This Key Lime Fudge recipe has turned out to be a very popular fudge recipe. It’s sweet and delicious, and it has that tangy taste of lime that we love so much in key lime pie! Watch the short how-to video showing you how to make this fudge, and then you can scroll to the bottom of this post and print out the recipe so you can make it at home.
Key Lime Fudge
It’s not a typical fudge flavor at all. In fact, it’s not even chocolate! There’s white chocolate in the recipe, but we all know that’s not really chocolate. The white chocolate acts as a vessel for containing an amazing sweet lime flavor. If you’re a lime lover, then this fudge recipe is for you.
Key Lime Fudge is a nice fudge to make during the holiday season to place on holiday treat platters or for gifting to friends and neighbors. I think people like to see and sample something that is a little different. This is definitely different than your typical fudge recipe.
What are Key Limes?
Key limes get their name from the Florida Keys, where Key Lime Pies are abundant! They have a stronger scent and a thinner rind than the typical lime. The flavor is more tart and bitter.
Have you ever picked up a bag of key limes? They’re awfully cute. They’re tiny little things. You’ve gotta squeeze the heck out of them to get every bit of their juice, but it’s all worth it.
These limes present themselves nicely in sweet treats (like key lime pie!) since the sugar balances out that tart flavor and highlights the unique flavor of the key lime. I love them! And if you love them too, then you must try my Key Lime Pie Ice Cream!
How do you make Key Lime Fudge?
Evaporated milk, sugar and salt are heated together in a saucepan and boiled for 8 minutes. Once that mixture has boiled for several minutes, it’ll be piping hot. At that point, you’ll pull the pan off the stove and stir in marshmallows, white chocolate, lime zest and lime juice. All should melt nicely, and then you’ll scrape the fudge mixture into a pan to cool. Once cooled, it’s ready to be cut into squares and eaten!
Can you use regular limes to make Key Lime Fudge?
You can most certainly use regular limes for this fudge. They might give the fudge a slightly sweeter flavor, but all will still be good. Don’t skimp on the lime zest in this recipe since it gives the fudge a fabulous green tint, and it adds a good amount of lime flavor to the recipe too. Oh, and if you want to make the whole process of making this Key Lime Fudge a zillion times easier, then just buy Nellie & Joe’s Key Lime Juice in your market’s juice section. It’ll work just fine for this recipe!
So if you’re wishing for a little “spring” in your life and it hasn’t quite arrived yet, treat yourself to some Key Lime Fudge instead. Or surprise gift your friends for the holidays with a little Key Lime Fudge!
If you’re as obsessed with lime as I am, you might also enjoy my Iced Lemon Lime Cookies or this Lime- Coconut Buttermilk Pie. Lime Sugar Cookies, Chicken with Lime Butter and Super Easy Lime Bars are delicious lime recipes too!
Key Lime Fudge
Recipe Details
Ingredients
- One 5-ounce can 2% evaporated milk
- 1⅔ cups granulated white sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 12 large marshmallows, quartered
- 2 cups white chocolate chips
- ¼ cup grated lime zest (about 5 limes)
- 2 tablespoons key lime juice (5 to 7 limes, juiced)
Instructions
- Line an 8" x 8" square pan with aluminum foil; grease the foil with butter. It's not a good recipe for a 9-inch square pan as the fudge will be too thin.
- Combine the milk, sugar and salt in a large heavy saucepan (or better yet... a double boiler) over medium heat. Stir and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low and boil for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring constantly at a boil (if you have a candy thermometer, you can bring it to the soft-ball-stage, but I don't use one). Remove the pan from heat. Add the marshmallows, chocolate, zest and juice, and stir until the marshmallows and chocolate are melted and the mixture is smooth. Scrape the fudge into the prepared pan. Tip the pan to make sure the fudge covers the bottom evenly. Cool completely, then cut into 1-inch squares.
After I read the reviews, I made this like the million dollar fudge recipe. Once it came to a boil
let it go for 5 1/2 min. Make sure your marshmallos are fresh and cut into quarters, as I had to get the immersion blender out really well
I tried the recipe. Not sure what happened but, mine didn’t solidify. Turned into taffy. Followed recipe to the tee. Any suggestions?
Oh shoot, I’m so sorry. Fudge making can be a little tricky– it has everything to do with temperature- that soft-ball stage is important. The humidity in the air can also have an effect on outcome.
I filled the recipe and my fudge was mealy and dry. I had to use more than 5 limes to get the zest needed. Disappointed
I am excited to try this for Xmas…I think i may be a little creative and add a pecan sandie cookie or something with a mild cook crunch to simulate an actual pie crust. Think that would be fun…excited to try it.
My husband loves key lime anything but I would like to know if the zest is necessary?
It definitely adds some flavor!
How far in advance before Christmas cab this fudge be made? What is the best way to store the fudge to keep it fresh?
I haven’t experimented freezing with this fudge recipe in particular, but in general… fudge is usually okay stored in the freezer for at least a couple of weeks if it is well wrapped and sealed.
I made this last week for a party sadly it was woofed down by everybody before the party now going to have to make it again absolutely fantastic recipe will be doing this again and again thank you so much for posting it
Happy to hear!
Hi good morning I am going to make this recipe as it looks super , but not sure about the large marshmallow we seem to have mini or giant here in UK so if possible can you give a an idea of weight of the marshmallows then I can use whatever I can get. Many thanks Kim
According to Google, one regular (large) marshmallow weighs 7 grams.
