Erin’s Recipe Rundown
Texture: Creamy, silky filling with a buttery, crisp crust.
Taste: The perfect balance of sweet and tart.
Ease: An easy to make showstopper!
Top Tips: When planning, keep in mind that the pie will need to cool completely and then chill in the fridge for another 3 hours or more.
Recommended GF Flour: A little measure-for-measure flour helps hold the crushed gluten-free graham crackers together for the perfect crust! I like King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure-for-Measure Flour.
Would I make these again? Yes! I love when an easy recipe also turns out beautiful and delicious. This is one of my go-to recipes, especially on busy summer days!
xoxo erin
This post was originally published in June 2022. It was updated with new instructions in March 2025.
Key limes (also known as Mexican limes) are more tart and have more concentrated flavor than regular limes, making them the ultimate citrus for this pie.
This gluten-free key lime pie is a refreshing and decadent dessert all wrapped up in one bright, sunny package! Plus, it’s an easy recipe that takes minimal effort, making it one of my favorite desserts for family gatherings and parties in the summer.
Featured Comment
From Ellie: “This pie is AMAZING!!! My husband is gluten free and I felt bad that nobody was bringing a gf dessert to thanksgiving. This was SUCH a hit, everyone’s favorite pie of the night, I even made a second one the day after because I only got one teeny sliver since it got eaten so fast thank you thank you! Also this is the easiest thing ever to make!“
Table of Contents
- Erin’s Recipe Rundown
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- How to Make Gluten-Free Key Lime Pie
- Make-Ahead/Storage/Freezing Instructions
- Can this gluten-free key lime pie be made dairy-free? What about nut-free?
- How do I know when the filling is fully set?
- How do I prevent the pie from cracking?
- Gluten-Free Key Lime Pie Tips
- More Gluten-Free Pie Recipes
- Gluten-Free Key Lime Pie (Best Recipe!) Recipe
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are a few notes on some of the key ingredients to make this gluten-free key lime pie. Jump to the recipe card below for the exact measurements
- Gluten-free graham cracker crumbs: You can quickly make your own gluten-free graham cracker crumbs for the crust by blending gluten-free graham crackers in a food processor. Check out my full review of all the brands of gluten-free graham crackers!
- Gluten-free flour: A tablespoon of gluten-free measure-for-measure flour helps the crushed graham crackers to hold together for the best crust ever!
- Brown sugar: Adding a little sweetness to the crust with brown sugar helps to balance the sweet and sour flavors in this pie.
- Butter: Real butter works best in this crust! I don’t recommend using margarine.
- Key lime juice/zest: There’s no need to buy a ton of key limes for this filling. I love using Nellie and Joe’s Key Lime Juice (found in most grocery stores!) to create the crisp lime flavor. If you want to stick with fresh, you’ll need the juice from 20 key limes. You’ll also need the zest from about 2 regular limes or 4 key limes for the filling (and a little more for the whipped cream topping).
- Sweetened condensed milk/cream cheese: Ultra rich and creamy pie filling is the goal here and using a combo of sweetened condensed milk and cream cheese does just that! Unfortunately, this pie cannot be made dairy-free and achieve the same results.
You may also like these gluten-free citrus treats: gluten-free lemon cream pie, gluten-free lemon bars, lemon posset, vegan key lime pie bars.
How to Make Gluten-Free Key Lime Pie
Here’s an overview of how to make this pie. You can jump to the recipe for the full instructions!
- Using a food processor: Pulse the gluten-free graham crackers until they turn into crumbs. Transfer them to a medium-sized mixing bowl.
- In the medium mixing bowl: Add the brown sugar and gluten-free flour to the graham cracker crumbs. Mix until well-combined.
- Add liquid: Pour the melted butter into the crust mixture and stir until well-combined. You want all of the crumbs to be moistened!
- In a pie pan: Pour the crust mixture into the 9 x 1.5-inch pie pan. I love this one!
