Written by Chris
Creating this key lime pie recipe took me back to when I first started working for Nestlé (let’s just say it was a long, long time ago!). My first assignment was to determine if evaporated milk could be whipped. Short answer: yes, it can!
Not many people actually know this. In fact, when we were photographing this recipe, the food stylist had serious doubts whether this recipe would actually work – she hadn’t whipped evaporated milk before. She prepared a total of 6 pies just to be sure we could find that perfect slice. Well, as it turned out, we only needed one pie. This recipe is a breeze to put together and it holds very well in the freezer. You might be wondering what we did with all the extra pies…we ate them. Every. Last. Pie. Hey, there were light!
Easy Frozen Key Lime Pie, shown at top
Ingredients for 10 servings:
- 1 can (12 fluid ounces) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Lowfat 2% Milk, well chilled
- 1 can (14 ounces) NESTLÉ LA LECHERA FAT FREE Sweetened Condensed Milk or NESTLÉ CARNATION Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice (Key lime or other)
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated lime peel (green part only)
- 1 prepared (9 ounces) graham cracker crust
- 10 thin lime slices for garnish (optional)
Directions:
POUR evaporated milk into small mixer bowl; place beaters in same bowl. Freeze for about 30 minutes or until ice crystals form around edge of bowl.
BEAT at high speed until evaporated milk doubles in volume. Beat in sweetened condensed milk, lime juice and grated lime peel. Spoon into crust.
FREEZE for 6 hours or until firm. Garnish each slice of pie with lime slice. Cover any leftover pie and freeze for up to 1 week.
Cook’s Tip: Two prepared (6 ounces each) graham cracker crusts may be used in place of 9-ounce crust. Makes 16 servings.
This pie is a perfect summer pie, especially for holidays and celebrations. The last Monday in May, and the weekend preceding it, has come to mark the unofficial beginning of summer. It’s also a time when we pay tribute to the U.S. men and women who died during military service and those who serve today. So as we spend time with friends and family on this long holiday weekend, let’s keep those that serve our country close to heart.
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Related Pie Recipes:
 Pumpkin Mousse Ice Cream Pie |
 Frozen Lemonade Pie |
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25 Comments
Interesting, but if you plan to refrigerate it… might as well use heavy whipping cream, which makes it better though less authentic.
The historical development of condensed and it’s cousin evaporated milk is an interesting one… although in the age of refrigeration seems like a historical footnote.
Thanks for your comments Roger! You are correct; this pie is authentic because it is frozen. I haven’t seen too many frozen key lime pies out there! And you can cut a lot of fat/calories by using lowfat evaporated milk. If you aren’t concerned with the nutrition angle and you plan to refrigerate, not freeze, yes, I am sure whipped cream will bring you excellent results.
Have a great Memorial Day weekend,
Chris
Just yesterday I was looking for an easy key lime pie recipe…Good thing I didn’t decide on one yet. Glad I found this, looks GREAT!
I have to admit I knew this, but that’s only because I collect vintage cookbooks.
Hi! Do you think the whipped evaporated milk can be used to frost a cake?
Thanks!
My experience has been that whipped evap holds for a good 30 minutes. I would personally stick to frozen applications, like frozen pies. However, if you frost your cake and then serve immediately, it willl be perfect! Here is a link that has a bit more info: http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/28647/Whipped-Carnation-Evaporated-Milk-Topping/detail.aspx
Chris
Thank you very much! The information is really useful
Rather than using sweetened condensed milk, do you think that another can of evaporated milk could be used along with some Splenda for sweetening? I’m concerned about sugar intake. Thanks.
wow i’ve just learnt somting form u..i am surely going to make this..thanks
Hi Linda, this is a great question. The sweetened condensed milk plays two roles – it sweetens but it also adds to the creamy & thick (ice cream-like) mouthfeel. If you eliminate the sweetened condensed milk and double/sweeten the evaporated milk I am concerned that it will lose the thick & creamy mouthfeel. It will likely be on the icy side. I am really curious though – we will test this idea out in our test kitchens Monday. If you happen to try sooner, please let me know your results.
Thanks,
Chris
I’m really interested to hear about eliminating the sweet. cond. milk too! Do you think you could use fat free evaporated milk to whip?
