juice. It’s a lot more work for a difference in flavor that is probably not very noticeable. So, my advice is to go with the regular limes from your grocery store. I do realize that not using Key limes technically makes this a Strawberry Lime Pie and not a Strawberry Key Lime Pie (for my Key lime pie purist readers 😉), but just use whatever lime juice makes you happy and call it what you like. It will be delicious either way. I don’t recommend bottled lime juice.
Can a pie be good for you? That’s up for debate, but this pie might just have something to say on the matter. Limes and strawberries are loaded with vitamin C. Strawberries are also a good source of fiber and are powerful antioxidants. As far as the condensed milk and graham crackers go, they are choosing to remain quiet during this part of the post 😉
This pie is very simple to make and can be made up to three days ahead and kept in the refrigerator. It has two simple steps (three if you make a whipped cream topping..two again if you buy the ready-made stuff in the can). Step one is to make a simple graham cracker crust. You can skip this step and use a store-bought crust too. Step two is to make and bake the filling.
I made my pie in a tart pan, but I’m still calling it a pie. You can use a pie pan or a tart pan and although I haven’t tried, you could probably bake it into bars in a square pan too. The only bit of work involved in this recipe is crushing the graham crackers and juicing the limes. I used my food processor to crush the graham crackers easily and uniformly. I’ve seen graham cracker crumbs in stores too…usually in the same place as the pre-made graham cracker crusts. For the lime juice, if you have a juicer, that would be easiest. I don’t have one, but I have a tool similar to this one, which works really well. You should only need to juice 3-4 limes. Once that’s done, it’s just a matter of mixing ingredients and pouring the filling into the crust.
I hope you enjoy this Strawberry Key Lime Pie as much as my family and I did. Its filling is creamy and silky with just the right amount of tang and sweetness. It’s a perfect finish to a special meal and also simple enough to enjoy after a breezy backyard barbecue.
Happy Mother’s Day to all of you amazing mothers. Thank you for bringing life and hope to our world.
My mother raised me, and then freed me – Maya Angelou
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Strawberry Key Lime Pie
This Strawberry Key Lime Pie is smooth and creamy with a perfect balance of tartness and sweetness. The graham cracker crust adds a sweet, crunchy texture. Easy to make and great for preparing ahead.
Graham Cracker Crust
- 9 (5 oz) graham crackers (see photo above)
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Strawberry Key Lime Filling
- 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (I used regular Persian limes, but you can use Key limes if you prefer. You will need 3-4 Persian limes…plus an extra one for garnishing, if desired.)
- 1/2 lb strawberries, stems removed and sliced in half (Frozen strawberries can be used. Allow to thaw.)
- 1 Tablespoon Strawberry Jam
- 5 egg yolks (from large eggs)
- 1 (14 oz) can condensed milk
Whipped Cream Topping
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
Graham Cracker Crust
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Place oven rack in middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees.
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Place graham crackers into food processor and pulse until crumbs are fine and free of large pieces. Add sugar and pulse again.
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Add melted butter and pulse until mixture looks like wet sand.
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Place crumb mixture into pie or tart pan. Press mixture onto bottom and up sides of pan evenly.
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Place into pre-heated oven and bake for 13-15 minutes (mine took 13 min) until slightly browned.
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Allow to cool completely on wire rack. Prepare filling as crust is cooling.
Strawberry Key Lime Filling
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Place lime juice, strawberries, and jam together into a blender (I used a smoothie machine). Blend until well combined and smooth and no more strawberry pieces are visible. Set aside.
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Place egg yolks in medium-sized bowl and whisk. Add condensed milk and continue whisking. Add strawberry-lime mixture and whisk gently until well combined. Set aside to thicken about 20 minutes.
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place filling into cooled crust and bake for about 15 minutes. Filling should still jiggle slightly (in the middle only) when done. Allow to cool completely to room temperature. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or with a large inverted plate and place into refrigerator for at least 3-4 hours to chill and set.
Whipped Cream Topping
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Once pie has chilled, place chilled heavy cream into mixing bowl and beat with a whisk attachment until soft peaks form. Add sugar 1 Tablespoon at a time and continue beating to stiff peaks, being careful not to overmix.
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Spoon dollops of whipped cream on chilled pie or place whipped cream into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip and decorate as desired. Garnish with sliced strawberries and limes.
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Store pie in refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Shortcuts: Use a store-bought graham cracker pie crust or pre-crushed graham cracker crumbs. Use canned whipped cream.
Graham Cracker Crust recipe adapted from America’s Test Kitchen
love the colors and it looks delicious my happy post for today.
Thank you. Glad it helped brighten your day 🙂
I’m so glad I finally made this pie! It is an instant favorite. Beautiful, happy, summery, delicious Strawberry Key Lime Pie. The flavors are amazing. We devoured it.
So happy you liked it and I agree about it being happy and summery 🙂
I made it with the strawberry they loved it but I have guava paste how would I incorporate this in the recipe?
Hi. I’m glad you liked it. I have made this pie with fresh guavas in place of the strawberries, but haven’t tried it yet with guava paste. Maybe experiment by using 8 ounces or so of guava paste. I would make it into a smooth jam consistency first by melting it down. Check out the guava filling recipe in my Vanilla Guava Celebration Cake if you need instructions on how to melt the guava. Once it’s melted, I would substitute the strawberries with it and omit the strawberry jam. If you try it out, let me know how it turns out. I’m so curious 🙂
I will probably try to make this pie because it sounds good BUT please don’t call it a Key Lime Pie if you are not using Key Limes. I beg to differ with your explanation of using Persian limes instead of Key limes. It is very true that Key limes are smaller and thus you need to work harder to get their juice BUT there is a HUGE difference in their flavors. Key limes taste NOTHING like a Persian lime. I grew up with both types of limes growing in my yard. They are very different from each other. While your pie looks really good, you should not call it Key lime. You can buy Key lime juice at a reasonable price and skip the work that it takes to squeeze them yourself (and it is probably less expensive than finding REAL Key limes at a grocery store that is not in South Florida). Key limes have more of a bitter acidity than Persian limes which are quite tame comparatively. Each have their own better uses but you can certainly tell the difference in a pie!
Hi Sarah. I’m sure it will be very delicious using Key limes too. If you make it, I would be curious to know how much Key lime juice you used (in case you use less to offset the acidity). It may be helpful to include it in the recipe for those who would like to use them instead of Persian limes. Thank you 🙂
It was yummy and pretty! 😋 I love this pie.
Hi Lucy! I’m so happy you like it so much. Thank you for making it xo
Really great recipe! Everyone loved it. So fresh and summery.
So glad you enjoyed it Sarah 🙂 Thanks for letting me know!
I’d love to make this with guava! How much would I need?
Hi! You can substitute the same amount of guava for the strawberry and use guava jam in place of the strawberry jam 🙂
Could you make this pie 2 days in advance and leave it in the fridge?
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Will this pie freeze ojay?
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