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Key lime pie is one of my favorites. It is creamy, sweet and tangy with a key lime flavor that packs a punch.
The traditional pie, which is made with a couple of cans of sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks and sour cream and then baked, is a no go for us due to the saturated fat and sugar load.
My goal was to make a key lime pie that was bakery and restaurant quality in flavor, had good texture and fit our dietary needs. I used homemade sugar free and fat free sweetened condensed milk, thickened plain non-fat yogurt and egg whites in this recipe. While the egg whites gave the pie more of a cheesecake texture, it was still incredibly creamy. Rather than use regular limes, I opted for Nellie & Joe’s Famous West Key Lime Juice.
This key lime pie exceeded my expectations. It matched the local restaurant’s key lime pie in flavor and while the texture was more like that of cheesecake, it was still silky and creamy. My husband, who doesn’t normally eat key lime pie, asked for seconds.
I am including two variations to the recipes. The first converts the recipe to a no bake key lime pie. The flavor is the same but the texture of the filling is more custard like. The second results in a soft custard like key lime pie filling that would be great straight up or layered with cubed angel food cake and top with cool whip to make individual parfaits or a trifle.
While I made a crustless pie, a graham cracker or traditional crust can be used.
Please see the recipe card below for exact amounts and directions.
Ingredient Round Up
- Plain non fat yogurt, thickened
- Homemade sugar free and fat free sweetened condensed milk
- Egg whites
- Nellie & Joe’s Famous West Key Lime Juice
- Graham cracker
Making the Key Lime Pie
- Strain the yogurt in a coffee filter lined strainer for a day to thicken it.
- Make a batch of homemade sugar free & fat free sweetened condensed milk and refrigerate.
- The next day, crush a graham cracker or two.
- Spray Pam on the bottom of a pie plate and rub it around with a piece of paper towel. Dust the pie plate with the graham cracker crumbs and set aside.
- Place the thickened yogurt, homemade sweetened condensed milk and key lime juice in a bowl.
- Use a hand mixer to combine all the ingredients. Take a taste. If it’s too tart for you, add sweetener a bit at a time.
- Add the egg whites to the filling and beat them in.
- Fill the pie plate with the mixture and bake.
- The center of the pie should jiggle when the pie plate is gently shaken from side to side when done. Remove from the oven, let it cool and then refrigerate for several hr.
- Serve with a dollop of Reddi-wip or Cool Whip. Refrigerate the leftovers for up to 4 days.
Variation 1 – No Bake Pie
- Eliminate the egg whites from the baked key lime recipe.
- Instead dissolve a package of Knox gelatin or some other unflavored gelatin in 1/4 c of very hot water. Stir and make sure it is dissolved. If it doesn’t completely dissolve, stick it in the microwave for 10 sec, stir and repeat if necessary.
- Add the dissolved gelatin to the pie mixture and beat it in immediately. If you let the dissolved gelatin sit before adding it to the mixture, it will start to set up and you will have clumps of jello in the pie. Been there, done that. If that should happen, use a strainer to remove it.
- Put the mixture in the pie plate and refrigerate for 4 – 5 hr before serving. The pie is creamy and has a more custard like consistency.
Variation 2 – Soft Custard Filling
- Eliminate the egg whites from the baked key lime pie recipe and refrigerate for several hours.
- The key lime custard filling can be served straight up with a dollop of Reddi-wip.
- You can stuff plain yellow cupcakes with it.
- Make individual parfaits or a trifle by layering cubed angel food cake with the custard and top with Cool Whip.
WW 1 pt per serving baked & no bake pie & filling (stevia, monk fruit, erythritol, allulose)
WW 2 pt per serving baked & no bake pie & filling (Splenda)
WW 9 pt for entire recipe of key lime filling (stevia, monk fruit, erythritol, allulose)
WW 13 pt for entire recipe of key lime filling (Splenda)
Equipment
- strainer
- bowl that strainer will fit into
- coffee filters
- pie plate
- Rolling Pin
- mixing bowl
- hand or stand mixer
- measuring cup
- spatula
Ingredients
- 32 oz plain fat free yogurt
- 1 recipe of homemade sugar free & fat free sweetened condensed milk
- 1 graham cracker
- ¼ c key lime juice, Nellie & Joe's Famous West Key Lime Juice
- 2 egg whites or 1 whole egg
Instructions
Preparing the Yogurt (the day before)
- Place the yogurt in a coffee filter lined strainer. Set the strainer inside of a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hr. Make sure the strainer does not hit the bottom of the bowl. Through the course of the day, empty the whey from the bowl several times. You do not want the strainer sitting in the whey.
Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk (the day before)
- Make the homemade sugar free & fat free sweetened condensed milk that has been previously posted on this site and refrigerate until needed.
Preparing the Pie Plate
- Use a rolling pin and crush the graham cracker to make crumbs.
- Generously spray the pie plate with Pam. Use a piece of paper towel and smear it around the pie plate bottom and sides.
- Dump the graham cracker crumbs into the pie plate and shake from side to side to coat the bottom. Then over the sink, tilt the pie plate to dust the sides with crumbs. Dusting the pan will take about 1½ tbsp of crumbs. Shake out the excess crumbs. Set the pie plate aside.
Making the Key Lime Pie
- Preheat the oven to 350℉
- Place the thickened yogurt, homemade condensed sweetened milk and key lime juice in a mixing bowl. Use a hand or stand mixer to combine the ingredients until they are well incorporated and smooth.
- Taste the mixture. If the mixture is too tart for you, add a bit more sweetener a tbsp at a time.
- Add the egg whites and beat them in.
- Pour the mixture into the pie plate and smooth out the top with a spatula. Place in the oven to bake.
- Bake for 18 min and then check the pie. Using pot holders, gently shake the pie from side to side - the pie should jiggle in the center. If it jiggles vigorously, bake it for another 1-2 min. I baked my pie for a total of 20 min.
- Remove the cooked pie from the oven. Let cool at room temperature for an hr. Then refrigerate the pie for 5 - 6 hr before serving. I usually make the pie in mid morning so it will be ready for dinner.
- Serve up a slice of pie with a dollop of Reddi-wip or Cool Whip. Refrigerate any remaining pie and consume within 4 days.
- Note: The pie will continue to give up whey after it's sliced. Use a paper towel to soak up the whey.
