Macadamia Key Lime Pie is a fresh and cold no-bake dessert that is so satisfying.  The perfect treat for a hot day with its perfectly balanced flavors that anyone will love!

If you love Key Lime flavors, try Grilled Key Lime Chicken too! It is marinated in a delicious lime sauce that makes the chicken so tender and juicy!

Macadamia Key Lime Pie

The summers are always a busy time for me. My hubby works every summer in North Carolina and manages a team of about 8 guys. I hardly ever see my hubby because he works long hours. This is one of the reasons why I started my blog years ago.  Since I had a lot of time on my hands and spent my days cooking for my hubby’s team, I wanted all my recipes in one place. That way they always came home to a home cooked meal after a long day of work.

I remember one summer I had to be apart from my hubby for two long months because my boys were still in school. When we were finally reunited, I got cooking right away!  This was the first dessert that I made for my husband and his team!  One of the guys said he didn’t like key lime pie. I made him try it anyway. 🙂  He took a bite and then quickly grabbed the whole pie and said he was going to hide it from everyone and eat it himself. He said that it tasted better than the pie that we had in the Keys. This really was one of the best desserts that I have made!

Ingredients for Key Lime Pie:

With less than 10 ingredients you can make your own delicious Macadamia Key Lime Pie!  These easy to find ingredients come together to create a perfectly balanced dessert.  Everyone who tries it will be asking for this list!

Crust:

• Shortbread cookies: Crushed to give sweetness and crumble
• Macadamia nuts: Finely chopped they give the crust a nutty flavor
• Sugar: Adds sweetness to the crust
• Butter: Melted

Filling:

• Cream cheese: Softened to room temperature so that it beats up smoothly without any lumps!
• Sweetened condensed milk: Creamy texture and sweetness
• Key Lime Juice or lime juice: Use fresh if possible
• Heavy whipping cream: Make sure it is cold and beat on high until it’s thick and fluffy — don’t stop until it’s done!
• Macadamia nuts: Coarsely chopped then combined with cookie crumbs, sugar and butter to form crust.
• Optional: Lime peel

Pie Time!

The most fantastic thing about this pie is that it is no-bake.  There is just something so wonderful about not having to turn on the oven on hot days.  Then, there is something even better about having a nice cool, refreshing dessert after dinner, or for a sweet afternoon snack.

1. Combine to form crust: In a small bowl, mix cookie crumbs, macadamia nuts, and sugar. Stir in melted butter. Press into bottom and sides of a greased 9 inch pie plate.
2. Refrigerate: Allow crust to chill for 30 minutes.
3. Make filling: In a large bowl or mixer beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in milk and lime juice until blended.
4. Build your pie: Transfer filling to crust and refrigerate covered for at least 4 hours.
5. Garnish: In a small bowl beat heavy whipping cream until soft peaks form. Spoon or pipe on top. Top with macadamia nuts and lime peel if desired.

Tips for the Most Amazing Macadamia Key Lime Pie:

If you want the perfect slice of key lime pie with a clean cut, smooth filling, and strong key lime flavor there are a few key (no pun intended, ha) things you need to know…

• Crust: The perfect graham cracker crust is created with lots of butter, and a good long chill to help it set.
• For smooth filling: Beat the cream cheese first before adding it to other filling ingredients for extra smooth filling.  Over mixing the filling will make it too runny so make sure you do this separately from the other ingredients.
• To cut the perfect slice: Chill for at least 5-6 hours or overnight — this is essential for cutting a clean slice!
• Garnish Ideas: Homemade whipped cream, sliced limes cut into quarters, whole macadamia nuts, graham cracker crumbs.
• Storing: Pie freezes well up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Can you Make Macadamia Key Lime Pie Ahead?

This Key Lime Pie is so easy to make ahead of time so that it is ready to serve when you need it.  The most time consuming part is waiting on the crust to set.  So, you can prepare and chill the crust 2-3 days in advance. Then, cover and store the crust until you are ready to use. In addition, you can mix up the filling up to 2-3 days in advance. Cover and refrigerate separately from the crust. Then, when you are ready, just assemble your pie and enjoy.

More Key Lime Dessert Ideas:

• Key Lime Pie Bars
• Coconut Key Lime Pie
• Key Lime Poke Cake
• No Bake Key Lime Cheesecake
• Mini Key Lime Pie