How much of Nellie and Joe’s key lime juice should u use
Did you see the recipe? It’s two tablespoons.
Overall, a good recipe. Firstly, I live overseas in SEAsia, so marshmallows are problematic. Homemade marshmallow cream works just as well. Secondly, way too much sugar. You’ve got sugar in the white chocolate, sugar in the marshmallow cream, and yes.. more sugar. I found 1 cup to be more than enough. Thirdly, too much zest tends to leave a bitter aftertaste, at least with the amount indicated. Fourth, I added 4 tablespoons of lime juice just because i like the intense flavor. You could do a 50-50 with lemon/lime also.
Hi, I made the Key lime fudge, and I have to admit I’ve never made any kind of fudge before, but I have a tree brimming with Key limes, so I tried it… WOW! I loved it! I took the batch to a church social, and everybody there loved it, too! It was way simpler to make than I’d imagined. SO, my question: I was so successful with your citrus fudge recipe, would it work if I followed the recipe exactly but substituted real oranges for the limes? And, could I also try adding semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of white ‘chocolate’ chips?? I’ve looked online for orange fudge recipes and chocolate orange fudge recipes, but nothing compares to the ingredients of your Key Lime Fudge. I also don’t own a microwave, so your stove top technique is perfect for me. Thanks in advance!
I’m so late in responding to this comment (sorry!), and I’m wondering if you tried this??
These fudge bars look so delicious and so easy to make! I love the idea of making key lime fudge – sounds yummy!
Ripe key limes are yellow (and because the rind is so thin, almost impossible to zest) so I assume the zest is from regular limes?
Also the riper they are the easier to juice so if try to buy yellow ones. Unfortunately they package them in those green mesh bags which make it hard to tell.
Thanks Lori. I’ll try it this weekend. Perfect spring snack 🙂
This looks amazing!
Question: does the recipe actually call for 1/4 CUP of zest, or is this a typo? Especially wondering since five tiny key limes would hardly produce that much.
yes! Zest away!
We bought some key lime fudge when we were in the Keys a couple of weeks ago. Oh my gosh I love that place. The fudge was very good and so I have been wanting to make some. I make Key Lime pies when we have get togethers. Usually a special request from my great niece. I also always have a bottle or two of Nellie and Joes Key Lime juice in my fridge. Thank you for the recipe. Can’t wait to try it.
THANK YOU SO MUCH for having this Key Lime Fudge recipe!!! I’ve made this fudge for Family and Friends for around 30 years or more. I recently had a request from my hair dresser for some and I couldn’t find my recipe anywhere, So I spent hours on the internet trying to find a recipe suitable to mine. and just when I was flustered and ready to quit, Your site stood out and made me so happy! I cooked a batch up and your quite the recipe saver. The only thing I changed was the adding of more zest. I tend to add more just because of the way it turns out. THANK YOU AGAIN and believe me, I will be returning for more of the recipes and my Friends and Family will be guided your way! HAVE A WONDERFUL YEAR and KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK IN THE KITCHENS!!!
Happy to hear!
Love key lime pie and cake and buy key lime juice from Kermit’s (Key West, FL). Was wondering if you could substitute one seven-ounce jar of marshmallow creme in place of the 12 large marshmallows? Also, are the marshmallows the regular size or are they the large (huge) size as I refer to the marshmallows as miniature, regular and extra large? I am surprised the recipe does not call for any butter/margarine, other than the evaporated milk what prevents the mixture from burning when boiling the sugar, milk and salt for that amount of time (8 minutes at boiling)? Thanks.
I’m not sure about the marshmallow creme sub as I have not tried that. Regular, large marshmallows- not jumbo. The recipe comes from an old Southern Living magazine… so I’m not sure about your last question. Good luck!
Annalisa-
A bag of chocolate chips is usually right at 2 cups and weighs 12 ounces.
I buy Nellie & Joe’s “famous” Key West Lime Juice. I find it right next to the concentrated lemon juice at Fry’s grocery store. It’s just as good as the fresh and it saves all that time squeezing!
Hey there! I changed the recipe just a tad… Instead of using 12 large marshmallows, I used a small container of fluff! I couldn’t find key limes so I just used limes… It’s delicious! So I guess you’d call it lime fudge? Anyways, I was very pleased with this recipe! Oh and I only boiled it for 6 minutes instead of 8.. Was scared to overlook bc my stove is a flat top and it can tend to over cook at times! When I’m able to get some key limes I will definitely try this original recipe! Thank you so much for this!!!
One 5-ounce can evaporated milk (2% or whole) So can I use regular milk and not canned? I feel funny about asking but unsure as you have (2% or whole).
no- you definitely need to use evaporated milk… either the whole or the 2%.
Evaporated milk is more heat tolerant than milk. You will find that it will cook better.
How long should it take for the fudge to set? I made these last night around 8pm and this morning it’s still soft. Did I not heat the condensed milk to a high enough temperature?
Thanks!
Texture problems usually have something to do with temperature- perhaps wasn’t quite there yet, as you mentioned.
What is the shelflife of the fudge? Must it be refridgerated?
No need to refrigerate. Just keep it in a tightly covered container.
I use Nellie and Joe’s Key West Lime Juice instead of juicing any limes.
It is delicious!
I made this wonderfully delicious Key Lime Fudge for a St. Patrick’s Day potluck at work. I followed the recipe exactly and it was wonderful! I took home an empty pan and was given high fives by all my co-workers! As always, Lori, thank you for sharing this scrumptious fudge recipe with all of us bakers!