There are enough things in this world to feel guilty about. I don't think using a prepared product every once in a while should be one. We all have our days when, for whatever reason, we want a break. Who knows?

It might turn out to be a good thing. Either you'll discover that it's an acceptable substitute for the "real" thing. Or you'll find that it doesn't taste good and has a negative effect on the overall pie. Either way, you'll have learned something. So the experience will not be a waste.

I must be missing something b/c the recipes I've found so far call for graham cracker crust.

I'm not sure how much different a purchased gc crust could be from a homemade one? Homemade pastry crust is superior, but graham crackers are graham crackers - what could they do to ruin it? I'd do it in a heartbeat and every key lime pie I've ever had was made with one.

I use store-bought graham crackers all the time for yogurt pie. Never had a problem.

The best key lime pie in the galaxy uses a graham cracker crust (The Old Key Lime House in Lantana, FL) and they buy them ready-made.

That sells me! Ha

I used to work at the Old Key Lime House as a musician (back when it was more of a biker bar), and that's a nice pie, but it's not Key Lime Pie.

Real Key Lime pie had a regular crust and meringue, kind of like a lemon meringue pie with key limes and sweetened condensed milk instead of the standard lemon filling. And it is never chilled and NEVER green.

Sure, bossyvossy, I know everyone uses graham cracker crust now. They also use gelatin and mostly regular lime juice instead of key lime juice, too, and whipped cream on top and often green food coloring. As I said, those may be very nice pies, but they are not Key Lime Pie, at least not when we're talking about heresy. :)

I think an advantage of homemade graham cracker crust is that to me, it gets a nice nutty flavor with the blind bake.

Nothing wrong with a shortcut, though.

Interesting, writersblock. I will keep looking for a recipe with reg crust. I have a key lime tree that has produced a bumper crop this year so would like to celebrate bounty by cooking a pie.

Lucky you with the bumper crop of key limes!

I've always made it with graham crust. What's authentic and traditional?

The folks at the Old Key Lime House swear theirs is the traditional. There was a bakery in Miami (for some reason I can't remember the name) that made an amazing key lime pie. I remember eating it in the late 50s and 60s and even beyond that. When we came to Florida to see family, we always flew home with several pies. The bakery was bought by Publix at least 20 years ago and Publix still makes them according to the original recipe. The man who started that bakery sold a copy of his recipe to the Old Key Lime House with the proviso that they never alter it, prior to the sale. I've eaten the two - Publix brand and the Old Key Lime House version - no more than ten minutes apart and can't tell the difference with the exception of the massive layer of whipped cream put on by the OKLH. Both have graham cracker crusts and both are ready-made.

As far as the color goes... real key lime juice is not green and real key lime pie is more yellow than green. The green color comes from lime zest.

As it is one of my favorite desserts, I never pass up an opportunity to try it. I have probably eaten key lime pie in at least 500 different restaurants around the world and none of them compare to those two versions.

Interesting story of Key Lime Pie from Epicurious:

Origins of Key Lime Pie

My key lime pie knowledge is all received. Whether from ex-Floridians, Florida relatives, or my one long, key lime pie savoring visit (I don't remember eating food, just lots and lots of pie), this is what I know about eating key lime pie. If it's green, it's not key lime pie. It very well could be key lime juice with zest for color but it changes the flavor. The good stuff is greeny yellow. The only kind of crust I've had (or remember having) hasn't been mentioned--it's not a crumb crust, and not a flaky pastry. It's pastry, but more like a cookie crust than an apple pie crust. Pale beige, lightly sweetened and very firm. Margarine maybe? And the topping is meringue, but not piled high like one sees often nowadays--It might be in star tip blobs, peaked blobs, round blobs, or smoothed flat, and it might just be around the edge and center, or all over, but, "You don't want more meringue than filling, now, do you? It's lime pie, not egg pie, honey!"

Regarding store-bought graham cracker crusts....I've used some in a pinch for things like the kids' sports team pot lucks. They are not created equal. Some store brands taste like pressed cardboard. I'd suggest going with a name brand and checking the expiration date to make sure it's fresh.

