This key lime pie is a buttery digestive biscuit base filled with a tangy lime and condensed milk custard, baked gently and chilled until set, topped with softly whipped cream. It takes 20 minutes to make and needs at least 6 hours in the fridge. Serves 8.
Gordon doesn’t have a published key lime pie recipe, but his citrus techniques from his tart and cream recipes cover every element. His lemon and lime cream uses the same principle as a key lime filling: citrus juice, zest, and cream set together. His blind-baking method and egg-white seal keep the base crisp under a wet filling. This recipe is built from those real techniques, not invented from nothing.
The thing that separates a great key lime pie from a bland one is the zest. The juice gives tartness, but the zest gives the actual lime flavour, the fragrant, aromatic hit that makes it taste like limes and not just sour. Gordon zests before he juices in every citrus recipe, and he’s right: a zested lime is much easier to squeeze than the other way round.
Gordon Ramsay Key Lime Pie
Course: DessertCuisine: American, BritishDifficulty: Easy8
slices20
minutes25
minutes450
kcalKey lime pie built from Gordon’s citrus and pastry techniques. Digestive biscuit base sealed with egg white, tangy lime and condensed milk custard filling, topped with softly whipped cream. Chilled until set.
Ingredients
- For the base:
250g digestive biscuits, crushed to fine crumbs
100g unsalted butter, melted
1 egg white, lightly beaten
- For the filling:
5 large egg yolks
2 x 397g tins sweetened condensed milk
Finely grated zest of 6 limes
175ml fresh lime juice (about 8-10 limes)
Pinch of fine salt
- For the topping:
300ml double cream
2 tbsp icing sugar
Finely grated zest of 1 lime
Directions
- Make the base: Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan, Gas 4). Mix the biscuit crumbs with the melted butter until everything is coated. Press firmly into a 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin, pushing it up the sides. Bake 10 minutes until golden. Brush the hot base immediately with the beaten egg white. Let it cool.
- Make the filling: Drop the oven to 150C (130C fan, Gas 2). Whisk the egg yolks and condensed milk together until smooth and thick. Add the lime zest, lime juice and salt. Whisk gently until combined, don’t overwork it.
- Bake gently: Pour the filling into the cooled base. Bake 15 minutes only. The filling should still have a slight wobble in the centre. It firms up completely as it chills.
- Chill: Cool on a wire rack, then refrigerate at least 6 hours, overnight is better. The filling sets as it chills and the flavour deepens.
- Top and serve: Whip the cream with the icing sugar to soft peaks, not stiff. Spoon or pipe over the pie, scatter with lime zest.
The filling thickens before it even goes in the oven because the acid in the lime juice reacts with the proteins in the condensed milk and egg yolks. That’s the same food science behind Gordon’s citrus curd technique: acid does half the work, heat finishes it. This is why you bake gently at 150C for only 15 minutes.
FAQs
Why digestive biscuits instead of a pastry base?
Because a key lime pie needs a crunchy, crumbly base that contrasts with the soft filling. Pastry goes soggy under a wet custard. A pressed biscuit base stays crisp for days.
Digestives are the British equivalent of the American graham crackers traditionally used in key lime pie. They work identically and you can find them in any supermarket.
Why brush the base with egg white?
This is Gordon’s tip from his pastry chapter. The hot base sets the egg white instantly, creating a thin waterproof seal between the biscuit and the wet filling.
Without it, the filling soaks into the crumbs overnight and the base goes soft. One extra step, five seconds of work, and your base stays crunchy for three days.
Can I use regular limes or do I need key limes?
Regular limes work perfectly. Key limes are more fragrant but you’d need about 20 of them for this recipe. Regular Persian limes give you the same result with a quarter of the effort.
The critical thing is fresh juice, never bottled. Bottled lime juice tastes flat and metallic.
Why does it need 6 hours in the fridge?
Because the filling continues to set as it chills. At room temperature it’s still wobbly. At 6 hours it slices cleanly. Overnight it’s perfect: firm enough to hold its shape but still creamy.
If you try to slice it too early, the filling runs and you can’t get clean pieces.
Can I use meringue instead of cream?
Yes. Whisk 3 egg whites with 150g caster sugar to stiff glossy peaks, pile on top and torch or flash under a hot grill for 30 seconds. Gordon’s meringue technique from his lemon meringue pie applies here: the sugar needs to be fully dissolved or the meringue weeps.
Whipped cream is simpler and lets the lime flavour come through more cleanly.
Does it keep?
Three to four days in the fridge, covered loosely. The base stays crisp if you sealed it with egg white. The filling actually tastes better on day two because the lime flavour mellows and deepens.
If you want something richer with the same citrus tang, his lemon meringue cheesecake combines the tartness with a baked cheesecake filling.