- Form the crust: Press the crust mixture firmly into the pan, focusing first on the sides and then working your way towards the middle.
- Bake the crust: With the oven on 350°F, bake the crust for 8-10 minutes. Remove it from the oven and set it to the side to cool for 10 minutes while you make the filling. Leave the oven on though!
- In the bowl of a stand mixer: Using a whisk attachment, beat the room temperature cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. You can also use a hand mixer! Add the sweetened condensed milk plus the key lime juice and zest, then mix again until well-combined. You want it to be silky smooth!
- Add to the crust: Pour the filling into the cooled pie crust. Bake the pie for 10-12 minutes, then remove it from the oven and let it cool completely on a wire rack.
- In the refrigerator: Once the pie crust has cooled completely, cover it and let it chill in the fridge for at least 3 hours.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer: Make the whipped cream topping by using a whisk attachment on medium-high speed to whip together the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla. You’ll want to whip it until stiff peaks form (about 4-5 minutes). Spread or pipe it onto the chilled pie and then garnish with lime zest and slices (optional). Enjoy!
Make-Ahead/Storage/Freezing Instructions
To Make-Ahead: This pie is definitely the best the day it’s made since the gluten-free graham cracker crust will soften the longer it’s stored with the filling. You can make the crust 1-2 days ahead and wait on the filling. Let the crust cool, then cover with plastic wrap and store at room temperature.
To Store: Wrap the pie with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. It will store even better without the whipped cream since the topping can lose texture over time.
To Freeze: It’s best to freeze this pie before adding the whipped topping. Wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and aluminum foil or place in an airtight container. Freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then top with fresh whipped cream before serving.
Can this gluten-free key lime pie be made dairy-free? What about nut-free?
Unfortunately, this pie does not produce the same results with dairy-free alternatives.
It is naturally nut-free!
How do I know when the filling is fully set?
The filling is done baking when it’s slightly firm around the edges, but still a little jiggly in the center. It will firm up even more as it cools and then chills in the refrigerator.
How do I prevent the pie from cracking?
The pie will crack if it is overbaked. It’s important to pull it from the oven when filling’s edges are fairly set, but the center still jiggles a little. Cooling the pie slowly by letting it cool completely on a wire rack, before chilling it in the fridge, also helps prevent cracking.
Gluten-Free Key Lime Pie Tips
- If you don’t want to use store-bought lime juice and can’t find key limes, you can use regular limes or even lemon juice!
- When making the gluten-free graham cracker crust, start by pressing the crumbs into the sides of the pie, then move towards the middle. Check out my gluten-free graham cracker crust post for more details!
Gluten-Free Key Lime Pie (Best Recipe!)
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 6 ounces (170g) gluten-free graham crackers
- ¼ cup (53g) brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon gluten-free measure-for-measure flour
- 4 tablespoons (56g) butter melted
Key Lime Filling
- 4 ounces (113g) cream cheese at room temperature
- 2 (14-ounce) cans (794g) sweetened condensed milk
- ¾ cup (180ml) key lime juice
- 1½ tablespoons lime zest about the zest of 2 regular limes or 4 key limes
Whipped Cream Topping
- 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lime zest about the zest of ½ regular lime
- 8-10 thin lime slices for garnish, optional
Instructions
For the graham cracker crust:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the graham crackers until they turn into crumbs. Pour the graham cracker crumbs into a medium mixing bowl.
- Add the brown sugar and gluten-free flour to the graham cracker crumbs and mix until well-combined. Add the melted butter and stir until fully combined and all of the crumbs are moistened.
- Press the mixture firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for 10 minutes while you make the filling. Leave the oven on.
For the key lime filling:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or using a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth.
- Add the sweetened condensed milk, key lime juice and lime zest, then mix again until fully combined and silky. Pour the mixture into the prepared graham cracker crust.
- Bake the pie in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Once cool, cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.
