Key Lime Pie Bars with Graham Cracker Crust
If you love key lime recipes, these key lime pie bars are for you. Made with a buttery graham cracker crust, a rich key lime filling, whipped cream topping and a sprinkle of fresh lime zest, this easy recipe is quick to throw together and super addicting.
They’re perfect for summer days when you want something refreshing and flavorful but not too heavy. Made with egg whites and non-fat yogurt makes them low in calories but still decadent enough for dessert. They need to fully set in the fridge for at least an hour so I recommend making the night before.
Any dessert in bar form is a yes for me. Try these M&M cookie bars, s’mores cookie bars or frozen Snickers bars for more easy desserts.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Only 130 calories in a single serving.
- Simple ingredients.
- Perfect tangy dessert to bring to parties.
Ingredients and Substitutions:
These are the main ingredients and substitutions. See the recipe card below for the full ingredients list and instructions for Healthy Key Lime Pie Bars.
- Graham Crackers: use a food processor to get the graham crackers to fine crumbs. If you don’t have one, put in a zip lock bag and crumble into a powder with a kitchen tool, such as a rolling pin. You can also use store-bought pre-crumbled graham crackers. Use vanilla wafers for a vanilla butter crust.
- Coconut oil: or melted butter.
- Key Lime Juice: fresh lime juice takes about 7-8 regular limes to yield 1 cup of juice. I prefer grocery store bottled key lime juice because it’s a bit less tart and makes the recipe much faster.
- Lime Zest: one regular lime will do the trick.
- Egg Whites: it takes about 4 eggs to yield 120g of egg whites. Be sure to remove the egg yolks.
- Fat-Free Sweetened Condensed Milk: you can use full fat as well.
- Non-fat Greek Yogurt: Fage non-fat plain is my go-to. Use full-fat for a richer filling.
- Whipped Topping: Whipped cream or sugar-free cool whip. I put a small dollop of whipped cream on top of each square for serving.
Variations
- Add a sprinkle of lime salt.
- Turn these into key lime cookies.
Dietary Modifications
- For gluten-free, use a gluten-free graham cracker for the buttery crust.
- Dairy-free is tricky but doable. You can swap out the condensed milk with coconut cream but this changes the consistency. Use dairy-free yogurt in place of Greek yogurt and a coconut whipped cream for the topping.
How to make the best key lime pie bars (a step-by-step visual guide):
Step 1: pre-heat oven and prep baking pan
Preheat your oven to 350°F and spray an 8×8 baking dish with nonstick or line with parchment paper.
Step 2: make and bake pie crust
In a medium bowl, using a hand mixer or wooden spoon, combine graham cracker crumbs and melted coconut oil. Mix to make sure the cracker pieces are all wet. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom of your prepared pan to form the crust. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then remove it from the oven and set it aside.
Step 3: prepare filling and add to the crust
While the crust is cooling, prepare the filling. In a large mixing bowl, using a hand mixer, combine lime juice, lime zest, egg whites, fat-free sweetened condensed milk, and non-fat Greek yogurt at medium speed. Whisk the mixture until it’s well combined. Pour the filling over the baked crust and spread it into an even layer with a spatula.
Step 4: bake
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the filling is set in the center, slightly jiggly but firm and the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan.
Let the bars cool to room temperature in the baking dish for at least 1 hour. Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and cool in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or until they’re completely chilled and firm. This is best to do overnight so they’re fully chilled before cutting. Slice into 12 equal squares and top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of additional lime zest for garnish.
Expert Tip!
Be sure to let the crust cool all the way prior to adding the filling. This helps prevent a soggy crust.
Recipe FAQs
Fresh lime juice takes about 7-8 regular limes to yield 1 cup of juice. I prefer grocery store bottled key lime juice because it’s a bit less tart and makes it much easier.
Overmixing causes cracks when baking, it’s still good, promise! Just be sure to let the mixture cool prior to refrigerating and to leave it in the fridge as long as possible prior to cutting.
Store these in the fridge for up to 4 days. If they last that long!
Check out some of our other easy recipes!
If you make this recipe, please leave a rating and/or comment! Tag me on Instagram @ohsnapmacros, I love hearing from you!
Key Lime Pie Bars
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Ingredients
Crust
- 5 full sheets graham cracker crumbled to powder
- 1/4 cup coconut oil melted, 45g
Filling
- 1 cup key lime juice I use a store-bought container of juice
- 2 Tbsp. lime zest
- 120g liquid egg whites
- 1 can fat-free sweetened condensed milk 14oz
- 1/2 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt 112g
Topping
- 1 dollop whipped cream, sugar-free cool whip or vanilla yogurt
- lime zest for garnish
- lime wedge for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and spray a 8×8 baking dish with nonstick or line with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and melted coconut oil. Mix to make sure the cracker pieces are all wet. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom of your prepared dish to form the crust. Bake the crust for 10-15 minutes until browned, then remove it from the oven and set it aside.
- While the crust is cooling, prepare the filling. You want to make sure to add the filling to cooled crust. In a large bowl, combine lime juice, lime zest, egg whites, fat-free sweetened condensed milk, and non-fat Greek yogurt. Whisk the mixture until it’s well combined. Pour the filling over the baked crust and spread it evenly with a spatula, if needed.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the filling is set in the center, slightly jiggly but firm and the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan.
- Let the bars cool to room temperature in the baking dish for at least 1 hour. Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and cool in the refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or until they’re completely chilled and firm. This is best to do overnight so they’re fully chilled before cutting.
- Slice into 12 equal squares and top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of additional lime zest for garnish.
Notes
- About 8 limes yields about 1 cup of key lime juice.
- 4 large eggs yields 120g of egg whites.
- Add a dollop of whipped cream to each individual piece for serving.
- Be sure to let the crust cool prior to adding the filling.
Just the right amount of tang for that pucker! Light & fluffy texture too.
Would you happen to know how much in grams or oz. for the 5 sheets of graham crackers? I had graham crumbs ready in the pantry. However, my crust turned out a bit thinner than I expected.
These are amazing! Highly recommend. Just be sure to not overbake.
These were so good!
Can you freeze these to keep longer? I want to try this recipe but 12 servings is too much! Would love to freeze half and keep for next week
Personally, I would half the recipe and make it in a loaf pan or small pan to make 6 vs. 12.
This is amazing!! My 6 year old and my Mom loved it. 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻
These are so yummy! My only complaint is that my graham cracker crust is soggy. Did I do something wrong or is this how it’s suppose to be? Either way I’m eating these babies.
Did you let your crust brown in the oven and then let it cool prior to adding the filling? Letting it cool helps! It’s definitely not going to be crunchy like a graham cracker but nice and soft.
I did brown it in the oven. Maybe I didn’t let it cool like it needed to before I put the filling. I’ll try that next time. Thanks