Our Key Lime Pie Bars have a graham cracker crust under a creamy key lime filling and topped with whipped cream. They’re easy to make and perfect for parties, potlucks, or anytime!
Want more pie recipes? Try Lemon Cream Pie, Coconut Cream Pie, Banana Cream Pie, or No-Bake Cheesecake!
Key Lime Pie Bars mean working smarter, not harder.
Key Lime Pie Bars mean working smarter, not harder.There are a few reasons I transformed my favorite Key Lime Pie , into bars. Mainly, they are really easy to cut and serve this way, as a simple finger food–no fork (or even plate) needed. They’re also easier transport in a baking dish with a lid, to stack in the fridge, etc. You can also double the recipe in a 9×13” pan to feed more guests, very easily. And the best part is they’re just as delicious as “pie” with a creamy, tart lime filling.
How to make Key Lime Pie Bars:
Make Graham Cracker Crust: Mix sugar, melted butter, and graham crackers together then press into an 8″ square baking pan. Bake for 10 minutes at 350°F then let cool.
Make Filling: Beat cream cheese in a mixing bowl until smooth, then add sweetened condensed milk, lime juice, and lime zest, mixing until smooth. Pour over graham cracker crust and bake for 10 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes then refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving with a dollop of whipped cream, if desired.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: The bars can be made up to 3 days ahead of time, stored in the fridge. The graham cracker pie crust could be made several days ahead, stored at room temperature or in the fridge.
To Freeze: Cover pan tightly with plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before serving.
More Bar Recipes:
- Lemon Bars
- Pecan Pie Bars
- Scotcheroos
- Magic Bars
- S’mores Bars
- Sugar Cookie Bars
- Homemade Twix Bars
- Chocolate Brownies
- Peppermint Brownies
- Butterscotch Blondies
- Peanut Butter Bars
- Butterfinger Bars
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Recipe
Key Lime Pie Bars
Equipment
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust:
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 12 full sheets, crushed)
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 6 Tablespoons butter , melted
Key lime filling:
- 2 14 ounce cans sweetened condensed milk
- 4 ounces cream cheese , softened
- 3/4 cup key lime juice*
- zest of 2 regular limes , or 4 key limes
- fresh whipped cream , for topping, optional
Instructions
- Make Crust: For the crust, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter and press into an 8'' square baking pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes. Allow to cool before adding filling.
- Filling: Add cream cheese to a mixing bowl then beat well with electric beaters until smooth. Add both cans of sweetened condensed milk, lime juice, and lime zest then mix again until smooth.
- Bake: Pour over prepared graham cracker crust and bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Allow to cool for about 30 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours, before serving.
- Serve: Top with a dollop of fresh whipped cream, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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I originally shared this recipe June 2015. Updated November 2020 and November 2024.
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Easy and delicious! The small amount of cream cheese meats this has more of a key lime pie texture than cheesecake texture. That’s a good thing. It’s also quite tart which is also good. We are Floridians and my family likes our key lime pie nice and tart.
We are so glad you enjoyed this dessert!
Do we double or triple the amount of lime zest in the recipe if we double or triple the recipe? The amount doesn’t change when pressing on the 2x or 3x tab but I wanted to be sure that I don’t add too much.
Thanks!
These are delicious. But volume-wise, my bars in an 8×8 pan are twice as tall as the photos show (2 inches tall!) and the filling is soft (despite two days in the fridge) – you could not pick them up and eat them like a bar. If I make these again, I’ll try a 9×13 pan.
I have been cooking from Tastes Better from Scratch for over 10 years! I absolutely love every recipe that I try and many of your recipes are staples in my home. The key lime bars are delicious! I did not include the lime zests in my recipe and they are still perfect. I would definitely recommend making the bars the day before needing to serve them. The bars cut perfectly the next day! I think making and serving them the same day is too soon for the ingredients to set properly. We have been enjoying the bars for 3 days so far!
This was way two sweet, so I would cut sugar. Note that graham crackers come in packages of 9 in America, not twelve. Had to use Townhouse crackers, since I only had two packages. Crust was too hard, then.
You say it sets in 3 hours? LIES. I AM FURIOUS. MY PIE IS SOUPY BECAUSE YOU LIEDDD TO MEEE. I will never forgive you Lauren.
I’m really sorry to hear that your pie didn’t set properly. The “at least 3 hours” note is to ensure it has enough time, but sometimes it might need a bit longer depending on the ingredients and fridge temperature. I hope you’ll give it another try
Mine is just cooling and I can tell it’s well set already. Looks amazing!!
Tasted the filling when cleaning the bowl – the lime juice comes through beautifully and I really don’t think it’s at all too sweet.
Maybe the limes?? The acid in lemons/limes causes sweetened condensed milk to set. Mine was starting to set as I stirred it even before baking.
Hadn’t eaten this before my first comment.
It was delicious! I froze it ahead and it thawed beautifully. Definitely like it with whipped cream to top.
Geeeze that’s mean. Sometimes us cooks can make mistakes. Not sure what YOU did? You r the only one who experienced
That that ai can see from the responses so far. Minectirned out fine.
Can these be made on a small cookie sheet?
I made this for a family dinner. My grown daughters loved it. Now I have to make it for every family dinner.
It is absolutely amazing!! I added the whip cream with a little lime zest on top.
Delicious Keylime bars. I added one egg yolk. I kept some zest aside to sprinkle on top after the whipped cream