Why should oranges and lemons get to have all the fun? These easy lime dessert recipes prove that this versatile, sweet-tart citrus fruit is good for more than just squeezing over tacos or flavoring margaritas. Pucker up: We’ve rounded up our best lime desserts from classic key lime pie to thoroughly modern lime mochi.
Before we dive in, a little Test Kitchen tip that relates to a handful of these lime desserts: Key limes are small, thin-skinned, and seedy. They tend to be less tart and more aromatic than Persian limes, which are the kind most often sold in American grocery stores. If you can’t find key limes or key lime juice (often sold in bottles) for any of these lime dessert recipes that call for them, feel free to substitute in whatever limes you can find. Just keep in mind that the results might be a hint more acidic.
Traditional Key Lime Pie Recipe
This is it: The classic key lime pie that will transport your taste buds to Key West. Start with our three-ingredient graham cracker crust (or take a shortcut with a store-bought version!), then fill it with a lusciously creamy citrus filling and bake. The key to acing this pie? Taking its temp; the filling should be 160°F when you pull it from the oven to chill for a couple hours before topping things off with whipped cream.
Strawberry Margarita Cheesecake Minis
Fans of margarita cocktails—or anyone who digs fruit desserts or cheesecakes—always swoon when we share these bite-sized desserts at parties. With fresh strawberries, lime juice and zest, and a “salty rim” courtesy of a pretzel crust, this dessert makes it possible to have your margarita and eat it, too. The only thing missing from this lime dessert to complete the strawberry margarita experience? Tequila, which means that it’s totally cool to share with kiddos or anyone who’s opting not to imbibe.
Key Lime Pie Cupcakes
White or vanilla cake mix transforms into a bright, sweet-tart lime dessert thanks to a triple-play of citrus flavor. First, spike the cupcake batter with lime zest. Then after baking, scoop a small well out of the center of each cake to pipe it full of cream cheese-key lime filling. The icing on the cake? It’s a luxurious buttercream infused with more of the filling stuffed in the center.
Ginger-Lime Avocado Granita
When we discovered that this creamy, refreshing lime dessert could also be ours after combining a mere 5 ingredients, we nearly lost our cool. Once we composed ourselves, we knew we had to share this unique frozen dessert idea with you. This shaved ice earns its creaminess from avocado (trust the process!), and it scores major flavor from fresh ginger, lime juice and zest, and a splash of white grape juice.
Test Kitchen Tip: Enjoy this honey-sweetened dessert on its own, or serve it float-style, topped with a bit of sparkling wine or lemon-lime soda.
Key Lime Cheesecake Bars
Sure, this might look like a typical key lime cheesecake, just made in a 9- x 13-inch pan. But the lime dessert filling has a trendy little secret: cottage cheese. Don’t scroll away if you’re not usually a fan; the versatile, high-protein dairy case staple essentially disappears into the creamy cheesecake once you blend it with cream cheese. Stir that dynamic duo, plus lime gelatin, into whipped topping, and you have a lime dessert that’s “AMAZING,” and “a big hit with friends,” according to BHG fans.
Key Lime Mason Jar Cheesecakes
No need to fight over the largest slice of pie or biggest bar. These pint-sized cheesecakes are single-serving, so each person can scoop up and scrape their own cup clean. After our rave-filled tasting panel, we can confirm that you’ll certainly want to do just that to savor every light and lovely bite of this mason jar lime desert. The potluck-perfect treat is no-sweat to recreate; simply top the buttery graham cracker crumb base with the cloud-like key lime and cream cheese filling.
Lemon-Lime Bars
Why should lemon get all the bright and sunshine-y bar glory? We took grandma’s Lemon Bar recipe and invited lime to the perky party. To allow both flavors to have a moment, bake the lemon filling for 10 to 12 minutes before layering on the lime, and baking 10 to 12 minutes more. This lemon-lime dessert is “so easy to make and absolutely delicious,” according to one five-star reviewer. “I love that the flavor of the citrus really stands out. It’s a real lime-lemon showcase, and layering the filling makes it super pretty!”
Key Lime Pie Tassies
Shortbread cookie meets key lime pie in this adorable, portable, bite-sized lime dessert recipe. To nod to the tropical fruit in the filling, we recommend spiking your shortbread with finely-chopped macadamia nuts. Their buttery texture blends beautifully into the base, and the macadamias act as a lovely complement to the citrus filling and sweetened whipped cream crown.
Coconut Lime Butter Mochi
Invite those same flavors, coconut and lime, on a tour through Asia with these easy-prep mochi. With just 20 minutes of hands-on time, your usual pantry staples, and a few signature ingredients—like coconut milk, lime juice and zest, and mochiko flour (aka glutinous, sweet, or sticky rice flour)—these colorful, bouncy bars come to life. Once you’ve tried the coconut-lime dessert, try the chocolate-almond, blood orange creamsicle, and white chocolate-macadamia variations next.
Lime-Infused Coconut Pound Cake
Speaking of bonus tropical teammates, this pound cake includes a triple dose of coconut essence. Cream of coconut plays nicely with the lime juice in the cake batter, coconut extract and lime zest scent the icing, and toasted coconut caps things off. The result is “really a show stopper,” believes one BHG fan.
Whipped Key Lime Pie
We may have saved the best key lime pie for last. While they all taste incredible, this frozen option earns bonus points for being a breeze to make ahead, and due to the fact that it asks for just 5 ingredients total. Yes, that includes the crust! No wonder one BHG reader says, “I absolutely love this pie. I make it every chance I get, and it is so easy!”
Margarita Shortbread Cookies
Now if you do happen to be in the mood for something spiked, these cookies might be calling your name! The usual shortbread starting line-up (flour, butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar) get a happy hour glow-up from lime zest and tequila. Those teammates bake up into a beautifully tender cookie that, once cooled, is primed to be dressed up for the occasion with a drizzle of tequila icing and more lime zest.
Triple-Citrus Pound Cake
Classic pound cake is delightful in its rich, buttery glory. But why not infuse the tender batter with beyond-vanilla flavor? One five-star reviewer confirms, “The cake has a wonderful texture and a very pleasant flavor. It went together easily and baked up beautifully in a bundt pan!”
Test Kitchen Tip: We call for a mix of lime, grapefruit, and orange, but feel free to feature any three citrus fruits you prefer.
Citrus Granita
Your choice of citrus fruits and sugar are the only ingredients required to recreate one of the coolest treats to ever come from our Test Kitchen. To follow our lead, start with a six-to-one ratio of orange juice to lime juice, plus a couple tablespoons of sugar, to set the scene (and help the medicine go down!). Stir in chopped limes, then freeze, using a fork to stir and scrape the lime dessert until it reaches a scoopable consistency. So refreshingly easy!
