We’ve loved the rich, creamy texture and tart/sweet flavor of key lime pie for as long as we can remember. Growing up in Michigan, we’d never tasted key lime pie until a family vacation to Florida many years ago. Love at first bite. Our keto key lime pie tastes every bit as good as the high carb original for a fraction of the carbs!

A good friend, Tanya, dropped a challenge. Make a keto version of Key Lime Pie. We laughed and said, “Not possible!” The filling is made with sweetened condensed milk, which is LOADED with carbs. Remember when we were kids and stuck our fingers into the empty can of sweetened condensed milk, searching for even a tiny taste? Yep, it’s that delicious. We began our search for a keto version, and find just about every site has their own basic recipe. Thank you to the keto/low carb community for paving the way and opening up a world of dessert recipes we thought were out of our reach!

We suggest you make the sugar-free sweetened condensed milk an hour or two (or the day before) so it’s chilled before adding to the slightly beaten yolks and lime juice. After a good whisk, pour the filling into the cooled crust and pop back in a slightly lowered oven temperature (325 degrees F) and bake for about 15 minutes, until the center is set but still wobbly when shaken. Bring to room temperature and place in fridge for several hours (at least 4) until well-chilled.

FOUR INGREDIENT LOW CARB CRUST

First step: switch up the traditional graham cracker crust with our 4 ingredient almond/pecan crust. Huge carb saver. Place almond flour, chopped pecans or walnuts and brown sugar replacement in a medium-size bowl and blend well, making sure the brown sugar is lump-free. Now drizzle in the butter and mix with a fork until you’ve got an evenly-moist crumb mixture. Line the bottom of a 9 to 9.5 inch pie plate with parchment paper for slices that slide out effortlessly. Press into the sides and bottom of the pie plate and bake at 350 degrees F for 12-15 minutes, until light golden-brown. Bring to room temperature, and then chill in fridge until you’re ready to use. This can be prepared a day in advance.

THREE INGREDIENT FILLING

Our amazing key lime pie filling uses only 3 ingredients: egg yolks, our Keto Sugar-Free Sweetened Condensed Milk and 1/2 cup of freshly squeezed key lime juice. Since we live in Georgia, we’re able to find key limes year-round. If they’re not available to you, use regular limes instead. We ordered bottled key lime juice for comparison, and we were NOT impressed with the flavor. It’s just not the bright, intense flavor of fresh.

To make the lime filling, whisk egg yolks in a medium bowl for 1 minute. Add our Sugar-Free Sweetened Condensed Milk and lime juice. Whisk until well-combined. Pour into cooled pie crust and bake. 

MAKE THE WHIPPED TOPPING

Finally, right before serving, make the sugar-free whipped topping using heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar substitute, and a touch of vanilla extract (optional).  We find the vanilla rounds out the flavor beautifully. Begin by beating the whipping cream until soft peaks form. Then add the powdered sugar substitute one tablespoon at a time, beating after each addition. Our sweet spot is 6 tablespoons, but adding or subtracting to this number is just fine. Finish by beating in the vanilla.

Spread the whipped cream evenly over the filling and garnish with lime slices and zest. Serve cold. 

STORING THE KETO KEY LIME PIE

Store leftovers, covered in plastic wrap or foil in refrigerator for up to 5 days. We do not recommend freezing. 

HOW ARE KEY LIMES DIFFERENT FROM STANDARD LIMES?

Key limes are smaller in size, have a thinner skin, and tend to have more seeds than standard limes. A key lime weighs about 1 ounce, while the average standard lime weight about 3 ounces, so you’ll need more key limes to produce the same amount of juice as a regular lime.

Compared to regular limes, key limes have a taste that’s less tart and more floral. If you can’t find key limes, no worries. We’ve tried this recipe using regular limes and found it just as delicious. You can control the level of sweetness by the amount of powdered sugar substitute in the whipped topping.

Finally, right before serving, make the sugar-free whipped topping using heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar substitute, and a touch of vanilla extract (optional). We find the vanilla rounds out the flavor beautifully. Begin by beating the whipping cream until soft peaks form. Then add the powdered sugar substitute one tablespoon at a time, beating after each addition. Our sweet spot is 6 tablespoons, but adding or subtracting to this number is just fine. Finish by beating in the vanilla.