Can You Freeze Key Lime Pie? – The Complete Guide

Desserts are what make the world go around. Whether you enjoy your desserts directly after a meal or as a snack, or maybe even just skip the meal and go for the dessert plate, it’s safe to say most of us love desserts. 

Key lime pie is one such dessert. It’s the perfect mixture of tarty sweetness to make your mouth water and pull you in.

There’s just something about key lime pie that makes it irresistible. Even if you aren’t a huge fan of limes, you might just like key lime pie still! 

Can you freeze key lime pie? Yes, you can freeze key lime pie. For the best results, we recommend a pre-freeze of the pie first. After the pre-freeze, wrap the pie in plastic to preserve it. Key lime pie is best when used within 2-3 months of freezing. 

In this guide, we will share with you all of the tips and processes that you need to know in order to successfully freeze your key lime pie. It’s super easy and we’re confident you won’t have any issues with the process! We have a lot of great information to share about key lime pie today. 

Keep reading to learn how to freeze key lime pie and more. 

The Complete Guide to Freezing Key Lime Pie

Key lime pie can be made a lot of different ways but overall the concept remains the same. This pie is made with key lime juice, egg yolks, and sweetened condensed milk for the most part. Of course, recipes vary and you may find a pie that has real limes in it as well. 

The crust for key lime pie is typically a graham cracker-type crust but it can also vary. Most key lime pie is finished off with a layer of whipped cream or some sort of creamy topping worked into swirls around the edge of the pie. This is yet another factor that can vary across the board. 

Key lime pie is made from key limes, which are not quite the same as your everyday lime. This lime is hybrid citrus.

When key lime ripens fully, it’s actually yellow in color. However, it’s typically harvested when the fruit is still green.

This lime is smaller than traditional limes. It has a higher acidity content and a stronger aroma but also a thinner peel. 

How Key Lime Pie is Made

To give you a good reference point as to what we’re working with, we thought it might be a good idea to share with you a basic overview of how to make key lime pie. This will provide you with a good example of the types of ingredients that are in key lime pie. 

Understanding the ingredients can go a long way to help you understand the freezing process and why it works the way that it does. 

Be aware that you can purchase key lime pie filling that is pre-made if you so choose.

You can also purchase a frozen key lime pie from most grocery stores. That alone is a good indication that key lime pie freezes quite nicely. 

Here is a walkthrough of our no-bake key lime pie recipe:

• There are 3 parts to this recipe. First, you have a graham cracker crust, a key lime filling, and a whipped cream topping.
  • You will need graham cracker crumbs, granulated sugar, melted butter, key lime juice, lime zest, heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract.
• Start with the crust.
  • Mix together graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter in a bowl.
  • Press the crumb mixture into your pie pan.
  • Bake this at 375 for about 7 minutes to set the crust. Let it cool for 30 minutes before adding the filling. 
• To make your key lime filling, whisk eggs, sugar, lime juice, and lime zest.
  • Once the pie crust has cooled, place the whisked filling mix into the pie crust.
  • Cook the egg and sugar mixture over a double boiler before adding the other ingredients.
  • Chill the pie for a minimum of 3 hours. 
• Now make your whipped topping.
  • Beat together heavy cream and powdered sugar with a mixer. You will beat until stiff peaks begin to form. Then beat in vanilla. 
  • Add the whipped topping to the top of the pie in whatever manner you prefer. We recommend small dollops around the edges near the crust. 

Properly Storing and Freezing Key Lime Pie

Key lime pie is best served chilled. You should store it in the fridge or the freezer except when serving. 

It is best if you keep your key lime pie covered in some way while it is being stored. In the fridge, you can loosely cover it with some plastic wrap or even aluminum foil. 

Key lime pie should keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days if you keep it covered and chilled. 

One of the really nice things about key lime pie is you can freeze it right away if you prefer. It can be served frozen and most people probably wouldn’t really notice. The freezer does not make it extra hard to chew or cut into. 

How to Freeze Key Lime Pie

1. Pre-freeze the pie by placing the completed pie in the freezer for about 2-4 hours uncovered. Be sure it is not touching anything in the freezer on the sides and top of the pie. 
2. Once the pie is frozen, take it out and wrap it in a layer of plastic wrap. Turn the pie and wrap it with another 1-2 layers of plastic wrap. For the best protection, we recommend a sturdy 2-4 layers of plastic wrap around your key lime pie. 
3. Label and date your pie. 
4. Place in the freezer for up to 3 months for the best results. 

Once your key lime pie is frozen, it’s quite easy to work with. It should be fine indefinitely, but the integrity of your whipped topping may go downhill if you leave your pie in the freezer for too long. 

You don’t have to worry about any special steps when you take the pie out of the freezer. 

You can serve key lime pie frozen or you can allow it to thaw. We recommend that you let it thaw a few hours in the fridge just so it will soften slightly. However, keep in mind that the ingredients won’t be hard to cut or chew even when frozen but they will be firm. 

You can also set the pie out from the freezer and let it thaw at room temperature for about 30 minutes to let it soften slightly.

You shouldn’t have to worry about any textures or ingredients looking funny or falling apart after the pie has been frozen. 

The exception to this would be if you are using a meringue topping. This type of topping should be added just before serving for the best results. 

If you keep your key lime pie chilled, you can put it back into the freezer. However, for the best quality, we do not recommend thawing and then refreezing multiple times. 

Related Questions

We hope that you find this guide to freezing key lime pie to be a helpful resource for the purpose. It’s really simple to do and we think you will find that it works nicely with little effort. 

We invite you to review the following question and answer section for some additional details that may be helpful for you as well. 

How Many Key Limes Do You Need for Squeezing Your Own Juice?

You need to be able to get about 1/2 a cup of key lime juice. This could take 6-8 key limes to accomplish. Before you juice your limes, be sure to take some zest from at least one lime as well. 

Can I Just Use Regular Limes?

The flavor will not be quite the same if you use regular limes rather than key lime. The best thing to do if you cannot find key limes or key lime juice would be to mix lime juice and lemon juice in equal amounts to create your own key lime juice. 

Can You Get Salmonella from Key Lime Pie?

Be sure to closely follow the cooking instructions for any recipe that uses egg yolks for key lime pie as if it is undercooked, there is a risk of salmonella. However, if everything is followed appropriately or if you substitute another ingredient for egg yolks, it should not be an issue. 

Up Next: Thawing And Defrosting Pie, The Ultimate Guide