• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Recipes
    • Recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch & Dinner
    • Desserts & Baking
  • About Me
  • Contact
  • Work with Me
  • Cookbook

key lime pie bars with macadamia nut crust

June 7, 2021 2 Comments

Share
Pin122
Tweet
Share
122 Shares
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Key Lime Pie Bars are an absolute breeze to make! They have a delicious, creamy filling flavored with zippy lime juice and zest, and a crust made with graham cracker crumbs and macadamia nuts. Top these creamy delights with a dollop of fresh whipped cream and a sprinkle of lime zest. It’s a refreshing treat that everyone is sure to love! 

Key Lime Pie Bars topped with whipped cream, lime slices and zest this recipe

If you’ve never had something like this before, you’re in for a treat! Key Lime Pie – or in this case – Key Lime Pie Bars, are delicious, creamy, and full of a refreshing zippy lime flavor. The texture is almost like a cheesecake – but a little lighter. 

Close-up of key lime pie bars

And these bars are easier to make than a full pie or a cheesecake! Let’s dive in – first crush your graham crackers and macadamia nuts in a food processor. Mix that with melted butter and just a hint of sugar to make your crust!

The crust pressed into a 9x9 pan

While that bakes for about 10 minutes, mix up your filling. We’re using cream cheese, egg yolks, a can of sweetened condensed milk, plenty of fresh lime juice and lime zest, and a splash of vanilla. Minimal ingredients, and minimal effort!

A bowl of the creamy key lime batter

Pour this mixture over your crust, and pop it back into the oven to bake until the bars seem just set. Let the bars cool completely at room temperature, then chill them in the fridge overnight before slicing and serving. 

The baked bars in the pan

Let’s talk about whipped cream! It’s an absolute must when having key lime pie. All you need to make it is heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Mix everything together on high speed until stiff peaks form. Make this once you’re ready to serve the bars – it’s definitely NOT a make-ahead type of thing. 

A bowl of whipped cream

Dollop the fresh whipped cream on top of the key lime bars, and add a sprinkle of lime zest for garnish. And, that’s it! One of the easiest desserts you’ll ever make. It’s perfect for SO many occasions too!

Key Lime Pie bars topped with whipped cream, lime slices and lime zest

Occasions to Make Key Lime Pie Bars for: 

  • Mother’s Day or Father’s Day – This is a fun and fancy-looking dessert that you can make ahead of time!
  • 4th of July, Memorial Day, & Labor Day – A chilled dessert is always perfect for any of these holidays, and the key lime flavor just screams summer! 
  • Potlucks & Backyard Barbecues – These bars are a hit with everyone who’s tasted them, and they’d be the perfect addition to any backyard summer gathering. 
  • Thanksgiving – Yes, these would even fit in at Thanksgiving! They’re technically pie, just in bar form. It’s a fun way to switch up your normal pie flavors, or you could bring it to friendsgiving, which is typically less traditional. 
  • Easter – The bright flavor of these bars makes them perfect for a springtime Easter treat, too!

So to sum up, these bars are incredibly delicious AND incredibly versatile I can’t wait to see what occasions bring this delicious treat to your table. 

Key Lime Pie Bars topped with whipped cream, lime slices, and lime zest

I hope you enjoy these Key Lime Pie Bars as much as we do! Happy baking, and happy summer. 

A close-up of a key lime pie bar with a bite taken from the creamy filling and crisp, buttery crust.

Did you make this recipe? Snap a photo and leave a comment! 

Be sure to follow bluebowlrecipes on instagram and tag #bluebowlrecipes with your photo! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the bluebowlrecipes Facebook page. I’d love to see what you make!

 

5 from 1 vote
Print

Key Lime Pie Bars

These bars have a delicious, creamy filling flavored with zippy lime juice and zest, and a crust made with graham cracker crumbs and macadamia nuts. Top these creamy delights with a dollop of fresh whipped cream and a sprinkle of lime zest.

