💚🍋 Key Lime Pie Bars are an EASY, handheld twist on the classic pie everyone loves. Made with sour cream instead of cream cheese, the filling is tangy with a tart yet sweet, bold lime flavor. This is the perfect make-ahead dessert for potlucks and parties!
Easy Key Lime Pie Bars
Rather than making a classic key lime pie or even key lime meringue pie, I make one-bowl, no-mixer key lime bars! Just like my lemon pie bars, there’s nothing lackluster about how much robust lime flavor is present. The filling is tart and bold without being overpowering. While baking, the butter and brown sugar in the crust caramelize, and it plays perfectly off the lime.
It’s the same buttery graham cracker crust I used in Peanut Butter Swirled Cheesecake Bars, Salted Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars, and Salted Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars. It’s a keeper, even for someone who doesn’t like crust. It’s got just enough crispiness and crunch, yet there’s slight chewiness, and it holds together without crumbling, something that graham cracker crusts don’t always do.
It’s an easy key lime dessert to make a few days before an event and just keep parked in the fridge until you need it.
Ingredients You’ll Need
To make these key lime pie bars, you’ll need a handful of ingredients you can find at your local grocery store:
- Unsalted butter, melted
- Graham cracker crumbs: You can purchase pre-made graham cracker crumbs. Or, you can make your own by pulsing regular graham crackers in a food processor or crushing them into fine crumbs with a rolling pin
- Light brown sugar
- Cornstarch
- Salt
- Sweetened condensed milk: NOT evaporated milk. They’re two totally different milk products, so read the labels closely before purchasing
- Egg: Room temperature
- Fresh key lime juice: If you can’t find Key limes, just use regular limes or Persian limes, or I’m sure bottled lime juice will be just fine. I’m wishing I had gone either of those routes because juicing all of those mini limes wasn’t what I had bargained for
- Sour cream: Room temperature
- Granulated sugar
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Key Lime Pie Bars
These bars come together with a fraction of the work it takes to make the original pie!
- Whisk together the melted butter, graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cornstarch, and salt for the crust.
- Firmly press the crust mixture into the bottom of a foil-lined or parchment paper-lined square baking pan. Create a parchment sling by allowing the paper to hang over both ends. Bake the crust for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the key lime filling with a whisk, an electric hand mixer, or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.
- Once the crust has been in the oven for 10 minutes, pour the filling into the pan, spreading it out in an even layer. Continue baking until the center is set with only some slight jiggle.
- Cool completely on a wire rack for about 2 hours. Then, refrigerate for at least two hours or ideally overnight. Serve cold topped with whipped cream, a little extra lime zest, or even a pinch of cinnamon!
Don’t let the key lime bars get ‘browned’; they should stay fairly pale and light, or they will have a dry, crumbly texture.
Check for doneness
Baking times will vary based on oven and climate variance, the type of sour cream used (lite makes batter runnier, thus taking longer to bake), and if sugar was added (makes batter runnier). The center should be set and not too jiggly. Always watch your bars and not the clock. Bake until set and very lightly golden.
Key Lime Pie Bars
Equipment
- 1 (8×8 inch) Baking Dish
- 1 Large, Microwave-Safe Bowl
- 1 Wire Rack
Ingredients
Crust
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
Filling
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk, (one standard can)
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup lime juice, freshly squeezed Key lime juice is optimal; use regular limes if necessary, or substitute with bottled lime juice only if you must
- ½ cup sour cream, lite is okay
- up to 1/2 cup granulated sugar, optional and if necessary, see directions
- thinly sliced limes for garnishing, optional
Instructions
- Preheat over to 350F. Line an 8×8-inch pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
Make the Crust:
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter, about 1 minute on high power.
- Add all remaining crust ingredients and mix with a fork to combine.
- Turn loose crumbs out into prepared pan and using a spatula, pack mixture firmly into pan in an even, smooth, flat layer.
- Bake for 10 minutes. While crust bakes, prepare the filling.
Make the Filling:
- Combine first 4 ingredients in a large mixing bowl (same one used for crust is fine), and whisk until smooth and combined.
- Taste filling. If it’s bitter or too tart, add sugar as necessary, to taste. I used 1/2 cup sugar because my Key limes were a bit bitter.
- After 10 minutes, remove crust from oven and pour filling over it, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula.
- Return pan to oven and bake for about 45 minutes, or until center is set with only some slight jiggle; some looseness is okay, but there should not be sloshing in the center. You’ll notice the filling near the edges start setting up first; remove pan from oven when center starts to take on the same appearance as the edges. Don’t let the bars get ‘browned’, they should stay fairly pale and light. Bars firm up more as they cool. Bars will be bubbling vigorously so use caution when removing them from the oven.
- Allow bars to cool in pan on a wire rack for about 2 hours.
- Cover pan with foil (to prevent fridge smells), and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight, or until well chilled before slicing and serving.
- Optionally, garnish with thinly sliced limes before serving.
