Key Lime Pie Bars Recipe The Recipe Critic

I love making pie bars to serve to a crowd because they’re so easy to make and serve! Bring these cherry pie bars, my peaches and cream bars, or pecan pie bars to your next party.

Key Lime Pie Bars

I LOVE key lime pie…it’s my favorite pie of all time! The sweet and tart filling gets me every time! These key lime pie bars are simply the bar version of the classic dessert and are just as delicious. The sweet graham cracker crust is baked to perfection and then topped with a layer of smooth key lime pie filling. The filling is my favorite because it’s creamy, tangy, and loaded with zesty lime flavor. And any dessert recipe that uses sweetened condensed milk is a win in my book! If you love key lime anything like I do, then I have some incredible recipes for you to try! This no-bake key lime pie is an easy summer dessert to make. I also love this cheesecake and my kids always request this key lime poke cake.

Ingredients Needed

Each layer of these key lime pie bars uses minimal ingredients making this a surprisingly easy recipe! Follow the recipe card below for exact ingredients and measurements.

Crust

Graham Cracker Crumbs: I used about 8 full crackers. Granulated Sugar: To sweeten the crust. Salted Butter: Melted to moisten the crust and add a buttery flavor.

Key Lime Filling

Egg Yolks: Adds richness to the filling. Key Lime Zest: Fresh zest is a must to enhance and brighten the lime flavor. Key Lime Juice: Key limes are very small limes that are often sold in bags at the grocery store. Use fresh key limes or bottled key lime juice. Regular limes can be substituted. Sweetened Condensed Milk: Granulated Sugar:

Whipped Cream

Heavy Cream: Chilled heavy cream gives the best results. Powdered Sugar: Sweetens the cream to perfection! Lime Zest: Extra lime zest to garnish and for more lime flavor.

Key Lime Pie Bars Recipe

I love how easy these bars are to make and take to a party! This recipe makes about 9 bars or 12 smaller bars. You can also double the recipe if you need to feed more people. I walk you through every step, so let’s get baking!

Crust

Key Lime Filling

Whipped Cream

Key Limes: Key limes are essential for key lime desserts, but they aren’t always in season. You can substitute the juice and zest of key limes for the juice and zest of Persian limes. You can also use bottled key lime juice. Nellie & Joe’s bottled key lime juice is a great option and it’s easy to find! Whipped Topping: You may use thawed whipped topping instead of whipped cream if you’d like. Dairy-Free: I haven’t tried the non-dairy sweetened condensed milk with this recipe, but I believe coconut or oat milk sweetened condensed milk would still work if you want to make this a dairy-free recipe. You can omit the whipped cream or use your favorite dairy-free whipped cream. Butter Substitutions: Replace the butter with 4 tablespoons of clarified butter, ghee, or margarine in the crust. Gluten-Free: You can easily make this a gluten-free recipe by using gluten-free graham crackers to make the crust. Depending on the brand, it might be more or less than 8 crackers to make 1 cup of crumbs.

In the Refrigerator: Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days. In the Freezer: Place the cooled bars on a parchment-lined baking sheet then place it in the freezer for a few hours. Once frozen solid, transfer them to an airtight container or a freezer bag. Freeze them for up to 3 months. To Thaw: Set the frozen bars on a plate covered with plastic wrap then place them in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours until thawed. Top with whipped cream before serving. Make in Advance: These bars can be prepared 2-3 days in advance, however, I recommend waiting until you serve it to top it with whipped cream.