Key Lime Tart
Updated March 26, 2019
Cinco de Mayo is on Saturday. Who is having a party? Even if you aren’t throwing a big bash, you still need to celebrate with good food. I am going to party all day long. It is the perfect excuse to eat chips, salsa, and guacamole from sun up to sun down:) To balance things out, I think I will eat a slice of this Key Lime Tart. It is the perfect Cinco de Mayo dessert.
Josh is a lime fanatic and his favorite dessert, hands down, is this Key Lime Tart. He makes it every year for his birthday. I offer to make him his special Key Lime Tart, but he prefers to do it on his own. Maybe he doesn’t trust me, he is very picky about his Key Lime Tart. He loves a thick tart crust with a creamy “pucker me up” filling.
If you can’t find key limes, you can use regular limes, but the little key limes are so cute. I love them! You can also buy bottled key lime juice if you are in a pinch. The tart dough is easy to make, you combine all of the ingredients in the food processor. You do have to chill the dough for at least 30 minutes, so make sure you start early enough before your big party!
The key lime filling is also easy to make. This is a great tart to serve at parties because it is so easy to make, but impressive to serve. Everyone loves it! You can serve the tart with whipped cream or straight up!
Add this Key Lime Tart to your Cinco de Mayo menu. You and your party guests will not be disappointed. And if you eat the entire tart before the guests arrive, I won’t tell:) Sometimes it is hard to share, especially when it comes to dessert.
Key Lime Tart
Ingredients
- For the tart dough:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 9 tablespoons frozen butter cut into small pieces
- 1 large egg yolks
- For the key lime filling:
- 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons key lime zest
- 3/4 cup key lime juice
Instructions
- 1. To make the tart dough: Put the flour, powdered sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse until combined. Drop the butter pieces over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is coarsely cut in. Break up the egg yolk with a fork and add a little at a time, pulsing after each addition. When the entire egg yolk is in, process in long pulses, about 10 seconds each, until the dough forms clumps. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and gently knead to form a ball.
- 2. Butter a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Don't press too hard, you don't want the crust to lose its crumbly texture. Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes, or longer, before baking.
- 3. To make the key lime filling: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk, lime zest, key lime juice, and egg yolks. Whisk until smooth. Remove tart dough from the freezer. Pour mixture into tart pan. Bake until filling is set around edge but still slightly loose in center and crust is golden brown, about 30 minutes.
- 4. Cool tart completely at room temperature; then refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours before serving.
Have you tried this recipe?
Leave a comment below and share a photo on Instagram. Tag @twopeasandpod and hashtag it with #twopeasandtheirpod
If you like this Key Lime Tart, you might also like:
- Key Lime Pie Cake from The Craving Chronicles
- Key Lime Pie Frozen Yogurt from The Novice Chef
- Margarita Cupcakes from i am baker
- Lime Bars from Two Peas and Their Pod
Gorgeous pictures Maria, this tart looks too good to eat!
These images are stunning…wow! What did you do differently? Lens or camera body or editing? Whatever it is, they are fabulous. And so is the recipe. I love key lime pie!
Nothing different-same camera and lens. I guess the tart is just so pretty it tricked you:) Thanks for the compliment!
Wow, these photos are so beautiful they alone justify me making this! Though the fact I love key lime pie is probably swaying me a little… Yum, thanks for the recipe!
I had tropical cheesecake last weekend and this tools like the perfect at-home way for me to enjoy the flavors. By the way, the photos are stunning!
I dunno if I could give up on graham cracker crust….It just goes SO well with the key lime (or just consumed alone ;)). The dessert is gorgeous though! And yes- I will take any reason to eat chips and salsa 😉
I love anything key lime! I’ll be honest I hate squeezing out the juice from those little limes. I feel like I get so little juice for my effort! The reward is the taste I know. Great looking tart!
Yes, we are definitely having a Cinco de Mayo celebration. It is a family tradition that I love!
And, I was going to make Tres Leche Cupcakes, but now this Key Lime Tart has me wanting it. It looks delicious!
YUM! I love key lime pie, so I know I will love this!
this looks perfect!! i love tart “pucker up” fillings for key lime tarts — it should taste just like the name, right?!
