Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9" pie plate generously with cooking spray and set aside.
Melt the butter in a medium bowl in the microwave. Add the graham crumbs, sugar, and pinch of salt and stir until the crumbs are coated with the butter.
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, pinch of salt, 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
Pour the crumbs into the prepared pie plate and distribute evenly over the bottom. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom working from the center toward the edges and up the sides. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from heat and cool on a wire rack.
Prepare the filling:
Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees.
Place the egg yolks in a medium bowl and beat until combined. Add the key lime juice, zest, and condensed milk, and whisk until incorporated.
3 large egg yolks, 1/2 cup fresh key lime juice, 1 tablespoon key lime zest, 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
Pour the mixture over the crust and bake for 13-15 minutes or until the filling is set. Remove from heat and cool completely on a wire rack. Once the pie has cooled, chill in the refrigerator.
Dollop or pipe the cream around the edges and in the center before serving, and garnish with key lime slices and zest if desired. Serve and enjoy!
Homemade Whipped Cream
Notes
Pro tip: This pie is so much better when fresh key limes are used, but if none are available, consider making it with fresh lime or lemon juice instead of bottled. Freeze key lime juice with zest for up to 3 months until you're ready to make a pie!
Key lime pie may be made 1-2 days in advance. If you'd like to pipe whipped cream over the top in advance, use my stabilized whipped cream recipe.
Store leftover pie in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3 days.
Nutrition information does not include the whipped cream as that has been calculated in a separate post.