Key Lime Icebox Pie with Graham Cracker & Toasted Coconut Crust

Roberta Reynolds

Do you ever have an idea pop into your head that just will not leave you alone? It happens to me more than I would care to admit, but my latest little visitor was the concept of a dessert with lime. The coming of warmer weather makes me think about refreshing and cool desserts, and one that would welcome you with open arms after a spicy barbecue supper. Here is the result of my ponderings: a no-bake (except for the crust, but that’s just ten minutes), smooth, creamy, and refreshing icebox pie, that is brimming with fresh lime juice and lime zest. The creamy interior is set off by a crisp crust made of graham crackers and toasted coconut. Here’s a dessert you can whip up with little effort, and it can sit there in the refrigerator, happy as a clam, for a couple of days until you’re ready to serve. I personally have not been able to wait nearly that long, but it’s good to know if the opportunity presents itself.

Print Recipe

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 12

Total Time 42

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

FOR THE CRUST
1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs finely crushed
¾ cup sweetened coconut flakes plus additional for garnish if you’d like
¼ cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons butter melted
FOR THE FILLING
1, 17.6- ounce container of Fage Greek Yogurt (I used 2% for this recipe but 4% would be good too – I’d shy away from nonfat if I were you. NOTE: It’s better to start with the yogurt the night before you make your pie and strain it to make it even more thick. I don’t think it’s the end of the world if you skip this step, but your end result won’t set up as well.
1 can sweetened condensed milk
½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
Finely grated zest of 2 limes

Instructions

FOR THE CRUST
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
To make the graham cracker crumbs, a food processor is your best bet. If you don’t possess one, put graham crackers (about 1 ½ sleeves) into a Ziplock bag, get out your rolling pin or other implement of destruction, and hammer away at them until you have fine crumbs.
Toast the coconut flakes in a 350-degree oven for about 10 minutes, or until they become fragrant and start to brown here and there.
Combine the graham cracker crumbs, toasted coconut, sugar and melted butter. Pat into a 9 inch pie plate that has been sprayed with cooking spray, or a 9 or 10 inch springform pan that has been lined on the bottom with parchment paper. The springform pan route makes the pie easier to slice, but either is just fine.
Pat the crust mixture down firmly, working up the sides of a pie dish all the way to the top. If using a springform pan, try to inch the crust up the sides half an inch of more if you can. No big deal if you can’t make it work.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes, or until it gets a deeper, toasty brown look.
Remove from oven and set aside.
FOR THE FILLNG
The night before you make the pie (as mentioned above, desirable but if you can’t make it happen, I don’t think it would stop me from going ahead with the recipe) strain the yogurt using a fine mesh strainer over a medium sized bowl. I believe Fage yogurt is best for this and has no fillers or additives and has already been strained well. However, I can still get about ¼ cup of whey removed by straining overnight, so go for it if you can.
On the day you make the pie:
In a mixer, combine the strained yogurt and the sweetened condensed milk mixture. Beat to combine.
Add the lime juice and zest and beat to combine.
Pour this mixture into your pie shell and refrigerate at least two hours, but best if you let it set up overnight before serving.
If you want to get fancy and decorate the top of the pie, arrange fresh lime slices, some graham cracker crumbs, some toasted coconut, or even whipped cream if you have any hanging around.