These individual no bake key lime pies are so refreshing and super easy to make.
You can assemble these in minutes, give them a chill in the refrigerator, and serve them for a fun dessert for your family or an elegant dessert for a dinner party. With no need to turn on your oven, this is a wonderful summer treat.
While you can mix up the pie filling and then add it to a store-bought Graham cracker crust, I had fun making individual servings in small dessert glasses. You could also use ramekins.
This recipe makes six servings and it is easily scaleable.
Ingredients You Will Need:
Heavy Cream: 3/4 cup.
Sweetened Condensed Milk: 1 14 ounce can.
Freshly Squeezed Key Lime Juice: They are smaller and more fragrant than other limes and they have a fairly intense flavor. I used key limes from Melissa’s Produce. You can, of course, use Persian limes.
Fresh Key Lime Zest.
For the Crust: I tried three different types of cookies and snacks for the crust at the bottom of the dessert glass, including crumbled Graham crackers, crumbled Dewey’s Key Lime Cookies, and Melissa’s Almond Clean Snax. I didn’t mix the crumbs, but rather used each flavor individually.
I liked each one equally. There should be about 3/8 inch of crumbs at the bottom of each glass before adding the pie mixture.
To Make These Key Lime Pies:
First, beat the heavy cream with a hand or stand mixer until you have soft peaks.
Next, in a separate bowl, mix together the sweetened condenced milk, the lime juice, and some of the lime zest. Then, fold in a cup of the whipped cream.
After that, add about four tablespoons of the crushed cookies to the bottom of each dessert glass and then divide the cream mixture among the glasses. Then, sprinkle with lime zest and a few cookie crumbs. Pipe the remaining whipped cream on top of each.
Finally, cover and chill the individual pies for at least two hours before serving.
Make-Ahead:
Allow at least two hours of refrigeration before serving. If you’d like to make these a day in advance, it’s a good idea to add the whipped cream topping later. You can add some powdered sugar to it so that it will hold its shape as well.
Another option is to top these with Reddi-Wip when you are ready to serve them. It’s pretty fail proof and will look pretty.
“K” is for Kale, Key Lime, Ketchup, Kahlua, Kielbasa, and More!
As part of the 2026 Alphabet Challenge, we are sharing recipes that begin with “K” or include ingredients or methods that that begin with “K”:
Last year (2025) for the letter “K,” I made Cheese Tortellini Soup with Kielbasa and Kale. It’s a perfect main course soup. For 2024 I made Kung Pao Chicken. It’s so flavorful!
Individual No Bake Key Lime Pies

Yield: 6 servings
Author: Karen Kerr
Prep time: 20 MinInactive time: 2 HourTotal time: 2 H & 20 M
These individual no bake key lime pies are so refreshing and super easy to make.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed key lime juice
- 2 teaspoons key lime zest
- 1 cup cookie crumbs, such as Graham cracker crumbs
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, beat the whipping cream with a hand mixer until you have soft peaks, about five minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk and the lime juice. Add 1/2 of the lime zest.
- Fold in one cup of the whipped cream.
- Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of the crushed cookies to the bottom of each of six dessert glasses or dishes. Evenly divide the filling mixture among the glasses on top of the cookie crumbs. Sprinkle the tops with the rest of the zest and a few cookie crumbs. Dollop or pipe the remaining whipped cream on top of each dessert.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for two hours before serving.
Nutrition Facts
Cholesterol (grams)
56 mg
Karen’s Kitchen Stories
key lime, no bake
dessert
This recipe was adapted from the book, Citrus Illustrated, by George Geary. I received a copy of the book at a presentation at Melissa’s Produce.
George Geary has written seventeen cookbooks and he is a wonderul resource for information and recipes from Los Angeles’ and California’s iconic restaurants of the past.







