Lemon Key Lime Pie Bars.
Sweet, tart, and tangy, Lemon Key Lime Pie Bars …with a vanilla butter crust and lime salt on top. These bars are much like key lime pie but made with a few upgrades. They’re super easy, creamy, and made with an extra amount of tang. The filling is made with just a few simple ingredients. There are, of course, plenty of fresh limes. There’s also a secret ingredient…a touch of lemon juice. The crust is rich, buttery, and full of vanilla flavor, with the perfect touch of saltiness. Put everything together and you have the most mouthwatering key lime pie bars Just sweet enough, incredibly luscious, super creamy, and perfectly tangy. Finish with lightly whipped cream and lime salt for an amazingly salty-sweet key lime pie bar.
Surprise! Key lime pie bars! I feel like these are maybe a bit unexpected from me? I haven’t done many key lime pie recipes, so these feel very new and exciting to me. They’re also perfect for the spring and summer days ahead.
As a kid, the only person I knew who loved key lime pie was my grandpa. He’s always been very into key lime pie, and well, any fruit pie for that matter. But key lime and apple are two of his favorites.
I never understood either of his pie choices. I was raised to love a good, classic chocolate chip cookie pie, or a chocolate bourbon pecan pie. Yummm, right? Chocolate over key lime any day!
(key limes)
But times have changed. Over the last few years, I ventured into key lime pie territory. And while I still can’t say I’d choose key lime over chocolate, I will say that it certainly has its time and place. It’s actually pretty darn delicious when done right.
So, I’ve made the pie, but these bars are even more special, and for a few reasons.
The inspiration
Two things…fresh key limes at the grocery store, which I couldn’t believe I was able to come across.
And the desperate desire to be in Key West…as the snow currently falls outside my window.
(bars after baking)
Onto the details…
The amazing thing about these bars? They are EASY. So easy they’re hard to mess up.
You make the crust, bake, mix up a quick filling, and bake again. Then let the bars chill and top them with cream. So SIMPLE.
For the crust, I switched things up a bit and created a buttery, heavy on the vanilla, Ritz cracker crust. To me, this is better than a graham cracker crust any day. Simply mix the cracker crumbs with salted butter and a good splash of vanilla and bake everything up in a square baking dish. All done, super easy. That touch of vanilla and the use of salted butter are key.
But the real secret to this crust? A touch of brown sugar, which adds to that salty-sweet flavor, it’s delicious.
While the crust is baking, make the key lime filling. I always go extra tangy with my key lime filling. And for sweetness…I try to go just sweet enough. This means heavy on the lime with one very secret but key ingredient, a splash of lemon juice. Preferably pink lemon juice but any lemon juice will do. It’s an unexpected twist that makes for an even tarter key lime pie. Trust me on this. I know it’s not traditional, but I promise it really does make for a better key lime pie.
Once that’s mixed, bake the filling in the crust, and in fifteen minutes you’ll have key lime pie bars. So easy right?
Simple is the name of the game these days.
Also, a little note, while key limes are ideal, you can really use any ole’ lime to make these bars!
Now finish it up…
To serve, I like to spread a delicious honey whipped cream over top with a sprinkle of fresh lime salt. Nothing fancy, but it seals the deal on these key lime pie bars.
Once chilled, the bars come out almost perfect. They have a rich, salty-sweet, and buttery brown sugar crust with the creamiest most luscious smooth key lime filling that melts in your mouth. Beyond delicious.
So good that we overnighted a batch to my grandpa because I just knew he’d LOVE these more than anyone.
If you want to step up your presentation game, sprinkle over some edible flowers. Either way the bars are sure to be enjoyed by all…
And they’re pretty fun too!
Looking for other sweet bars recipes? Here are some of my favorites:
Swirled Carrot Cake Cheesecake Bars
Cinnamon Sugar Blueberry Crumb Bars
Lunchroom Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
Lastly, if you make these Lemon Key Lime Pie Bars, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Lemon Key Lime Pie Bars
Just sweet enough, incredibly luscious, super creamy, and perfectly tangy...amazingly salty-sweet key lime pie bars!
Ingredients
- 2 sleeves Ritz crackers
- 2 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) salted butter, melted
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 5 large egg yolks
- 1 3/4 cups sweetened condensed milk
- 1 tablespoon lime zest, plus 2/3 cup lime juice
- 3 tablespoons lemon or pink lemon juice (or additional lime juice)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1-2 tablespoons honey
Lime Salt
- zest from 1 lime
- flaky sea salt
Instructions
-
1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 9-inch square pan with parchment paper.
2. In a food processor, pulse the crackers and brown sugar into crumbs. Add the butter and 2 teaspoons vanilla, pulse to combine. Press the mix into the prepared pan. Bake until golden, about 18 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl until smooth. Add the sweetened condensed milk, lime zest, lime juice, lemon juice, and salt. Whisk to combine. Carefully pour the mix into the baked crust.
