Today’s Best Recipe is Easy Key Lime Pie.
This no-bake key lime pie pays tribute to our life in Miami, Florida, summer takes hold with an Easy Key Lime pie…it’s not the same as the one the old man in Goulds made, but it is still a savoring of taste-buds and memories!
The sweet and tart pie reportedly originated in Key West, Florida, in the late 19th century.
The use of sweetened condensed milk, an essential ingredient, is probably because fresh milk and refrigeration were uncommon in the isolated Florida Keys until the 1930s.
Who Invented Key Lime Pie?
No one really knows who the credit goes to for this delicious dessert.
There’s a rumor that Florida’s self-made millionaire, William Curry‘s Aunt Sally is the originator.
Historians believe it was perhaps a delicacy she had perfected, or one theory is that Aunt Sally made lemon ice box pie, but instead of lemons, she used the easily available local key limes.
It wouldn’t be until sometime in the 1930s that recipes were written down.
This was the same time that the arrival of the Overseas Highway, that enabled tank trucks to deliver Key West residents fresh milk, ice, and refrigeration. Until this point, they had relied on canned sweetened condensed milk–this is the ingredient that makes the pie smooth and irresistible.
About Key Limes:
Key Limes are part of the local food.
While the key lime tree is native to Malaysia, the first one probably arrived in the Florida Keys with the Spanish sometime in the 1500s.
Key limes have yellow-green skin, sometimes with brown spots, and are round and smaller than a golf ball.
A hurricane in 1926 destroyed key lime plantations in South Florida.
The growers replaced those orchards by planting Persian limes.
Most key lime trees that exist are in backyards.
About Key Lime Pie:
There are many debates about the many versions of this pie’s recipes.
Families argue whether it should have a pastry crust or graham cracker crust.
Eggs or no eggs.
Whipped cream or meringue, or no topping.
I have no idea on any of that, but this version is a no-bake key lime pie with graham cracker crust, and a filling of sweetened condensed milk, cream cheese, and key lime juice.
Tip: Opt for freshly squeezed key limes (or Persian limes) for the bright flavor the Florida Keys made it famous for having.
Easy Key Lime Pie Recipe Ingredients:
8 oz. cream cheese
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/3-2/3 cup key lime juice (amount depends on your desired tartness)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon Grated citrus peel
prepared or purchased graham cracker crust
whipped cream or non-dairy whipped topping for garnish
How to make Easy No-Bake Key Lime Pie.
Beat/whip all ingredients in a blender, food processor, or mixer until well blended (2-3 minutes)
pour into prepared crust and chill until firm. (May also be frozen–keeps well this way if covered with plastic wrap plus foil)
Garnish with whipped cream or topping to serve!
