Why it works: Condensed milk and lime work together. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 122 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Key Lime Dessert
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the crust
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Combine graham cracker crumbs and margarine; mix well.
Press mixture into a 9" square pan.
Make the filling and bake
Combine sweetened condensed milk, yolks and lime juice.
Pour mixture over crust.
Bake 20 minutes or until set.
Cool for 30 minutes.
Finish
Top with whipped topping.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 5 of 6 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Lime | juice of 1 lime (44ml) | 11 |
| Topping | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
-
Condensed milk + limetop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together122 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Egg + limetop 34% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,658 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Condensed milk + eggtop 38% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together591 recipes
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Sweetens the filling and, with the lime juice, provides the body that sets the pie.
- Egg yolks
- Thicken the filling as they set during baking, giving it a firm, sliceable texture.
- Lime juice
- Provides the acidity that reacts with the condensed milk to thicken and sets the filling, and gives the pie its tartness.
- Graham crackers
- Form the crumb base that holds the filling and gives a crisp, sturdy crust.
- Margarine
- Adds fat that binds the crumbs together and helps the crust hold its shape.
The step that matters
Bake until set, then cool. The filling sets as the egg yolks cook and the lime acid thickens the condensed milk. Underbaking leaves it runny, and cutting before it cools fully can make it soft and weepy.
Swap the lime
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (condensed milk, egg):
- Coconutfits better
- Vanillafits better
- Bananafits better
- Limethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against condensed milk, egg. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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