This refreshingly sweet and slightly tart key lime fudge is a perfect treat to serve at any spring or summer event and you won't have to spend a lot of time in the kitchen making it. In about 10 minutes you can turn two ingredients into delicious key lime fudge.
easy key lime fudge
Do you love the fresh citrus flavor of key lime pie?
Yes! Well this key lime fudge with it's intense citrus flavor beautifully balanced with undertones of vanilla cream will definitely be one of your favorite recipes here at How To Make Easy Fudge. It is so good and so easy to make.
No need to peel, zest, or even squeeze a lime to make this easy key lime fudge. You simply melt white chocolate chips and some store bought key lime curd together in the microwave.
This homemade fudge is uniquely refreshing and has a pretty pastel green color so it would make a lovely dessert to serve at a spring or summer party.
It would also make a wonderful gift along with some pretty pastel Lemon Fudge, Orange Creamsicle Fudge or Strawberry Fudge.
What makes this key lime fudge so easy to make?
- It's made with just 2 ingredients: white chocolate chips and key lime curd.
What is key lime curd?
- Key lime curd is a creamy smooth, intensely flavored, somewhat tart, somewhat sweet, cross between a lime jelly and a lime custard.
- Key lime curd is made using egg yolks, butter, sugar, and real key lime juice.
- You can make homemade key lime curd or you can just buy jars of it at the grocery store or order it online.
Can I use lime curd?
- Yes, if you are able to find lime curd in your grocery store then by all means go ahead and use it. Your lime fudge will taste fantastic.
- Dickinson's Lime Curd is available in many grocery stores and it tastes great in this easy fudge recipe. Just be sure to buy two 10 ounce jars as you'll need 1 ⅓ cups to make this fudge.
What is the difference between Persian limes and key limes?
- Persian Limes, those that you find in the grocery store next to the lemons, are typically 2-3 inches in diameter, have thick dark green skin, and a nice lime flavor.
- Key Limes are much smaller, usually 1-½ inches in diameter, have thin, leathery skin, and a very acidic, intense, slightly herbal, lime flavor.
Can I use real key limes to flavor my fudge?
- I really love that this fudge is essentially flavored with real key limes being key lime curd is made with real key limes. If you want to use fresh key limes to make this lime fudge, then you will need to make curd first.
- You could possibly use our vanilla fudge recipe which blends together white chocolate and sweetened condensed milk then add key lime juice and zest to it, but you'd have to adjust the amount of white chocolate to thicken the fudge.
- I have not tried this so I do not know what the ratios of juice to chocolate and sweetened condensed milk would be.
- If you give it a try I'd love to hear about it in the comments below.
Microwave method:
- Stir 1 ⅓ cups of key lime curd into white chocolate.
- Melt in the microwave.
- Heat at 70% power for 90 seconds then let the bowl rest in the microwave for about 3 minutes before stirring.
- Add green food coloring and continue to stir until the white chocolate chips melt.
- If needed, you can heat it for an additional 10-15 seconds.
- It's best to allow the residual heat from the hot melted white chocolate to melt the remaining chips.
- Just let the bowl sit for another minute to allow the heat to continue to melt the chocolate then stir again.
- If you overheat the white chocolate, the fudge may become greasy. If this happens be sure to check out our Easy Fudge FAQ page.
- Once all the chips have melted, pour the fudge into an 8-inch pan that is either lined with non-stick tin foil or parchment paper or buttered well.
That's it! This lime fudge is seriously so easy to make and it has such a lovely flavor. No one will ever guess it took you less than 10 minutes to make it.
What type of white chocolate should be used to make key lime fudge?
- I developed this recipe using Nestle Premier White Chips which made a wonderfully flavored fudge.
- Nestle white "chocolate" chips are actually considered a confectionery coating because they are made using vegetable oil (palm kernel oil) instead of cocoa butter which is used to make pure white chocolate.
- You can use pure white chocolate chips (made with cocoa butter) to make this fudge but know that you will need to use more white chocolate than confectionery coating in order for your fudge to set up property and that the lime flavor will not be quite as intense because the flavor of the cocoa butter will mute the lime flavor slightly.
- You can also use other types of white confectionery coating like White Candy Melts, Merckens White Wafers, White Almond Bark, Ghirardelli White Melting Wafers, or Peter's Ice Caps (one of my personal favorites).
