Sweet Tart Calamondin Pie
This easy-to-make Sweet Tart Calamondin Pie recipe is a cross between key lime pie and a creamsicle with a coconut graham cracker crust. It tastes like spring sunshine!
This inspiration for this recipe came from my Mom and Dad. Actually, it came from the copious amount of fruit spilling off of their calamondin orange trees. So much fruit that it practically DEMANDED their attention and after tasting it’s tart citrus juice, it practically DEMANDED to be made into a Sweet Tart Calamondin Pie.
My parents live in Key Largo, Florida, and they’ve spent the better part of 3 years renovating and updating their house. The last part of their renovations included landscaping—a lot of it. Along with multiple palm trees, bougainvillea and clusia, they purchased two “ornamental” calamondin trees to put in pots and bring color and shade to their pool area. They had no idea of the bounty they were in for.
Table of Contents
What is Calamondin?
Calamondin is a cross between a kumquat and a tangerine — at least that’s what my Mom told me, but it actually makes sense.
Get my latest recipes, helpful kitchen tips and more good things each week in your inbox.
These little oranges are tiny. About the size of a walnut in it’s shell. They are a brilliant orange color and when you slice one open, you immediately get a tangerine aroma.
And they are tart. I’m talking T-A-R-T. Not something you eat out of hand, but great for recipes. With very thin skins, these citrusy little fruit yield more juice than you’d think possible for their size.
Calamondin Recipes
This Calamondin Pie notwithstanding, there are a multitude of recipes you can make with these aromatic little gems, from homemade liqueur to the marmalade that Mom made for everyone this year and this tangy, sweet calamondin fruit curd.
So let’s dip our toes into calamondin pie land with this nod to it’s key lime cousin. The only difference in this ridiculously easy-to-make pie is that I’ve used some of the zest from the calamondins to add additional flavor — a not so easy feat because the skins are so thin, it only took one swipe with my microplane to peel it down to the flesh.
The filling goes into a graham cracker and coconut pie shell. You can use a plain graham cracker crust — even those already prepared ones would work, but I had a little coconut in my pantry and since this is a decidedly tropical dessert, I figured, what the heck. I wanted my Sweet Tart Calamondin Pie to be extra-special.
Now, you can just make the pie and give each slice a squirt of Reddi-Wip, but if you’re having company, or just feel like playing with your pastry tips, here’s a way to make stabilized whipped cream that won’t wilt or weep even a day or two later. I got this technique from my blogging buddy Aveena, and she’s a pro. The secret is GELATIN.
How To Make Stabilized Whipped Cream
- Combine gelatin and water in a small bowl to bloom.
- Microwave for a few seconds to dissolve gelatin granules.
- Let the gelatin cool to room temperature, but don’t allow it to “gel”.
- Whip the cream and powdered sugar to soft peaks.
- Add a tablespoon of whipped cream to the liquidy — but not hot — gelatin mixture to temper and mix well.
- Add the gelatin back to the whipped cream in a slow steady stream while beating to stiff peaks.
Fit a pastry bag with your favorite tips (I like to use the larger ones), and decorate the pie as you like. I had extra coconut, so I toasted it and sprinkled it around the rim of the calamondin pie.
Then gild the lily with that spectacular stabilized whipped cream.
Thin slices of calamondin orange overlapping in the center of the tart followed by another swirl of whipped cream and this dessert is ready to go.
This is more than a standard orange pie recipe. The flavors remind me of a cross between traditional key lime pie and a creamsicle pie — and that doesn’t suck.
Tried this recipe? Leave a rating and review.
Your comments and shares are invaluable to me and the thousands of readers who use this site daily. If you've made the recipe, leave a star rating and review. We want to hear how you liked it.
We'd love it if you shared the recipe with your friends on social media!
Sweet Tart Calamondin Pie
INGREDIENTS:
For the Graham Cracker Crust:
- 1 ¼ cups graham cracker crumbs
- ⅓ cup butter melted
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ cup sweetened shredded coconut
For The Pie Filling:
- 1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 3 large egg yolks
- ½ cup calamondin juice (from about 12-18 calamondins – depending on how juicy they are) strained to remove any excess pulp
- ¼ teaspoon calamondin zest
For the Whipped Cream:
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
- 1 teaspoon gelatin
- 1 tablespoon water
For Garnish:
- ¼ cup shredded sweetened coconut toasted
DIRECTIONS:
For the Pie Shell:
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, coconut and melted butter. Stir until well combined. Pour the crumb mixture into a 9″ tart pan or pie plate and press the crumbs firmly against the bottom and sides of the pan. Set aside.
For the Pie Filling:
- In a large bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks calamondin juice. Whisk to combine and add the zest. Stir until evenly incorporated. Pour the filling into the pie shell and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes, then refrigerate until cold and set.
