Vegan Key Lime Pie

Meaningful Eats

Creamy, tart vegan key lime pie bars with a tasty graham cracker macadamia nut crust. An easy, make-ahead summer dessert!These bars require soaking cashews ahead of time so plan accordingly! The bars will keep in the freezer for up to a week so they are a great make-ahead dessert!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 25

soaking/chilling time 2

Total Time 25

Author Erin Collins

Ingredients

For the Crust:

5-6 ounces gluten-free graham crackers
1/2 cup raw macadamia nuts
3 tablespoons vegan butter melted
2 tablespoons brown sugar

For the Key Lime Pie:

1 1/2 cups raw cashews
1 cup full-fat coconut milk see note
2/3 cup maple syrup or 1/3 cup maple syrup + 1/3 cup organic cane sugar
2/3 cup fresh lime juice from about 5-7 limes
1/3 cup coconut oil melted
1 tablespoons lime zest from about 4 limes

Instructions

Soak the cashews: Place the cashews in a bowl and cover with water. Let sit at room temperature for 2-6 hours or in the refrigerator overnight. Alternatively, you can pour boiling water over the cashews and let them sit for 30 minutes. Drain before using.
For the crust: Place the graham crackers in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until they form a fine sand. Pour the graham cracker crumbs into a bowl.
Place the macadamia nuts in the now empty food processor. Pulse until they form a fine meal. Add to the bowl with the graham cracker crumbs along with the melted vegan butter and stir to evenly combine.
Lightly grease an 8x8 inch baking pan with cooking spray. Press the crust mixture into the pan into an even layer. Freeze for 15 minutes until set before topping with the filling.
For the filling: Place all the ingredients, except the lime zest, into a high-speed blender. Blend until completely smooth. Add the lime zest and pulse to combine. Pour the mixture on top of the crust. Place the bars in the freezer for 2-4 hours until set. Bars will keep in the freezer for up to a week.
Slice while frozen and let come to room temperature for 20 minutes or refrigerator temperature for a couple hours before serving. Enjoy!

Notes

*If your coconut milk is solidified, pour it all out into a bowl and heat for a few seconds in the microwave, then whisk until smooth and measure. You want an even mixture of the solid fat part and liquid part for this recipe.

Ingredient Substitutions

Graham crackers – If you don’t need a gluten free key lime pie, feel free to use regular graham crackers.
Macadamia nuts – Walnuts, pecans, and Brazil nuts are other popular choices, but the overall flavor will be slightly different.
Vegan butter – Baking sticks make it easier to measure. You can also use regular unsalted butter if you don’t need the pie to be vegan or dairy-free
Maple syrup – This can be replaced with honey, but the dessert will no longer be vegan.

Nutrition