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Home » Baking and Desserts

Chocolate Key Lime Pie Recipe -- Perfect Addition to your Holiday Menu

by Beth Lee · Published: Dec 3, 2012 · Modified: Aug 28, 2021

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key lime pie with whipped cream for pinterest

The table was set, the turkey was perfect, the stuffing, appetizers, and side dishes were all mouth watering but to no surprise, it was the dessert that stole the show. We had chocolate pecan pie, two home-baked pumpkin pies prepared by the kids, and the now famous key lime pie – which just last Thursday was featured in our local newspaper, The San Jose Mercury News, in the food section with kudos to my budding baker boy - @gregorytlee.

For ease of browsing here are all of my baking and dessert recipes in one place.

Decorated Thanksgiving table set with pumpkins, pine cones, and fall leaf decorations.
Local newspaper showing key lime pie recipe.

So after taunting you last May with the recipe for key lime bars with pistachio crust, here, finally, is the now famous key lime pie recipe, just in time for you to add it to your holiday season dessert repertoire.

Though @gregorytlee received full credit in the paper since he prepared the pie all by himself this year, the evolution was more of a father/son effort. @dormantchef decided a few years ago that he wanted key lime pie. They found a recipe on Allrecipes.com for a macadamia-crusted white chocolate version. Being the chocoholics we are in this house, @dormantchef’s first modification was to change to dark chocolate. It provides a lovely color and flavor contrast to the tangy filling and crunchy crust.

Each year, they worked on the pie together until @gregorytlee’s confidence grew and since last year, he has taken the reigns on this unusual but outrageously yummy Thanksgiving tradition.

You can find the newspaper story by Jackie Burrell online - the photo of the pie is #7 in the series.

Here are a few step-by-step photos and the recipe as the boys adapted it from the original on AllRecipes.com.

The baked macadamia crust:

Baked macadamia crust cooling on a rack.

The chocolate and butter ready to be melted:

A bowl with chocolate and butter chunks, ready for melting.

The lined crust - @gregorytlee uses the back of a spoon to spread:

Macadamia crust covered with melted chocolate.

 The partially filled lined crust - isn't it pretty?

Filling poured into chocolate lined macadamia crust.

The baked pie:

Baked pie cooling on a rack.

Ready to eat!

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A slice of famous key lime pie on a white plate with a dollop of whipped cream.
Thanksgiving Tradition

The Now Famous Key Lime Pie Recipe

This tangy pie recipe originated with a white chocolate lining. We substituted dark chocolate for the white, adding some contrasting flavor and color. We’ve also made the pie with both traditional key limes as well as the lemony-looking limes that grow in our backyard. The regular size backyard limes result in a wonderful pie with far less labor than squeezing so many mini key limes. We use a deep dish 9” glass pie dish. If you use a shallower dish, reduce the quantity of filling by 25%. You can keep the crust constant and have a bit extra or use it all, resulting in a slightly thicker crust. We found the ratio of crust to filling as shown below to work just perfectly in a deep dish pan. This recipe lends itself well to preparing it in stages, even over a couple of days if your time is limited.
5 from 6 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 hr 15 mins
Cook Time 45 mins
Total Time 2 hrs
Course Dessert
Servings 14 servings
Calories 439 kcal

Ingredients
  

Crust:

  • ½ cup finely chopped macadamia nuts a little extra is ok
  • ½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup white or organic sugar
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter cubed and chilled

Chocolate lining:

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter cubed
  • 3.5 ounces dark chocolate roughly chopped

Filling:

  • 8 egg yolks
  • 28 ounces sweetened condensed milk 2 cans
  • 1 teaspoon grated lime zest 1 regular lime or 5 or 6 key limes
  • 1 ¼ cups key lime or regular lime juice 4 – 5 regular limes or approximately 30 key limes -- really depends on size and juiciness

Whipped topping:

  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • ½ teaspoon lime zest or a splash of vanilla or both optional

Instructions
 

To make the crust:

  • In a large or mini food processor, process the nuts, flour, and sugar until starting to combine, then add the cold, cubed butter and continue to process until it forms large crumbs but does not ball up.
  • Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch deep dish pie pan, preferably glass. Freeze the crust until it is firm, 15 – 30 minutes.
  • While the crust is firming up, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Once firm, bake the crust for about 20 – 25 minutes, until it is lightly brown and set up. Let it cool on a wire rack. If you are planning to continue preparation, leave the oven on at 350 degrees.

