Icebox Key Lime Pie

From Cook's Country

June/July 2007

Why this recipe works:
Authentic Key lime pie recipes use to be simple and uncooked—but they contained raw eggs, a no-no in modern times. We wanted to develop an eggless Icebox Key Lime Pie recipe as bright and custardy as the original. In lieu of using egg yolks, we found the right ratio of instant vanilla pudding, gelatin, and cream cheese thickened our Key Lime Pie’s filling into a perfect, smooth consistency. A full cup of fresh lime juice produced a pie with bracing lime flavor, while bottled lime juice made it taste artificial. Lime zest added another layer of flavor, and processing the zest with a little sugar offset its sourness and eliminated the annoying chewy bits.

Serves 8 to 10




Be sure to use instant pudding that requires no stovetop cooking for this recipe. We use regular supermarket (Persian) limes-tasters thought bottled lime juice lacked depth of flavor. We much prefer our easy homemade crust to store- bought versions.