Mini Key Lime Pies are an easy way to convert a classic key lime pie into individual servings. In a matter of minutes, you can make homemade buttery graham cracker crusts, fill them with a 4 ingredient key lime mixture, and bake them into the best bites of sweet and tart treats.
Individual Key Lime Pies
These Mini Key Lime Pies have all the classic components of a traditional key lime tart, but they’re made even easier because they are baked in individual muffin tins instead of a single pie pan.
Each of these mini lime pies has a buttery and crispy graham cracker base piled high with a silky smooth and creamy filling and topped with a homemade whipped cream.
Key lime mini pies are the cutest cocktail, perfectly-portioned, party food that requires minimal effort to make; there’s no slicing or silverware needed, and easy for little hands to hold.
If you’re like me and you like all things mini, you must make my Mini Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Bites, Mini Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes, and Mini Banana Bread Muffins!
Why We Love This Mini Key Lime Pie Recipe
- Quick and easy to make.
- Uses simple kitchen-staple ingredients.
- Perfect for portion control because they are single serving.
- Refreshing flavors with creamy and crunchy textures.
- Ultimate summer dessert for warm weather entertaining.
- Individual sizes are great sharing at potlucks, picnics, BBQs, and pool parties.
Ingredients
- Graham crackers
- Salted sweet cream butter
- Granulated sugar
- Egg yolks
- Sweetened condensed milk: This is not the same as evaporated milk!
- Key lime juice: You can use either fresh key lime juice or bottled key lime juice. I recommend Nellie and Joe’s key lime juice.
- Fresh lime zest
- Heavy cream
- Powdered sugar
- Clear vanilla flavoring
SEE FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD BELOW
Substitutions and Additions
- Create Your Crust: You can use digestive biscuits, shortbread cookies, or even Nilla wafers instead of graham crackers to make your crust.
- Grab A Garnish: Feel free to garnish your key lime pie bites with a lime wedge and an extra dollop of whipped cream.
- Make Mini Key Lime Cheesecakes: With a few tweaks plus the addition of cream cheese, you can easily make my No Bake Mini Key Lime Cheesecakes
Recommended Tools
- Muffin pan
- Cupcake liners
- Mixing bowl and tools
- Measuring tools
- Whisk
- Stand mixer or a handheld mixer
- Piping bag with a star-shaped tip
How to Make Mini Key Lime Pie Bites
This refreshing Mini Key Lime Pie recipe makes the best bite-sized dessert with minimal effort. Preparing pies in muffin pans are perfect for all your summer gatherings and warm weather entertaining.
- Create The Crust: Combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar and scoop the mixture into each cupcake liner. Pack it down and bake at 350° Fahrenheit for 8 minutes.
- Form The Filling: Whisk together the egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes, then scoop the filling on top of each crust. Bake at at 350° Fahrenheit for 15-17 minutes until the mixture is set and no longer jiggly. Cool in the pan and then place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours.
- Top Your Treat: Beat together the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla for 2-2½ minutes until stiff peak form. Pipe the whipped topping onto each mini pie. Serve and enjoy!
Tips
- You can juice your own key limes if you want, but I prefer bottled key lime juice to make this recipe easier.
- Allowing the filling mixture to sit for 5 minutes helps thicken the filling before baking.
- I like making my own whipped topping, but you can use store-bought if you prefer.
- You can add 1 teaspoon of lime zest to the crumb mixture before baking for an extra tangy flavor.
- Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to check your pies at the lower end of the recommended baking time.
Storage Tips
- To Store: Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
- To Freeze: You can freeze the baked mini pies for up to 2 months. Allow them to thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can either buy full graham cracker sheets and crush them yourself, or you can save time by buying pre-made graham cracker crumbs.
If you need to crush your graham crackers, you can toss them in the food processor or crush them in a Ziploc with a rolling pin until they are fine crumbs.
Yes, this recipe can also be made as one large 9-inch pie instead of as individual pies.
To make the pie, simply use this same recipe, but press the crust into a 9-inch pie dish. Pre-bake for 12 minutes at 350°F, spoon in the filling, and bake for 18 minutes.
Allow the pie to cool at room temperature before chilling in the refrigerator. Top with whipped cream before serving.
To pipe the whipped cream, fill either a piping bag with a star-shaped tip or a gallon-sized Ziploc with a corner snipped off with the whipped topping.
Holding the tip of the bag ½ inch above the center surface of the mini pies, apply gentle, steady pressure and squeeze a small star.
Continue with the steady pressure, and form a continuous C around the center. Repeat for the remaining mini pies.
Other Easy Pie Recipes
- Layered Jello Pie
- Buckeye Pie
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Pie
- Strawberry Cool Whip Pie
- Jell-O Pie
- Skrewball Pie
Mini Key Lime Pies
Ingredients
Crust
- 9 whole graham crackers (1 sleeve) finely crushed
- 3 tablespoons salted sweet cream butter melted
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Filling
- 4 large egg yolks room temperature
- 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon key lime juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime zest
Whipped Topping
- 1 cup cold heavy cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon clear vanilla flavoring
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. Set it aside.
- Using a small mixing bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar.
- Scoop 1 tablespoon of the graham cracker mixture into each cupcake liner.
- Tamp down the graham cracker mixture, and bake for 8 minutes.
Filling
- Using a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk until smooth.
- Whisk in the key lime juice and fresh lime zest. Whisk until smooth.
- Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes, then scoop 2 tablespoons of the key lime mixture on top of each mini pie crust.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes until the mixture is set and no longer jiggly. Remove from the oven and let the mini pies cool completely in the pan. Once completely cooled, chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Whipped Topping
- Using either a stand mixer or a medium-sized mixing bowl and a handheld mixer on high speed, beat together the cold heavy cream, powdered sugar, and clear vanilla flavoring for 2-2½ minutes until stiff peak stage.
- Fill either a piping bag with a star-shaped tip or a gallon-sized Ziploc with a corner snipped off with the whipped topping.
- Holding the tip of the bag ½ inch above the center surface of the mini pies, apply gentle, steady pressure and squeeze a small star. Continue with the steady pressure, and form a continuous C around the center. Repeat for the remaining mini pies.
Jenn’s Notes
- To Store: Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
- To Freeze: You can freeze the baked mini pies for up to 2 months. Allow them to thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
- You can juice your own key limes if you want, but I prefer bottled key lime juice to make this recipe easier.
- Allowing the filling mixture to sit for 5 minutes helps thicken the filling before baking.
- I like making my own whipped topping, but you can use store-bought if you prefer.
- You can add 1 teaspoon of lime zest to the crumb mixture before baking for an extra tangy flavor.
- Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to check your pies at the lower end of the recommended baking time.
