Key Lime Bars

426 Ratings
  • 5 105
  • 4 132
  • 3 126
  • 2 53
  • 1 10

This recipe is based on the famous Key lime pie from Joe's Stone Crab restaurant in Miami Beach. If you can't find Key limes, use regular fresh lime juice.

Gallery

Read the full recipe after the video.

Recipe Summary test

Yield:
Makes about 16
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Ingredients

Directions

  • Make crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in a small bowl. Press evenly onto bottom of an 8-inch square glass baking dish. Bake until dry and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. (Leave oven on.)

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  • Make filling: Put egg yolks and lime zest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on high speed until very thick, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to medium. Add condensed milk in a slow, steady stream, mixing constantly. Raise speed to high; mix until thick, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add lime juice; mix until just combined.

  • Spread filling evenly over crust using a spatula. Bake, rotating dish halfway through, until filling is just set, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate at least 4 hours (or overnight).

  • Cut into 2-by-2-inch bars. Put cream in the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the clean whisk attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Garnish bars with whipped cream and a slice of lime.

Cook's Notes

The bars will keep, wrapped in plastic, in the refrigerator for up to three days.

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Reviews (28)

426 Ratings
  • 5 105
  • 4 132
  • 3 126
  • 2 53
  • 1 10
Martha Stewart Member
06/28/2020
I made these today and they turned out perfect. The only adjustments I made was a tiny dash of sugar in the filling and I made the whipped with heavy cream and confectioners sugar. I do not find them too tart and the crust is a very nice crunch.
Martha Stewart Member
02/04/2019
I was excited to give this recipe a try because I love key lime pie. I was left a little disappointed. Other reviewers had stated that this was too tart. Surprisingly mine ended up being slight too sweet. The filing never really set up even after being refrigerated over night. The crust was also too sweet and got soggy. I’m sure there are better recipes out there for key lime bars. I’m not interested in trying this one again.
Martha Stewart Member
01/06/2017
This recipe is awesome! The Keys are my favorite vacation spot, and these bars take me right back! A lot of comments saying they are too sour, they aren't. Make the recipe how the site suggests, with the whipped cream on top, and they are perfect! If you love authentic Key Lime pie, you'll love this recipe!
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Martha Stewart Member
07/19/2016
I assumed everyone who said this was too sour just didn't actually like citrus, and because I love a good pucker that I would still enjoy this recipe. But the truth is, it's just unpleasantly sour, and could have really used some additional sugar in the filling in addition to the condensed milk. Powdered sugar on top helps a little, but not enough.
Martha Stewart Member
07/17/2016
I absolutely love this recipe! The crunchy graham cracker crust is a perfect contrast to the tart lime filling. I used 2/3 cups lime juice as the recipe states, though half regular limes and half key limes. The end result is very tart but I cut it into tiny squares and these little powerhouses of flavor are just right. I skipped the whipped cream and garnish, though I'll add them if I want to make these look impressive.
Martha Stewart Member
05/24/2015
When I made this, 2/3 cup was wayy to much juice. I added an extra half a can of condensed milk and it was perfect.
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Martha Stewart Member
05/23/2014
I made this recipe today as Martha Stewart is the first person I turn to as a reliable source for any recipe. I was disappointed as I tasted the end result and thought that the amount of key lime juice (2/3 C) was way too much. It was far too tart even for me and my friends. However the graham crust and the overall texture of the bar were spot on. I went back to research other key lime bar recipes and many had called for nearly half the juice so I am not sure if it was a typo. I will try again..
Martha Stewart Member
03/24/2013
Oh Jesus, Thank You For Blessing Us With The Beautiful and Georges..."Mrs. Anita Pelaez" and Her Original Recipe Key Lime Pies. Put Simply, The Finest Key Lime Pies On The Face Of The Earth! Nobody Does It Better Than Anita Does! So Keep The Faith Baby and Enjoy Anita's Key Lime Pies. Praise The Lord For Anita's Key Lime Pie Factory and Grill In Asheville, N.C. Near The Biltmore Estate. God is Good, God Is Great, Let Us Thank Him For The Magic Of Anita Pelaez and Her Key Lime Pies. Ahmen.
Martha Stewart Member
03/14/2013
I love this recipe. It is so delicious. I am going to make them for St. Patrick's Day!
Martha Stewart Member
08/10/2012
I've used this recipe a few times this summer. It is even better than the one I had been using for a pie. In fact, when I recently went to Florida (not the keys though) I ordered a slice of key lime pie at a bakery thinking I was in key lime pie territory. I ended up throwing it out because it didn't compare to the one I'm making in the midwest! I use bottled key lime juice along with my own recipe for homemade whipped cream and it's perfect.