To make the dark chocolate coating:

  • Combine the butter and chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl. You can either place the bowl over simmering water and stir constantly until the chocolate and butter are melted, combined, and smooth or microwave it on your melt function or about medium power mixing frequently to be sure it combines, using 30-second bursts if you’re not sure how powerful your microwave is. Once the chocolate is smooth and melted, pour it all over the crust and use the back of a spoon to spread it evenly all over the cooled crust. Freeze again until firm – even overnight if you are continuing the baking the next day.

To make the key lime filling:

  • While the crust is chilling, in a medium bowl whisk together the egg yolks, condensed milk, and lime zest. Gradually stir in the lime juice until well combined. Pour the mixture into the chilled crust.
  • If the pie pan has just come out of the freezer and was in there for a long time, let the glass pie dish warm up a bit before you place it in the hot oven. Bake the pie at 350 degrees for 20 minutes to set the filling. Remove pie and let it cool on a wire rack. Then cover carefully and chill for at least a couple of hours or overnight.

Whipped topping:

  • While the pie is chilling, make the whipped topping by beating the cream and sugar (and optional zest and vanilla) to stiff peaks. Place a dollop of the whipped cream on each slice of pie when you serve it. You can decorate with shaved chocolate, lime slices, and/or zest if you like.

Nutrition

Calories: 439kcalCarbohydrates: 45gProtein: 8gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 169mgSodium: 86mgPotassium: 332mgFiber: 1gSugar: 37gVitamin A: 735IUVitamin C: 8.1mgCalcium: 199mgIron: 1.6mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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Reader Interactions

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  1. TXCAVGRS

    November 03, 2019 at 7:36 am

    J'ai Patti

    Reply
  2. April

    November 26, 2018 at 9:37 am

    5 stars
    I am absolutely LOVING that crust with the chocolate lining. Holy cow, soooooo good. This pie is definitely going to be making a regular appearance at our table.

    Reply
    • Beth Lee

      November 26, 2018 at 10:26 am

      The taste is addicting - crunchy, creamy, citrusy, chocolatey - yum!

      Reply
  3. Tayler Ross

    November 26, 2018 at 9:16 am

    5 stars
    Wow, what a delicious and refreshing addition to a holiday dessert spread! I love that it's different from the norm!

    Reply
    • Beth Lee

      November 26, 2018 at 9:17 am

      Yes and now everyone wants this more than the traditional pumpkin pie!

      Reply
  4. sandy corman

    December 03, 2012 at 4:02 pm

    Hoping Gregory will bake another one soon and save some for papa and me.

    Reply
    • Beth

      December 06, 2012 at 3:44 pm

      For you guys, I'm sure he will 🙂

      Reply
    • Elizabeth McGinley

      June 20, 2021 at 10:45 am

      Not to sound totally dumb but I'd the dark chocolate sweetened? I want to make this for my son. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Beth Lee

        June 22, 2021 at 8:18 am

        Not a dumb question at all. Sorry for slow reply - we've been dealing with a family tragedy. Regular sweetened dark chocolate - whatever percentage you buy. I usually have something like a 65 - 70 percent but any dark chocolate will do - even dark chocolate chips!, just not unsweetened.

        Reply
  5. Hannah

    December 03, 2012 at 2:08 pm

    I love this pie! The addition of dark chocolate is marvelous and the pie looks beautiful. I can see why this is a family favorite. Congrats to your son on the newspaper feature, too - he has a bright baking future!

    Reply
    • Beth

      December 06, 2012 at 3:44 pm

      Tonight we tackle rugelach dough - with his impending college career, more frequent lessons in the kitchen seem necessary 🙂

      Reply
      • Hannah

        December 06, 2012 at 4:16 pm

        Good thinking! Have fun - I'm sure the rugelach will be terrific.

        Reply
  6. Carol Sacks

    December 03, 2012 at 10:40 am

    What a fun post and that pie looks divine! Congrats to your @gregorytlee!

    Reply
    • Beth

      December 06, 2012 at 3:43 pm

      Thanks Carol - I sent your congratulations to my budding baker!

      Reply
      • Jaz

        September 16, 2020 at 6:34 am

        I took my time making this pie since one of our guests said he made the best key lime pie. Once he tasted this pie, he wouldn’t let any of the other guests have the seconds they begged for so there would be leftover pie that he could take home. This pie is a show stopped!

        Reply
        • Beth Lee

          September 16, 2020 at 8:56 pm

          Awww - thank you for this - you made my day and you have honored my son by making it and sharing it. It is always the first thing gone from our Thanksgiving dessert table. We savor every bite!

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Hi! I’m Beth Lee. In 2010, I realized I prefer pita chips to memory chips and started this blog. My family is a mix of Jewish/Hawaiian/Korean heritage and my food reflects our diversity. My virtual kitchen is always open. Let’s cook together! 

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