Easy lime pie
A sweet-tart, silky lime filling baked for just 15 minutes in a store-bought graham crust, about the easiest pie there is.
- 245 min total
- 15 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 8
- About $0.89 a serving
- 300 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
Dolly says: Make the full amount. Whatever’s left keeps for tomorrow.
Ingredients
For 8 servings.
- 1 graham cracker pie crust, 9 inch
- 4 limes, 2 zested, all juiced (about ½ cup)
- 3 large eggs, yolks only
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk, 14 oz
- 1 cup heavy cream, cold, for topping (optional)
Each serving has about 300 calories, 8 g protein, 44 g carbs and 11 g fat, and costs about $0.89 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No limes? Lemons work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 350°F and set the crust on a .
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Sheet pan. A sheet pan is a flat metal baking tray with a low rim all the way around. The rim catches juices, and the wide surface lets food spread out and brown.
How you’ll know: Everything fits in one layer with a little space between the pieces.
Dolly’s tip: The sheet makes the pie easy to slide in and out without cracking the crust.2 limes and juice all 4; you need about ½ cup of juice.
Zest. Zest is the thin, colored outer layer of citrus peel, rubbed off on the smallest holes of a grater. It holds the fruit’s fragrant oils, so it adds bright flavor without the sourness of juice.
How you’ll know: You see bright flecks and smell citrus right away; stop when you reach the white layer, which is bitter.
Separate the eggs, dropping the yolks into a large bowl and saving the whites in a covered container in the fridge.
Dolly’s tip: Crack each egg over a small bowl and pass the yolk between the shell halves, letting the white fall.the yolks and lime for 1 minute, then whisk in the condensed milk and lime juice until smooth and slightly thick.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Zest. Zest is the thin, colored outer layer of citrus peel, rubbed off on the smallest holes of a grater. It holds the fruit’s fragrant oils, so it adds bright flavor without the sourness of juice.
How you’ll know: You see bright flecks and smell citrus right away; stop when you reach the white layer, which is bitter.
Timer: 1 min
Pour the filling into the crust and bake 15 to 18 minutes, at the edges and a knife slid in near the middle comes out clean.
Set. Set means food has firmed up from runny to holding its shape, from cooking, baking or chilling. Set eggs have no clear, runny white left, and a set pudding stays put when you tilt the dish.
How you’ll know: Tilt the pan or press gently near the middle: it barely wobbles, and nothing runs.
Timer: 15 min
Food safety: Custards, puddings and pie fillings made with eggs are done at 160°F in the middle. Without a thermometer: on the stove, cook until thick and gently bubbling; in the oven, until a knife slid in near the middle comes out clean.
Cool for 30 minutes, then at least 3 hours, until cold and firm.
Cool on a rack. Cooling on a rack means setting a hot pan or fresh cookies on a wire grid, so air moves underneath and the bottom doesn’t steam and turn soggy. No rack? The cool grates of your stovetop work the same way.
How you’ll know: The bottom of the pan feels barely warm when you touch it, and bars cut cleanly instead of crumbling.
Chill. Chilling means putting something in the fridge until it’s cold all the way through. No-bake desserts firm up as they chill, and chilled cookie dough spreads less in the oven.
How you’ll know: It feels cold in the middle, not just on top, and it holds its shape when you cut or scoop it.
Timer: 30 min
the cream to if you’re using it, spread it over the pie, and cut into 8 slices.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Soft peaks. Soft peaks are the stage of whipped cream where it holds a shape that slumps over at the tip. It’s light and spoonable, just right for folding into mousse or spooning onto pie.
How you’ll know: Lift the whisk: the cream forms a peak that droops over like a wave instead of standing straight.
Food safety: Food with mayonnaise, dairy, eggs, cooked meat or cream, like dips, salads and cream desserts, can sit out for 2 hours at most, or 1 hour above 90°F. Keep cold food in the fridge or on ice until serving, and hot food at 140°F or hotter.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop picks a dessert for treat night, puts what you need on the week’s grocery list, and walks you through each step.