Key lime pie always reminds me of hot summer days, running away from the sun but far too nice to stay in doors. You make it look so easy, great recipe Maria 🙂
This looks so good! I will have to make this over the weekend with the limes I already have on hand. YUM!
I love key limes too! They’re only available for a short time here but I need to seek some out soon. Your tart is gorgeous 🙂
Maria, looks so fresh and delicious! You make me want to run to the kitchen every time you post!
i’m a sucker for all things key lime!!!! 🙂 Adding this to my must make ASAP list!!! PS- saw that you’ll be at BlogHer Food – hooray we finally get to meet!!!
This is a perfect tart. Here in Peru we only have lime, in fact, in Spanish we called it “limón” and if we translate it into English it should “lemon”. We don’t have your lemon, I mean, the one that is yellow, so each time I see recipes with lime I jumped and bookmark it.
Yum! Looks amazing and I love your photos!
I love me some key limes! Lovely dessert.
Ohhh yes puh-lease!!! This looks so good!
Key lime anything is a favorite around here, too.
I need to get my stuff together and have a party and this would make the perfect dessert!
Key Lime Curd makes the world go ’round. I never thought of adding condensed milk to my curd…I so ADORE the sounds of that!!
This is just gorgeous, Maria. Perfect for the 5th!
delish! what a great refreshing summer treat too!!
I love a good key lime tart! Yours looks perfect for summer!
Oooh! Condensed milk with the key limes, I can only imagine the sweetness and thickness this brings.
I just got some key limes from our produce co-op and I am excited to try this!
one of my favs!
This might be my all-time favorite treat! So fresh and zippy!
This tart is absolutely stunning… Lemon and lime pies and tarts are my all-time favorites, especially this time of year. Can’t wait to give it a try!
So loving the greens in those pictures – looks delicious!
I just love key-lime anything! This tart looks divine and really simple to make!
Your tart looks so pretty Maria! Now I’m craving key limes again. 🙂 Thanks for the link to my cake!
I’ve never made a key lime tart before, but I’d love to try your recipe Maria! This looks fabulously refreshing, and very easy!
The problem with this is I would eat the entire thing all by myself!
Awesome!
Yum, such a pretty tart! I love key lime pie…this looks fantastic! 🙂
Gorgeous pictures! I just posted a Key Lime Pie recipe this morning, although your photo styling puts mine to shame. 🙂
I adore tart desserts. This looks amazing!
Too funny – I just had key lime pie for the first time on saturday…in Key West! I discovered that I like it a lot 🙂 Who knew?
key lime is by far one of my favorite desserts ever! i love the tart creaminess 🙂
This looks lovely, I have never used key limes before, but having seen this recipe, I think you have convinced me to give them ago. I am looking forward to making this soon hopefully. Thank you very much.
I love lime deserts. You are right – perfect for Cinco de Mayo!
Loooove key lime pies. Cute pictures, as always – brightens up my morning!
This tart is gorg! A nice little change from traditional key lime pie.
Wow this looks great! I LOVE key lime pie! I also happen to be going to a Cinqo de Mayo party on Saturday so I might be brave and try my hand at making this! Thanks for posting!
Thanks for sharing my link pretty lady! These Key Lime Tarts look ahhmazing! Consider yourself pinned! haha 🙂
Ooh, this looks so lovely! I’ve never had key lime tart before, so this would be a great one to try!
Oooooh so pretty, Maria!!! I looooove key lime desserts 🙂 This tart would be FANTASTIC for Cinco de Mayo festivities!!
Yup, this is the dessert I will be making on Saturday! Thanks. Gorgeous photos of a gorgeous tart!
We LOVE Key Lime! I can’t wait to make this
Your pictures are always so perfect! Would love to have this for dessert, now or later. 🙂
These are SO perfect for cicnco de mayo! I’m not sure I can wait that long thought. This looks so incredible.
I love your recipes! Thank you and keep on blogging! p.s. Caleb is a cutie pie, keep posting pics!
Beautiful! I have seen some fabulous key lime desserts, but this is what I think of when I want key lime pie. I like something tart that cuts clean and looks pretty. I figure, cinco de Mayo is as good a reason as any to make a lime dessert!
i’m pretty much obsessed with all of your lime desserts so I imagine I’d adore this as well! i’m drooling a little just imagining all of that sweet tart deliciousness!
