This gluten-free key lime pie is the perfect combination of tart, sweet, and creamy. Tucked in an easy gluten-free graham cracker crust, this pie is an easy classic that nobody will guess is gluten-free!
If you want a show-stopping (but easy!) gluten-free key lime pie recipe for holidays, BBQs, family parties, or birthdays, you’re in the right place.
Check out this post for all the tips and tricks to make delicious key lime pie—that just so happens to be gluten-free.
It’s hard to resist the tart and sweet combination of key lime pie. Key limes (also known as Mexican limes or Persian limes) are more tart and have more concentrated flavor than regular limes, making them the ultimate citrus for this sweet and sour pie.
Whipped cream and a graham cracker crust are the perfect sweet compliment to the tartness of the limes. Classic key lime pie is truly a refreshing and decadent dessert all wrapped up in one bright, sunny package.
This is one of my favorite desserts for family gatherings in the summer, including the Fourth of July and Father’s Day.
Shortcuts like store-bought key lime juice and sweetened condensed milk make it a breeze to put together.
It’s an easy recipe that takes minimal effort, making it great for busy summer days. I’m willing to bet it will become a family favorite!
For more bright and creamy gluten-free dessert, try these recipes for gluten-free lemon pie, gluten-free lemon bars, lemon posset or this carlota de limon.
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- Ingredients for the Gluten-Free Graham Cracker Crust
- How to Make the Crust
- Ingredients for the Filling
- How to Make Key Lime Pie Filling
- Ingredients for the Topping
- How to Make the Topping
- Storage Instructions
- FAQs
- Expert Tips and Tricks
- More Gluten-Free Desserts
- EASY Gluten-Free Key Lime Pie
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- Easy to make
- Simple ingredients
- Creamy texture
- Sweet and tart
For more gluten-free pies, try this gluten-free pumpkin pie, gluten-free apple pie, gluten-free pecan pie, gluten-free peanut butter pie. You also might like this vegan key lime pie!
Ingredients for the Gluten-Free Graham Cracker Crust
Here are some of the main ingredients you’ll need to make this gluten-free graham cracker crust.
- Gluten-free graham cracker crumbs: You can quickly make your own gluten-free graham cracker crumbs by blending gluten-free graham crackers in a food processor.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar or coconut sugar will work for this recipe.
- Butter: Use your favorite butter for this crust! I prefer unsalted, but if you like extra salt, go ahead and use salted butter. Do not use margarine—only real butter will give you the best results!
Check out this post for my full review of all the brands of gluten-free graham crackers!
How to Make the Crust
- Break up the graham cracker sheets and place them in a food processor. Pulse the graham crackers until they turn into crumbs. Pour the graham cracker crumbs into a large mixing bowl.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Combine the gluten-free graham cracker crumbs and sugar in a mixing bowl and mix until well combined. Add the melted butter and stir until fully combined and all of the crumbs are moistened.
- Pour the buttery graham cracker crumb mixture into a pie pan.
- Press the crumbs firmly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 x 1.5-inch pie pan. (Tip: Do the sides first!)
- Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven and set aside to cool for 10 minutes while you make the key lime filling.
Ingredients for the Filling
These ingredients make the most delicious gluten-free key lime pie filling!
- Key lime juice: No need to go to the Florida keys to pick up hard-to-find key limes. Just buy the key lime juice found in grocery stores!
- Sweetened condensed milk: This makes for an ultra rich and creamy pie filling.
- Egg yolks: Egg yolks add richness to the filling and bind everything together.
How to Make Key Lime Pie Filling
- Combine the key lime juice, sweetened condensed milk, and egg yolks in a large mixing bowl and whisk until smooth and fully combined.
- Pour the filling into the slightly cooled graham cracker crust and spread it around into an even layer.
- Bake the pie for 20 to 24 minutes or until the top of the pie is set, the pie will still be jiggly.
- Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool for 2 hours. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least 6 hours or overnight.
