How to Make Key Lime Pie in the Slow Cooker


Key Lime Pie is a light(ish), refreshing dessert that is kept cold in the fridge -- it is my absolutely most favorite pie, of them all.

It is quite similar in preparation as making a cheesecake; you need to use a bain marie, or water bath, while it's baking. And guess what? The easiest way to create a bain marie in your kitchen is with a CROCKPOT SLOW COOKER!! Woo hooo!!





I had a twitter conversation (I know. I think it's a weird way to communicate, too...) with my friend Shirley a few weeks ago about Key Lime Pie. She wondered if I had a crockpot version, and that was pretty much all I needed to go about figuring out a way to make it.

This is the recipe that works! It uses sweetened condensed milk, which as we all know, is pretty much the nectar of the gods. 

Gosh, I love that stuff.

The Ingredients
serves about 8 if you're disciplined. Otherwise 4.




for the crust:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs (I use gluten free)
3 tablespoons melted salted butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon lime zest

for the filling:
2 large egg yolks
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (about 5 limes)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 1/2 lemons)

to put into the crockpot (NOT the batter!!):
1 cup warm water

The Directions.

Use a 6-quart slow cooker with an inserted 1.5-quart casserole dish (like a Pyrex or Corningware). 
You are going to use the crcokpot as a bain-marie, or water bath. In a plastic bag, smash up the graham crackers to make crumbs. Mix the crumbs with the butter, brown sugar, and lime zest.
Press the crust mixture into the bottom of a casserole dish that you sprayed with cooking spray (I took a picture of the spray, but then forgot to use it. oops.)




In a large mixing bowl, use a handheld mixer or a stand mixer to whip the egg yolks, condensed milk, lime juice, and lemon juice together until it's frothy. Pour this evenly over the top of the graham cracker crumbs.

Pour 1 cup of warm water into the bottom of your slow cooker insert, then carefully lower in the baking dish, taking care to not slosh water into your pie.

Cover, and cook on high for 2 to 3 hours, or until the pie is no longer shiny on the edges and the center has set (poke it with your finger. You shouldn't get a bunch of goop on it).

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours (preferably overnight) before serving. If you'd like, you can add a layer of whipped cream on top.

The Verdict.

Yeah. This is good. I was ecstatic at how limey this turned out, and how nicely the sweetened condensed milk worked and set up beautifully in the slow cooker. I slightly overcooked one of the tester batches, but it still was fantastic -- the color on top just got a bit darker than I wanted it to, but after covering it with whipped cream nobody could tell.

Make this! You'll LOVE it!!

other totally amazing crockpot desserts:



Do you love this recipe?

Please share it with your friends!


Posted by: Stephanie O'Dea | A Year of Slow Cooking at July 11, 2021

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What they say about this recipe

  1. Oh, you are totally the Slow Cooker Queen, my friend! I bow to you! Can't wait to slip this link into my Key Lime Pie roundup on AllGlutenFreeDesserts.com. I have whipped cream that I need to use in my refrigerator. Would it be wrong to make this Key Lime Pie just so I could use up my whipped cream in the best possible way? ;-)

    xo,
    Shirley

    ReplyDelete
  2. oh lawz. just what I don't need...slow cooker PIE recipe; there's no excuse now...sigh.
    LOL

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  3. If you can find it in your grocery store, try sing Nellie & Joe's Key Lime Juice instead of the lemons and limes. Gives you a much more authentic flavor.

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  4. Does anyone have ideas on how to make this dairy free? Do you think goat yogurt would work?

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  5. From the photo of the pan and of the slice on the plate, it looks like your crust is about twice the thickness of the filling. Is it really that deep of a crust, or is that just the way the pictures came out? I do love a nice graham crust, but I don't want it to overwhelm the goodness of the pie itself.

    ReplyDelete