What is the difference between key lime and regular lime?

The Difference Between Limes and Key Limes Key limes—also known as Mexican limes or West Indies limes—are small, spherical limes that grow in tropical and subtropical regions. They're light yellow (not green) when ripe and contain more seeds than regular limes .

What is special about a key lime?

The Key lime has thinner rind and is smaller, seedier, more acidic and more aromatic than the Persian lime (Citrus × latifolia). It is valued for its characteristic flavor. The name comes from its association with the Florida Keys, where it is best known as the flavoring ingredient in Key lime pie.

Can I substitute lime for key lime?

Despite the slight flavor difference, swapping out Persian limes for Key limes is a pretty common substitution. Taste of Home even notes that, when baked into a dessert, it can be hard to tell the difference between the two taste-wise.

Are key limes and lemons the same?

Lemons and limes are both very acidic but have slightly different flavors and scents . Lemons are yellow and larger than limes. Both fruits have good nutritional qualities. Lemons have a sour, acidic taste, while a lime has a bitter, acidic taste.

Can you eat the skin on a Key lime?

Yes, you can eat the rind of a lime . The outer layer can be used for zesting to add flavor to water and beverages, dressings, marinades, and baked goods. Did you know the juice and zest from lemons or limes can work as a salt substitute and may help prevent the cold and flu?

Are key limes everbearing?

Compact Growth: Ideal for patios or small gardens, it's a tropical beauty that doesn't need much space. Everbearing Fruit : Enjoy a generous yield of limes all year round.

Are key limes expensive?

At the grocery store, conventional limes go for anything from $1.50 to $4 per pound, whereas Key limes typically cost two or three times more .

Where do they grow key limes?

Today, there is little to no commercial Key lime production in Florida, although it remains a popular home landscape fruit tree. Distribution: Key limes are grown in warm subtropical and tropical regions of the world . Major producing countries are India, Mexico, Egypt, and various countries in the West Indies.

Are key limes good for margaritas?

Better Tasting Limes We use key limes to make our margaritas because key limes are natural, they taste better, and it's what they use in Mexico and all of Latin America.

How to identify a Key lime?

Aesthetically, Key limes tend to have a more yellow-ish tint to their green, the feel of the rind is a little more leathery, and inside, you'll find significantly more seeds .

Does lime burn fat in the tummy?

Additionally , the citric acid in lime can help break down fat cells and flush out toxins from the body . However , it is important to note that drinking lime water alone will not lead to significant weight loss . It should be combined with a healthy diet and regular exercise for best results .

Why do they call it key lime?

Though the lime is strongly associated with the Florida Keys and its popular name even comes from this association, Key limes are actually native to tropical Southeast Asia. 1 Its other names include West Indian lime, bartender's lime, Omani lime, or Mexican lime.

Is lime good for the kidneys and liver?

Lime contains chemicals that seem to help prevent stones in the bladder or kidney . Other chemicals might kill parasites and viruses. Lime contains chemicals that seem to help prevent stones in the bladder or kidney.

What Is a Key Lime? (2024)

Everybody knows Key lime pie, but most know little to nothing about the citrus fruit behind the famous dessert (outside of the folks in the Florida Keys, of course). So are Key limes any different than the regular limes you find at the grocery store? And can they be substituted for one another? Here you'll find the answers to these questions and more.

What Is a Key Lime?

A key lime, also known as a Mexican lime or West Indies lime, is a type of hybrid citrus fruit commonly grown in the Florida Keys. They typically measure about one to two inches in diameter. Although they are picked when they're green, they actually begin to turn yellow as they ripen.

In terms of taste, key limes have a higher acidity, making them a little more tart than what we consider "regular limes." This makes them ideal for pairing with sweeter ingredients, hence the ever-popular Key lime pie. In Mexico, key limes enjoy a year-round season, but in the U.S. (mostly in Florida and California) they only grow between June and September.

Key Limes vs. Regular Limes: What's the Difference?

To understand the difference between Key limes and "regular limes," we must first understand what we mean by "regular limes." The limes you can find in the grocery year-round, or what we consider conventional limes, are actually called Persian or Tahitian limes — and they're much less common worldwide than Key limes. Who knew?

So how did Florida end up as the de facto Key lime capital? The citrus fruit is actually native to Southeast Asia. From here it traveled through the Middle East to North Africa and eventually made its way to Europe, where Spanish explorers brought it with them to Florida.

Key limes were grown commercially in Florida up until the 1920s, when a hurricane wiped out many groves. Afterwards, farmers opted to replace them with the larger, seedless Persian limes, hence their widespread availability in the U.S. today.

In terms of physical differences between the two types of limes, Key limes tend to be much smaller than Persian limes. And because of this size difference, it's going to take a lot more Key limes to produce the same amount of juice that comes from Persian limes.

Key limes are also more yellow in color (as yellow indicates ripeness for Key limes), with thinner rinds. They have more seeds than Persian limes, and as we've already established, they're more aromatic and bitter in taste.

Can You Substitute One for the Other?

So, can you make Key lime pie with Persian limes instead of Key limes? After all, their short season doesn't always leave you with much choice. The answer is yes, the two can easily be substituted for one another.

When baked into pie or dessert, it's very hard to tell the difference between the two. However if you're lucky enough to get your hands on some Key limes, make sure to make the most out of them while you can for maximum tartness.

Where to Buy Key Limes

Because Key limes only grow in certain regions of the U.S., they just aren't going to be available in most places. They are also very finicky to ship, making them less than ideal for long-distance transport. Key limes are also significantly more expensive than Persian limes, and they require twice as many limes to produce the same amount of juice as Persian limes.

So if you live in a region where Key limes are readily available at supermarkets and farmers' markets (looking at you, Floridians), take advantage! But if you don't, you can often find bottled or canned Key lime juice at grocery stores and specialty stores.

How to Use Key Limes

Know this before you get started cooking or baking with Key limes: they're notoriously hard to juice. I would recommend investing in an inexpensive citrus juicer ($18; Zulay Metal Hand Juicer Lemon Squeezer on Amazon) so your hands don't cramp. Squeeze the juice into a fine sieve ($12, Fine Mesh Sieve Strainer at Amazon) to remove any pulp or seeds.

Now that you're ready to start putting your Key limes to use, I recommend you use them where they really shine: dessert! Key lime pie is an obvious (and excellent) choice, but you may also want to consider some of these different Key lime desserts: White Chocolate Key Lime Endeavor with Macadamia Crunch, Key Lime Cheesecake I, and Key Lime Cake II.

If you're looking for something savory, Key lime juice adds the perfect amount of brightness to these dishes: Margarita Shrimp Fajitas, Key West-Style Baked Grouper, and Tropical Mango and Pineapple Paradise Salsa.

How to Store Key Limes

Like Persian limes, you'll want to store Key limes at cool room temperature. Use ripe Key limes within two days. Don't bother putting them in the fridge, as this will only speed up their decay.

But if you want to preserve their juice, you can pour them into ice cube trays ($8; Ice Cube Trays at Amazon) and flash freeze them before transferring them to a freezer safe bag and storing for up to six months.

Related:

How Much Juice Is Really in One Lime?