Key Lime Fudge
Key Lime Fudge is unlike any other fudge. It’s sweet, tart, soft, smooth, and so creamy you’ll love to eat it!
A few years ago, John and I took a trip to Key West, and it quickly became my absolute favorite vacation spot.
While we were visiting the island, we found this neat little novelty shop selling everything key lime. The store is Kermit’s Key Lime, and it is the only place I’ve found key lime fudge.
Kermit’s Key Lime Fudge had me hooked after one bite. It comes in a cute box with a wooden spoon which I found odd at first.
Then I realized you need the spoon to eat it because the fudge is so soft that it’s nearly impossible to cut into squares.
Every time we visit Key West I find myself at Kermit’s buying a box of key lime fudge with the best intentions of taking it home.
Only it doesn’t make it that far. It usually gets eaten before we leave the island.
Recreating Kermit’s Key Lime Fudge has been a goal of mine for a while now, but I haven’t been able to find real key lime juice.
There are a couple of companies that sell it online, but the shipping was as much as a bottle of the juice.
Recently I found a bottle of key lime juice at my local supermarket and bought it without hesitation and got to work.
You may be wondering why I didn’t use regular lime juice. That would have been easier since Persian limes are in practically every grocery store.
If you’ve never tasted a key lime, you don’t know what you’re missing. Key limes are smaller in size, more tart, and have a stronger aroma than Persian limes.
They make the best key lime pies, fudge, key lime cocktails, and key lime aiolis. I higher recommend trying to find a bottle of key lime juice for this recipe. You’ll be happy you did!
Now for the good stuff.
Just a quick note. Key lime fudge isn’t like our rocky road fudge which sets firm. This fudge has a softer set due to the white chocolate and the key lime juice, kind of like our white chocolate peppermint fudge.
If you need to cut it into squares, let the fudge chill overnight or place it in the freezer for a bit. Place a sharp knife under hot water to warm the blade before cutting.
Store the key lime fudge in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
How to Make Key Lime Fudge:
Prepare the Pan:
- Place parchment paper in a 9 x 9-inch baking dish and spray the parchment paper with cooking spray. Set aside.
Make the Fudge:
- Heat the chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk over low to medium heat stirring constantly. After the mixture melts, remove from the heat and add the lime juice.
- Stir to combine. Carefully pour the fudge into the prepared baking dish.
Chill the Fudge:
- Place the fudge in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours to set.
Help! My fudge didn’t set!
This fudge is supposed to be very soft (soft enough to eat with a spoon). I ended up freezing the fudge for a short time to get it cut into squares for the photos and video, but it softened within a few minutes.
Recently, I tested some ways to get the fudge to set up better and here are some options:
- Add 8 ounces of vanilla/white chocolate almond bark. The result is a fudge that is still soft but it sets up a little better. The downside is there may be a slightly gritty texture due to the almond bark.
- Reduce the key lime juice by half to 5 to 6 tablespoons. The fudge will set fairly well but won’t have the robust key lime flavor. It tastes more like white chocolate with a faint hint of key lime.
- Add 5 ounces of white candy melts or melting wafers. This has the best flavor and consistency of all the options but the fudge is still fairly soft.
- Try lime juice (from Persian limes found in the produce section of most grocery stores). This juice tastes different and has a different acidity. You can use a little less and still get a pungent flavor; it won’t taste the same as key lime but the fudge may set a little better. I haven’t tested this option, but using less lime juice in general helps.
Other key lime recipes you may enjoy:
Ingredients
- 24 ounces white chocolate chips, (4 cups by volume)
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 10 tablespoons key lime juice, (1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons)
Instructions
- Prepare a 9 x 9-inch baking dish with parchment paper. Spray parchment paper with cooking spray.
- Add white chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk to a large saucepan, and melt over low-medium heat.24 ounces white chocolate chips14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- Stir until the mixture begins to melt and combine. The mixture may be thick but will loosen once the key lime juice is added.
- Add the key lime juice, and stir to combine. The mixture should be smooth and creamy.10 tablespoons key lime juice
- Pour into a prepared baking dish. Place in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours to set.
Suggested Equipment
Notes
- The calories listed are an approximation based on the ingredients in the recipe card and a serving size of 2 pieces of fudge. Actual calories will vary.
- This fudge is soft set. Meaning it’s smooth, creamy, and doesn’t hold it’s shape well after being out of the fridge for very long. It’s best eaten with a spoon. It DOES NOT set up like other fudge made with semi-sweet or milk chocolate.
This fudge is fabulous! So rich and creamy, sweet and tart. And yes, it is soft set, I just eat it with a spoon. So easy to make, too. I’m glad I got the Key Lime juice for this, so tasty. Thank you for the recipe!
Would making it with a graham cracker crust help with keeping it together since it is so soft?
Hi Patricia!
We’ve never tried the fudge with a graham cracker crust. so we’re not 100% sure. If you decide to try it out, we’d love to know how it goes. 🙂 Have a wonderful evening!
I followed the recipe and the fudge turned out much too soft. It would not hold it’s form when cut. Very disappointed as I was planning on sending this to my Marine for Easter. It tastes great but I can’t share it.
Hi Beth!
We’re sorry you were disappointed with the fudge. However, we did mention a couple times in the post that this fudge is soft set and does not set up like regular fudge, and it’s in the comment section, too. We made it similar to another fudge that we love that’s so soft you have to eat it with a spoon. It’s not great for shipping or gift giving unfortunately, but it does taste amazing! Thanks so much for giving it a try. We hope you have a wonderful week!
As you said, this tends to be soft — i decided to turn it into truffles covered in dark or white chocolate — made balls from the fudge, froze them, then dipped them in the chocolate of choice; yummy!!!!!
Good morning Suz, thank you for reading the post 🙂 Freezing the fudge and making it into truffles was an awesome idea! Also, thank you for coming back to let us know how the recipe turned out for you. Have a lovely day 🙂
So good!! It didn’t set up so I guess I am not sharing and just using a spoon!
Good Morning Terrenia, we’re glad you enjoyed the fudge. Yep, it’s a soft-set fudge, we talked about that in post. Our recipe was inspired by fudge from Kermit’s Key West Key Lime Shoppe in Key West, Fl (man that’s a mouthful). Even the fudge they make and sell is so soft you have to eat it with a spoon. But, it’s so good you don’t want to share it any way lol! Thank you for dropping by and commenting on the recipe. Kim and I hope you have a lovely day 🙂
Strange that I can get key limes, but not bottled juice locally. So the recipe says 10 tablespoons juice, which is little over half a cup? I’m guessing a pound of limes might do it? Or maybe make life easier on myself and I’ll get a bottle of juice on amazon.
Good morning Cat! Hm, a pound might do it, but it would depend on how much juice you can get from each lime. If it were up to me, I would buy 2 pounds just to be safe. However, that’s up to you. I will say using the bottled stuff is a lot easier and it holds longer in the fridge. Thank you for commenting. Have a lovely day 🙂