web analytics

Cream Cheese Key Lime Pie

Cream Cheese Key Lime Pie
A classic key lime pie is made with sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks and lots of fresh key lime juice. In the original recipe, the pie is unbaked and relies on the acid from the lime juice to “cook” the egg yolks and thicken the pie. It works well, but because of concerns with having uncooked eggs in the pie, most key lime pies are baked in the oven or omit the eggs entirely in favor of using gelatin to firm up the pie. There are plenty of really great, slightly non-traditional key lime pies out there, but I find that few have the creaminess of that classic unbaked pie.

Until I made this one, which just might be my new favorite key lime pie recipe.

This is a non-traditional key lime pie in that it tastes like key lime pie, but there is not an egg in sight. This pie uses sweetened condensed milk for sweetness, cream cheese for creaminess and a little bit of gelatin to help the pie firm up while it chills in the refrigerator. It is incredibly light and creamy, and it has such a good lime flavor that you would never know that there was cream cheese in there. I also put a very thin layer of white chocolate between the filling and the graham cracker crust of this pie to ensure that the crust stayed crispy and flavorful, and didn’t get soggy from the filling.

I actually used regular lime juice in this pie and not key lime (because I have a lime tree), so feel free to use whatever limes are convenient to you as long as you use freshly squeezed lime juice. Don’t be tempted to go with bottled juice because not only do you need the lime zest to go into the filling, but you pie won’t have the same flavor as it will with fresh.

Cream Cheese Key Lime Pie

Cream Cheese Key Lime Pie
2-oz white chocolate, melted
9-inch graham cracker crust (homemade or storebought)
6-oz cream cheese, room temperature
14-oz sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup lime juice
1 tbsp lime zest
1 1/4 tsp powdered gelatin
1 tsp vanilla extract

Using a pastry brush, spread the white chocolate in a very thin layer over the surface of a cooled (or store bought) graham cracker crust. Put crust in the refrigerator for 5 minutes to allow the chocolate to set up.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, 1/2 cup lime juice and lime zest. Whizz until smooth.
In a small bowl, combine remaining lime juice, gelatin and vanilla extract. Heat in the microwave for 30 to 60 seconds, until juice is hot enough that the gelatin dissolves into it completely when you stir it. With the food processor running, very slowly stream the gelatin mixture into the cream cheese mixture.
Pour filling into white chocolate-lined graham cracker crust and refrigerate for 3-4 hours, until set.

Serves 8-10

Graham Cracker Crust
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
7 tbsp butter, melted and cooled

Preheat oven to 350.
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and plus to combine. Pour into a 9-inch pie plate and press into an even layer on the sides and bottom of the pan.
Bake for 12-16 minutes, until crust is lightly browned.
Cool completely before using.

Share this article

15 Comments
  • Amber Shea @Almost Vegan
    July 21, 2010

    Ooh, I love the inclusion of white chocolate!

  • Kitchen Corner
    July 21, 2010

    This key lime pie made with cream cheese must be very good one! Very tempting!

  • Paula
    July 22, 2010

    so yummy!

  • Evan @swEEts
    July 22, 2010

    I have some mini graham cracker crusts waiting to be used in my pantry! This is going to be perfect 🙂 Thanks for sharing!!

  • Anna
    July 22, 2010

    That looks like the one they serve at Fleming’s Steakhouse! I’ll have to try it. I made one a while back and it was great, but the recipe was quite different. It called for four egg yolks.

  • Nicole M.
    July 22, 2010

    This sound yummy. Is it necessary to use the white chocolate? I’m not a big fan of that. Does it create a barrier?

  • emmzee
    July 22, 2010

    Is it okay to use ReaLime instead of actual lime juice for this sort of recipe? I know it’s probably not optimal but I already have some in the fridge so I’d rather just use that if it’s roughly equivalent … thanks 🙂

  • Nicole
    July 22, 2010

    Nicole – You won’t be able to taste the white chocolate, it just prevents the crust from getting soggy (huge improvement in the pie when you don’t get a soggy crust!)

    Emmzee – No, I would stick with regular lime juice. RealLime has a good flavor in plenty of other things, but you won’t get the same result if you use it here.

  • MollyCookie
    July 23, 2010

    This really looks wonderful. I’m a big key lime pie fan but I’ve never tried making one myself. This looks like a great recipe!

  • Celia
    March 14, 2011

    I love key lime pie generally, and this looks like a fabulous one. I bet the cream cheese adds a nice non-lime tanginess…

  • Susan
    April 1, 2011

    I found a very simple recipe on Allrecipes for an eggless key lime pie that is similar to this one. It uses 2 cans of condensed milk (even low fat works!), 1/2 cup sour cream and 3/4 cup of lime juice (about 20 key limes) and 1 tbsp of zest. Mix together and pour it in a grahm cracker crust and bake for only 10 minutes at 350. It sets up perfectly. It must be the pectin in the juice along with the sour cream that helps it set up so nicely. It’s so creamy with a lovely lime flavor. I may try the cream cheese next time I make this and see how that works.

  • Julia
    May 12, 2011

    I LOVE the idea of white chocolate brushed on the bottom. And the cream cheese, YUM! Totally making this ASAP!

  • Heather
    April 7, 2013

    made this for Easter… my folks absolutely loved it!

  • […] My friend Tony recommended key lime pie, which I very nearly chose this weekend (I have been eyeing this recipe from Baking Bites).  However, I was feeling a little more loose, a little more flexible, perhaps […]

  • Dessert | Pearltrees
    March 11, 2012

    […] 3/4 cup lime juice 1 tbsp lime zest 14-oz sweetened condensed milk Cream Cheese Key Lime Pie « Baking Bites […]

What do you think?

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