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Sweet, tart, and tangy, Lemon Key Lime Pie Bars …with a vanilla butter crust and lime salt on top. These bars are much like key lime pie but made with a few upgrades. They’re super easy, creamy, and made with an extra amount of tang. The filling is made with just a few simple ingredients. There are, of course, plenty of fresh limes. There’s also a secret ingredient…a touch of lemon juice. The crust is rich, buttery, and full of vanilla flavor, with the perfect touch of saltiness. Put everything together and you have the most mouthwatering key lime pie bars Just sweet enough, incredibly luscious, super creamy, and perfectly tangy. Finish with lightly whipped cream and lime salt for an amazingly salty-sweet key lime pie bar.
Surprise! Key lime pie bars! I feel like these are maybe a bit unexpected from me? I haven’t done many key lime pie recipes, so these feel very new and exciting to me. They’re also perfect for the spring and summer days ahead.
As a kid, the only person I knew who loved key lime pie was my grandpa. He’s always been very into key lime pie, and well, any fruit pie for that matter. But key lime and apple are two of his favorites.
I never understood either of his pie choices. I was raised to love a good, classic chocolate chip cookie pie, or a chocolate bourbon pecan pie. Yummm, right? Chocolate over key lime any day!
(key limes)
But times have changed. Over the last few years, I ventured into key lime pie territory. And while I still can’t say I’d choose key lime over chocolate, I will say that it certainly has its time and place. It’s actually pretty darn delicious when done right.
So, I’ve made the pie, but these bars are even more special, and for a few reasons.
The inspiration
Two things…fresh key limes at the grocery store, which I couldn’t believe I was able to come across.
And the desperate desire to be in Key West…as the snow currently falls outside my window.
(bars after baking)
Onto the details…
The amazing thing about these bars? They are EASY. So easy they’re hard to mess up.
You make the crust, bake, mix up a quick filling, and bake again. Then let the bars chill and top them with cream. So SIMPLE.
For the crust, I switched things up a bit and created a buttery, heavy on the vanilla, Ritz cracker crust. To me, this is better than a graham cracker crust any day. Simply mix the cracker crumbs with salted butter and a good splash of vanilla and bake everything up in a square baking dish. All done, super easy. That touch of vanilla and the use of salted butter are key.
But the real secret to this crust? A touch of brown sugar, which adds to that salty-sweet flavor, it’s delicious.
While the crust is baking, make the key lime filling. I always go extra tangy with my key lime filling. And for sweetness…I try to go just sweet enough. This means heavy on the lime with one very secret but key ingredient, a splash of lemon juice. Preferably pink lemon juice but any lemon juice will do. It’s an unexpected twist that makes for an even tarter key lime pie. Trust me on this. I know it’s not traditional, but I promise it really does make for a better key lime pie.
Once that’s mixed, bake the filling in the crust, and in fifteen minutes you’ll have key lime pie bars. So easy right?
Simple is the name of the game these days.
Also, a little note, while key limes are ideal, you can really use any ole’ lime to make these bars!
Now finish it up…
To serve, I like to spread a delicious honey whipped cream over top with a sprinkle of fresh lime salt. Nothing fancy, but it seals the deal on these key lime pie bars.
Once chilled, the bars come out almost perfect. They have a rich, salty-sweet, and buttery brown sugar crust with the creamiest most luscious smooth key lime filling that melts in your mouth. Beyond delicious.
So good that we overnighted a batch to my grandpa because I just knew he’d LOVE these more than anyone.
If you want to step up your presentation game, sprinkle over some edible flowers. Either way the bars are sure to be enjoyed by all…
And they’re pretty fun too!
Looking for other sweet bars recipes? Here are some of my favorites:
Swirled Carrot Cake Cheesecake Bars
Cinnamon Sugar Blueberry Crumb Bars
Lunchroom Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
Lastly, if you make these Lemon Key Lime Pie Bars, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Lemon Key Lime Pie Bars
Servings: 16 bars
Calories Per Serving: 232 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 sleeves Ritz crackers
- 2 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) salted butter, melted
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 5 large egg yolks
- 1 3/4 cups sweetened condensed milk
- 1 tablespoon lime zest, plus 2/3 cup lime juice
- 3 tablespoons lemon or pink lemon juice (or additional lime juice)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1-2 tablespoons honey
Lime Salt
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 9-inch square pan with parchment paper. 2. In a food processor, pulse the crackers and brown sugar into crumbs. Add the butter and 2 teaspoons vanilla, pulse to combine. Press the mix into the prepared pan. Bake until golden, about 18 minutes.3. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl until smooth. Add the sweetened condensed milk, lime zest, lime juice, lemon juice, and salt. Whisk to combine. Carefully pour the mix into the baked crust.4. Bake for 15 minutes, until just set on top. Let cool slightly, then cover and chill in the fridge until set, at least 1-2 hours. 5. Before serving, using an electric mixer to whip the cream until soft peaks form. Add the honey and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Whip to combine. Swirl the cream onto the bars. In a bowl, mix the lime zest and a pinch of flaky salt. Sprinkle over the bars. Slice and enjoy! The bars will keep chilled in the fridge for up to 5 days.
