Relating to the very best key lime pie recipes, I’ve fond recollections of 1 specifically—and, after all, it dates again to center faculty. The Olive Backyard was house to my youthful self’s peak-pie indulgences. Certain dinner was fantastic, however what I couldn’t watch for was dessert: one slice of black tie mousse cake and one slice of key lime pie. Piled excessive with whipped cream, the latter was a real pièce de résistance! Whereas I couldn’t let you know what really went into the dreamy-delicious pies of my youth, there’s one factor I do know for certain: My discerning dessert palette has solely developed over time.
With summer time in full swing, my dessert cravings lean shiny, zingy, and stuffed with zest. Sweets which can be refreshing on the finish of a meal however nonetheless fulfill the necessity for slightly deal with. One of the best key lime pie recipe checks all of the bins of a stellar summer time dessert. It’s one which celebrates the season and can maintain everybody lingering across the desk a short time longer. To verify as soon as and for all what constitutes the very best (of the very best) key lime pie, I used to be greater than slightly excited to place a couple of recipes to the bake-off take a look at.
Guidelines of the Street
Usually, that is the place I inform y’all that every one recipes are adopted precisely as written with none changes for private style or taste preferences. That is nonetheless true, however for this specific bake-off, I made a half-serving of each recipe as an alternative of a full pie (my pie-loving coronary heart does have its limits!). I used a scale to weigh out the halves to make sure accuracy when baking. Simply making an attempt to reduce meals waste over right here, y’all! All pies had been baked the evening prior and tasted the subsequent day.
Rating Tips
My workforce of seven style testers all aligned on the next tips when rating every of the pies.
- Filling Taste. Brilliant and zesty with out being too acidic or candy. Lime must be ahead however not overwhelming.
- Filling Texture. Creamy and easy, not too dense however agency sufficient to carry its form.
- Crust Texture. Ought to add a pleasant crunch with out detracting from the pie.
Most key lime pie recipes solely name for a handful of substances. Limes, condensed milk, and egg yolks. Due to this, seeing slight variations in portions or further substances added to the refined distinctions that made every recipe stand out.
Now for the very best half! Preserve scrolling to find which recipe reigned supreme in our Key Lime Pie Bake-Off.
#5 Frozen Key Lime Pie From The Barefoot Contessa
Once I first tried this recipe, I had to return and double test that I hadn’t missed one thing, which normally isn’t an incredible begin. The good a part of this contender for the very best key lime pie recipe is that it’s nearly solely no-bake. The graham cracker crust is baked after which crammed and frozen. The remainder of it nonetheless, we had a couple of points with.
First, I had a couple of style testers who weren’t so eager on the uncooked egg yolk state of affairs. Whereas there are some traditionalists who insist key lime pies be made with the raw filling, my workforce was unanimously anti-raw eggs. This additionally impacted the flavour as some famous it was slightly eggy.
The most important concern, nonetheless, was the feel. The recipe notes setting the pie out forward of slicing as a way to slice by way of, however the pie principally melted inside half-hour (not splendid!). General, I just like the novelty of a frozen pie, however we had a couple of structural qualms with this one. In the event you strive it, eat it straight out of the freezer to make sure a stable pie.
Get the recipe for Frozen Key Lime Pie.
#4 Key Lime Meringue Pie From Petra Paredez
Our notes on this pie had been really fairly optimistic and everybody loved their slices. The pie filling flavors had been very well-balanced with out being too candy, and the style of lime was good as properly. There was some debate about whether or not the meringue topping was actually wanted. Whereas the salted vanilla meringue was tasty, most style testers most popular a whipped cream topping to the meringue.
As the one that assembled each single recipe, I assumed it was lots of further effort and dishes to make meringue when whipped cream would have been completely fantastic. (Although it was a good way to make use of up the leftover egg whites from utilizing solely yolks within the filling!) Ultimately, this pie recipe was good, however among the different recipes edged it out on technicalities.
Get the recipe for Key Lime Meringue Pie.
#3 Key Lime Pie From Grandbaby Desserts
It is a actually good key lime pie recipe. Nonetheless, I’ve to confess that I used to be skeptical once I found that it doesn’t use lime zest and contains vanilla within the filling. However upon additional consideration (and extra intentional tasting), I discovered that the vanilla provides a beautiful, nearly floral savoriness to the filling.
Style testers famous that this one leaned on the slightly-sweeter aspect, however it did fulfill the group’s candy tooth. My testers that aren’t followers of key lime pie loved this one probably the most as properly. Nonetheless, I believe the shortage of lime zest does make a distinction within the taste. In the event you actually need to punch up the limey-ness, combine it into the filling. The feel was extremely easy and general, this made for a fairly good pie.
Get the recipe for Key Lime Pie.
#2 Key Lime Pie From Hummingbird Excessive
This key lime pie had all of the makings of a traditional and earned very excessive marks. The recipe combines Miette’s selfmade graham crackers with Martha Stewart’s Key Lime Pie Filling blended collectively in a single pie pan. I’ll admit, this was my first thought: Do we actually must make selfmade graham crackers when it’s really easy (and handy!) to purchase a field? Nonetheless, the selfmade crackers give the crust a noticeable textural distinction. Sure it’s further effort, so you may have my permission to make use of store-bought crackers. When it got here to the ultimate judging, we beloved the filling’s zingy, lime-filled taste. And with this pie’s creamy texture, we had been all quick followers.
Get the recipe for Key Lime Pie.
#1 Key Lime Pie With Coconut From A Cozy Kitchen
Drumroll please… this is likely to be the most effective key lime pies I’ve ever had. I used to be skeptical at first due to the coconut milk added to the filling. I knew the flavour would work properly, however I didn’t know if it will be too overpowering when paired with the limes. Nonetheless, the coconut milk acted as a pleasant candy base that helped mood the lime and protecting it from being too acidic.
Some tasters couldn’t even inform there was coconut milk within the filling! The lime taste was upfront with out being overwhelming, and the one factor I seen after baking each single pie was that Adriana’s recipe is the one one which requires salt within the filling. That makes a distinction by way of bringing out the flavors. The feel was absolute perfection in its thick creaminess, and it was the one pie that every one of my style testers ate in its entirety. Run, don’t stroll to make this pie.
Get the recipe for Key Lime Pie With Coconut.