For the Whipped Cream Topping:
- In a small prep bowl, combine the gelatin and water and let rest for 2 minutes to bloom. Place the bowl in the microwave and heat in 5 second bursts until the gelatin has dissolved. Set aside to cool. (It should not be warm when you add it to the cream — this is important).
- Add the whipping cream to a medium bowl and beat on high speed with a hand mixer for one to two minutes or until the cream starts to look airier and fluffy. Add the confectioners sugar one tablespoon at a time, beating after each addition. Only beat the cream to soft peak stage — which means that when you lift the beaters, you can see a peak, but it will bend and fold over on itself.
- Test the gelatin — it should still be in liquid form, but at room temperature. Add one tablespoon of the cream to the gelatin and stir to temper it. While beating on high speed, in a steady stream, add the gelatin mixture to the cream. Beat until stiff peaks form. Cover and refrigerate until ready to garnish.
- Fit a piping bag with a star tip or other large decorative tip. Fill the bag with stabilized whipped cream. Sprinkle coconut around the rim. Pipe the whipped cream decoratively over the coconut. You could also pipe the whipped cream first, then sprinkle with coconut — whatever you prefer. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
NUTRITION:
More Pies and Tarts:
“Pin It” For Later!
This was great, I made it for Christmas. Can’t wait to try more calamondin recipes. I have 2 bushes which always have fruit.
The pie was amazing! Is it possible to make this in smaller pie or tart pans? Would it require a shorter bake time?
Yes, you can certainly make it in smaller pans, but you would have to adjust your cooking times. If you’ve used the tart pans before, I’d start by baking at the temperature and time you’ve used in the past. Maybe do one as a “tester” to verify the proper time.
This was unreasonably delicious. Yum. Thank you!
So glad you liked it Winnie!
To avoid trying to zest the thin-skinned fruit, save the skins from the juiced fruit, and cut in thin strips. Then arrange on top of the pie.
Great idea — I actually use them in my Calamondin marmalade. The thin skins are perfect for that.
Thank you for this delicious recipe! Our daughters scoured our two Calamondin plants on our porches here in Alabama to make your recipe. We found most of our ingredients at the DollarTree!!! My husband liked this better than key lime pie. The girls were so thrilled. So thankful we could print this recipe! It’s a keeper!!
I have hundreds of these and need to make something besides marmelade, so thanks for the recipe! Do you think I could freeze this pie?
I would think you could — but I’d wait on the whipped topping until you’re planning to serve.
Can you use clementines or oranges instead?
Clementines and oranges are sweet — calamondins are sour. If you’re substituting I would use lemons or limes — the sweet fruit won’t give you the same tang.
Calamondin are very commonly used in Filipino cuisine. Look for recipes using calamansi (or kalamansi) as a search term too, that is the Filipino word for them. I have a couple little trees in pots here in Ohio and they are really easy to grow even in the north as long as you bring them indoors and have a grow light during the winter. I have made calamansi muffins, sorbet, bars (like lemon bars) and even as an ingredient in home-brewed beer. Seriously, try them in sorbet in particular, you won’t regret it. I just wish I could transplant the trees into bigger pots to really let them grow but I have to be able to move them in and out with the seasons.
Anyway, I pinned your recipe for the next time I have enough from my little trees (will be a few months). I have a similar recipe saved but I like your addition of the coconut.
Thank you for telling me about their use in Filipino cuisine! This was the first time I’d come across them, and I’m smitten. I can see them in bars, muffins and sorbets — and I have a feeling they’re going to creep into all kinds of dishes — both sweet and savory. I have another one that will be coming up soon.
That looks like such a delicious pie! I am totally jealous of your parents calamondin trees! I would love to make some sweet treats with them!
Calamondins are almost done for this season … but mango and guava are coming up…
This is so incredible, Lisa! I’ve never had a calamondin before – I can see how you’re enjoying the benefits of life in Florida… I would kill for oranges right now!
This is so incredible, Lisa! I’ve never had a calamondin before – I can see how you’re enjoying the benefits of life in Florida… I would kill for oranges right now!
These oranges are tiny, too– smaller than a key lime — which is saying something.
A cross between key lime and creamsicle? This sounds like a dream dessert! Do you know where to find calamondins if you don’t have access to a fabulous local source grown by a pool? 🙂 (I’m a little jealous)
LOL – I am lucky — I didn’t have to go far to get them… Actually, I’m told that calamondin trees do well in pots and you can grow them inside… so if you don’t have a source, get a tree…
Lovely! How is it I have made it through my whole life without hearing of a Calamondin Orange!?
Well, to be fair, I’d never heard of them either — but aren’t they adorable?