No-bake Lime Pie with Pretzel Crust for Two Seasons
Ah, summertime. That’s when you want to make this chilled, no-bake lime pie. The filling is light and fluffy with the perfect sourness of tart lime. When you bite into the pie, the salty crust balances out the sweetness.
The creamy filling uses lime curd, cream cheese, whipping cream, powdered sugar, lime zest, and lime juice. That’s why it’s great for spring and summer. For fall and winter, my favorite Key Lime pie is the kind you bake with sweetened condensed milk and eggs. Problem is, I can’t find the recipe right now.
A few months ago, I was looking for a Key Lime pie recipe that uses lime curd but I couldn’t find one. Last weekend, I was going through piles of recipes and magazines in my office and found this one in a Midwest Living magazine from June 2005. (It’s not Key lime, but you can use Key limes if you want. I’ve never been able to tell the difference anyway.)
It’s on my blog and Pinterest board now so I’ll know where to find it next time. Summer Breeze Lime Pie from Midwest Living
No-bake lime pie is a refreshing dessert to serve once you’ve eaten a bowlful of chicken black bean salsa and salty tortilla chips.
Now, if I can just find my “winter” Key lime pie before November… (Update: I found my Key lime pie with brown sugar pretzel crust recipe. Get it here.)
Perhaps you want a sweet lime dessert that doesn’t require refrigeration. Margarita cupcakes should do the trick.
Sweet wishes,
Summer Breeze Lime Pie
Equipment
- 1 9-inch pie dish
Ingredients
Crust
- 4 cups pretzels
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
Pie Filling
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 10 oz lime curd, about 1 cup
- 2 teaspoons lime zest, 1½ tsp for filling and ½ tsp for topping
- 2 tablespoons lime juice, freshly squeezed or bottle Key lime juice
- 2 cups whipping cream
- ¼ cup powdered confectioners sugar
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Chill a large bowl in the freezer while you make the crust. It's for the whipping cream.
Crust
- Pulse pretzels in food processor into fine crumbs. (makes approximately 1-1/2 cups.) Add brown sugar; pulse to combine. Add butter; pulse until mixture holds together. (Or, in a medium bowl, stir together 1 1/2 cups finely crushed pretzels, the brown sugar and butter.)
- Press mixture evenly onto bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie plate or 2-quart square baking dish. Refrigerate while preparing filling.
Pie Filling
- In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, lime curd, lime zest and lime juice with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.
- In the large cold bowl from the freezer, beat whipping cream on medium speed until soft peaks form; add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight when beaters are lifted).
- Fold about a quarter of the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture to soften; fold in remaining whipped cream.
- Spoon filling into chilled crust. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon lime zest. Refrigerate for 3 to 24 hours or until firm before serving.
Nutrition
All text and images © Staci Mergenthal • Random Sweets
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Your recipe looks like a great variation from the classic, we’re going to try for our personal use. Here’s that recipe you (might) want, there are others. Cheers…
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/follow-that-food/steves-authentic-key-lime-pie-recipe/index.html
Hey thanks, Steve – this recipe is perfect for me to try. It’s famous so it must be fabulous!! I’m honored that you stopped by 🙂
This looks great, I love the thickness and the specks of lime on top! YUM!
Thanks, Brittany – it is the thickest lime pie I’ve had. And so light and fluffy. I hope you get a chance to try it!