Gluten Free Key Lime Pie in a Jar

Ingredients

Winter is citrus season so challenge yourself to make as many recipes as you can with all the citrus fruits you see at the store.

• Gluten free graham-style cracker crumbs - I use Kinnickinick brand.

• Butter - This makes an easy no-bake crust for this dessert.

• Limes - Normal people use regular limes but still use the name Key Lime Pie. That's because home cooks can change the name of whatever they make.

• Cornstarch - My go-to thickener for sauces, gravy and desserts.

• Sweetened condensed milk - It is gluten free and always was. Keep a can in your pantry if you have a few recipes you make with it.

• Whipping cream - Use real whipping cream and whip it! Just make it a rule that you do not buy the spray can whip cream, it's not a real food.

• Eggs - Along with sugar this is what makes the delicious pie filling.

See recipe card for full ingredient list and exact amounts.

Fun Food Facts: Key Limes vs Persian Limes

The usual grocery store limes where I live are the Persian variety. They're slightly smaller than a lemon with a similar shape and smooth, green skin.

Key limes are tiny in comparison and are prized for their higher acidity levels. Among my friends key limes are prized for their ability to fit inside a bottle of Mexican beer. 🤣

Round in shape and often sold in bags, key limes flourished in the Florida Keys in the early 1900’s. Around the same time canned sweetened condensed milk was newly available and the Key Lime Pie was born.

As the story goes, a hurricane wiped out the crop and key limes are no longer commercially grown in Florida. Yet Key Lime Pie became a favourite dessert and is still popular today.

Instructions

Serving dessert in a jar involves getting organized with jars and lids. To take this dessert to a party you'll need lids and be organized to garnish the dessert after the lids are removed. It's not hard, just get organized and make dessert-in-a-jar every month or two.

In case you don't know, I love Mason jars. I have a system with seven different jar sizes (impressive hey!) and only two lids. That's it! If that sounds exciting to you check out this post, Organize for Success with Mason Jars.

Keep scrolling to see more individually portioned dessert ideas.

Substitutions

Key Limes - Feel free to use Persian limes. For this recipe I bought tiny key limes and juiced them, thirty of them! It was tedious and I'm not sure I could appreciate the difference.

Fresh Limes vs Lime Juice Concentrate - I keep bottled juice in my fridge and enjoy the convenience of it for salad dressings, marinades and everyday cooking. When I make dessert, especially when citrus is the star, I will definitely buy real fruits and juice them.

Variations

I tried a few variations of Key Lime Pie when I visited Florida for an Allergy Conference and they were all delicious. At home, you get to be creative.

Baked Key Lime Pie - Make this recipe in a standard 9-inch pie plate, not too deep, but the crust needs to be baked for it to hold up when serving. Baking the filling also results in clean cut edges like you want when you serve pie. For this variation check out Karen's baked Key Lime Pie over at Healthy GF Family.

Whipped Cream vs Meringue - Some recipes top this pie with whipped cream while others use a baked meringue. I chose fresh whipping cream for my version which was quick and easy. See my recipe for sparkling holiday pavlova for a meringue recipe.

Key Lime Pie Shooters - The uncooked crumb base makes this dessert easy to scoop up with a spoon but you need those tiny spoons. That makes this a small dessert for a potluck or dessert buffet.

🍋 Get The Tools and Ingredients

• Pamela's gluten free honey grahams and Healing Home Foods classic grahams are the two I see on Amazon at the time of writing.
• Half-cup size jam jars are perfect for this dessert. I think it's better to end wanting more than to have too much.
• Buy shooter glasses with little spoons for a tiny portion size and a fun presentation.

Individually Portioned Desserts

If you want to have safe gluten free dessert at every party then be the person who takes it. Collect the dishes you like and have fun with the presentation. My friend found the polka dot shot glasses at a Dollar store and now they're mine.

Winter Recipes with Citrus

These are only some of my favourite winter recipes using the juice, zest and fruit of lemon, lime, grapefruit and some of the many varieties of oranges. Try something new!