6-Ingredient EASY Vegan Key Lime Pie Recipe
This creamy and zesty vegan key lime pie is full of fresh key lime juice, only 6 ingredients, and naturally gluten free, eggless, and refined sugar free. The perfect sweet and tart vegan dessert for the summer!
If you’re a lover of Key Lime pie but absolutely miss it going vegan (or dairy free!), then let me tell you- you *need* to try this vegan key lime pie recipe.
It left my entire NON-VEGAN family speechless. I’m for real.
And we live in Florida, so key lime pie is kinda a big deal around here. Let me break it down for you:
Tell me about this vegan key lime pie:
- Ease: You only need 6 ingredients, 2 of which are just for the crust. I mean, it doesn’t get EASIER. Andthese ingredients are not hard to find at all. And very close to what you would use in a. regular key lime pie!).
- Texture: This key lime pie is lush, creamy, and sets just perfectly. And I do mean perfectly. No running filling, and the vegan graham cracker crust (which is actually made from Biscoff cookies!) is a dream.
- Flavor: Zesty, sweet, tangy, and just overall lovely. It’s what inspired my vegan key lime pie cheesecake!
- The perfect summer pie: Aside from cherry pie and blueberry pie, honestly this vegan key lime pie is what I’m serving for Fourth of July or any summer gathering!
Vegan Key Lime Pie Ingredients
We tried to keep this vegan key lime pie as close to the original as possible, as we wanted to pay homage to the classic Key West treat.
However, there are some twists to this recipe. This key lime pie is dairy free, egg-free, and gluten free.
For this vegan key lime pie, you’ll need:
- Biscoff cookies: Okay so we’re not really using graham crackers. I figured that Biscoff cookies were very close (a little more sweet) and were more widely available. If you have a vegan graham cracker brand that you love, go for it! And for my gluten-free friends, I have made my friend, Camila over at Pies & Tacos’ vegan graham cracker recipe using gluten free 1:1 baking flour- works like a dream.
- Vegan butter or coconut oil: you can use either here. I personally prefer the vegan butter over the coconut oil, but that’s just me!
- Heavy vegan cream: I love either Califia Farms, Plant Crock, or Silk! I’ve also used regular coconut milk or coconut cream from a can here. Either will work great!
- Sweetened condensed coconut milk: this pays homage to the traditional key lime pie recipe, which uses sweetened condensed milk. I have some notes on brands I recommend down below in the recipe card.
- Key limes: these should be available in most grocery stores. However, Persian limes are the next best option, followed by regular limes.
- Arrowroot or cornstarch: This is our vegan egg substitute and completely replaces the eggs and egg yolks in regular key lime pie. Arrowroot is sometimes labelled arrowroot starch or arrowroot powder. They’re the same thing, so don’t worry if you only see one in stores! You can also use cornstarch instead. Just make sure that either way, the powder has been stored properly and is fresh for use in this no bake recipe.
What’s the difference between limes and key limes?
To make key lime pie, it’s always best to use key limes, instead of just limes. However, key limes are not available everywhere (key limes actually come from Southeast Asia, but are very prevalent in the Florida Keys- that’s why key lime pie is Florida’s official pie!).
Key limes are typically more aromatic and have more seeds than regular limes.You can use regular limes for a key lime pie if you can’t find key limes. This vegan key lime pie will still be delicious!
Key lime pie actually comes from the United States! Its origins are said to come from Key West, Florida. Some speculate that the recipe first came about in the 1800’s, but it wasn’t written down and shared widely until the 1930’s.
Step by Step How to make Vegan Key Lime Pie:
The full recipe is found down below in the recipe card. However, here are some visuals on how we’ll make this pie!
Is this recipe nut free?
Yes, this dairy free key lime pie is also naturally nut free! As long as you’re using a nut free vegan butter, such as Om Sweet Home Dairy Free Butter or Violife Butter, all other ingredients are nut free and allergy friendly.
How to serve key lime pie:
Because this vegan key lime pie is coconut based, I thought the perfect topping would be homemade vegan coconut whipped cream. Coconut and limes just go perfectly together, and the whipped cream is incredibly easy to make.
The perfect treat on a super hot summer day, honestly!
You’re just going to LOVE this vegan key lime pie! It truly hits the spot and is so refreshing for the summer.
If you make this no bake key lime pie, be sure to leave a comment down below, as well as a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ so that others may find the recipe!
As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there!
Happy baking!
Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!
6-Ingredient EASY Vegan Key Lime Pie Recipe
- Prep Time: 20
- Setting Time: 240
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 4 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Pie
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This EASY vegan key lime pie tastes just like the classic with a perfectly set zesty tart and sweet creamy filling, and only 6 ingredients! No dairy, no eggs!
Ingredients
- 1 250 g package Biscoff cookies
- 1/4 cup (56 g) salted vegan butter, melted
- 2 7.4-ounce cans (14.8 ounces total) vegan sweetened condensed milk*
- 1/2 cup (120 mL) vegan heavy cream
- 1/2 cup (70 g) cornstarch or arrowroot starch
- 1/2 cup (120 mL) freshly squeezed or store bought key lime juice
- 1 tbsp key lime zest
- 1 batch vegan whipped cream, for decoration
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 375F. Grease a 10″ pie dish (you can use 9″, just make sure it’s deep dish) and set aside. Then measure out the ingredients.
- Make the cookie crust: In a food processor, process the cookies until they reach a fine crumble. Add in the melted vegan butter, and blend again until you get a wet crumbly texture.
- Form the pie crust: Press the cookie crumble into the pie pan, and use a flat surface (like the bottom of a glass or measuring cup) to flatten the crust, and work the crust up the sides of the pie dish. If you’re using a 9″ pie pan, you might have some pie crust left over, which you can save for decoration!
- Bake the pie crust: Place the pie dish into the oven to bake for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the crust, and reduce the oven heat to 350F.
- While the pie is baking, make the key lime pie filling: To a large bowl, add the vegan sweetened condensed milk. The coconut based ones might have solid coconut oil on top. If this is the case, still scoop everything into the bowl, and microwave the sweetened condensed milk for 10-20 seconds to melt the coconut oil. You want everything to whisk together. Then add in the remaining ingredients, and whisk until combined.
- Fill the pie crust: Pour the key lime pie filling into the par-baked pie crust, and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the top of the key lime pie is “set” (but it will still be wiggly!).
- Cool: Remove the key lime pie from the oven and allow it to cool at room temperature until warm, then carefully transfer the key lime pie to the fridge to set for 4-6 hours, preferably overnight.
- Serve: When ready to serve, transfer the key lime pie to the freezer for 10 minutes while you make the whipped cream. Then pipe the vegan whipped cream on top, slice and serve!
Notes
Gluten free: Swap in vegan gluten free graham crackers or your favorite vegan gluten free spiced cookie.
Arrowroot starch: you can swap in an equal amount of cornstarch if you’d like to use that instead.
Sweetened condensed coconut milk: the brand I get is Edward & Sons/Native Forest. Nature’s Charm also has an oat milk version.
Wow the colors on this pie are absolutely gorgeous! And it’s so refreshing! What a perfect summer treat 🙂
Thank you so much!! It really is quite refreshing!
Help! Mine hasn’t set properly. I can tell it’s still very soft in the middle. I baked it for 18 mins, let it cool to room temp, and it’s been in the fridge over night. Is there any saving it?
Hi Vanessa! I’m so sorry to hear that, I’m wondering if your cornstarch was still good? You can still save it! Freezing it for 20-30 minutes can help set the middle a bit more (almost like you would do with a no bake cheesecake!).
Thank you! I’ll give it a try!
Absolutely! And please do let me know how it goes!
does the heavy cream go in the pie filling or is that for the whipped cream?
The heavy cream goes into the pie filling, and then the whipped cream will also use heavy cream!
Hi!
Is it 2 7.4 oz of sweetened condensed milk or 27.4 oz of it?
So sorry for the confusion! two 7.4 ounce cans so 14.8 ounces total 🙂 I will make that more clear!
absolutely delicious recipe! I made this for my non-vegan family and friends and it was an absolute hit! It was a small gathering so I halved the recipe to fit in a smaller pie dish and it still turned out perfectly!