A perfectly sweet mini key lime pie recipe with a sturdy graham cracker crust and a whipped blackberry cream topping. These miniature key lime desserts are perfect for serving at parties during spring and summer.
I used the key lime pie filling recipe from King Arthur Flour’s famous Key Lime Tart because it is my favorite – and I haven’t always been a key lime pie lover. The graham cracker crust is an extra sturdy crust with lots of butter to hold the soft filling perfectly.
Blackberry flavor pairs perfectly with lime. I came up with this combination last year after picking wild blackberries in my back yard.
These mini key lime pie desserts can be decorated as simply or as elaborately as you’d like. As pictured, I’ve drizzled a little homemade blackberry syrup and lime zest over the whipped topping. Note, I searched for edible flowers in my local stores, but couldn’t find any. These cute little purple flowers came from my local grocery store, but they are not edible.
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Graham Cracker Crust
With three basic ingredients, the crust is comprised of graham cracker crumbs, granulated sugar, salted butter. If you only have unsalted butter, just use that and add a pinch of salt. The ingredients are combined, evenly divided into cupcake liners, compacted down, and baked in a cupcake tin. Let them cool while making the filling.
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Key Lime Pie Filling
The filling for key lime pie is a simple custard made with egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk, and key lime zest and juice. Regular limes can be substituted, but will yield a slightly different flavor. The only equipment needed is a medium mixing bowl and a whisk attachment with your stand mixer.
Once the filling is made and divided evenly between the 12 cupcake liners, bake for 15-17 minutes or until the centers read about 145 degrees on a quick read thermometer. Bake until the edges are set, but the centers remain a bit wobbly.
After baking, the mini key lime pies need to cool fully in a refrigerator to fully set, similar to making a cheesecake or other custard dishes.
Substitutions
There are a few substitutions that can be made in this recipe, notably:
- Frozen key lime juice or regular lime juice can be used if thawed.
- Other berries can be used in place of blackberry. For example, blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries in the form of juice, puree, or jam would be delicious.
- Gluten-free graham crackers or digestif biscuits can be used in place of regular.
Blackberry Whipped Cream
Using fresh or frozen blackberries for added flavor, this stabilized whipped cream frosting is perfect on top of key lime pie or your favorite citrus dessert. The addition of mascarpone cheese helps the frosting keep its shape (stabilized) while staying creamy and light. I love using this blackberry mascarpone frosting on citrus desserts all summer long too!
More mini desserts you’ll love
- Mini Oreo Cheesecakes – Creamy individual baked mini cheesecakes filled with Oreo pieces AND have a whole Oreo cookie at the bottom as the crust.
- Mini Brownie Bites – Rich and decadent brownie bites are moist, gooey and perfectly sized for individual treats.
- Mini Financiers – Small, buttery almond cakes made with brown butter for a decadent, caramel flavor.
- Mini Brownie Cupcakes – Bite-sized fudgy chocolate brownie cupcakes with a rich chocolate ganache frosting.
- Individual No Bake Cheesecake Cups – Creamy and mousse-like, topped with fresh fruit.
Mini Key Lime Pies with Blackberry
Key lime pie recipe adapted to be made as miniature key lime pie bites using cupcake liners. Made with a graham cracker crust and a blackberry whipped cream topping.
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- ¾ cup (75g) graham cracker crumbs (about 5 full sheet graham crackers)
- 1 Tablespoon (13g) granulated sugar
- 3 Tablespoons (42g) salted butter, melted or unsalted plus a pinch of salt
Key Lime Pie Filling
- zest of 1 lime
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1 ¼ cups (14oz can) sweetened condensed milk
- ¾ (170g) Key lime juice or regular lime juice
Blackberry Whipped Cream
- 1 1 cup (227g) mascarpone cheese*, very cold
- 1 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream, very cold
- ⅓ ⅓ cup (75ml) or up to ½ cup (90ml) blackberry juice or puree
- ¼ ¼ cup (30g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 325℉/165℃. Prepare a cupcake pan with 12 liners.
Graham Cracker Crust
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In a medium bowl, stir together crumbs, sugar, and melted butter until combined and moistened. Divide the crumbs evenly between the 12 cupcake liners. Using your fingers, press the mixture into the bottom of a each liner.
Tip: Use a plain cupcake liner as a barrier between your fingers and crumbs to prevent the crumbs from sticking to your hands. This helps compact the crumbs neatly.
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Bake the crust at 325ºF/165℃ for 8-10 minutes, until slightly browned. Remove from the oven to cool to room temperature before filling.
Key Lime Pie Filling
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In a stand mixer bowl, whisk together lime zest and egg yolks on high speed for 4 minutes. The egg mixture will lighten in color and thicken slightly.
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On low speed, stir in the sweetened condensed milk until fully combined and smooth. Whisk on high speed for 3 minutes. The filling will become thicker and gain volume.
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Add the lime juice, stirring just to combine.
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Pour the filling evenly into the 12 cupcakes liners and return the pan to the oven. Bake the mini pies for 15 to 17 minutes, until the edges are set, center can still be a little wobbly in the center. Using an instant read digital thermometer, the center should read 145℉ / 63℃.
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Remove the pan from the oven and cool to room temperature on a cooling rack. Refrigerate the mini pies for at least 4 hours or overnight before topping and serving.
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Optional, top with whipped cream. Two recipe options listed below.
Blackberry Mascarpone Whipped Cream
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In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the mascarpone and heavy cream, and mix until well combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Cold ingredients will whip better together.
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Add blackberry juice or puree, vanilla extract and powdered sugar to the mixture and turn it on high speed until well combined and the cream starts to whip (thicken), about 1-2 minutes. You should see a change in consistency from smooth and creamy to a texture that is very sturdy in structure & hold its shape well. Stop mixing when soft to medium peaks form if spooning the frosting. Whip a little longer until medium to stiff peaks if you plan on piping the frosting.
Recipe Notes
Note: Here is the full Blackberry Mascarpone Whipped Cream Frosting recipe post used as pictured. Plain whipped cream topping can be used as well.
Storing and Serving:
Store the mini pies in the fridge until serving. Serve immediately.
The mini pies should be eaten within 72 hours of being made for best results.
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