Key lime pie meets cheesecake pudding in this deliciously creamy and tangy Key Lime Cheesecake Pudding. The pudding is topped with buttery toasted graham cracker crumbles and a homemade tequila infused blackberry sauce.
Key lime pie and cheesecake are two of my favorite desserts, so I thought about combining the two in pudding form! This vibrant dessert is perfect for your next summer dinner party. The pudding is not too sweet with just the right amount of key lime flavor. The tequila infused blackberry sauce is purely optional but highly recommended. A spoonful of key lime pudding and blackberry sauce tastes like a blackberry margarita and it is so so good!
You can’t have key lime pie without a graham cracker crust, so I’ve chosen to toast the graham cracker crumbles in butter to top the creamy cheesecake pudding. Every bite is crunchy and creamy, tangy and sweet and you and your guests will be hurrying back for more! You don’t want to miss out on this summertime favorite.
Ingredients for Key Lime Cheesecake Pudding
The ingredients for this Key Lime Cheesecake Pudding are very simple. If you’re having a hard time finding key limes, then don’t stress. Normal limes will work just fine. Key limes provide an elevated flavor profile with less tartness and more floral notes than a regular lime. But at the end of the day, any type of lime will taste great in this recipe.
- milk – preferably whole milk.
- heavy cream
- granulated sugar
- lime zest
- fine sea salt
- egg yolks
- cornstarch
- lime juice
- cream cheese – cut into small cubes. This will help the cream cheese to dissolve faster into the warm pudding.
- vanilla extract
- unsalted butter
- graham crackers
Tequila Infused Blackberry Sauce (optional)
Don’t have time to make homemade blackberry sauce? No problem! Pickup a jar of your favorite blackberry jam from the store and serve with the pudding at room temperature.
- fresh blackberries
- granulated sugar
- tequila or water – I like using anejo or silver tequila but any type will work. Don’t use anything too smoky like a mezcal.
- cornstarch slurry – equal parts cornstarch and water.
Here’s what else you’ll need:
- medium saucepan
- whisk
- medium mixing bowl
- stirring spoon
- large bowl
- fine mesh strainer
- measuring cups and spoons
How to Make Key Lime Cheesecake Pudding
A few things to keep in mind while making the pudding. First, make sure you don’t burn the milk mixture while it’s heating up. To prevent this, occasionally whisk the mixture and keep on relatively low heat. My second tip is to be careful when tempering the egg yolk mixture with the warm milk mixture. Take it slow, there is no rush. You want to gently warm up the egg yolk mixture to prevent the eggs from cooking and curdling. Make sure to whisk constantly during this process and you shouldn’t have any problems.
- Bring milk, heavy cream, 1/4 cup sugar, lime zest and salt to a simmer.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together remaining 1/4 sugar with the egg yolks. Add the cornstarch and lime juice and whisk until a thick paste is formed.
- Temper the egg yolk mixture with a small amount of the warm milk mixture. Slowly pour the warm milk into the egg yolks and whisk constantly.
- Transfer the mixture back into the saucepan and bring to a boil until pudding thickens.
- Remove from heat and stir in cream cheese and vanilla.
- Pour the pudding through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl. Serve warm or cover with plastic wrap and let chill in the refrigerator.
- Make the toasted graham cracker topping by toasting crumbled graham crackers in butter. Serve pudding with graham cracker crumbles and blackberry sauce or use room temperature store-bought blackberry jam.
Tequila Infused Blackberry Sauce (optional)
- Bring blackberries, sugar and tequila to a boil. Reduce heat then add the cornstarch slurry. Mix well and let simmer until the sauce thickens and most of the blackberries have softened. Remove from heat and let cool at room temperature before serving over pudding.
More Summer Recipes
- Creamy Lemony Orzo with Grilled Corn and Asparagus
- No Churn Vegan Black Raspberry Ice Cream
- Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken
- Red, White and Berry Clafoutis
- Lemon Puddle Cakes
- Tequila Slushies
Please let me know how your Key Lime Cheesecake Pudding turns out in the comments below! I can’t wait to hear from you.
Key Lime Cheesecake Pudding
Key lime pie meets cheesecake pudding in this deliciously creamy and tangy Key Lime Cheesecake Pudding. The pudding is topped with buttery toasted graham cracker crumbles and a homemade tequila infused blackberry sauce.
Combine the milk, heavy cream, 1/4 cup sugar, lime zest and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring contents of saucepan to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, whisk the remaining 1/4 sugar with the egg yolks. Add the cornstarch and lime juice and whisk until a thick paste is formed. Set aside.
Once the milk mixture comes to a gentle simmer, remove the saucepan from the heat. Slowly pour about 1 cup of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture and whisk constantly. Continue to slowly pour the remaining hot milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture, whisking well.
Pour the contents of the mixing bowl back into the saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook until the pudding thickens, about 8 minutes, whisking constantly. When the pudding begins to boil (you may need to stop whisking for a moment to see the bubbles), keep on the heat for 1 more minute.
Remove the pudding from the heat and add the cream cheese and vanilla. Whisk well until the cream cheese has completely dissolved and the mixture is smooth and creamy (you may have a few small chunks of cream cheese here but don't worry).
Pour the pudding through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl. Serve warm or cover with plastic wrap and let chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 Hour.
Make the toasted graham cracker topping: Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Once melted, add the graham cracker crumbles then stir to combine. Allow graham cracker to toast, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes or when graham crackers turn a golden brown color. When serving pudding, place a spoonful of pudding in a bowl and top with graham cracker crumbles and blackberry sauce (see recipe below) or use room temperature store-bought blackberry jam.
Combine blackberries, sugar and tequila in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring and mashing the blackberries as the mixture heats up. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low then add the cornstarch slurry. Mix well and let simmer for about 8 minutes or when the sauce thickens and most of the blackberries have softened. Remove from heat and let cool at room temperature before serving over pudding.
Ingredients
Directions
Combine the milk, heavy cream, 1/4 cup sugar, lime zest and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring contents of saucepan to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, whisk the remaining 1/4 sugar with the egg yolks. Add the cornstarch and lime juice and whisk until a thick paste is formed. Set aside.
Once the milk mixture comes to a gentle simmer, remove the saucepan from the heat. Slowly pour about 1 cup of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture and whisk constantly. Continue to slowly pour the remaining hot milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture, whisking well.
Pour the contents of the mixing bowl back into the saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook until the pudding thickens, about 8 minutes, whisking constantly. When the pudding begins to boil (you may need to stop whisking for a moment to see the bubbles), keep on the heat for 1 more minute.
Remove the pudding from the heat and add the cream cheese and vanilla. Whisk well until the cream cheese has completely dissolved and the mixture is smooth and creamy (you may have a few small chunks of cream cheese here but don't worry).
Pour the pudding through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl. Serve warm or cover with plastic wrap and let chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 Hour.
Make the toasted graham cracker topping: Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Once melted, add the graham cracker crumbles then stir to combine. Allow graham cracker to toast, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes or when graham crackers turn a golden brown color. When serving pudding, place a spoonful of pudding in a bowl and top with graham cracker crumbles and blackberry sauce (see recipe below) or use room temperature store-bought blackberry jam.
Combine blackberries, sugar and tequila in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring and mashing the blackberries as the mixture heats up. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low then add the cornstarch slurry. Mix well and let simmer for about 8 minutes or when the sauce thickens and most of the blackberries have softened. Remove from heat and let cool at room temperature before serving over pudding.
Notes
Notes
PRO TIP: Make sure to cut the cream cheese into small cubes. This will help it to dissolve faster into the warm pudding, leaving you with less clumps.
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