Key lime pie is a glass-green sweet and sour dessert originating from the Florida Keys. It consists of intensely aromatic Key lime juice, condensed milk, and eggs that are mixed together into a custard. The custard is poured into a buttery crust made from graham crackers and topped with sweet whipped cream. The spicy and acidic flavors of the limes provide a great contrast to sugar and sweet cream. Key lime, also known as citrus aurantifolia, Mexican lime, and West Indian lime is a fruit indigenous to Malaysia, and it has been connected to Florida since the 1830s when a botanist named Henry Perrine started planting them on Florida's Indian Key. Today, they are used in this traditional, refreshing pie that is even better when paired with light-bodied, crisp, and fruity white wines.
Sour orange pie is a traditional dessert originating from Florida. This sweet pie consists of a pie crust, filling, and meringue topping. The crust is made with a combination of graham crackers, sugar, and butter; the meringue topping is made with egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar; and the filling is usually made with a combination of condensed milk, sugar, egg yolks, orange juice and zest, and lemon juice and zest. Originally, Floridians used sour Seville oranges that came to Florida via the Spanish who arrived in the state in the 16th century. If properly prepared, sour orange pie should have a cleaner and brighter flavor than its cousin, the famous key lime pie.
Maraca pie, also called devil’s rice pie, is a dessert from Tallahassee, Florida, made with a pastry crust filled with sticky rice pudding and bananas flavored with cinnamon and other warm spices. It was created in 1957 by brothers Berham and Jackson Moline, who ran a bakery in the city and relied on affordable, filling ingredients such as rice, bananas, and pantry spices to develop a dessert suited to local tastes. The name “maraca pie” came from an early baking incident in which one of the tins was dropped and bent into a rounded shape that reminded them of a maraca, and the name stayed as the pie gained recognition in the area. The preparation starts with a simple shortcrust-style pastry rolled out and placed into a pie pan. The filling is made by cooking sticky rice with milk or cream, sugar, and cinnamon until thick, then mixing in sliced or mashed bananas before pouring it into the crust. Some versions add nutmeg, citrus zest, or additional fruit to adjust acidity or aroma. The pie is baked until the crust sets and the filling firms enough to slice once cooled. It is usually served at room temperature or chilled, often with a dusting of cinnamon, whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream. In Tallahassee and nearby communities, maraca pie is often included at celebrations such as quinceañeras, where bakeries prepare it as one of the dessert offerings, and this association with events has helped maintain its presence as a regional specialty. It is eaten after meals or as a sweet snack and is commonly paired with coffee, tea, or milk, with light dessert wines and simple vanilla ice cream also serving as suitable accompaniments.
TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot,
nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable.
For the “Top 3 Floridian Pies” list until May 15, 2026, 350 ratings were recorded, of which 321 were recognized by the system as legitimate.
TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods,
instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.