4. Bake for 15 minutes, until just set on top. Let cool slightly, then cover and chill in the fridge until set, at least 1-2 hours.
5. Before serving, using an electric mixer to whip the cream until soft peaks form. Add the honey and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Whip to combine. Swirl the cream onto the bars. In a bowl, mix the lime zest and a pinch of flaky salt. Sprinkle over the bars. Slice and enjoy! The bars will keep chilled in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Our Favorite Recipes
Bursting Blueberry Lemon Thyme Tarts.
How thoughtful to send your grandpa a batch. I am sure he will enjoy them.
Thanks so much Charlotte!
How many grams is two sleeves of Ritz crackers? I live outside of the States and portions here are smaller. Thank you!
Hey Janice,
Each sleeve contains about 40 crackers. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Oh boy! This looks like summer in a bite! Can you tell me how many grams or ounces are in 2 sleeves of Ritz crackers? In Canada, they are sold by the box and jumbled in a bag (like cereal), rather than sleeves. So I have no idea how many crackers would be needed for this recipe, which I intend to make ASAP!
Hey there,
There’s about 40 crackers in a sleeve. I hope this helps! Let me know if you give the recipe a try! xTieghan
The thing that really make these outstanding, on top of the crust, would be using key limes instead of regular limes. Regular limes work, but they don’t taste like key limes, just like limes don’t have the same taste as lemons. Key limes are kind of a mixture of the two. If you can get key lime juice, even bottled, use that. Luckily I have a key lime tree in my back yard that is ready to drop about 30 limes. This is on my list to make! Thanks for sharing. Fence Contractors Lakewood
I hope you love the recipe Elice!!
Not only are these so pretty, they sound scrumptious as well. Anything citrusy in the spring and summer always makes me happy. Love all your recipes. Thanks so much for sharing!
Hey Linger,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am delighted that it was enjoyed! Have a great weekend! xTieghan
Hello:)
In Canada, 🇨🇦 what are 2 sleeves equivalent too? We have boxes totalling 200gms.
Thank you! Can’t wait to try:)
Hey Melanie,
There’s about 40 crackers in 1 sleeve. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Could you substitute merrange for the whipping cream.
Hey Valerie,
Sure, that would be a fun idea! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
About how many cups should the cracker + brown sugar mix make? I am gluten free so want to try GF graham crackers since there is no GF ritz alternative. Excited to try this!
Hey Lea,
The ritz crust will make about 2 cups. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
These look so pretty with the flowers on top! Love that you sent some to your Grandpa 💖 hope he loved them too. Xx
Thanks so much Kelly-Jane!!
I am so excited to make this! I actually have key limes and key lime juice already stocked. Do you think graham crackers would work in place of ritz crackers? Only asking because that’s what I’ve got in my pantry!
Hey Nicole,
Yes, graham crackers would be great! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
These look delish! Would love to swap out the Ritz crackers with graham crackers. How many rectangles of graham crackers would you guess that converts to?
Hey Anna,
Sorry, I’m honestly not sure because I haven’t tested the recipe with graham crackers, I would just eyeball it as best you can! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I look forward to making this recipe as I love the flavors involved. Your pictures are simply stunning!
Thanks for the great recipe development.
Thanks so much Linda! I hope you love the recipe!
Oh my gosh, I can’t wait to make these! I literally just searched your website for a key lime pie bar recipe this week, because I wanted to try making key lime pie, but loved the idea of them as a bar. I feel like you read my mind! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Lol perfect timing Becca! I hope you love them:)
These look great! My lime trees are almost at the end of their season so I’m always looking for ways to use them up. I don’t live in America so I’ll have to use other crackers for this. Can you please give measurements for the weight of two sleeves of Ritz crackers? Thanks!
Hey Barbara,
Each sleeve contains about 40 Ritz crackers. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This recipe sounds great and is very similar to Atlantic beach pie; along the coast of North Carolina lots of seafood restaurants serve a lemon merengue pie with ritz cracker crust (the history is very interesting, and ther is an NPR article about it!). This looks like a simpler version of that and I can’t wait to try it!
Thanks so much Lindsey! Let me know if you give it a try!
Delicious! Those in canafa, uou can buy ritz in sleeves, in the bulk section of a grocery store, superstore or safeway. The only way we buy them, all un broken!
Thanks so much Teri!!
Okay so YUM! I cannot wait to try.. Growing up, I was always a fruity dessert > than chocolate, and I am just now turning to love and appreciate chocolatey goodness. But fruity and tart still have my heart. Key lime pie is one of my faves, and your pictures are BEAUTIFUL!