I don't ever use store-bought crusts, nor do I make graham cracker crusts -- however -- I eat pies for the filling. :O)

We spend way too much time and energy with the battles of various degrees of heresy in food-related matters. Oh, lord, how can you possibly use pre-made watzifrazit? Don't you know that it only takes 59 minutes to whip up a perfect wzzit? Your children will be scarred for life if you feed them pre-made katzche! And chicken soup? Don't get me started!

Whatever you fix and you like, enjoy with your family. You have my blessing!

Omuhgod, don't you dare mention salad dressing from a bottle!

I think the point is what tastes good. That's certainly my point in sharing what I think makes for a good key lime pie.

I think graham cracker is too strong a flavor for key lime pie crust, and standard pastry is too short/flaky and salty. Given the desire to use graham cracker crust, the question about buying it is whether it's any good. Amck2's point is very important: Some store brands taste like pressed cardboard. Perhaps that would compete less with the filling, but who wants a crust that doesn't taste good?

I bought a regular pastry crust this year from the freezer at Whole Foods. I can't remember the brand, but I knew I didn't have the half hour to make it from scratch. It was quite good, and I'd do it again in a pinch. It actually looked good in its plastic cover. I've encountered other store bought crusts of the type that would have me put the crustless filling in a Corning pie plate before I'd serve them. I did serve the WF one--a full top and bottom crust pie--and it was enjoyed by all.

That's interesting, plllog, about the WF crust. I've never tasted one that was worth it, but I've never tried theirs.

I've encountered other store bought crusts of the type that would have me put the crustless filling in a Corning pie plate

That's been my reaction to the ones I've tried, so this is very helpful.

Here's another old FL recipe (tourist postcard) to fuel the debate. Note that it says only 'pie crust', not what type. Also note the raw eggs - different times...

FWIW, we have key lime trees & I understand they are properly called 'Mexican' limes. Nasty, lethal, numerous thorns, but thankfully the perishable fruit drops when ripe, so you don't have to impale yourself trying to harvest.

My mom always uses a purchased pastry crust (from the natural foods market) & a whipped cream topping - & of course, real 'Key limes'.

Old Key Lime House - the one that uses Keebler crust, reconstituted like juice, powdered whipped topping? I've never had it so I can't knock it, but they got slammed pretty hard on an episode of The Profit if we're talking about the same place. Of course TV is TV...

Graham cracker crust is so stupid simple and quick I don't understand why anyone would buy a premade one. You can buy a box of graham cracker crumbs and keep what's left in the freezer.
Measure it out, add sugar and melted butter....that's the clue! real butter and none of the junk that makes that crust shelf stable. And you can make 1 1/2 times ther ecipe of you want to make a bigger pie, or put that crust mix into individual tins for little pies....and if you want you can add cinnamon or vanilla or grated lemon or lime rind to the crumbs to make the pie go better with the filling.
Premade graham cracker crust in a disposable tin, with a Jell-o pudding mix filling topped with Kool whip....yeah! sure! Home made pie!

I'm making it today with reg crust b/c I found some in the freezer. I'll post a pic and comment on flavor. Im excited! Like i said, this year citrus is bountiful and I need to give serious thought about what I'll do with all my KL, Lisbon, oranges and satsumas,. One thing is for sure, we shouldn't catch a cold, ha

I'm not much for pie because of the sweet but love KeyLime and anything blueberry...or any fresh fruit tarts. So it is just a few times year. Just found some graham crackers in the freezer cleaning out to make room for garden harvest...

I like to use fresh, fresh butter just for the same reasons posted....no factory preservatives and so easily made fresh. Actually one of the easiest. And why i have half a dozen tart shells with the disc removable bottoms...small and tall, wide and shallow, all sizes.

But, if feeding an army and cutting time saving corners, no biggie to keep pre-made on hand. Just not my thing. (i just spent a long peaceful day in my kitchen and love it). I have such few moments like that so fresh is more my style. If it isn't fun i don't do it.