Course Dessert
Cuisine Dessert
Keyword Easy Summer Desserts, Easy Pie Recipes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 32 minutes
Chill Time 12 hours
Servings 9 bars
Author Stephanie Simmons

Ingredients

For the Crust:

  • 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
  • 1/3 cup macadamia nuts
  • 6 tbsp salted butter, melted
  • 1 tbsp granulated sugar

For the Key Lime Filling

  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature
  • 4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
  • One 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
  • 2 tbsp lime zest
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the Whipped Cream

  • 1/2 cup cold heavy cream
  • 1 tbsp powdered sugar
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • extra lime zest and/or slices for garnish

Instructions

  1. Prep: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x9 inch baking pan with nonstick spray and/or line with parchment paper.

  2. Make and Par-Bake the Crust: Pulse the macadamia nuts in your food processor until finely chopped (or chop them by hand). Stir all the crust ingredients together in a medium bowl. Press evenly into the bottom of your prepared pan. Bake the crust for 9 minutes. Work on the filling while the crust bakes.

  3. Make the Filling: Beat the cream cheese in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on high speed, until creamy. Add the egg yolks and mix until just combined. Add the can of sweetened condensed milk, lime zest, lime juice, and vanilla and mix until everything is just combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Pour over the par baked crust.

  4. Bake: Bake the bars for 22-24 minutes. The bars will appear just set, and there will be a bit of thick batter on a knife or toothpick inserted into the center of the bars. There will be just the tiniest hint of browning around the edges of the bars.

    Let the bars cool completely at room temp, then cover and chill in the fridge overnight (or up to 2 days) before serving.

  5. Make the Whipped Cream: Make the whipped cream once you're ready to serve the bars. Add all whipped cream ingredients, making sure the heavy cream is cold, to a large bowl. Beat on high until stiff peaks form. Don't overmix. Use a kitchen towel to cover the bowl and the mixer to contain splatters.

  6. Serve + Store: Slice the bars and dollop whipped cream on top of each. Sprinkle with a little lime zest, and enjoy! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.

  7. Notes: You can leave out the nuts if needed. Use gluten-free graham crackers to make the whole recipe GF!

 

The One-Bowl Baker

Order my new book:

The One-Bowl Baker

today!

One-Bowl recipes for incredible cookies, brownies, cakes, and breads made easy enough for anyone to bake!

Order Now:

Walmart // Amazon // Barnes & Noble // Target // Booksamillion // Bookshop // Indie Bound // Book Depository

Get the Bonus e-Book!

Filed Under: Brownies, Blondies, & Bars, Cheesecake, Desserts & Baking, Diet, Easter, Fourth of July, Gluten-Free, Holiday, Pie, Season, Spring, Summer, Thanksgiving Tagged With: easy dessert, gluten-free, Seasonal Picks, Summer

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  1. Becca says

    March 21, 2022 at 3:25 pm

    5 stars
    I made these recently and they turned out so well! I added a bit more lime zest just because I like things super citrusy, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. I will definitely make them again!

    Reply
    • Stephanie Simmons says

      March 23, 2022 at 3:46 pm

      Thanks, Becca! So glad you liked these key lime pie bars. Happy baking 🙂

      Reply

Primary Sidebar

Hi. I’m Stephanie

I’m a Mom & Grandma-taught cook + baker, and I’m excited to share my love of all things food with you!

Learn more

Order my new book

One-Bowl recipes for incredible cookies, brownies, cakes, and breads made easy enough for anyone to bake!

Order now

Reader Faves

A spoon dipping into a jar of caramel sauce.

simplest homemade salted caramel sauce

maple bacon cupcakes with brown butter frosting and candied bacon

homemade blueberry pop tarts

blueberry spinach salad with honey balsamic dressing

perfect breakfast quiche

best-ever 5 ingredient brownies

Seasonal Picks

A jumbo blueberry muffin on a cooling rack.

bakery-style jumbo blueberry muffins

s’mores tart with toasted marshmallow meringue

key lime pie bars with macadamia nut crust

one-bowl lemon poppyseed muffins

rhubarb upside down cake

strawberry scones

Subscribe for recipes

FeedFeed

Footer

  • Privacy Policy
Blog Meets Brand

© 2022 Blue Bowl Recipes. All Rights Reserved.

X

Subscribe For 5 Exclusive Recipes!

Join our mailing list to receive exclusive content, new recipes, and more. Sign up now to receive an ebook of 5 exclusive recipes!

 

Loading Comments...