Thanks so much Steph! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you end up making it! xTieghan
I don’t have a food processor – is there a way I can still make this?
Hey Terri,
I would finely crunch the ritz crackers in a ziplock bag and then mix the butter with the cracker crumbs. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi 🙂 Could you use sweetened condensed coconut milk in the filling instead of sweetened condensed milk?
Hey Tara,
Sure, I think that would work well here for you! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi, looks great, how many cans of SCM will I need for 1-3/4 cups? Thanks!
Hey Loren,
You should need about 2 cans. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Such a fun summer recipe! Is there a way to make it gluten free?
Thanks so much Saira! You could use a GF ritz cracker or even a GF graham cracker would work well here. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I am getting the ingredients for these tomorrow and will whip up a batch for my husband to take to work…while leaving a few for me! Cannot wait to taste the sweet, salty, citrusy blend of these bars!
Thanks Jen! Let me know how they turn out! xTieghan
wow, love key lime anything, and these are wonderful, thank you!
Hey Sabrina,
Wonderful!! I am so so glad that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! Happy Sunday! xTieghan
Hi there! It’s not letting me reply to a comment, but I thought I would mention that 1 3/4 cup of SCM is actually just one standard 14oz can (not two). I’m sure the can sizes can vary, but I was only able to find 14oz cans, which equals exactly 1 3/4 cups. Hope that info helps when grabbing your ingredients to make these — they turned out fantastic!
Thanks so much!
For all the fellow Canadians. 2 sleves of Ritz is basically 200g. So a whole box.
Thanks Christina!
Delicious, impressive and simple!
Hey Jeanne,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Happy Monday! xTieghan
This was out of this world. The perfect combo of tart, sweet, and salty. Checked off a bunch of pregnancy cravings with it lol. Thanks Tieghan for sharing your amazing recipes.
Hey Justine,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Happy Monday! xTieghan
The flavor is perfect and it’s so easy. My crust was a lot thinner than your photo. Is a “sleeve” of Ritz a universal measure. I suspect the sleeves I have are mini (with only 13 crackers per sleeve). Regardless, delicious.
Hey Steve,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Happy Monday! xTieghan
Making this a second time! The first I made the filling only and used a store bought Graham crust then made a meringue topping with the egg whites, was a good balance of sweet/tart. I used Joyce Lafray’s bottled key lime juice. Arborist Golden Co
Hey Ella,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Something about spring time just makes me CRAVE desserts that are citrusy and tangy. These key lime pie squares are always the first desserts I crave come spring time.
Hey there,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am it was enjoyed! xTieghan
I made these Lemon Key Lime pie bars yesterday and oh my! They were absolutely delicious and so easy to make. Perfect taste of tangy, salty, and sweet. Everyone loves them. I love your recipes.
Hey Joyce,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am it was enjoyed! xTieghan
LoL, just put the bars in the oven and realized I was supposed to make the cream as a topping. Will bake a little longer and hope for the best. Can you separate the topping cream and salt like you do the lime salt ingredients?
Just started treatment, “chemo brain” is real. Plus my tastebuds are desperate for a flavor. The Big C is no fun!
Hey Isabel,
You will add the whipped cream after the bars bake, you don’t want to bake the whipped cream. Sorry, I am not really sure what you mean by the topping cream and salt. Let me know how they turn out! xTieghan
These were so delicious! I followed the recipe exactly. They were a big hit, all my family loved them and I’m definitely making them again. I might make them in a 9×9 pan next time, the crust was a bit thick to cut but ultimately it was fine. Thank you, Tieghan for this great recipe! Pinned!
Hey Michael,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am it was enjoyed! xTieghan
If I am making these to take out of town, will the bars be okay if I make the whipped cream ahead of time and go ahead and put it on the bars?
Hey Lili,
How far are you traveling out of town? I would probably just make the whipped cream and travel with it separately and then top the bars once at your final destination. I hope you love the recipe, let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
I made these over the weekend and they were divine! (And so much easier than lemon meringue or key lime pie!) I substituted powdered sugar for honey in the whipped cream because my daughter doesn’t like honey and I wasn’t sure if she’d be able to detect it. These get an A+ from me and are being added to my recipe box. 🙂
Hey Mary,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a go! xxTieghan
I am speechless. I cannot find words to describe how much I love this recipe. My tastebuds are in heaven. Excellent work! If you need me, I’ll be over here stuffing my face.
Hey Dana,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a go! xxTieghan
Hi there,
I really love what you do but I juet feel that your measurements are not easy to follow. Especially when you live in Europe, the metric conversion is not useful but overall I feel that writing « two sleeves of rice crackers » or « 1 stick of butter » is So approximative. I tried to do it by looking on conversion on internet but it end up a disaster. I am so disappointed. I wish you would be more precise in order to help out making it as easy as it looks for you.