Hi there! I developed the recipe with lowfat evap because it added a little more body, but fat free evap milk can be used. If SCM gets eliminated, you will need to add back sweetener plus flavor with lime juice. If too much acid (lime juice in this case) is added, it can curdle the evap milk. The SCM acts as a buffer in this way. The SCM also adds a really nice ice cream-like mouthfeel when frozen. Having said that, I am still going to test this idea out on Monday when I am back in the test kitchen. I am thinking of trying this recipe http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/28647/Whipped-Carnation-Evaporated-Milk-Topping/detail.aspx w/o vanilla, plus lime juice. A little gelatin may do the trick! Stay tuned… I will share my results.
Chris
Back with some results…
I whipped the lowfat evap milk as the recipe states, but I also incorporated 1 cup Splenda for Baking – this is all we had on hand. (This is the sweetener that can be measured/used 1:1 in the same way as sugar.) I stirred in the lime peel and juice then spooned it into the crust. It froze beautifully. The level of sweetness was just right, but the mouth feel was lacking. This was more like a key lime ice milk. In a pinch, this works… but I do recommend using the sweetened condensed milk for optimal results. I could use a slice now!
It’s not Key Lime Pie unless you use Key Lime juice. You can’t use the regular Persian limes we are familiar with. Key limes are very small and only available fresh at certain times of the year. You can get bottled Key Lime juice. It is a fair substitute. But don’t call it Key Lime pie if you don’t use Key Lime Juice. And the end result is yellow, not green.
Hi Gail, thanks for your comment. Key limes are in fact used in this recipe and in the recipe image (if you look closely, you will see that the pie is not green and that the only green is coming from the zest). We juiced A LOT of key limes for this recipe!
Regular limes do work and that is why we specify “lime juice” in the recipe ingredients. We know key limes aren’t always readily available (and it’s time consuming to juice them) and we want consumers to know that regular limes work just fine.
I wish we could have a Carnation cream which could be used for piping flowers and for frosting. Now there’s an idea worth developing!
Can I make the pie without freezing it?
Usually I make a cool whip based key lime pie recipe which you refrigerate.
Hi Elvis,
This pie does need to be frozen. If refrigerated, it will likely deflate and make a big mess (it will still taste great though!).
It’s not a key lime pie unless you use KEY lime juice. It’s just a lime pie. Key limes are as small as marbles, are very hard and the skin is yellowish. There is a season for them, just a few months, they are not always available You can buy the key lime juice bottled in the grocery store, but is has to be KEY Lime juice. Otherwise it is not an authentic key lime pie.
Fresh key limes were used in this recipe, but seeing that they are small and you need a lot of them, we indicate you can use regular limes (this is what most people will do anyway). Regular limes work just fine, and in my opinion, are spectacular in this recipe.
If you have ever been to the Florida Keys and tasted a real, authentic Key lime pie, then you would know what I am saying. Persian limes don’t taste the same as Key limes. The pie made with Persian limes may taste great, but it won’t taste like an authentic Key lime pie. It will just be a lime pie. There is a difference and it is misleading to your readers to call it a Key lime pie when it is not made with Key limes.
I’d love to taste real Key lime pie, but in the absence of Key limes we just have to make do with what is available. I’ve never ever seen Key limes in the UK, so I guess I will never know how the real deal tastes!
madeitwithlove Look in your supermarket in the juice aisle for bottled Key lime juice. Better, bigger stores should have it. Chris is right when she says real Key limes are small and hard to juice. A pretty authentic Key lime pie is produced by Edward’s, and is available in the frozen pie section here in the States. You could also Google for a shop in Florida that will ship an authentic Key lime pie to you overnight.
Thanks for your comments, but the problem is I have never seen Key lime juice here in England in our juice aisles, and I wouldn’t want to go to the expense of shipping products over from the States. The Edwards brand you mentioned is not available here, but to be honest, I don’t like eating commercially prepared desserts. I’m strictly a home bake from scratch person, however if the opportunity ever arises I will be sure to try real Key lime pie (home made of course!), thank you for your interest and suggestions.
O mg, recipe sounds too good to miss, this is definitely a keeper. Thank you, yummies!!!
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