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!

Stacked key lime pie bars showing creamy lime filling and buttery graham cracker crust on a white plate.

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Old-Fashioned Key Lime Pie Bars

Bright, creamy, and easy to make, these key lime pie bars with a buttery graham cracker crust are a summer favorite. Tangy key lime filling meets a crunchy homemade graham cracker crust for a dessert that feels like a slice of key lime pie in every bar.

This recipe skips the classic pie shell and instead bakes the lime-custard filling right atop a sweet, golden graham base, making it perfect for parties, holidays, or simple backyard gatherings. Serve them chilled with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of lime zest for a refreshing treat everyone will love!

Ingredient Notes

Ingredients for key lime pie bars including graham cracker crumbs, butter, sweetened condensed milk, cream cheese, sugar, and fresh lime juice.

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.
  • Sweetened 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 with Graham Cracker Crust

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.

Pressing graham cracker crust mixture firmly into baking dish for key lime pie bars.

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.

Mixing sweetened condensed milk, cream cheese, lime zest, and lime juice for key lime pie bar filling.

Once tiny pinhole bubbles burst on top, the key lime pie bars are ready. Do not let it brown.

Spreading creamy key lime filling over baked graham cracker crust in a white baking dish.

Remove pan from the oven and cool completely before placing bars in the fridge until ready to serve. This dessert is best served chilled.

Square key lime pie bars with graham cracker crust garnished with whipped cream and lime wedges.

Tips for the Best Key Lime Pie 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.
Key lime pie bars with graham cracker crust topped with whipped cream, lime zest, and fresh lime slices.

Love dessert bars? Try cherry pie bars, blackberry cheesecake bars or strawberry shortcake bars.

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Key lime pie bars with graham cracker crust and creamy sweetened condensed filling cut into squares.

Key Lime Pie Bars with Graham Cracker Crust

5 from 5 votes
Recipe by: Jamielyn Nye
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 6 minutes
Chill: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 16 minutes
Servings: 10
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!
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Ingredients 

Graham cracker crust

  • 2 cups graham cracker crumbs , homemade or store bought
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • 8 Tablespoons (1 stick) salted butter , melted

Filling

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 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. 

Last step: Please leave a comment and rating after you make the recipe.

Notes

Juice: To make things easier I buy Nellie & Joe’s Key lime juice. 
Storage: Store in the refrigerator up to 3 days. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice, Calories: 281kcal, Carbohydrates: 44g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.001g, Cholesterol: 20mg, Sodium: 158mg, Potassium: 270mg, Fiber: 0.4g, Sugar: 35g, Vitamin A: 161IU, Vitamin C: 6mg, Calcium: 185mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.