Martha Stewart Member
08/03/2012
I have made this recipe for three different parties this summer- twice with fresh squeezed key lime juice and once with the bottled juice. While I had a slight preference for the fresh limes, each time I made it the bars were the first dessert to go! At one party, they never made it out of the kitchen! The crust itself is so appealing that I almost buried my face in it the moment it came out of the oven! Add confectioners sugar to the whipped cream if you like it on the sweet side. YUM!!!!
Martha Stewart Member
07/24/2012
To anon414........the sweetness in the filling comes from the condensed milk. It is very rich and sweet. Not sure why your squares were not. Did you maybe use evaporated milk instead? Good baking!!
Martha Stewart Member
06/26/2012
This recipe is to die for!
Martha Stewart Member
06/22/2012
I did have to make adjustments in the recipe- I made more graham cracker crust to make a nice base and since I was transporting this I froze rosettes of whipped cream and sprinkled zest for garnish. I can't believe my market actually had key limes and the clerk suggested squeezing them with a garlic press. It worked great and they tasted wonderful!
Martha Stewart Member
06/18/2012
I was so disappointed in this recipe, and I followed it exactly. There was way too much butter in the crust, and after baking with the liquid filling, it turned out to be completely soggy and mushy. The filling was WAY too sour - there definitely needs to be sugar or some kind of sweetener in this. The end product was inedible, and I had to throw the whole tray out. Such a waste!
Martha Stewart Member
06/14/2012
This is a simple recipe and the bars are simply wonderful. Light and perfect! I had to transport them, so I did not serve with whipped cream. I toasted a bit of coconut and sprinkled on top, right before serving! Be sure to do all the mixing for the time described in directions, for a light and fluffy filling. Do refrigerate over night, too!
Martha Stewart Member
09/10/2011
"Florribean Lime Juice" not from concentrate is available from King Arthur Flour.Closet to "Joe's" been able to find in VA. Real Limes are very small and Not deep Green.Roll them.A very different flavour from Larger Limes.Also,a few moments on "low" in Micro should give more Juice if "rolling" them doesn't Produce.Some haven't juice inside,look like "cotton".Great recipe any way one does it.
Martha Stewart Member
08/22/2011
I love this recipe but I use passion fruit (we call it lilikoi in Hawaii) juice instead of lime juice and oooh my god-It's absolutely sinful!!! I always substitute a couple of tablespoons of organic extra virgin coconut oil for some of the butter and I add some shredded coconut to the food processor with the graham crackers. It's an incredible alteration! Tonight I'm trying chocolate graham crackers for the crust. We'll see how that turns out.
Martha Stewart Member
07/09/2011
Some of you closer to the Mason-Dixon line will know that you can get key lime juice in bottles, which allows all of us to have this wonderful pie all year 'round. There is a difference between the key lime and a regular lime, and the bottled juice is the next best thing. I don't think that regular lime juice even compares.
Martha Stewart Member
05/03/2010
Super simple to make, but look difficult and so delicious. I served them the way depicted in the photo; a dollop of whipped cream and sprinkle of crumbs, no lime slice tho. They really impressed. Definite winner!
Martha Stewart Member
02/16/2010
These were pretty much a snap to make. Though having a Kitchen Aid to whip those yolks takes the work out of it. Hand whipping would be a hassle I used bitter orange instead of limes, and it turned out great. You could probably substitute lemon or grapefruit.
Martha Stewart Member
02/16/2010
These were pretty much a snap to make. Though having a Kitchen Aid to whip those yolks takes the work out of it. Hand whipping would be a hassle I used bitter orange instead of limes, and it turned out great. You could probably substitute lemon or grapefruit.
Martha Stewart Member
02/21/2009
rats! my comments never show up properly. wanted to say just made these and they were delicious.
Martha Stewart Member
02/21/2009
Just made these
Martha Stewart Member
09/06/2008
These are amazing...in South Florida, Key Limes are found everywhere, if you dont have a neighbor with a tree, then you can go to the grocery store and buy a bag of 12 or so for less than $5.00.
Martha Stewart Member
08/14/2008
To jimsonly-apparently you have never used a true KEY LIME. They are very small, that is why you need approx. 23 of them.
Martha Stewart Member
08/12/2008
Martha, For 2/3 cup of fresh lime juice, you need 23 fresh limes? Whoever types/edits your recipes gets very sloppy with accurate measurements
Martha Stewart Member
07/25/2008
i agree with photothyme, this is sublime!!. in south africa we do not know what graham cracker crumbs are, so i used nutticrust biscuits, which have a ginger flavour - divine!!!! i actually used 1 and a half tins of condensmilk, as i looked at the weight
Martha Stewart Member
06/07/2008
These key lime bars are sublime (no pun intended). However note the error in the list of ingredients. It should read: 1 CAN sweetened condensed milk, (14 ounces), NOT 1 CUP sweetened condensed milk, (14 ounces).
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