• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
Celebrating Sweets
  • All Recipes
  • Dessert
    • Brownies & Bars
    • Cake & Cupcakes
    • Cookies
    • Ice Cream/Frozen Desserts
    • Pies & Tarts
  • Drinks & Cocktails
  • Main Dishes
  • Breakfast
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • Fall Favorites
  • Holiday Recipes
  • Drinks & Cocktails
  • About
  • Privacy Policy
×
Home » Brownies & Bars » Key Lime Pie Bars

Key Lime Pie Bars

Published: Jun 22, 2023 by Allison · Leave a Comment

  • Share
  • Email
Jump to Recipe

These easy and refreshing key lime pie bars are inspired by the classic pie. A delicious graham cracker crust and creamy fresh lime filling topped with whipped cream.

Looking for a light and fresh summer dessert? This is it! Lime juice, lime zest, vanilla, and a bit of cream cheese make this an irresistible treat!

Stack of two key lime pie bars garnished with whipped cream and sliced lime.
Jump to:
  • These bars are
  • Ingredients needed
  • Recipe overview
  • Recipe tips
  • What type of limes to use
  • You might also like
  • Recipe

These bars are

Packed with lime: Fresh lime juice and lime zest add a light and refreshing flavor.

Sweet and tangy: The perfect balance of sweetness with tart and tangy flavors.

Easy: A simple press-in crust and a filling that comes together in minutes!

Perfect for feeding a crowd: Bars are much easier to serve than pie. Eat them with your hand or a fork.

Made with 8 ingredients: No long ingredient list. Only 8 basic ingredients needed for these key lime pie bars!

Key lime pie bars on parchment paper.

Ingredients needed

Graham crackers: Finely ground graham crackers make up the crust of these bars.

Granulated sugar: For the crust and a little extra sweetness in the filling.

Melted butter: For holding the crust together.

Limes: You can use key limes or regular limes. You will need both the zest and the juice.

Sweetened condensed milk: This is the primary sweetener in the filling.

Cream cheese: This helps to make the filling thick and creamy.

Egg yolks: For binding and richness.

Vanilla extract: Just a touch to round out the flavors.

Ingredients for key lime pie bars: limes juice, sugar, cream cheese, eggs, graham cracker, butter, milk.

Recipe overview

*Full recipe below in recipe card*

Crust: Combine graham crackers, sugar, and melted butter. Press into a greased and lined 8×8 or 9×9 pan. Bake the crust for 10 minutes.

Graham cracker crust in a glass bowl and in a white baking dish.

Filling: Combine sugar, zest, and cream cheese. Beat in egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla. Beat in the lime juice.

Collage of how to make key lime pie bars (ingredients in a white bowl).

Bake: Pour the filling into the partially baked crust and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Recipe tips

  • Freshly squeezed lime juice works best. Use regular limes or key limes.
  • Remove the zest from the limes before juicing them.
  • Have all the filling ingredients at room temperature so that it blends smoothly.
  • Allow at least 5 hours for the bars to chill. Cool them to room temperature then refrigerate before cutting and serving.
  • Serve with homemade whipped cream.
Key lime pie bar topped with whipped cream and sliced lime.

What type of limes to use

Although this is called “key lime” pie you don’t have to use key limes. Key limes are often hard to find and they are very small which means you’ll need a lot of them.

I make this recipe using regular grocery store limes. Choose limes that feel plump and roll them on the counter before cutting and juicing. I used about 5 limes. If using key limes, you’ll probably need double that.

Don’t take a shortcut with bottled juice – fresh is best!

You might also like

  • Slice of lemon olive oil cake on a white plate with a gold fork.
    Lemon Olive Oil Cake
  • Slices of lemon blueberry bread with white icing drizzled over the top.
    Lemon Blueberry Bread
  • Slice of orange bundt cake on a white plate with a gold fork.
    Orange Cake
  • Lemon Bar topped with whipped cream on a spatula.
    Creamy Lemon Bars Recipe

SUBSCRIBE to our free NEWSLETTER – LIKE us on FACEBOOK – Follow on INSTAGRAM

Recipe

Stack of two key lime pie bars topped with whipped cream.