NOTE:
- White chocolate is a bit softer than white confectionery coating so you’ll need to adjust the recipe accordingly.
- If using white confectionery coating chips (no cocoa butter listed in the ingredients) use 24 ounces, if using pure white chocolate (with cocoa butter listed in the ingredients) then use 28 ounces.
You can find the Nestle White Chips or Peter's Ice Caps and the key lime curd in a single jar or multi-pack on amazon (commission earned for sales at no extra cost to you).
Video
Be sure to watch the video to see how easy it is to make this fudge.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know by leaving a comment and rating the recipe below.
Recipe
Add a tray of this refreshingly sweet and tart Key Lime Fudge to your dessert table this year! It's perfect for any spring or summer event.
- 24-28 ounces 4 cups white chocolate chips* (see note below)
- 1 ⅓ cups key lime curd
Line an 8-inch square pan with non-stick tin foil or parchment paper or regular tin foil sprayed lightly with baking spray.
Pour the white chocolate chips and key lime curd into a microwave-safe mixing bowl.
Heat at 70% power for 90 seconds.
Let the bowl rest in the microwave for 3 minutes.
Remove and stir until melted.
If needed, heat for another 15 seconds at 70% power. Let rest, allowing the residual heat in the fudge to melt any remaining chips, then stir until melted.
Spread the fudge into the lined baking pan.
Cover the pan with a piece of tin foil or plastic wrap.
Chill in the refrigerator for about 3 hours until firm.
Remove the fudge from the pan and peel off the tin foil or parchment paper.
Cut into 36 squares and enjoy!
How to store this key lime fudge?
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
- To freeze, wrap fudge in wax paper then over-wrap it in tin foil and place it in a large zip-top bag. Remove all the air from the bag while sealing then freeze for up to 3 months.
- To thaw frozen fudge, remove the fudge from the freezer and let it sit in the bag for a few hours until thawed before opening the bag and removing the tin foil and wax paper.
I know you will enjoy making and eating this refreshingly tart key lime fudge. If you have any other questions about making fudge, be sure to check out our Easy Fudge Recipe FAQ. There you will get tips and tricks for choosing the right pans, lining pans, making and storing fudge, and more.
If you like this fruit-flavored fudge you might also like these other easy fudge recipes...
Chocolate Covered Strawberry Fudge Recipe
Orange Creamsicle Fudge Recipe
If you like lime desserts you might also like these recipes:
- Fruity Pebbles Fudge - March 30, 2024
- Hot Chocolate Fudge - November 14, 2023
- white chocolate macadamia nut fudge - June 12, 2023
Cheryl O'Brien
Loving your recipe ideas!! Just wanted to let you know hat I can't seem to get the link to the video to work. Is there something missing?
Beth
Hi Chery, the video should begin to play as soon as it is in your window.
Rebecca A Mills
Hi!
I tried this using the fudge recipe where you use sweetened condensed milk, lime juice, line crystals and lime zest(my stores have been out of lime curd). The flavor is OUT OF THIS WORLD however it didn't set up right.....even frozen for a few hours. I used 1 bag of white chocolate chips and im thinking 2 or a little under 2 would make it set better. I added some crushed Graham cracker to the top as it was setting and it was good! But definitely like you suggested above if you go this route more chocolate is needed
Beth
Hi Rebecca,
I bet that fudge was delicious! If you add lime juice to our sweetened condensed milk fudge recipe, you'll definitely need to add more white chocolate. The added liquid will keep your fudge from setting up. I have not tried it though so I'm not positive just how much white chocolate to add. It would really depend on the amount of liquid you added. I'd guess that you'd need an additional 4 ounces of white chocolate per teaspoon added.
Tracy M.
This fudge was super easy to make and it was so delicious! I was hesitant to make a 2-ingredient fudge but am so happy that I made this recipe.
Beth
I'm glad you enjoyed making this key lime fudge and hope you give some of our other easy fudge recipes a try.
Eileen T
I am diabetic so I made this as a sugar-free version. It was great! I did have to make a homemade key lime curd. I tried this with the Swerve brand no calorie sweetener and Lily's brand no sugar white chocolate chips. This was almost as good as the Key Lime fudge we get from the Texas gas station/store Buc-ee's. YUM! Thanks for this recipe!
Beth Klosterboer
That is so great to hear. I'm glad you were able a sugar-free version of this key lime fudge work so well.