Recipe: Key Lime Pie with Greek Yogurt | Cooking On the Side (2024)

FAQs

What makes key lime pie thicken? ›

Combining the lime juice with the egg yolks and condensed milk creates a chemical reaction that causes the mixture to thicken all on its own (the acid causes the proteins in the yolks and milk to bond together).

The biggest culprit of a runny key lime pie is not letting it chill for long enough. Since this is one of those summer pie recipes that's not baked, chilling the pie helps it set and prevents it from being runny. Be sure to chill it for at least 12 hours!

How long does key lime pie last in the refrigerator? We recommend eating your pie within 6 days if you are storing in the fridge.

The best way to thicken runny apple pie filling before baking it is to add some cornstarch, tapioca starch, or flour to your mix. To fix a runny pie that's already been baked, simply let it cool to see if it will congeal naturally. If not, you can stick it back in the oven for a bit longer.

People expected their authentic Key lime pies to be green, matching the bright green lime color of the Persian limes they saw in their grocery stores. Key lime pie filling, however, takes its yellow color from the egg yolks used in its production.

How long will my pie last out of the refrigerator? We recommend to leave your pie out at room temperature for no longer than 4 hours.

This can vary depending on the ripeness, size, and juiciness of your fruit, but as a general rule, you will need approximately 18-20 key limes for 1 cup of juice.

If you don't use key limes it won't BE Key Lime Pie and it won't taste like it either. They have a different taste than most limes.

In terms of taste, key limes have a higher acidity, making them a little more tart than what we consider "regular limes." This makes them ideal for pairing with sweeter ingredients, hence the ever-popular Key lime pie.

Alternatively, perhaps you can get genuine Key limes but find them too tart and bitter. That's also fine. Simply replace a couple of tablespoons with lemon juice instead.

Can I use regular lime juice instead of key lime juice for a Key lime pie? ›

Unless you live in the Florida Keys, key limes are near impossible to find. Furthermore, they're so tiny that you'd need to juice at least twenty of them for this recipe. No thank you! Ordinary limes make an exceptional Key lime pie, and they are a much better alternative to bracingly tart bottled Key lime juice.

Trader Joe's Key Lime Pie

That's why the key lime pie from Trader Joe's is so sought-after during the summer when this seasonal pie returns. It's yellow, it's made with sweetened condensed milk and real key lime juice (as it should be!), it's $5.49 — and it's perfection in a pie.

If your Key lime pie has been sitting out on the counter for over two hours (or for over an hour in 90 degrees F temperatures), throw it away to eliminate the possibility of foodborne illness, per guidance on food safety from the USDA.

Should you listen? You sure should. Uncooked and under-cooked Key lime pie is in trouble with a capital “S” and that stands for salmonella. Salmonella enteritidis bacteria, found in raw eggs, has been on the increase during the past three years and has been blamed for recent outbreaks of food-borne illness.

If the mix is overworked, you go beyond that magic moment and it is very difficult to have the filling "set." Another aspect is the juice. I would never recommend using a bottled juice over fresh, even if you're using fresh regular (Persian) limes.

Very often flour or cornstarch is used, but in certain instances tapioca, arrowroot and potato starch can also help achieve the desired consistency.

Tapioca as Pie Filling Thickener

This old-school ingredient may be what your great grandmother used to thicken her pies, and it's still great for making a perfect fruit pie with a clear, stable filling. Tapioca is derived from cassava (also known as yuca or manioc), a starchy root native to South America.

We like tapioca in blueberry, cherry or peach pies. Arrowroot, unlike cornstarch, is not broken down by the acid in the fruit you are using so it is a good choice for fruit with a higher content of acidity such as strawberries or blackberries.