Key lime pie bars are made with a buttery graham cracker crust and creamy key lime filling. They’re an easy, vibrant dessert with a delightful sweet and tangy flavor!
Easy Key Lime Pie Bars
Key lime bars are a simplified version of classic key lime pie with the same flavors and textures without the need for a traditional pie crust. Instead it’s baked in a pan and cut into squares.
Made with a graham cracker crust then topped with a sweet and citrusy filling, this key lime pie bars recipe is a summer favorite. Serve along with banana cream pie and lemon icebox pie at your next party for the best dessert table around!
Why I Love This Recipe
- Easy: Made with just 10 minutes of prep time, it’s ready in just over an hour!
- Flavorful: It strikes beautiful balances between the sweet and tangy flavors and the crunchy, creamy textures.
Ingredient Notes
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- For the crust: Graham cracker crumbs, sugar, melted salted butter. Pulse graham crackers yourself in a food processor or buy them already in fine crumbs.
- Unsweetened condensed milk: Condensed milk has added sugar and is thick and creamy. Don’t confuse it with regular evaporated milk.
- Cream cheese: Softened cream cheese at room temperature gives the bars a cheesecake flavor, which is a nice bonus!
- Key lime juice and lime zest: There is a delicious tartness from key limes that we don’t get from regular limes. For a shortcut, I buy Nellie and Joe’s key lime juice.
How to Make Key Lime Pie Bars
Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in a bowl then, transfer to a 9 x 13 baking dish and press down into an even layer. Bake at 350°F for 6-8 minutes.
In a separate bowl, whisk the condensed milk with the cream cheese, lime juice, and lime zest. Pour the mixture into the prepared pie crust and bake for another 6-8 minutes.
Once tiny pinhole bubbles burst on top, the key lime pie bars are ready. Do not let it brown.
Remove pan from the oven and cool completely before placing bars in the fridge until ready to serve. This dessert is best served chilled.
Tips for the Best Key Lime Bars
- You can use regular lime juice (or regular limes) for this key lime bar recipe. The taste will be slightly different and not quite as tart, but delicious just the same.
- Use a block of full-fat cream cheese for best results.
- For clean slices, use a sharp knife and wipe the blade clean between each cut.
- This typically serves 12, but if you’re serving these as mini bites along with other dessert samplers, you can cut the slices smaller and get more out of it.
- I love to garnish with whipped cream, a slice of lime, and lime zest.
Storage
- Store: Keep leftover key lime bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: Freeze bars in a single layer until hard. Then stack in between parchment paper in a covered container for up to 3 months.
- Thaw: When you are ready to serve them, thaw them in the fridge overnight. They’re best served chilled, so no need to warm them up!
Love dessert bars? Try cherry pie bars, pecan pie bars or strawberry shortcake bars.
More Dessert Bar Recipes
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Key Lime Pie Bars
Video
Ingredients
Graham cracker crust
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs , homemade or store bought
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 8 Tablespoons (1 stick) salted butter , melted
Filling
- 2 (14-ounce cans) sweetened condensed milk
- 5 ounces cream cheese softened
- ⅔ cup key lime juice , or about 1 lb bag
- 1-2 Tablespoons grated lime zest , more to taste
For serving: whipped cream, lime slice, lime zest
Instructions
- Preheat: Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Make Crust: In a medium bowl, stir together 2 cups graham crackers, 1/3 cup sugar, and 8 Tablespoons butter until well combined.
- Bake: Pour the crumb mixture into a 9×13" pan and firmly press into the bottom using a 1/4 measuring cup. Bake 6-8 minutes.
- Whisk: In a medium bowl, whisk together the 2 cans of condensed milk, 5 ounces softened cream cheese, 2/3 cup lime juice and a Tablespoon of lime zest. Taste and add more lime zest if you'd like it more tart. Pour mixture into prepared pie crust.
- Bake: Bake in preheated oven for 6-8 minutes, or until pinhole bubbles burst on the top of the pie. Be careful to not let it brown. Allow to cool for at least an hour and then place in the refrigerator, until ready to serve (best served chilled).
- Serve: Slice chilled bars. Garnish with whipped cream and lime slices or zest if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Categorized as: 4th of July, American, Bars, Christmas, Desserts, Easter, Nut-Free, Reader Favorites
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
This was a light & refreshing dessert that the whole family enjoyed. – Alisha, recipe tester
Thank you for the review of the key lime pie bars!