Yep, that's the real recipe, carolb. Can still make it that way if you have a reliable egg source. The lime juice "cooks" the filling. I've never seen meringue on a graham cracker crust. Has anyone else? Just curious.

the one that uses Keebler crust, reconstituted like juice, powdered whipped topping?

Yep. It's an okay pie, but not anything I'd care to eat, FOAS, and it's for sure not KLP.

Writersblock, it was a crust I bought at Whole Foods, but not their brand. I wish I remembered what brand it was. It wasn't prize winning good, but certainly decent.

Pre baking reg pie crust. Dear Lord don't let it taste like freezer.

key lime bounty

Separating eggs for custard

all good with project on this rainy Sun afternoon. Waste will go to compost pile

Ta da!!!

Lovely!

Yum!

Yes please!

Looks great!

Oh yum, that looks awesome.

I can't comment on pre-made graham cracker crusts because I've never bought one. I make my own because it's fast and I nearly always have Keebler graham crackers on hand because I eat them spread with Nutella. Talk about junk food...

Now I usually make them with gluten free graham crackers because of my celiac daughter, but I mostly use them for things like pumpkin cheesecake, and use pastry crust for pies. Why? Because my Mother loves pie crust, LOL, and is always disappointed if her pie has graham cracker crust! Since Mother is 81, I hate to disappoint her little pie lovin' heart.

Annie

What I really want to know is, where are the chocolate graham crackers?! I made a Mexican Chocolate Tart and do you know, I could not find chocolate graham crackers for my chocolate graham cracker crust?

Do you know I had to put THESE cute little guys in my food processor in order to make crust?

That leaves a scar!

I never heard of a chocolate graham cracker crust. I've heard of chocolate crust made with chocolate wafers, but not with graham crackers. Is there such a thing as a chocolate graham cracker? Couldn't you get similar results by mixing graham crackers and chocolate cookies (although I personally would strongly prefer using just one or the other--chocolate graham crackers sound horrible to me)?

ETA I believe a lot of people use whole crushed Oreos in chocolate crusts these days.

The only problem with store bought crusts is that they are too small. But we adjust.

You can buy pre-crushed graham crackers, which I use when I make a key lime pie in a square baking dish. I just use the "crust" on the bottom.

I don't care for an oreo crust as it has the "stuff" in it. But I sure have used chocolate Teddy Grahams....
Goya makes a chocolate crisp cookie, but the only place I have found them is at Dollar General.

Oreo cookie crusts rock! And bossy, that's one tasty-looking pie!

LOL, Mimi "that leaves a scar". Sure would! (grin)

There are chocolate graham crackers, still available here, as well as a chocolate wafer cookie which, for some inexplicable reason, is always stocked by the ice cream toppings....

Annie

Save the bears!!! Stop the slaughter!!! ;)

I used to buy the premade crusts and there's some good ones and some bad ones. I never remember which are good and which are bad since it's so infrequent but it will work. Also, I like to use vanilla wafers for a crumb crust. I've thought about buying the crumbs but really, putting them in a bag and beating the daylights out of them with a rolling pin or a rubber mallet is SO satisfying at times. I can relieve frustration and whomp them cookies so fine they're perfect for a crust. For MY pie, not someone else's. Do it your way and enjoy it.

Oreo cookie crusts are irreversible. Once you've made them there's no turning back. I used to make cheesecakes with Lotus cookie crusts (which I rather liked) but after I followed a no-bake cheesecake recipe with Oreo crust - no more Lotus. The Oreo got such raves I dare not use anything else, and I don't even like Oreos. Too synthetic tastewise.

:No-bake cheesecake" is an oxymoron....that's pudding.
A gingersnap crust is very good with a pumpkin cheese cake. Might also work with a lemon cheese cake, but I haven't made one like that.....yet!

Graham cracker crust -- fine if you like it. It is, actually, far better than any other pre-made pie crust out there. It doesn't tend to be too sweet, for one. I'd be happy.

For me, no Oreo, nor gingersnap crust. I'll seriously want to eat around those. I may actually do so, so as not to ruin a great dinner that preceded dessert.

BUT... I am NOT a sweet-tooth....