Key lime pie
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Key lime pie is Florida's official state pie. The Legislature designated it in 2006, and the statute is one sentence long. The filling is three things: juice from key limes, sweetened condensed milk and egg yolks. The acid thickens the milk, so a proper pie needs little or no baking. Most versions sit on a graham cracker crust, topped with whipped cream or meringue.
The first test is color. Real key lime pie is pale yellow. Key lime juice is not green, and neither are yolks and condensed milk. A bright green slice has been dyed. Around the Disney area, a slice at a table-service restaurant costs about $12 in 2026.
At a glance
- What it is
- Key lime juice, sweetened condensed milk and egg yolks in a crust, usually graham cracker
- Official status
- Florida's state pie by law since 2006 (Florida Statutes s. 15.052)
- Color
- Pale yellow. Green filling means food coloring
- Typical price
- $12 a slice at Paddlefish in Disney Springs; $12 for a Key Lime Pie Cup at The Cake Bake Shop
- The limes
- Most key limes sold in the US now come from Mexico and Central and South America
In this guide
Where it really comes from
The popular story credits a cook called Aunt Sally in 19th-century Key West. Researchers have found no evidence for it; the oldest version of that story traces back only to 1995 marketing material. A 1927 Key West Women's Club cookbook has no key lime pie in it at all.
The paper trail starts later. A 1933 Miami Herald article describes a lime chiffon pie, a 1935 source calls an icebox lime pie a Florida Keys specialty, and a recipe named Key Lime Pie appears in 1940. Pastry chef Stella Parks has argued that the pie descends from Borden's 1931 Magic Lemon Cream Pie, a condensed-milk advertising recipe that cooks adapted with local limes.
The limes have their own story. Key limes became a Florida crop after the 1894–95 freeze killed lemon groves. The 1926 Miami hurricane wrecked the orchards, and growers replanted with the Persian lime, the large lime you see in supermarkets. Today most key limes sold in the US are imported.
What to look for
- Color: pale yellow or cream. Green is dye.
- Taste: sharp first, sweet second. Key limes are smaller and more acidic than Persian limes, and that tartness is the point.
- Texture: set and smooth, closer to custard than to mousse. A fluffy, airy filling is a chiffon-style variation, not the classic.
- Topping: meringue or whipped cream are both traditional. Neither changes the verdict; the filling does.
Where to eat it around Orlando
The easiest good slice for visitors is at Paddlefish, the boat-shaped seafood restaurant in Disney Springs. It serves key lime pie on a graham cracker crust with torched meringue for $12. The Cake Bake Shop at Disney's BoardWalk sells a Key Lime Pie Cup for $12.
Inside the parks, the key lime options are twists rather than pie. Dockside Diner at Hollywood Studios sells a Key Lime Kermit Milk Shake for $10.79, a vanilla shake with key lime cake crumbs and key lime sauce. EPCOT's festivals often add a key lime dessert to a booth; check the Food & Wine Festival menus when you go.
Off Disney property, independent bakeries in Orlando, Winter Park and DeLand sell whole pies. We have not listed prices for them because we could not confirm current menus online.
Frequently asked questions
Is key lime pie supposed to be green?
No. Key lime juice, egg yolks and condensed milk make a pale yellow filling. Green key lime pie has food coloring added.
Is key lime pie the official Florida state pie?
Yes. Florida Statutes section 15.052, passed in 2006, reads: "Key lime pie is designated as the official Florida state pie."
Where can I get key lime pie at Disney World?
Paddlefish in Disney Springs serves a slice with torched meringue for $12, and The Cake Bake Shop at the BoardWalk sells a Key Lime Pie Cup for $12. Dockside Diner at Hollywood Studios has a key lime milkshake for $10.79. Prices were checked in September 2026.
What is the difference between key limes and regular limes?
Key limes are smaller, seedier, thinner-skinned and more acidic than the Persian limes sold in most supermarkets. Their sharper, more aromatic juice is what makes the pie taste right.
Who invented key lime pie?
Nobody knows. The Aunt Sally story has no evidence behind it. The earliest documented references date from 1933 to 1940, and one credible theory ties the pie to a 1931 Borden condensed-milk recipe.
Further reading
Official sources
- Florida Statutes s. 15.052 - Official Florida state pie (Florida Senate) – Key lime pie designated official state pie; ch. 2006-236; checked September 22, 2026
- Wikipedia - Key lime pie – Origin evidence: 1927 cookbook, 1933/1935/1940 references, Aunt Sally story traced to 1995, Stella Parks' Borden 1931 theory, yellow filling; checked September 22, 2026
- Wikipedia - Key lime – 1894-95 freeze, 1926 hurricane and switch to Persian limes, imports from Mexico and Central/South America, fruit characteristics; checked September 22, 2026
- ThemeParkIQ - Paddlefish menu – Key Lime Pie, graham cracker crust, torched meringue, $12; checked September 22, 2026
- ThemeParkIQ - Disney menu search (key lime) – Key Lime Pie Cup $12 at The Cake Bake Shop; Key Lime Kermit Milk Shake $10.79 at Dockside Diner; checked September 22, 2026