Ingredients for the Topping
Here’s what you need to make the perfect whipped cream topping for your creamy key lime pie:
- Heavy cream: Heavy cream whips up light and fluffy for the perfect balance of light, sweet flavor with the tart limes.
- Limes and lime zest: I love adding fresh key limes to the top of the pie for a striking presentation.
- Powdered sugar: Powdered sugar helps to slightly sweeten the heavy cream.
How to Make the Topping
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar and beat until medium peaks form.
- Top the pie with the whipped cream. Decorate with the lime zest and lime slices. Store the pie in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Slice the pie into wedges, wiping your knife clean between slices, and serve cold.
Storage Instructions
This pie is best eaten the day it’s made. However, you can cover your pie with plastic wrap and in the fridge for up to two days. Unfortunately gluten-free graham crackers don’t hold up as well as regular graham crackers.
If you want to make the pie a day or two in advance, bake the pie and then wait to add the whipped topping when serving.
FAQs
Key limes are naturally gluten-free, and most key lime pie fillings are gluten-free. However, traditional key lime pie is made with graham crackers, which contain gluten. This pie is made gluten-free by using gluten-free graham crackers in the crust.
No, most regularly graham cracker crumbs are not gluten-free. In order to ensure your key lime pie is gluten-free, buy gluten-free graham crackers and pulse them into crumbs with a food processor.
Key lime pie is safe to eat as long as it has been fully cooked. Undercooked or uncooked key lime pie could contain salmonella, which is found in raw eggs.
Expert Tips and Tricks
- If you don’t have key limes or key lime juice, go ahead and use regular limes. You can even use lemon juice!
- When making the gluten-free graham cracker crust, start by pressing the crumbs into the sides of the pie, then move toward the middle.
More Gluten-Free Desserts
I hope you love this easy key lime pie recipe as much as we do! If you try this pie, be sure to leave me a comment/rating below. I’d love to hear from you!
EASY Gluten-Free Key Lime Pie
Ingredients
For the Gluten-Free Graham Cracker Crust:
- 1 1/2 cups gluten-free graham cracker crumbs 180 grams, I use 1 5.6oz box of Schar graham crackers
- 1/4 cup brown sugar 50 grams
- 1 tablespoon gluten-free 1:1 baking flour
- 4 tablespoons butter melted and slightly cooled, 56 grams
For the Key Lime Pie Filling:
- 1 cup key lime juice 240 ml
- 2 14-ounce cans sweetened condensed milk
- 5 large egg yolks
For the Topping:
- 1 cup cold heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon grated lime zest
- 8 to 10 thin lime slices
Instructions
Make the Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Combine the gluten-free graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and flour in a mixing bowl and mix until well combined. Add the melted butter and stir until fully combined and all of the crumbs are moistened.
- Press the crumbs firmly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 x 1.5-inch pie pan. (Tip: Do the sides first!)
- Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven and set aside to cool for 10 minutes while you make the filling.
Make the Filling
- Combine the key lime juice, sweetened condensed milk, and egg yolks in a large mixing bowl and whisk until smooth and fully combined.
- Pour the filling into the slightly cooled graham cracker crust and spread it around into an even layer.
- Bake the pie for 20 to 24 minutes or until the top of the pie is set, the pie will still be jiggly.
- Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool for 2 hours. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least 6 hours or overnight.
Make the Topping
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar and beat until medium peaks form.
- Top the pie with the whipped cream. Decorate with the lime zest and lime slices. Store the pie in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Slice the pie into wedges, wiping your knife clean between slices, and serve cold.
Notes
- If you don’t have key limes or key lime juice, go ahead and use regular limes. You can even use lemon juice!
- When making the gluten-free graham cracker crust, start by pressing the crumbs into the sides of the pie, then move toward the middle.
could lemon or lime pies be made dairy free? Coconut cream? My grand kids want one of these so badly!
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!