Notes
-
Storage: Once set, you can transfer leftover bars to an airtight container, and store them in the fridge for up to 1 week. I don’t recommend storing these bars in the freezer as their taste and texture will change once thawed.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
©averiecooks.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
More Easy Bar Desserts:
Glazed Lemon Pie Bars — The crust is buttery, soft, and tender while the filling is juicy and luscious with the perfect amount of sweet-yet-tart flavor, and a lemon glaze boosts the lemon flavor even more.
Blueberry Pie Bars— These pie bars are one of my all-time favorite frozen blueberry recipes! They have the flavors you love in a blueberry pie, but you don’t have to mess around with homemade pie crust.
Mississippi Mud Pie Bars – An EASY, almost no-bake dessert with a chocolate chip cookie base, chocolate pudding, sweetened cream cheese, Oreos, and hot fudge! RICH, decadent, indulgent, and a great party dessert that you can MAKE-AHEAD!
Salted Caramel and Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars — The bars are one of my all-time favorites, even if you’re not a huge pecan pie fan. They’re thick, rich, decadent, filling, salty-and-sweet.
Banana Cream Pie Bars – Faster and easier than making a banana cream pie and taste AMAZING! A crunchy crust, tender banana slices, luscious banana pudding, and creamy whipped topping make these layered pie bars WINNERS!
Glazed Cherry Pie Bars — The cherry bars are like cherry pie but easier. There’s a buttery, soft, tender crust topped with cherry pie filling before being baked and glazed.
Salted Caramel Maple Pecan Pie Bars— This pecan pie bars recipe is a fast, one-bowl, no-mixer recipe, but the bars taste like you slaved over them. So much easier than making pecan pie!
Jorge looooves Key Lime Pie. I need to make these for him :)!
Really? Ok well do NOT buy the little bag of key limes from Ralph’s. Just buy the lime juice so you don’t want to punch a wall juicing all those things! lol
I love lime in desserts! This sounds amazing. And I know how you feel about squeezing those tiny limes, I made a hummus recipe where you had to individually peel the chickpeas by hand. Delicious end product but half way through I was like what have I done to myself…haha.
These are a delicious deviation from your norm! They sound divine! And I have to agree that an easy bar crust beats out pie crust any day!
Bars beat out pie always, whether I’m baking or eating. I’ve never actually made a pie, and I have no desire at all to do so.
Did you read about the drought causing lime shortage in California? Might not be able to get those limes so cheaply anymore…
There’s always a drought here. It’s a bit…dramatized? I mean, yes, it’s dry. But it always is. And then I see the public municipalities watering the sidewalks and streets. Err, the grass but the sprinklers are so mis-aligned that Balboa Park is watering the street most days. Nothing like conservation at it’s finest :) But I digress. I think the limes were actually from Fla though! lol
I don’t know if I’ve ever seen lime/lemon bars with sour cream! What a unique idea and I bet it adds to that tart flavour really well. I love how creamy the centre looks, just perfect.
Most of them use cream cheese but I didn’t want key lime pie cream cheese bars which is easy to wind up with so this was a good option for the creaminess (without making custard or some complicated pastry creme) minus any cheesecake taste. My family isn’t big on cheesecake so I have to be careful!
Averie, these bars look like a burst of tropical paradise! I saw some key limes at the store the other day and now I have an excuse to go back and get them. I love lime anything, especially if sweetened condensed milk is involved :)
Oh I hope you get a chance to try them!
Averie these look amazing and so much like spring/summer! I am very excited to try these and your very delicious looking and easy go-to crust! I can relate 100% on bars over pie crust – too much fuss! Pinned!
Thanks for pinning & yes to no-fuss crust!
I love love key lime bars, pies, all of it. These bars look perfect. pinning
Thanks for pinning, Norma!
I saw someone IG a bottle of pure Key Lime juice. *head slap* I need to find that because I love key lime desserts! These look perfect. I’m dying over that crust…and bars. Bars all the way!
I wish I had a bottle of pure Key lime juice handy :)
Such gorgeous bars! I’ve made lemon bars before, but now I so want to try lime bars. —they would be perfect for this summer! (but I definitely plan on trying them before summer rolls around!) Gorgeous pictures, as always. pinned!
thanks for pinning & the photography compliments!
These key lime pue bars look heavenly. Simple butbi bet the pack a zesty punch
Can’t believe you’ve been blogging for 5 years already! I remember your blog from the beginning :D
Excellent key lime bar recipe!
YOU WERE MY VERY FIRST COMMENTER, EVER!!!! And I will never forget that!! Thank you, Liz! I hope you’re doing awesome :) xoxoxo
I’ve been wanting to make a key lime pie since last summer! These bars look like sheer perfection!
You are so sweet! I still want your creme brulee bars!
Oh, Averie, these key lime pie bars look wonderful! I love citrus desserts, but usually end up using lemons over limes. Time to switch it up!
Can’t beat a good classic! Gorgeous photos, Averie! Pinning!
Thanks for pinning as always :)
I rarely bake with limes and it’s so silly since I love them so much. Thanks for the reminder and the FAB recipe! xx