{"id":10552,"date":"2025-07-19T11:58:49","date_gmt":"2025-07-19T15:58:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/snarklesauce.com\/blog\/?p=10552"},"modified":"2025-07-19T14:53:57","modified_gmt":"2025-07-19T18:53:57","slug":"publix-key-lime-pie-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/snarklesauce.com\/blog\/2025\/07\/19\/publix-key-lime-pie-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Publix Key Lime Pie Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Author’s Note: Not a paid or sponsored review. I have no affiliation with Publix<\/a>. Or Costco. Or Aldi. Mmmkay.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s conduct some important research.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I was recently asked if I liked Costco’s Key Lime Pie<\/a> better than Publix. And that was a tough question. Because, although I loved Costco’s rendition (check out my review), Publix is a strong contender. In fact, where I live, Publix is quasi-famous for their Key Lime Pie. So, I wasn’t totally sure how to answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this was an excellent excuse to go buy a fresh Publix pie. For research<\/em>. Of course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See? I’m not greedy, I’m just pro-science.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Both pies use real key lime juice, and they both have a strong, distinct flavor. Similar to Aldi’s Key Lime Cheesecake<\/a>, Publix uses a combination of Lime Juice, Key Lime Juice, and Lime Oil, plus “Natural Flavor.” I thought Costco’s flavor was a bit<\/em> zingier with more multifaceted key lime taste, but only slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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They’re both creamy-rich and smooth. Milk is the primary ingredient for both recipes. However, Publix has a firmer custard. Do I like it firmer? Actually, yes. Yes, I do. It’s a bit stickier and less buttery than Costco’s custard, but super concentrated. The mouthfeel is more dense, in a good way. It’s sweet, but not overpowering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Publix has done a better job making a crust that is not too crumbly, but not soggy either. It’s a basic graham crust, with a pleasant crunchiness and a light sweetness. It’s not bursting with flavor, but crusts seldom are. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I liked the flavor of Costco’s crust a tad more, but it was terribly messy. Even so, Costco’s pie was slightly more homemade-looking than Publix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I do appreciate how the Publix crust holds together neatly for serving. It stays with the custard, like a loyal spouse. Here they are, on the way to my stomach, sticking together through thick and thin. An inspiration to us all. *sobs quietly*<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The fake-cream-stuff<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Both pies feature a ring of piped, whipped fake-cream-stuff. I like Costco’s fake-cream-stuff better than Publix fake-cream-stuff. But I dislike both of them. Fake-cream-stuff should not exist. Please make it stop. We want real cream. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I do<\/em> like that Publix fake-cream-stuff is almost<\/em> not sweet at all. It’s the tiniest whisper of sweetness. I found this a pleasant contrast against the strong<\/em> sweetness of the pie custard. Publix has also added an additional garnish of sliced almonds, which are snazzy and give crunchy pizazz.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Serving the pie<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Publix used<\/em> to garnish their pies with a slice of lime. Now they’re garnishing with a printed disk that looks<\/em> like lime. This is very, very weird to me. It’s a thin wafer of white chocolate, printed with dyes (including Red 40, Blue 1, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6). Why, tho?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are serving this pie to guests, I would recommend buying one whole (real) lime and slicing it into small half-circles to garnish each serving. They just look a little naked otherwise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pie tastes best right out of the refrigerator; it gets annoyingly soft at room temperature.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Ingredients<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ingredients in Publix Original Key Lime Pie<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Here are the ingredients, from the label. Some points of sadness are: hydrogenated vegetable oil, polysorbate 60, sorbitan tristearate, polyglycerol, polyricinoleate, sodium benzoate, etc. And, of course, the dyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Publix has managed to avoid artificial flavors. And no sodium metabisulfite. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Price and Servings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A full-size, 34 ounce pie is $10.99 and serves about 8. Each slice would cost $1.38. About 32 cents per ounce. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A mini, 12 ounce pie is normally $6.50 (shown on sale here for $4.99) and would serve four stubby wedges, at $1.62 per slice. About 54 cents per ounce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Publix also sells a Mango Key Lime Pie<\/a>, which I previously reviewed.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Shelf Life<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The “sell-by” date on my pie was dated for 2 days after my purchase. But mine lasted much longer than that in my refrigerator. As usual, Publix desserts are pretty sturdy and don’t change much over time.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Dramatic Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Publix is still one of my top choices for key lime pie. Measured on my high-tech “Awesome-o-Meter,” the score is “Yaaas.” I like the rich lime flavor, structured crust, and concentrated custard. If the fake-cream-stuff was replaced, it would be serendipitous. Make it so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The End.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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More Reviews You Might Like (or Hate)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Check out these other reviews I’ve written. Or don’t. That’s fine, too:<\/p>\n\n\n\n