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If forced to choose, I would probably choose something chocolatey as my favourite dessert of all time, maybe a black jungle biscuit or a chocolate cake. And I would be wrong. Because when it comes to desserts, the one that really holds the key to my heart is a tasty Ginger key lime pie recipe, with its perfect balance of tangy lime and spicy ginger biscuit crust.
There’s nothing better than the silky smooth lime filling, especially if it’s packed full of lime flavour, and light on the sweetness. And the recipe I’m sharing with you today is EVEN BETTER, thanks to the addition of a ginger biscuit crumb crust. Ginger and lime is my true valentine?
Gingerbread biscuit for ginger lime pie
Where do I even start?
All right, let’s start with the buttery biscuit base. If you’ve been here before, you’ll know pastry isn’t really my thing. I’ll dip my toes here and there, but I’d much rather begin each tart with a cookie crumb crust instead. Crush some ginger biscuits — I used McVities Ginger Nuts — and mix in some melted butter. You’re going to be looking for something that resembles wet sand, and, no, you will not need additional sugar. Sugaring up a key lime pie is its mortal enemy!
Sturdy crust for your ginger lime pie
I use the bottom of one of my measuring cups to press the buttery biscuits into the bottom of the tart tin when making my ginger key lime pie recipe, but you can use the end of a rolling pin or the flat bottom of a glass or mug. Or even your hands if you don’t mind getting a bit messy. You need to make sure everything’s compact and well pressed down to avoid it falling apart when you take it out of the tin.
Round or Rectangular, Your Choice!
As you can see from the photos, I used a rectangular tart tin for today’s key lime pie. This isn’t required – a 9-inch round tart tin will work just as well for this recipe. I’m just a sucker for rectangular desserts. I love a good angular shape – it’s the maths graduate in me.
Obsessed with Octagonal dessert plates
Talking of angular shapes – those absolutely gorgeous octagonal dessert plates are my new favourite blog prop! Katie got them for me for my recent birthday (yep, I’m 30 now) and I’m ever so much in love. They are just the perfect size for a slice of pie or cake, so expect them to be popping up around here religiously in the future!
No-fuss silky key lime pie
Back to the pie.
After baking and cooling the buttery biscuit base, it’s time to make that silky smooth filling. If you’ve never cooked yourself a key lime pie, then you hopefully will find it as easy as it should be to cook. No custard-making, and no saucepan in sight. Just three easy ingredients — egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk, and a few limes.
Custard Filling Preparation
Maybe I’m just strange, but the weirdest thing for me about a key lime pie is that you are required to bake it. The first time I ever made one, I thought it would simply need some time hanging in the fridge until it set – I couldn’t have been more wrong! The filling is made with egg yolks, and to turn these into a thick custard filling, of course you’re going to need to add some heat. Duh. Once baked for 15 minutes, cool the pie down to room temperature, and then pop into the fridge to chill for a couple of hours before serving. No one wants a warm key lime pie!
Ginger and lime; taste of the Sunshine State.
Yeah, seriously. That’s it.
As for limes, a real key lime pie uses (you guessed it) limes. These are a type of small lime that grows in the Florida Keys, and it’s not the only part of the world where they grow. But they are, in the UK, out of reach. The good news is you can use regular limes in this recipe, for a ginger key lime pie, and not miss a beat.
My history with this key lime tart and the traveller’s touch
I used key lime juice in my pie, but that’s only because I’ve just returned from my holidays in Florida, and I had the luxury of being able to bring a bottle of juice home with me. I used regular lime zest, however, because I don’t believe whole key limes would have returned intact in my case.
Decorating Ideas for Your Key Lime Pie
To decorate, I piped little rosettes of whipped double cream on top, using a piping bag and a large closed star piping nozzle. The different sizes of rosettes were all created with the same tip – pipe more cream for larger rosettes and less cream for smaller ones. Nice and easy, and minimal washing up. Feel free to do something more intricate, or even just dollop the whipped cream on top and sprinkle with some lime zest if you’re not feeling very creative.
And there you have it — one of the easiest desserts in the world to put together, but among the most delicious. The next time you’re having friends over for dinner, simply set one of these pies in the center of the table and see what happens as everyone digs in. You’ll be amazed at how fast it vanishes!
Ginger key lime pie recipe ➤2025
Equipment
- 1 Food processor
- 1 Rectangular cake pan 14 x 4.5 inches
- 1 Measuring cup as a base for crushing
- 1 Grid
- 1 Blender
- 1 Large bowl
- 1 Pastry bag
Ingredients
Zesty Lime Tart with a Spiced Ginger Crumb Base
- 300 g Ginger biscuits – I used McVities Ginger Nuts
- 150 g Unsalted butter, melted
- 397 g Tin of condensed milk
- 3 Units Large egg yolks
- 180 ml Key lime juice (or regular lime juice)
- 120 ml Double or heavy cream (optional)
- 1 tbsp Lime zest
Instructions
- Oven 160°C / 320°F (140°C fan). Add the ginger biscuits to a food processor or blender, and pulse until a fine crumb is formed. Or put the biscuits in a heavy-duty plastic bag, and pound with a rolling pin until they are crumbs. Transfer the crumbs to a bowl and add melted butter. Stir until all the crumbs are wet, then spoon into a 9-inch round loose-bottom tart tin (or use a 14 x 4.5-inch rectangular tart tin like I did). Use the base of a measuring cup, or a glass with a flat bottom, to squash the biscuit crumbs into the base and the sides of the tart tin, then bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
- When the crust has been baked, take it from the oven and let it cool in the tart tin on a wire rack. If the edges have fallen slightly while baking, rapidly use a measuring cup to push the sides back into position.
- While the crust cools, it’s time to prepare the key lime filling. Place the condensed milk, egg yolks, key lime juice, and key lime zest in a large bowl. Beat or whisk until everything is really well combined, 1 minute or so. Pour into the cooled biscuit crust up to the top. Return to the oven to bake for 15 minutes.
- Bake, then remove from the oven again and cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Refrigerate for 3 hours or more, and then garnish with rosettes of whipped cream, as shown. Serve chilled.
