We Made the Pioneer Woman No-Bake Key Lime Pie, and It’s Simply Sublime
Updated: Feb. 28, 2023This Pioneer Woman Key lime pie is one of Ree Drummond's favorite summer desserts. She loves the combination of tart and sweet—and we have to agree!
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Ree Drummond is the queen of ranch-style recipes, like her famous Pioneer Woman chili recipe and Oklahoma onion burgers.
But it’s not all about the beef. Ree can also whip up a pretty stellar no-bake Key lime pie. Because, apparently, even cowboys like to pretend they’re in a tropical paradise once in a while!
Keep reading to learn how to make this top-rated Pioneer Woman no-bake Key lime pie and read our thoughts about this simple dessert.
Pioneer Woman No-Bake Key Lime Pie Recipe
This recipe makes one 9-inch pie. It serves 8-10 people, depending on how large the slices are!
Ingredients
Crust:
- 12 graham crackers
- 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Filling:
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- 12 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 teaspoons lime zest, freshly grated (about 1 lime)
- 1/2 cup fresh Key lime juice
- Whipped cream and additional lime zest or slices, for serving
Here’s the difference between a Key lime and regular lime.
9″ Pie Plates with Pioneer Woman Style
Directions
Step 1: Prepare the crust
In a food processor, pulse the graham crackers and brown sugar together until finely ground. Pour in the melted butter, then pulse again until the mixture resembles wet sand.
Step 2: Press the crust into a pie plate
Evenly press the graham cracker mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a deep-dish 9-inch pie plate. Freeze for 20 minutes.
Editor’s Tip: Ree recommends using the bottom of a measuring cup or small juice glass to evenly press the no-bake crust into the pie plate. Find more tips to make the perfect graham cracker crust. And if graham crackers aren’t your style, you can make a crumb crust with all sorts of ingerdients.
Step 3: Whip the cream
For the filling, beat the heavy cream to soft peaks and set it aside. You may either do this in a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or in a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer.
Step 4: Prepare the filling
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sweetened condensed milk, cream cheese and lime zest. Beat, using the paddle attachment, until smooth and creamy. Reduce your mixer to its lowest speed and pour in the Key lime juice. Mix until fully incorporated.
Step 5: Fold in the whipped cream
Gently fold the whipped cream into the filling mixture until incorporated and no streaks remain. Here’s how to fold in ingredients without beating out all the volume.
Step 6: Fill, chill and serve
Pour the filling into the prepared crust and spread it into an even layer. Ree says to chill the pie in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours. However, we found that it’s easier to slice and serve after 24 hours! While the pie was certainly set after 12 hours, on day two, the pie cuts more cleanly and the crust was less crumbly. Therefore, we recommend preparing this pie a full 24 hours before serving for the best results.
Once fully set, slice and serve topped with whipped cream, lime zest and additional slices of fresh lime as garnish.
Here’s What I Thought
Wowza! Excuse the pun, but this Pioneer Woman no-bake Key lime pie is simply sublime. While some Key lime pie recipes can really make you pucker, this no-bake pie filling is the perfect balance of sweet and tart. Despite the cream cheese, it’s not overly heavy either. The filling is light, airy and fluffy (meaning you can be generous with your slices).
We were concerned that this recipe would come across like a Key lime cheesecake due to the cream cheese. However, we were astounded by how closely the filling resembled that of a classic Key lime pie custard that gets baked in the oven.
A no-bake pie that tastes this good and lets us keep our kitchens cool in summer earns an A+ in our book. Ultimately, if you’re looking for a refreshing, crowd-pleasing citrus dessert for summer potlucks, this Pioneer Woman no-bake Key lime pie is a winner!