This recipe is amazing! However, making the whipped cream was a nightmare for me. I tried two different brands of heavy whipping cream and none of them would thicken. If you have any suggestions on what brands to use, what to look for, that would be helpful. Not sure if it’s just because I’m a novice baker. Thanks again!
Hey Colleen,
Awesome! I am so glad this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! I use heavy whipping cream from Whole Foods, I like the organic valley brand. Did you try to whip this by hand? That will take a significantly longer time, it takes at least 5 minutes when I use my KitchenAid mixer. xTieghan
Oh my goodness…these are one of the best things I’ve ever eaten!! I’m not kidding. They are so delicious. Thank you for sharing it.
Hey MaryAnne,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am delighted that it was enjoyed! Have a fantastic week! xTieghan
I made this last night for my supper club (first time in 15 months!). The crust is superb I’ll never go back to graham cracker crusts for future recipes! I followed the bake time in the recipe but the filling I thought was a little loose which made for a messier presentation than I would of liked but it tasted delicious. I will definitely make again and maybe cook for a few min longer.
Hey Lucinda,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am delighted that it was enjoyed! Have a fantastic week! xTieghan
These have just the right amount of tartness – so yummy! I grabbed the wrong measuring spoon and ruined the whipped cream with too much vanilla and didn’t have enough cream for more. I whipped the leftover egg whites into a meringue instead and it was still delicious! Sweet, salty, tart and creamy. Thank you!!
Hey Heather,
Happy Sunday! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
OMG Tieghan!!! These are SO good! I had never made a crust with Ritz crackers and this recipe turned out amazing. Thanks for all the great recipes — I must have made at least 75 of them since the start of the pandemic.
Hey Lyne,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad you enjoyed it! Have a great weekend!! xxTieghan
Súper easy and delicious recipe! Loved it?. Can it be out for a little while before serving? Like at room temperature or no?
Hey Sonia,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad you enjoyed it! I prefer to serve straight from the fridge. Have a great weekend!! xxTieghan
Made it for the family and they all loved it.
Hey there,
Fantastic! I am thrilled this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a go! Happy Friday:) xTieghan
I just finished making this recipe, and it’s so good! I’m in Portugal, so no Ritz crackers to be had, but I did find some Tuk crackers, and they worked fine. I’m so lucky that a neighbor has a lime tree and she gave me a bag of limes this week. They are tiny, but so flavorful. I used the extra lime zest and a bit of juice to make some meringues. Great recipe, thank you!
Hey Maria,
Fantastic! I am thrilled this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a go! Happy Friday:) xTieghan
Hi there,
I really love what you do but I juet feel that your measurements are not easy to follow. Especially when you live in Europe, the metric conversion is not useful but overall I feel that writing « two sleeves of rice crackers » or « 1 stick of butter » is So approximative. I tried to do it by looking on conversion on internet but it end up a disaster. I am so disappointed. I wish you would be more precise in order to help out making it as easy as it looks for you.
Hey Mila,
So sorry for any confusion, but I linked the exact Ritz crackers that I used, so you should be able to get an idea from there, I also note that 1 stick of butter is equal to 8 tablespoons. I hope this helps for next time. xTieghan
I am speechless. I cannot find words to describe how much I love this recipe. My tastebuds are in heaven. Excellent work! If you need me, I’ll be over here stuffing my face.
Hey Dana,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a go! xxTieghan
I made these over the weekend and they were divine! (And so much easier than lemon meringue or key lime pie!) I substituted powdered sugar for honey in the whipped cream because my daughter doesn’t like honey and I wasn’t sure if she’d be able to detect it. These get an A+ from me and are being added to my recipe box. 🙂
Hey Mary,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a go! xxTieghan
If I am making these to take out of town, will the bars be okay if I make the whipped cream ahead of time and go ahead and put it on the bars?
Hey Lili,
How far are you traveling out of town? I would probably just make the whipped cream and travel with it separately and then top the bars once at your final destination. I hope you love the recipe, let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
These were so delicious! I followed the recipe exactly. They were a big hit, all my family loved them and I’m definitely making them again. I might make them in a 9×9 pan next time, the crust was a bit thick to cut but ultimately it was fine. Thank you, Tieghan for this great recipe! Pinned!
Hey Michael,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am it was enjoyed! xTieghan
LoL, just put the bars in the oven and realized I was supposed to make the cream as a topping. Will bake a little longer and hope for the best. Can you separate the topping cream and salt like you do the lime salt ingredients?
Just started treatment, “chemo brain” is real. Plus my tastebuds are desperate for a flavor. The Big C is no fun!
Hey Isabel,
You will add the whipped cream after the bars bake, you don’t want to bake the whipped cream. Sorry, I am not really sure what you mean by the topping cream and salt. Let me know how they turn out! xTieghan
I made these Lemon Key Lime pie bars yesterday and oh my! They were absolutely delicious and so easy to make. Perfect taste of tangy, salty, and sweet. Everyone loves them. I love your recipes.
Hey Joyce,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am it was enjoyed! xTieghan