For the whipped cream topping:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or using a hand mixer, whip together the heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 4-5 minutes.
- Spread or pipe the whipped cream over the chilled pie. Garnish with lime zest and slices, if desired.
Could this recipe work to make mini key lime pies using a muffin tin?
Hi Melissa, we haven’t tried it, but that sounds fun! We’d definitely use liners and then reduce the baking times by a few minutes. We’d love to hear how it goes!
Do we need to bake it or would putting it in the fridge overnight be okay?
Hi Bailey, yes, it’s important to bake the pie in order for the filling to set correctly! This helps the filling become firm enough to hold it’s shape with sliced. Once it’s baked and cooled you can chill it in the fridge overnight.
This may be my new favorite dessert. It is so good! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Yay! We’re so pleased to hear you loved the pie so much, Nancy! Thank you!
I saw that you said this can’t be made dairy free, which is fine for me but I was wondering if you think substituting the brown sugar with coconut sugar and substituting regular condensed milk with coconut condensed milk would work? I don’t see why not but I’m curious? I think the mild coconut flavor would be amazing! Looking forward to trying the recipe regardless!
Hi Rebecca, thank you for your questions! We don’t typically bake with sugar substitutes to really say how the coconut sugar would do. There is a risk that it would make the crust drier and more crumbly since it isn’t as moist as brown sugar and doesn’t melt the same. The coconut condensed milk may work. We haven’t tested it, but it’s mainly the df cream cheese needing to be baked that keeps us from offering a dairy-free version of this recipe, so just swapping the condensed milk and keeping the rest of the dairy may turn out just fine. If you decide to test out these swaps, we’d love to hear how it goes!
Is this recipe nice and tart? We like sour things.
Hi Mikah, thank you for your question! We’d say it has a good balance between sweet and tart, with a nice touch of creaminess. Using key limes will bring more tartness to the pie than regular limes too! We hope this helps!
This pie is AMAZING!!! My husband is gluten free and I felt bad that nobody was bringing a gf dessert to thanksgiving. This was SUCH a hit, everyone’s favorite pie of the night, I even made a second one the day after because I only got one teeny sliver since it got eaten so fast thank you thank you! Also this is the easiest thing ever to make!
Wow, thank you for such a kind review, Ellie! We’re so happy to hear it was a family favorite this Thanksgiving!
I always have issues making graham cracker crust and having enough for the sides. Your tip to do the sides first was genius! I could see how thick the crust was in the corner and it worked like a charm!
Yay! We’re so glad Erin’s tip helped, Stephanie! We hope everyone enjoyed the pie. Thanks for sharing your feedback with us!
Can your Gluten free Oreo cookie crust recipe be substituted for the gram cracker crust ? How do you think it would taste. Not a fan of gram crackers
Hmm, we haven’t tried that flavor combo before. Possibly a pretzel crust would be a better fit for the key lime flavor. You could try the pretzel crust we use in our vegan chocolate pudding pie recipe. If you decide to give either a try, we’d love to hear how it goes!
could lemon or lime pies be made dairy free? Coconut cream? My grand kids want one of these so badly!
I don’t find the amount of limes to use and also there is no measurement for the condensed milk??…. A full can??
Hi Lina, we tend to use store-bought key lime juice. The recipe calls for 1 cup/240 ml of lime juice and 2, 14 oz cans of sweetened condense milk. If you prefer to use fresh limes, you can definitely do that too. Best guess would be 18-20 key limes or 8 regular limes to make 1 cup of juice, though that varies based on size and ripeness. We hope this helps!
Can this pie be frozen? I would(maybe) hate to have eat a whole pie by myself in two days!
Yes this pie will freeze great! Just be sure its properly wrapped – tightly in plastic wrap, then in a layer of foil. I hope this helps!
I’m a sucker for key lime pie. My husband recently went gluten free. I had to try your recipe, and it was a HUGE hit. Thank you for sharing!