Hi Maria – the key to substituting Key Limes for regular/Persian limes is to use half lemon juice/half Persian Lime juice – they all have a different acidity – LOVE key lime tart and is one of my favorites – Francois Payard gave me his recipe for MADE IN AMERICA which is how I know about the lime juice equation!
I think Josh and I would get along famously since I am a fiend for anything citrus!!
yum! Can’t wait to try it. Could you make it with lemon instead? would that work?
I haven’t tried lemon, but I am sure it would be tasty!
Such a bright and delicious looking tart Maria!! My hubs LOVES key lime pie 🙂
This looks amazing – and I usually require chocolate as an ingredient to label anything a dessert. This is practically a vegetable! But Key Limes make me swoon too.
we totally need to get our husband’s together – mine loves citrus desserts! btw- your photos are BEAUTIFUL!!
what a perfect treat for cinco de mayo!
key lime pie is my favorite dessert!
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Believe it or not, I just had key lime pie for the first time when I was in Florida last month! I loved it, and am itching to make one at home. Love your tart – it looks fabulous!
Yum… I must make this!
This is the perfect way to ring in some spring time weather! So colorful and fun flavors. Yum!
Pinned this! Looks tasty and can’t wait to make it! 🙂
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I am such a sucker for Key Lime Pie, so I am certain that I’d absolutely love your tart.
Help! The filling bubbled alot for the first 10 mins. When I checked the second time, some of it had bubbled over. Is that how it should be? I didn’t fill it to the top
Did you use a 9 inch tart pan-with a removable bottom? We’ve never had an issue with it overflowing. Sorry!
I am a citrus girl, and this is pretty much perfection for me. I also like it tart, so I know I’d love it!
This definitely would be hard for me to share!
Key lime pie makes me happy and this tart looks divine. Perfect for cinco de Mayo!
This is just what I need for Cinco de Mayo and any other weekday or weekend. I love key lime anything!
looks amazingly fresh and delicious!
Yummmy… This looks like the perfect spring dessert, soooo delicious! Can’t wait to try it at home, thank you!
That looks like serious deliciousness!
key lime pie is great, but i think a tart would have the absolute perfect ratio of tart filling to crust. 🙂 Props to you for this recipe! hope you had an awesome Cinco de Mayo!
Made this tart over the weekend for my son and daughter-in-law. Have to say it was a smashing success. The tart dough is delicious and I think it will become my go-to dough. It was so easy to do and so good. I couldn’t find key limes so just used regular. Can’t wait to try to recipe with actual key limes! The three of us “slivered” our way to an empty tart pan by the next morning! Thanks for a great recipe!!
I just made this key lime tart after I bought a bag of key limes and was looking for something to make out of them. It was delicious!! The filling and the dough together were tangy and buttery, yum!
For the dough, I didn’t have any powdered sugar on hand, only granulated and it still tastes great. I used a food processor to make the dough and it never really came together. I ended just dumping it out and pressing it into a 9-inch cake pan (which worked just fine as a substitute since I don’t own a tart pan)
After making this my question is, what is the best way to juice all of those key limes? It was a painstaking process for me. I knew that I was barely going to have enough juice (was somewhere btwn 2/3 and 3/4 cup in the end) so I decided to peel/cut the rind off each of the limes and put them all in my juicer to really get every last drop out. There has to be a better way then this! My limes were really tiny, definitely smaller than a golf ball.
Can i use almond milk instead of condensed milk for this recipe?
Tried making the pie again. 9″ pan with removable bottom as recipe. Same thing happened! Bubbling of the filling… is it supposed to bubble?? I’m going to try it again at a much lower temp.. I use an oven thermometer. 350 °F as suggested too.
This looks SO yummy! I love key lime pie, so a tart sounds great.
i want 🙂
I made this recipe a few weeks ago using limes from my grandpa’s farm. Farm-to-table in the truest form!
Do you need to blind back the crust? I am concerned about a soggy bottom.
I tried this and the tart shell ended up being raw even though the tart filling was cooked. I should have blind baked it first