When it will come to the finest vital lime pie recipes, I have fond recollections of just one in particular—and, of system, it dates back again to middle school. The Olive Back garden was dwelling to my younger self’s peak-pie indulgences. Confident supper was wonderful, but what I couldn’t wait for was dessert: a slice of black tie mousse cake and one of critical lime pie. Piled large with whipped product, the latter was a legitimate pièce de résistance. When I couldn’t convey to you what really went into the dreamy-tasty pies of my youth, there’s one matter I know for confident: My discerning dessert palette has only progressed in excess of the years.
With summer months in whole swing, my dessert cravings lean brilliant, zingy, and total of zest. Sweets that are refreshing at the close of a meal but continue to fulfill the will need for a minimal deal with. The greatest crucial lime pie recipe checks all the bins of a stellar summer season dessert. It’s a single that celebrates the period and will keep absolutely everyone lingering about the table a very little even though for a longer period. To ensure once and for all what constitutes the greatest essential lime pie, I was additional than a small fired up to put a handful of recipes to the bake-off test.

Procedures of the Highway
Generally, this is wherever I explain to y’all that all recipes are adopted precisely as prepared with out any adjustments for individual flavor or flavor preferences. This is however legitimate, but for this unique bake-off, I created a 50 %-serving of each and every recipe in its place of a total pie (my pie-loving heart does have its limitations!). I used a scale to weigh out the halves to ensure precision when baking. Just seeking to reduce foods squander over listed here! All pies have been baked the evening prior and tasted the following day.
Rating Recommendations
My staff of seven flavor testers all aligned on the next guidelines when position each individual of the pies.
- Filling Flavor. Brilliant and zesty with out remaining way too acidic or sweet. Lime ought to be forward but not too much to handle.
- Filling Texture. Creamy and clean, not too dense but agency plenty of to keep its form.
- Crust Texture. Should increase a great crunch without the need of detracting from the pie.
Most vital lime pie recipes only contact for a handful of substances. Limes, condensed milk, and egg yolks. Due to the fact of this, seeing slight versions in quantities or extra ingredients extra to the refined distinctions that manufactured each individual recipe stand out.
Now for the ideal aspect! Keep scrolling to uncover which recipe reigned supreme in our Crucial Lime Pie Bake-Off.


When I to start with experimented with this recipe, I experienced to go back again and double-test that I hadn’t missed a little something, which usually is not a great start out. The nice component of this contender for the ideal critical lime pie recipe is that it’s almost completely no-bake. The graham cracker crust is baked and then crammed and frozen. The rest of it, having said that, we experienced a couple troubles with.
First, I had a several taste testers who weren’t so keen on the raw egg yolk condition. When there are some traditionalists who insist essential lime pies be created with the raw filling, my group was unanimously anti-uncooked eggs. This also impacted the flavor as some observed it was a little eggy.
The greatest situation, nevertheless, was the texture. The recipe notes setting the pie out forward of slicing so that you can slice as a result of, but the pie generally melted inside of 30 minutes (not perfect!). General, I like the novelty of a frozen pie, but we experienced a handful of structural qualms with this one. If you test it, try to eat it straight out of the freezer to be certain a sound pie.

Our notes on this pie were essentially pretty optimistic and anyone liked their slices. The pie filling flavors were very nicely-well balanced with out staying far too sweet, and the style of lime was awesome as nicely. There was some debate about regardless of whether the meringue topping was seriously necessary. While the salted vanilla meringue was delicious, most taste testers favored a whipped cream topping to the meringue.
As the man or woman who assembled every solitary recipe, I considered it was a large amount of extra exertion and dishes to make meringue when whipped product would have been flawlessly great. (Though it was a wonderful way to use up the leftover egg whites from using only yolks in the filling!) In the end, this pie recipe was superior, but some of the other recipes edged it out on technicalities.
To be apparent: this is a really great vital lime pie recipe. Having said that, I have to admit that I was skeptical when I found that it does not use lime zest and contains vanilla in the filling. But upon additional thing to consider (and far more intentional tasting), I observed that the vanilla adds a pretty, virtually floral savoriness to the filling.
Style testers observed that this a person leaned on the a bit-sweeter aspect, but it did fulfill the group’s quite a few sweet enamel. My testers who weren’t supporters of critical lime pie appreciated this a person the most as effectively. Having said that, I feel the absence of lime zest does make a variance in the taste. If you truly want to punch up the limey-ness, blend it into the filling. The texture was very sleek and over-all, this produced for a pretty fantastic pie.

This important lime pie experienced all the makings of a classic and earned really high marks. The recipe brings together Miette’s handmade graham crackers with Martha Stewart’s Essential Lime Pie Filling mixed alongside one another in one pie pan. I’ll admit, this was my to start with thought: Do we genuinely have to have to make home made graham crackers when it’s so effortless (and handy!) to get a box? Nevertheless, the selfmade crackers give the crust a visible textural big difference. Indeed it is more effort and hard work, so you have my authorization to use store-acquired crackers. When it came to the ultimate judging, we liked the filling’s zingy, lime-filled taste. And with this pie’s creamy texture, we were being all speedy lovers.

Drumroll please… this may well be a person of the greatest essential lime pies I’ve at any time experienced. But I’ll admit: I was skeptical at initial since of the coconut milk additional to the filling. I knew the taste would function effectively, but I didn’t know if it would be way too overpowering when paired with the limes. On the other hand, the coconut milk acted as a wonderful sweet foundation that served temper the lime and stored it from being far too acidic.
Some tasters could not even convey to there was coconut milk in the filling! The lime taste was upfront without having remaining mind-boggling, and the just one matter I observed right after baking just about every single pie was that Adriana’s recipe is the only one that calls for salt in the filling. That will make a difference in conditions of bringing out the flavors. The texture was complete perfection in its thick creaminess, and it was the 1 pie that all of my flavor testers ate in its entirety. Operate, don’t stroll to make this pie.
This submit was at first posted on June 9th, 2022, and has given that been up to date.