Easy Vegan Key Lime Pie | Just 5 ingredients!
This easy vegan key lime pie is a no-bake, refined sugar-free dessert made with just 5 basic ingredients and ready in about 15 minutes of hands-on time. A blended cashew-and-lime filling sits on a simple biscuit crust, then sets in the freezer into a cool, creamy, tangy treat. It is dairy-free, egg-free, and perfect for hot Summer days when you do not want to turn on the oven.
I wanted to make a vegan key lime pie for ages and now I finally did it! It is just as good as I thought, and it turned into one of my favourite easy desserts for warm weather. I made it raw vegan (well, semi-raw vegan, because I used biscuits as a base) and refined sugar-free, so it is a sweet treat you can feel relaxed about serving.
What makes this key lime pie vegan
A traditional key lime pie is built on egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk, thickened by the acidic lime juice. This version skips both. Instead, soaked raw cashews and coconut oil do the work: cashews blend into a rich, smooth base, and coconut oil firms everything up as it chills, so the filling sets without any eggs or dairy. Fresh lime juice and zest bring the bright, sour edge that makes a key lime pie taste like one.
The 5 simple ingredients you need
My version of a vegan key lime pie requires only 5 basic ingredients: biscuits, coconut oil, raw cashews, a sweetener of choice (in this case, fructose) and, of course, limes. A few notes on what matters most:
- Raw cashews soaked overnight are essential. Soaking softens them so they blend into a completely smooth, creamy filling with no grit. If you forget to soak them, a hot-water soak for an hour helps in a pinch.
- Coconut oil is used in both the crust and the filling. It is what lets the pie set firm in the freezer, so do not swap it for a liquid oil that stays soft.
- Limes carry the whole flavour, so use both the juice and the zest. Fresh limes give you the truest key lime taste, and zesting before juicing is much easier.
- Plain biscuits form the base. Choose gluten-free biscuits if you need the pie to be gluten-free.
- Sweetener to taste lets you dial the sweetness to your liking. I used fructose, but any sweetener you like works.
Tips for the smoothest, tangiest filling
The two things that make or break this pie are a fully smooth filling and the right balance of sweet and sour. Blend the cashews, coconut oil and lime juice for longer than you think you need to, until there is no graininess left at all. If the mixture is too thick to move in the blender, add a little water or a splash more lime juice to get it going. Add the sweetener at the end and blend for another minute or two, then taste and adjust before it sets. Stir in the lime zest by hand with a spoon so it stays evenly speckled through the cream rather than being pulverised.
I made these as mini pies using small souffle forms. Line the bottoms with a circle of parchment paper and grease the sides so the set pies release cleanly. Press the biscuit crust down gently and evenly, then spoon the filling on top and finish each one with a little extra lime zest.
How to store and serve it
These little pies need 2 to 3 hours in the freezer to set before serving. Because the filling is held together by coconut oil, it stays firm straight from the freezer and softens to a creamier, silkier texture after a few minutes at room temperature, so let them sit briefly before digging in. Keep any extras stored in the freezer in a covered container; they hold well and make a ready-to-go treat for hot days.
If you love easy no-bake sweets like this, you will probably enjoy my easy chocolate mousse and this decadent raw vegan chocolate and raspberry cake. For more sweet ideas with no white sugar, browse my full collection of vegan sugar-free desserts.
If you make these mini vegan key lime pies, I would love to know how they turned out! Leave a star rating and drop a comment below to tell me how tangy you took them and whether you served them straight from the freezer or let them soften first.
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Easy Vegan Key Lime Pie | Just 5 ingredients!
Ingredients
Cream:
- 250 g cashews raw, soaked overnight
- 3 Tbsps coconut oil
- 2 limes juiced
- 2 limes zested
- sweetener to taste (I used fructose)
Crust:
- 100 g plain biscuits gluten-free, if needed
- 2 Tbsps coconut oil
Instructions
- Add the biscuits to a blender and blend until they have the consistency of breadcrumbs.
- Pour them into a bowl and add 2 tablespoons of coconut oil. Mix well.
- I used 3 souffle forms for these mini vegan key lime pies. Use some parchment paper to cover the bottom (cut it into a circle). Grease the bottom and the walls of each form.
- Divide the crust mixture into three, and add it into the forms. Press gently to cover the bottoms.
- Add the cashews, coconut oil and lime juice to the blender or food processor. Blend very well until the mixture is extra smooth. Add a little bit of water or more lime juice if needed.
- When the mixture is smooth and creamy, add the sweetener and blend for 1-2 more minutes.
- Add the lime zest to the blender and mix using a spoon.
- Add 2-3 spoons of key lime pie cream into each form.
- Sprinkle some lime zest on top of each one and place them in the freezer for 2-3 hours.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. It uses no eggs, dairy, or condensed milk. The creamy filling comes from soaked raw cashews and coconut oil, sweetened to taste and flavoured with fresh lime juice and zest, so it is fully plant-based and dairy-free.
Soaking the cashews overnight is what lets them blend into a completely smooth, creamy filling with no grittiness. If you are short on time, a soak in hot water for about an hour softens them enough to blend in a pinch.
Yes. The only ingredient to watch is the biscuit base. Simply use plain gluten-free biscuits for the crust and the rest of the recipe (cashews, coconut oil, limes, sweetener) is naturally gluten-free.
Coconut oil is what firms the pie up. It is solid when cold, so as the pies chill in the freezer it sets both the crust and the filling. Do not swap it for a liquid oil, or the filling will not hold its shape.
The mini pies need about 2 to 3 hours in the freezer to set. Keep any extras stored in the freezer in a covered container. Let them sit at room temperature for a few minutes before serving so the filling softens to a creamier texture.
The recipe calls for sweetener to taste, so you can use whatever you prefer. I used fructose to keep it refined sugar-free, but any sweetener you like will work. Add it near the end of blending and taste before the filling sets so you can adjust.
Care e diferența dintre juice și zest?
the juice of 2 limes
the zest of 2 limes
Mulțumesc!
Buna! Am reteta si in Romana, poti apasa pe steguletul de traducere. Juice e sucul, zest e coaja rasa. 🙂
When you say biscuits, what are you referring to? What do I need to look for?
I know biscuits mean something different depending on the region you live in. I reffer to graham crackers or other similar plain biscuits.
Wow, I really love this pie! Not too sweet, not too citrusy. Just perfect! 🙂
Glad you liked it! 😀
Aloha,
I want to try this recipe but concerned about the fructose. Could you suggest something healthier or tell me a little bit about the fructose that you use
Hi, Shirley! You can use any other sweetener you want if you have fructose intolerance. Stevia powder may be a good substitute. For me it’s ok. I use fructose from the Sucrazit brand, it’s Romanian.