A perfectly zesty mini dessert that will delight you and your guests!
Key lime pies are some of the zestiest and tastiest desserts around. I am most definitely biased as a current resident of South Florida where the Keys are located and key limes are relatively easy to come by. At Thanksgiving, while many families make a set meal, ours does a full buffet for the whole family, and also friends. Having variety and individual portion sizes for dessert is just as important as any entrée or side dish! And so, we have mini key lime pies.
If you want to present a truly memorable spread of desserts, having a bunch of mini pies for everyone to have their own is really a fun thing to do. We’ve done mini mousses, individual-sized treats of all sorts, and cookie platters, but something about your own mini pie just looks so enticing and is so fun. Top it with a little dollop of whipped cream and some spare lime zest, and it looks absolutely beautiful.
What you’ll love about mini key lime pies is the delicious taste and the mini aspect. At least, that’s what I love about them. It’s easy to pop out as a fun treat and great to serve. The flavor is fantastic, with the bright zest of key limes tasting like my sub-tropic state of Florida, reminding me of palm trees and bright sunny beaches.
Where Do Key Limes Come From?
Key limes might not be the easiest thing to get ahold of in all places, but I promise they’re worth the extra expense if you can! Originally, key limes come from Southeast Asia and are now grown in all sorts of sub-tropic climates, most notably the Florida Keys but also places like Central America and the Middle East, and they get exported to a lot of locations from these hot zones. They’re smaller than regular limes, and much more powerful when it comes to taste. So you won’t regret getting the real deal for your pies.
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 5 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 5 medium egg yolks
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup key lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Whipped cream for garnish
- Fresh lime zest for garnish
How to Make Mini Key Lime Pies
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 24-count muffin pan with 16 liners (if using a 12-count pan, you can work in batches)
Step 2: Mix the graham cracker crumbs, nutmeg, melted butter, and granulated sugar together until combined, adding more butter if needed. It should be the consistency of wet sand.
Step 3: Press about 1 tablespoon of the crust mixture into each liner and pack it down. Pre-bake the crusts for 4-6 minutes, then remove from the oven.
Step 4: Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add egg yolks, then the sweetened condensed milk, salt, vanilla extract, and key lime juice. Mix until smooth and combined.
Step 5: Disperse the filling evenly into each crust. Bake for 15 minutes or until the edges are set, but the centers slightly jiggle.
Step 6: Let the mini pies cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Step 7: When serving, decorate each mini pie with whipped cream and fresh lime zest on top.
FAQs & Tips
How to Make Ahead and Store
You can easily make these mini key lime pies in advance to have them ready for your event or as snacks to grab as you want them! Just wrap them with plastic wrap or put them in a nice airtight container and you can keep them in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can alternatively freeze them for up to 3 months.
Use Fresh Key Lime Juice
If you can, freshly squeezed key lime juice is a great choice, but bottled key lime juice is good too and I’ve used it before. Using actual key limes will allow you to have their fresh zest available for garnish too! Substituting with normal lime juice instead of key lime juice will not give you the same flavor as key limes, as there is a significant difference in acidity and taste.
Can It Be Gluten-Free?
It is possible to make this recipe gluten-free, as I’ve discovered out of necessity of my own gluten-free diet! While the regular version of this recipe using graham cracker crumbs is excellent and everyone loves the taste, it’s entirely possible to get a gluten-free graham cracker substitute. Since none of the other ingredients involve gluten, this is an easy switch to make!
Serving Suggestions
Serve your mini key lime pies with some delicious homemade whipped cream! There are a few different versions you can make when it comes to whipped cream. Try a Sweetened Whipped Cream, a Mascarpone Whipped Cream, or even Whipped Cream Cheese! If you’re looking for some extra tropical flavor to match the taste of your zesty key lime while also acting as a balance, I recommend a Coconut Whipped Cream as your whipped cream of choice.
Mini Key Lime Pies
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
- 5 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 5 medium egg yolks
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup key lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Whipped cream for garnish
- Fresh lime zest for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 24-count muffin pan with 16 liners (if using a 12-count pan, you can work in batches)
- Mix the graham cracker crumbs, nutmeg, melted butter, and granulated sugar together until combined, adding more butter if needed. It should be the consistency of wet sand.
- Press about 1 tablespoon of the crust mixture into each liner and pack it down. Pre-bake the crusts for 4-6 minutes, then remove from the oven.
- Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add egg yolks, then the sweetened condensed milk, salt, vanilla extract, and key lime juice. Mix until smooth and combined.
- Disperse the filling evenly into each crust. Bake for 15 minutes or until the edges are set, but the centers slightly jiggle.
- Let the mini pies cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- When serving, decorate each mini pie with whipped cream and fresh lime zest on top.
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