Easy Kiwi Lime Pie (with Gluten-Free Option)
This kiwi lime pie is a tropical twist on the classic key lime pie, made with an easy graham cracker crust and a creamy, no-bake cheesecake-like filling. Combined with a vivid array of fresh kiwifruit slices on top, it's a perfect summer dessert for barbecues and cookouts!
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cooling Time: 45 minutes (plus overnight chill)
- Cook Time: 10 minutes (up to 15 minutes)
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes (plus overnight chill)
- Yield: one 9" pie 1x
- Category: pie
- Method: no-bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
Scale
Graham Cracker Crust:
- 2 ⅛ cups (8 3/8 ounces) graham cracker crumbs (use gluten-free if desired)
- 2 tablespoons, packed brown sugar
- 7 tablespoons (3 1/2 ounces) butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Kiwi Lime Filling:
- 1 ¾ teaspoon powdered gelatin
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- ⅝ cup (5 ounces) heavy whipping cream
- 11 ½ ounces full-fat cream cheese, softened (block-style)
- ¾ cup (8 1/4 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
- 12 tablespoons + 3/4 teaspoon (6 ounces) pureed kiwi (from 3-4 fresh kiwis)
- 1 ¾ teaspoons freshly-grated lime zest
Garnish:
- 3-4 fresh kiwis, peeled, sliced, and quartered
Instructions
For the graham cracker crust:
- Preheat oven to 350ºF, with an oven rack in the middle position.
- Mix the ingredients: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the brown sugar into the graham cracker crumbs, make sure to break up any clumps as you go. Use a spatula to mix in the melted butter and vanilla, until the mixture is evenly moistened and resembles damp sand.
- Transfer to pie dish: Dump the mixture into a standard (not deep-dish) 9" pie plate and use the bottom of a measuring cup to press it into the bottom and sides in an even layer. Make sure to compact it in, and then use your thumb and forefinger to press and smooth out the top edge. Let the crust rest for 10 minutes before baking.
- Bake crust in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, until the surface is golden and no longer appears glossy or wet. Immediately after baking, repeat the process of compressing the crust along the bottom and sides with a measuring cup, while gently pushing the crust back up the sides of the pie dish if it shrunk at all while baking. The crust may start to look wet again, but don't be tempted to bake it any longer! Set it aside on a wire rack to cool completely while you make the filling.
For the kiwi lime filling:
- Prep the gelatin: Sprinkle (important!) gelatin over 2 tablespoons of cold water in a small bowl, making sure all of the gelatin gets dampened by the water. Let sit for one minute to bloom. Then, microwave for 15-20 seconds, or just long enough for the gelatin to dissolve completely, without letting it boil. Let the mixture briefly cool while prepping the rest of the filling.
- Whip the cream: Using a stand mixer with the wire whip attachment, or a handheld electric mixer, beat the cream on medium-high speed just until stiff. Place it in the refrigerator to chill while you prep the remaining filling components.
- Mix the remaining ingredients: In a (clean) mixing bowl, combine softened cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk. Beat together with your mixer until smooth. Add the puréed kiwifruit, lime zest, and gelatin mixture, and continue beating until everything is smoothly and evenly combined. Carefully fold in the whipped cream by hand with a rubber spatula, just until incorporated. Be gentle with this to avoid losing the air you just whipped into the cream in step two!
To assemble:
- Transfer filling to crust: Scoop the cream cheese filling into your cooled graham cracker crust, using an offset spatula to gently smooth it out into a flat even layer. Transfer to the refrigerator to set, preferably overnight. It should be on the firm side (but still sliceable) when ready.
- Garnish: Just before serving, garnish the top of the pie with fresh kiwi slices as desired.
Notes
Ingredients notes and substitutions:
- You can buy graham cracker crumbs pre-packaged or make your own by processing whole graham crackers in a food processor. Use gluten-free graham crackers to make this recipe gluten-free. I used one box of Kinnikinnick "Graham Style Crackers" for this recipe.
- Salted or unsalted butter will work for the crust; I used half of each. If you use exclusively unsalted butter, add 1/8 teaspoon of salt to the crust mixture.
- Alternatively, you can make this recipe with a store-bought/pre-made graham cracker crust.
- Use block-style cream cheese only.
- I used a mixture of green and yellow kiwi in this recipe, for both the filling and garnish. Feel free to use either or both! Use a blender to purée the kiwi for the filling.
Serving and storing:
After garnishing the top with fresh kiwis, this pie is best served immediately or the same day. However, you can easily make the pie ahead of time and leave it in the refrigerator, ungarnished. Just cover it with plastic wrap once the filling has set, and keep chilled; it should last about 3-5 days.
The pie can also be frozen, but should be eaten straight from the freezer if doing so; I do not recommend letting the entire pie thaw out after freezing. Wrap the pie thoroughly in plastic wrap and/or aluminum foil before freezing.
