The Hands-Down Best Frozen Key Lime Pie In The Freezer Aisle

Lovers of key lime pie can sometimes seem cliquish, especially if living in one of the few U.S. regions where Key lime trees still grow: the Florida Keys. The delightful little trees are indeed an anomaly, grown mostly now in islander's backyard gardens, which I had the pleasure of fully accessing during my cherished months-long decampment to a tiny conch cottage in Key West. Those well-loved spunky yellow limes are treated as royalty among locals, and the pies bearing their name are no less revered. 

Given that pervasive sentiment, it's understandable that folks would seek the hands-down best Key lime pies in grocery-store freezers. If you can't be in the Keys, bring its sassy, sweet flavors into your home by whatever means necessary. To that end, Tasting Table created a ranked list of the seven best frozen Key lime pies, judged by criteria such as taste, filling texture, and the crumbly, buttery graham cracker crust. When all was tasted and tested, one clear winner perched in top-spot position: Kenny's All Natural Key Lime Pie. Our taste-tester, Dora Nuss-Warren, noted that the Kenny's pie appeared plain and unassuming, but that didn't matter one bit, since the flavor blew her out of the water, so to speak. 

"The filling is perfectly balanced; it's sour, sweet, and smooth," she explained, noting that the taste was intensely limey but pleasant, with just the right thickness. The crust, in her observation, was "superior" and had a surprise ingredient: molasses, which brought woody and smoky undertones juxtaposed against the sharp brightness of the key lime filling. "At nearly $14, this pie isn't cheap," said Nuss-Warren. "It's worth every penny, though. I would much rather have one of Kenny's than two of the others."

Though confident in giving Kenny's top billing for frozen Key lime pies, it's good to know that everyday supermarket shoppers agree with our ranking. Out of 10 reviews by Kroger customers, every single one gave Kenny's All Natural Key Lime Pie a rating of five stars out of five. Several reviewers call it the best pie ever, including one customer who previously disliked the tartness of Key lime pie but now found it to be "some of the best dessert [they had] ever eaten." They added, "I can eat the entire thing overnight by myself!"

Another customer stated, "This is better than any homemade Key lime pie I've had. It has been a favorite at work, church and home." Someone else declared that it was "literally the only Key lime pie I'll ever eat. 100 out of 10!!"

For comparison sake, our ranked list of frozen Key lime pies included big players in the supermarket dessert game. Coming in second under Kenny's was Chef Pierre Key Lime Meringue Pie, which scored points for its intensely flavorful filling and the sweet, light, fluffy merengue topping. Just below Chef Pierre's came The Village PieMaker Key Lime Pie, appreciated for the real whipped cream and the molasses/honey flavor in the crust. However, this one has a mousse filling rather than a typical custard-like texture, so it may not be what true Key lime pie aficionados are hoping for.

The best frozen Key lime pies are delicious, but it's pretty easy to make one in your own kitchen using readily available standard limes. Check out this sweet and tart Key lime recipe, or discover a secret for making the absolute best Key lime pie with one subtle ingredient addition.