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Key Lime Bars

Key Lime Bars are my new favorite dessert. They’re addicting!

key lime bar on a white plate garnished with whipped cream and a lime wedge

If you’re a fan of lemon bars, you’ll most likely really enjoy key lime bars too. They have a fabulous sweet and tangy flavor. It’s so hard to eat just one. The texture of the filling is creamy, and they have a graham cracker crust. We’ll be making these again and again, for sure!

overhead shot of ingredients needed for key lime bars on a white background and displayed in glass bowls

Ingredients needed:

  • graham crackers
  • butter
  • sugar
  • cream cheese
  • sweetened condensed milk
  • egg yolks
  • key lime juice
  • heavy whipping cream
  • powdered sugar
  • key lime slices

overhead shot of graham cracker crust in a square metal pan

How to make graham cracker crust:

A graham cracker crust is a simple combination of finely ground graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter. It’s pressed into the bottom of an 8×8-inch square pan and baked. You can buy graham cracker crumbs in a box at the store, or you can plan to grind up graham crackers in your food processor to create crumbs.

overhead shot of key lime bars ready for the oven

How to make the filling for Key Lime Bars:

The filling is a mix of cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks and key lime juice. If you’re thinking that you have to squeeze a million tiny key limes to get enough lime juice for this recipe, don’t worry– you don’t have to do that! In the juice aisle of your local market, you should be able to buy key lime juice in a bottle. The brand I always buy is (affiliate link) Nellie & Joe’s Key Lime Juice. The filling is spread onto the baked graham cracker crust, and then the pan goes back into the oven to bake some more.

baked key lime bars baked in a metal pan overhead shot of a corner of the pan

And this is how the key lime bars will look when they come out of the oven. It’s best to refrigerate them at this point so they have a chance to get nice and chilled and firmed up. They are so delicious that you could cut the bars just like this and eat them.

serving of key lime bars garnished with whipped cream and lime wedge

I like to add a little piping of freshly whipped cream on top, and then garnish them with a small slice of a fresh key lime. Look for key limes in your market’s produce section. They are a tiny version of regular limes.

overhead shot of key lime bars on a white plate

Store your key lime bars in a covered container in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve them. Keep leftovers chilled as well. I served these bars at a birthday gathering recently, and they were a big hit. Several people asked for the recipe. We found ourselves unable to keep away from them at home too. They are completely addicting!

Here are a few more dessert bars you might like to try:

key lime bar on a white plate garnished with whipped cream and a lime wedge

Key Lime Bars

RecipeBoy.com
Totally delicious, sweet and tangy bars!
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 12 bars (1 per serving)
Calories 346 kcal

Ingredients
  

CRUST:

FILLING:

TOPPING:

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350℉. Spray an 8x8-inch pan with nonstick spray.

PREPARE THE CRUST:

  • In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, butter and sugar. Stir until well combined. Press the crust mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 8 minutes.

PREPARE THE FILLING:

  • In a large bowl, use a mixer to combine the cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, lime juice and salt; beat until well combined and smooth. Scrape the filling on top of the baked crust and smooth with a rubber spatula to make it even. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until the filling is set. Chill the cooked bars for at least 2 hours (or overnight).

ADD THE TOPPING:

  • In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to whip the cream and sugar until the cream has thickened. Cut the bars into squares and move them to a serving platter. Spoon the whipped cream onto the bars and garnish with a piece of lime. Alternately, you can put the whipped cream into a piping bag and pipe it decoratively on top of each bar.

Nutrition

Serving: 1barCalories: 346kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 6gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 119mgSodium: 198mgPotassium: 209mgFiber: 1gSugar: 27gVitamin A: 777IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 140mgIron: 1mg
Keyword Bars, key lime
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Recipe Rating




Alana Simpson

Tuesday 6th of June 2023

How much does the graham crackers equal? I buy the crumbs in a box sometimes

RecipeGirl

Saturday 10th of June 2023

It's about 1 1/2 cups of crumbs.

Susan

Monday 7th of March 2022

Thank you Brooks, looks scrumptious

Eva @ Cooking Goals

Sunday 14th of June 2020

Delicious!! will have to try it out

Christine

Thursday 11th of June 2020

I'm curious as to who writes this blog? Is it still Brooks? Or someone else? It just seems misleading to me to have a blog titled Recipe Boy with Brooks's picture and name in the About Me section if he no longer maintains this website.

RecipeGirl

Thursday 11th of June 2020

Hi Christine- good question! I guess it's time to change the "about me" section to explain there. This is RecipeGirl (Brooks' Mom) writing the blog right now while he's at college. I've talked about the transition in many of the posts I've written since he left for college, but if you haven't kept up then you wouldn't know. I'll plan to update the about section soon. And hopefully he will guest post once in a while when he is in town for a visit :)

Lisa Barger

Thursday 11th of June 2020

These look delicious! Thank you for sharing!