Key Lime Pie Bars

These easy and refreshing key lime pie bars are inspired by the classic pie. A delicious graham cracker crust and creamy fresh lime filling topped with whipped cream.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin SaveSaved!
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes minutes
Servings: 12
Calories: 247kcal
Author: Allison – Celebrating Sweets

Ingredients

Crust:

  • 1½ cups graham cracker crumbs , about 12 "sheets"
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon finely grated lime zest, loosely measured
  • 4 oz block-style cream cheese, softened
  • 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice, see note

Instructions

Crust:

  • Preheat oven to 350°F with a rack in the center of the oven. Line an 8×8 or 9×9 pan with foil or parchment paper, lightly grease, and set aside.
  • Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter until well combined. Dump into prepared pan and pat into an even layer (I use the back of a measuring cup). Bake for 10 minutes, until light golden brown and fragrant. Meanwhile, prepare the filling.

Filling:

  • Using a hand mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat sugar, lime zest, and cream cheese until smooth. Add sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, and vanilla. Beat until combined, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer running, add the lime juice, beating until combined.
  • Carefully pour the filling over the crust and spread into an even layer. Bake for 15-20 minutes (see note), until the filling is set and does not jiggle loosely if you shake the pan. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely then transfer the pan to the refrigerator to chill for several hours.

Video

Notes

Limes: Although this is called “key lime” pie you don’t have to use key limes. Key limes are often hard to find and they are very small which means you’ll need a lot of them.
I make this recipe using regular grocery store limes. Choose limes that feel plump and roll them on the counter before cutting and juicing. I used about 5 limes. If using key limes, you’ll probably need double that.
Don’t take a shortcut with bottled juice – fresh is best!
Pan size: I have tested this recipe in both an 8×8 and 9×9 pan. The bars pictured were made in an 8×8 pan, bars made in a 9×9 will be slightly thinner.  The bake time will be slightly longer when using an 8×8 pan.

Nutrition

Calories: 247kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 180mg | Potassium: 185mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 314IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 142mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.

Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
« Banana Nut Muffins
Peach Crisp »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

About

aboutHi, I'm Allison! I'm a busy wife and mom with a passion for cooking and baking. This is where you'll find my favorite homemade recipes, designed to help you make every day delicious! Read more....

Dessert Recipes

Slice of lemon crumb cake on a white plate.

Lemon Coffee Cake

Banana Pudding dessert in a white casserole dish.

Homemade Banana Pudding

Closeup of sugar cookie topped with pink frosting.

Soft Sugar Cookies with Strawberry Frosting

Glass trifle dish with layers of brownies, whipped cream, and fudge.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownie Trifles

A slice of Greek yogurt cheesecake topped with strawberries and whipped cream.

Greek Yogurt Cheesecake

Berries mashed with ice cream in a glass.

Berries and Cream

More Dessert Recipes...

Popular Recipes:

Closeup of a banana nut muffin topped with brown sugar and nuts.

Banana Nut Muffins

Sweet potato souffle on a large spoon

Sweet Potato Souffle

Baked french toast on a plate

Cinnamon Vanilla Baked French Toast

Closeup of a pumpkin muffin on a wire rack topped with icing.

Pumpkin Muffins

Closeup of a lemon blueberry muffin with crumb topping and white icing

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

Jar of buttermilk substitute on a wooden board with a wooden spoon.

Buttermilk Substitutes (5 Options)

More Popular Recipes...

Logo for country living, food network, buzzfeed, msn, delish, good housekeeping

FREE BAKING GUIDE

Tips & Tricks for the Home Baker

Thank you!

Check your email to confirm your subscription.

.

Footer

Connect With Me

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Copyright 2013-2023 Celebrating Sweets

All images and content are copyright protected. Please contact me for permission to use my original images. If you want to republish a recipe, please re-write it in your own words, or link back to my post for the recipe.