Hey Mila,
So sorry for any confusion, but I linked the exact Ritz crackers that I used, so you should be able to get an idea from there, I also note that 1 stick of butter is equal to 8 tablespoons. I hope this helps for next time. xTieghan
I just finished making this recipe, and it’s so good! I’m in Portugal, so no Ritz crackers to be had, but I did find some Tuk crackers, and they worked fine. I’m so lucky that a neighbor has a lime tree and she gave me a bag of limes this week. They are tiny, but so flavorful. I used the extra lime zest and a bit of juice to make some meringues. Great recipe, thank you!
Hey Maria,
Fantastic! I am thrilled this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a go! Happy Friday:) xTieghan
Made it for the family and they all loved it.
Hey there,
Fantastic! I am thrilled this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a go! Happy Friday:) xTieghan
Súper easy and delicious recipe! Loved it💖. Can it be out for a little while before serving? Like at room temperature or no?
Hey Sonia,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad you enjoyed it! I prefer to serve straight from the fridge. Have a great weekend!! xxTieghan
OMG Tieghan!!! These are SO good! I had never made a crust with Ritz crackers and this recipe turned out amazing. Thanks for all the great recipes — I must have made at least 75 of them since the start of the pandemic.
Hey Lyne,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad you enjoyed it! Have a great weekend!! xxTieghan
These have just the right amount of tartness – so yummy! I grabbed the wrong measuring spoon and ruined the whipped cream with too much vanilla and didn’t have enough cream for more. I whipped the leftover egg whites into a meringue instead and it was still delicious! Sweet, salty, tart and creamy. Thank you!!
Hey Heather,
Happy Sunday! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
I made this last night for my supper club (first time in 15 months!). The crust is superb I’ll never go back to graham cracker crusts for future recipes! I followed the bake time in the recipe but the filling I thought was a little loose which made for a messier presentation than I would of liked but it tasted delicious. I will definitely make again and maybe cook for a few min longer.
Hey Lucinda,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am delighted that it was enjoyed! Have a fantastic week! xTieghan
Oh my goodness…these are one of the best things I’ve ever eaten!! I’m not kidding. They are so delicious. Thank you for sharing it.
Hey MaryAnne,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am delighted that it was enjoyed! Have a fantastic week! xTieghan
This recipe is amazing! However, making the whipped cream was a nightmare for me. I tried two different brands of heavy whipping cream and none of them would thicken. If you have any suggestions on what brands to use, what to look for, that would be helpful. Not sure if it’s just because I’m a novice baker. Thanks again!
Hey Colleen,
Awesome! I am so glad this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! I use heavy whipping cream from Whole Foods, I like the organic valley brand. Did you try to whip this by hand? That will take a significantly longer time, it takes at least 5 minutes when I use my KitchenAid mixer. xTieghan
I made this last night for my mom’s birthday and it was delicious. It was a great crust to filling ratio! Super easy and minimal prep. I didn’t have a 9×9 square pan, so I used a 10.5in spring form pan lined with parchment paper which worked out just fine.
Hey Cindy,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
Delicious!!!
I made with a gluten free vanilla graham cookie crust and added a bit of kosher salt. Otherwise I made the rest exactly as the recipe stated. Sssssooooo yummy!!!
Hey there,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
Look forward to all your posts. I made these for my Husband’s birthday! Would like to request clarification. Sleeves of Ritz vary from box size to box size. It would help immensely if a cup amount or number of crackers was provided rather than the number of sleeves. It was a great Birthday “Cake” but my crust was a little short! Keep on being Wonderful You!
Hey Jody,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! I used the big sleeves of Ritz so about 40 crackers or 2 cups. xTieghan
Hi, is it ok to put any leftover bars in the freezer? Thanks!
Hey Joan,
Sure, that would be just fine! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan!
Instead of the whipped cream, is there anyway that I could use a meringue? If so how much longer would I need to bake this recipe in order for the meringue to have a crisp top?
Love your recipes!
Hey Liza,
Sure you could certainly do a meringue, because I haven’t tested this recipe with the meringue, I am not totally sure what you would want to add for the baking time. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Define pink lemon juice?? Like a store bought raspberry or strawberry lemonade? Will that work? Excited to make these today!
Hey Belinda,
You can use a regular lemon, but I also find pink lemons at my local grocery store which are delicious. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Very light, refreshing, and tart! So easy to make. The whipped cream with honey and vanilla was delicious as well!
Hey Shannon,
Fantastic!! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! Have a great Sunday:) xxTieghan
Hi – I’d like to bring this to my moms for Mother’s Day. If I put the whipped cream topping on ahead of time will it stay okay? Will it deflate/get runny? Thanks!
Hey Kerry,
I would just put the whipped topping on at your mom’s house. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan