Healthy Vegan Key Lime Pie. My key lime tart is just as delicious as the traditional key lime pie recipe, but much healthier! This key lime pie recipe is made with all gluten free, dairy free, and vegan ingredients and is no bake!
My Healthy Vegan Key Lime Pie Recipe is:
- No Bake
- Gluten Free
- Dairy Free
- Super easy to make!
I used to love making key lime pie when I was younger. But, as I got older and learned more about food and nutrition, I realized that the traditional pie should be a very special treat! Looking at the ingredients, I realized I could make it much healthier and just as delicious. So, I created a healthy key lime pie ! It is gluten free, dairy free, and vegan!
IS VEGAN KEY LIME PIE UNHEALTHY?
Traditional key lime pie is loaded with sugar, refined graham cracker crumbs, and sweetened condensed milk. 1 tiny slice of key lime pie far exceeds that 25 grams of sugar a day! If you are trying to lose weight, working on your gut health, or trying to balance your hormones, my healthy key lime pie recipe is the dessert for you!
IS VEGAN KEY LIME HEALTHY?
Key limes are a tiny variety of lime. They are loaded with fiber and vitamin C! Read below for more of the health benefits of my key lime pie recipe.
What makes this vegan key lime pie healthy?
- Date nectar comes from dates! Dates are an excellent source of many micro-nutrients like iron, potassium, B vitamins, copper, and magnesium.
- Almond flour comes from... almonds! Almonds are a great source of protein, fiber, and micro-nutrients including vitamin E, magnesium, riboflavin, and potassium.
- Cacao powder is the most pure ingredient of chocolate. In this form, it still has so many health benefits (before all that milk and sugar is added to traditional chocolate). Cacao has iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, manganese, and copper!
- Coconut oil comes from the coconut plant. Coconut oil contains a special type of fat called medium chain triglycerides. When eaten in small amounts, it will be burned quickly in your body for energy!
- Lime juice is filled with disease fighting Vitamin C! Fun fact, vitamin C was first discovered by sailors with limes on their boats who did not develop scurvy after the long journey across the sea!
- Coconut milk also comes from the coconut fruit. It is another good source of healthy fats. Coconut milk also contains vitamin C, folate, iron, magnesium, potassium, copper, manganese, and selenium!
- Maple syrup is very high in sugars, but, unlike refined sugar it contains some trace minerals! It has calcium, thiamin, potassium, and copper. What is astonishing is that ⅓ cup of maple syrup contains 165% of our need for manganese!!
- Cashews, like almonds, are a great source of protein, healthy fats, and fiber!
And that is literally it! Can you believe that those nutritious ingredients make up a healthy and delicious dessert?! Why even bother making the kind loaded with refined sugars.
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST CREAMY HEALTHY VEGAN KEY LIME PIE
MAKE SURE TO BUY RAW CASHEWS. Raw cashews can blend into a smooth and creamy key lime cheesecake like texture. This is because raw cashews contain more fat than roasted cashews.
SOAK YOUR CASHEWS THE NIGHT BEFORE. Soaked cashews are much more soft and will blend into a nice creamy texture.
USE A TART MOLD. Use either a silicone mold, or a mold with a removable bottom (like a spring form pan). This will help to get pieces out without breaking them.
USE A HIGH QUALITY FOOD PROCESSOR OR BLENDER. Sorry to say, but cheap blenders won't give you that super fine creamy texture because the motor just isn't strong enough. Make sure to use a high quality blender or food processor for your blended key lime pie filling.
SET IN THE FREEZER. Firm the pie up in the freezer before serving.
BRING TO ROOM TEMPERATURE FOR SERVING. When you are ready to serve the pie, it has the best creamy texture when it is at room temperature.
Before you start, make sure you have:
- A tart mold. I use a silicone one because it is much easier to get the tart out rather than a metal one.
- A blender or food processor. I usually use a blender for all of my recipes! It works just as good as a food processor for me and much easier to clean! But, you can use whichever one you have.
- All your ingredients. The filling comes out best if the cashews are soaked overnight, so make sure you plan ahead and put them in fridge to soak overnight and soften up.
HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY VEGAN KEY LIME PIE
My key lime pie tart with chocolate crust is so easy to make, grab your food processor and let's get started!
HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE ALMOND FLOUR CRUST
All you have to do for the crust is combine the date nectar, almond flour, cacao powder, and melted coconut oil in a bowl.
It should come together nicely like this:
Press it into the bottom of your tart mold and set it aside while you prepare the filling.
HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY VEGAN KEY LIME PIE FILLING WITH CASHEWS
You might wonder why it says "one day" for the prep time. No this doesn't mean you will be in the kitchen preparing this for an entire day! It is just a reminder to plan ahead and soak your cashews overnight before you make the filling.
If you are in a pinch and forgot to soak them, which has happened to me many times, you can soak them in hot water for 1 hour.
Now, add all of your filling ingredients to a blender or food processor. Pulse until it is completely combined. If you want more of a green color, you can add a bit of matcha green tea powder like I did.
Pour the filling over your prepared shell.
Place in the freezer for about 2 hours so it can firm up.
VEGAN KEY LIME PIE TOPPING IDEAS
I LOVE making coconut whipped cream! It is totally dairy free, and you can even make it sugar free! All you need is a can of coconut milk. Really ONE can of coconut milk! Well, and maybe some coconut sugar and vanilla if you want to flavor it.
Here is the recipe link for my coconut whipped cream:
And, I utilized my no food waste rule when I made this key lime pie tart. So, I used the hard portion of the can for the whipped cream. The coconut milk you see in the filling of the tart is the remainder of the can, the liquid part!
Once your key lime pie has set for a few hours, take it out and let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes to soften up a bit.
Cut and decorate it!
HOW TO STORE HEALTHY NO BAKE VEGAN KEY LIME PIE
What I like to do (if I am not entertaining guests with a pretty tart), is to cut it all up and then store the pieces in individual containers in the freezer. That way, you don't have to thaw the whole pie out every single time you want a piece!
Make sure you are storing healthy key lime pie in the freezer. If you store it in the fridge, it will lose its form and look like it melted.
FAQ'S
More frequently asked questions about my healthy vegan key lime pie recipe.
DOES KEY LIME PIE HAVE A LOT OF CALORIES?
Yes! Traditional key lime pie is a very heavy dessert recipe because of all the sugar (from granulated sugar, sweetened condensed milk, and powdered sugar).
IS THERE A LOT OF SUGAR IN KEY LIME PIE?
Traditional key lime pie does have a LOT of sugar, which can spike blood sugars and throw hormones out of whack. Too much sugars over time can impact your gut health and lead to estrogen dominance.
CAN I MAKE HEALTHY KEY LIME PIE BARS INSTEAD OF PIE?
Yes! All you have to do is use a jelly pan instead of a tart mold, and cut into squares instead of slices.
HOW CAN I MAKE HEALTHY KEY LIME PIE WITH GREEK YOGURT?
If you don't want to use coconut milk, substitute any greek yogurt. Plain greek yogurt is best if you are watching your added sugar intake.
Looking for more no bake vegan cheesecake recipes? Try these fan favorites!
- Chocolate Fudge Mini Cheesecake with Peanut Buter whip
- Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes
- Dulce De Leche Cheesecake
- Raw Vegan Strawberry Cashew Cheesecake
- Vegan Mango Cheesecake
- Butterfly Pea Cheesecake
- Blueberry Cheesecake with Almond Crust
- Pink Pitaya Vegan Cheesecake
If you try this Vegan Key Lime Pie Cheesecake Recipe, please let me know your thoughts by leaving a rating and comment below! Ready for more? Subscribe to my newsletter or follow along on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube!
Vegan Key Lime Pie with Chocolate Crust (No Bake)
Equipment
- Food processor
- Silicone tart mold
Ingredients
For thechocolate almond crust:
- ½ cup date nectar
- 1 ½ cup super fine almond flour
- ½ cup cacao powder
- ¼ cup coconut oil melted
For the healthy key lime pie filling:
- 1 ½ cup raw cashews soaked overnight
- ½ teaspoon matcha green tea powder optional for more green color
- 1 cup full fat coconut milk
- ¼ cup maple syrup sub yacon syrup
- ¼ cup melted coconut oil
- ½ cup lime juice ~2 limes or 4 key limes
Optional key lime pie toppings:
- Coconut whipped cream
- Lime slices
- Cacao powder
- Matcha powder
Instructions
For the vegan no bake chocolate crust:
- In a bowl, combine the date nectar, almond flour, cacao powder, and melted coconut oil. Stir until completely combined.
- Press the crust into the silicone tart mold and up the sides. Set aside while you prepare the filling.
For the vegan key lime pie filling:
- Blend all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth. Pour the filling on top of the tart crust.
- Place in the freezer at least 2 hours to firm up.
- When you are ready to serve, let it stand at room temperature ~15 minutes to soften enough for cutting. Decorate as you like!
Virginia
This takes me away to Key West-- minus the humidity! I love that all the ingredients are healthy!
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Oh my gosh Key West!! Can you believe all these healthy ingredients create such a delicious treat?
Allison
Any suggestions for a substitute for the date nectar in th crust? Can I use actual dates or will it be to firm?
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Yes!! You can definitely use dates in the crust. I would start with 1/2 cup of soaked dates (you can soften them in hot water for ~30 mins) and blend everything in a food processor. If you notice that the mixture is too "dry" add another 1/4 cup of soaked dates at a time.