This lime cracker pie is like a key lime pie that’s takes 5 minutes of effort, is no bake, and is sublimely refreshing and delicious. All the flavor with minimal effort and a refreshing twist.
This recipe is barely adapted from one by J. Kenji Lopez’s recipe on Food 52. Basically, I halved the recipe- the original is made in a 9 x 13 inch pan, and I added a whipped cream topping.
What makes this lime cracker pie so good?
It’s basically key lime pie but in trifle form, so it’s extra cold and creamy. Perfect for summer!
Requires just a handful of ingredients. Four! If you don’t make the extra whipped cream topping.
It needs nearly no effort at all, and if you make it without the whipped cream topping, you don’t need an electric mixer. You could even top with ready whipped cream from a canister if you don’t want to whip the cream yourself.
The Ritz crackers are the perfect foil- they aren’t too sweet, but they become fluffy and cake like when they sit in the lime filling. So good!
What do you need to make this?
The most amazing thing about this is you only need 4 basic ingredients, which are:
Heavy cream
Sweetened condensed milk
Lime zest and lime juice
Ritz crackers
If making the optional whipped cream topping, which I personally really enjoy, you just need a little more heavy cream, some powdered sugar for a little sweetness and vanilla extract which is optional.
How to make this lime cracker pie:
It’s so simple!
You just need to whisk together the condensed milk and heavy cream until combined, and add the lime juice and zest and continue whisking until thickened. This is the filling mixture
The filling mixture gets layered with crackers in alternate layers, starting and ending with filling. I used a pie dish, which was fun since it looked like an actual key lime pie.
Alternately, you can use an 8×8 inch square pan, or really any circular or square pan of around those dimensions that is deep enough to layer in.
The lime cracker pie gets refrigerated for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight so the crackers really soften and get cakey.
I prefer topping the pie with the whipped cream topping just before serving, but it still keeps well topped with cream in the fridge for several days.
How to decorate lime pie:
I like a soft mound of whipped cream, a dusting of lime zest, and some lime slices.
You could make this fancier by doing a meringue topping! Or by peeling lime zest into curly strips.
You could also pipe the whipped cream on top in a more polished way.
For more refreshing dessert recipes:
Lime Cracker Pie
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream (whipping cream)
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk 14.5 oz, 400g
- 2-3 tsp lime zest, from 3 lemons
- 1/4 cup lime juice (3-4 limes juiced)
- 40 ritz crackers 140g
Whipped topping (optional but recommended):
- 1/2 cup heavy cream whipping cream
- 2 tsp powdered sugar (icing sugar)
- 1/4 tsp vanilla optional
Instructions
For the key lime trifle:
- Whisk together the condensed milk and heavy cream in a large bowl until combined. Add the lime zest and juice and keep whisking about one minute until thickened.
- Assemble the pie by spreading about 1/2 cup of the filling on the base of the serving dish (I used a 9 inch pie pan, but you can also use an 8×8 9inch square pan. Top with a layer of Ritz crackers. Spread another 1/2 cup or so of filling, then add another layer of Ritz crackers. Keep going until your final layer of filling. (I had four layers of filling and three layers of crackers)
- Place in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight. The longer it sits, the more cake-like the crackers become. When ready to serve, prepare the whipped cream topping.
For the whipped cream topping:
- Beat together the 1/2 cup of whipping cream with the icing sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form. Spread on top of the key lime pie, and garnish with extra lime zest or lime slices if desired.
Notes
Lime Cracker Pie by everylittlecrumb on Jumprope.
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