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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
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.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Yum!! I’ve made these twice in the past month and everyone has raved!! Do you think I could replace the lime juice with grapefruit? I want to change it up a little for a memorial day bbq!
Hey Ashley,
Awesome! I am thrilled this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! I’ve never tried this with grapefruit, but let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I see 40 crackers further down in the comments! Thx. Can’t wait to make them.
Let me know how they turn out Barb!!
These look amazing.
Question: how many crackers in a sleeve? Or how many grams? Or ounces?
Hey Barb,
There should be about 40 crackers in a sleeve. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Best lime bars ever!
Absolutely delicious
Hey Martha,
Awesome!! I am so glad this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for making it. Have the best weekend:) xTieghan
OMG- these are amazing! Just the right amount of tangy citrus goodness and I LOVE the cracker crust! Made for simple dinner with friends-they raved as well. These will be my go-to summer dessert!
Hey Sarah,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xxTieghan
These were amazing!! I made them for Mother’s Day and my whole family was blown away. Next time I want to try putting a little cinnamon in the crust. Thank you for another amazing recipe!
Hey Julie,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xxTieghan
Hi!!
We love all about Half Baked Harvest! Thank you so much for sharing with us your creatinos with such grace!
Quick question, do you have the video for the Key Lime Bars? We watched it on IG, bu cant find it again. My daugheter (11 years old) wants to make them for me as a present and she would love if she can follow the recipe on the video.
Thanks!
From Coco ?
Hey Coco,
So sorry, I no longer have a video for this recipe. I hope you love the bars, please let me know if you give them try! xTieghan
Hi – I’d like to bring this to my moms for Mother’s Day. If I put the whipped cream topping on ahead of time will it stay okay? Will it deflate/get runny? Thanks!
Hey Kerry,
I would just put the whipped topping on at your mom’s house. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Very light, refreshing, and tart! So easy to make. The whipped cream with honey and vanilla was delicious as well!
Hey Shannon,
Fantastic!! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! Have a great Sunday:) xxTieghan
Define pink lemon juice?? Like a store bought raspberry or strawberry lemonade? Will that work? Excited to make these today!
Hey Belinda,
You can use a regular lemon, but I also find pink lemons at my local grocery store which are delicious. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan!
Instead of the whipped cream, is there anyway that I could use a meringue? If so how much longer would I need to bake this recipe in order for the meringue to have a crisp top?
Love your recipes!
Hey Liza,
Sure you could certainly do a meringue, because I haven’t tested this recipe with the meringue, I am not totally sure what you would want to add for the baking time. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Hi, is it ok to put any leftover bars in the freezer? Thanks!
Hey Joan,
Sure, that would be just fine! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Look forward to all your posts. I made these for my Husband’s birthday! Would like to request clarification. Sleeves of Ritz vary from box size to box size. It would help immensely if a cup amount or number of crackers was provided rather than the number of sleeves. It was a great Birthday “Cake” but my crust was a little short! Keep on being Wonderful You!
Hey Jody,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! I used the big sleeves of Ritz so about 40 crackers or 2 cups. xTieghan
Delicious!!!
I made with a gluten free vanilla graham cookie crust and added a bit of kosher salt. Otherwise I made the rest exactly as the recipe stated. Sssssooooo yummy!!!
Hey there,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
I made this last night for my mom’s birthday and it was delicious. It was a great crust to filling ratio! Super easy and minimal prep. I didn’t have a 9×9 square pan, so I used a 10.5in spring form pan lined with parchment paper which worked out just fine.
Hey Cindy,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan