Creamy dreamy vegan key lime pie! This deliciously lime flavored pie has a perfect mousse texture and is wonderfully sweet and tart at the same time.
I’ve been wanting to make a vegan key lime pie forever. The thing that was holding me back? I didn’t know what kind of key lime pie I wanted to make.
Was I going to do something like avocado and key lime juice for a lovely raw vegan version? Was I going to do a baked version? Something in-between?
In the end it was looking at what the ‘regular’ version of key lime pie actually is that was the deciding factor.
A regular non-vegan key lime pie uses condensed milk, key lime juice and zest and egg yolks for the filling.
So I decided to just do an adaptation of the ‘original’.
And by the way if you love key lime flavor then check out our vegan key lime cake and vegan key lime cupcakes too. You’ll also love our vegan lemon pie.
How To Make Vegan Key Lime Pie
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
For our vegan version we used vegan condensed milk, whipped coconut cream and lime juice and zest.
The crust can either be made with vegan graham crackers or vegan digestive biscuits, it depends where you are in the world as to what would be easier to get. And if you can’t get either of those then use any vegan cookie you like.
I baked the crust, just for 10 minutes at 350°F. I wanted to make the crust very firm and baking it is a good way to ensure that it is. You don’t have to bake it though, if you’re happy with a slightly more crumbly texture to the crust then you can skip that step.
Then you simply add lime juice, lime extract and lime zest to a bowl with the vegan condensed milk and whisk together. Fold in the vegan whipped cream. Pour the lime filling over your crust and smooth it down.
Place it into the fridge for a few hours to set. Then top with lime zest and serve.
Recipe Success Tips
The main trick to getting this vegan key lime pie perfect is to make sure your whipped coconut cream is very very firm when whipped. If it is not, then add in ¼ – ½ tsp of xantham gum to get it nice and firm.
You also want to let your vegan condensed milk cool in the fridge after making it so that it gets nice and thick. If you’re using a store-bought variety of vegan condensed milk then this won’t apply, but if you’re making your own, let it cool and thicken in the fridge first.
And then you have to make sure that the pie has enough time to set properly before you slice and enjoy!
It is supposed to be nice and firm, with a mousse-like texture but still, pretty firm! It is supposed to hold up nicely when you slice it. If it’s not doing that then let it set for longer. You can speed things up by putting it in the freezer, just don’t forget it in there, or you’ll need to have patience again while it thaws.
Ingredient Notes
Lime extract. For extra key lime flavor you can use some lime extract but I have also tried this without lime extract and the flavor is still amazing, so that’s an optional extra.
Key limes vs regular limes. When it comes to key limes vs limes, you can use either/or. So whatever is easiest to get hold of, it won’t make a significant difference to your end result. To be more ‘traditional’ use key limes, but really no worries at all if you use regular limes.
Storing and Freezing
Keep it covered in the coldest part of your fridge and enjoy within 5 days. It is also freezer friendly, just let it thaw in the fridge when you’re ready for it.
More Vegan Pies
- Vegan Lemon Pie
- Vegan Chocolate Pie
- Vegan Chocolate Tart
- Vegan Peanut Butter Pie
- Vegan Coconut Cream Pie
- Vegan Banana Cream Pie
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Key Lime Pie
Ingredients
Crust:
- 10.5 ounces Vegan Digestive Biscuits (300g) or Vegan Graham Crackers
- ½ cup Vegan Butter (112g) Melted
Filling:
- 1 ½ cups Vegan Condensed Milk (360ml)
- ½ cup Key Lime Juice (120ml) freshly squeezed, or sub regular lime juice
- ½ teaspoon Lime Extract optional
- 2 Tablespoons Lime Zest
- 2 ½ cups Canned Coconut Cream (600ml) hardened cream only from 2 (14-ounce) cans, chilled overnight in the fridge*
- ¼ – ½ teaspoon Xantham Gum if needed
Topping:
- Lime Zest
Instructions
- Spray a 9 inch round pie dish with non-stick spray and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Add the vegan digestives or graham crackers to the food processor and process into crumbles. Melt the vegan butter and mix in with the cookie crumbles and then place into the prepared pie dish and pat down firmly. Use the bottom of a measuring cup to press down firmly along the bottom and work the crust up along the sides.
- Place the pie base into the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
- Pour your vegan condensed milk out into a bowl and place into the fridge to cool and thicken.
- Add the coconut cream (separated hardened cream at the top of 2 chilled cans) to the bowl of a stand mixer, leaving the watery parts behind. Starting at slow speed gradually increase speed until the cream is whipped. For best results in this recipe, you need the cream to be very firm and well whipped with stiff peaks. If yours is a bit on the softer side, add in a ¼ – ½ tsp of xantham gum and whip again. It will thicken fast.
- Squeeze the lime juice and grate the lime zest.
- Add the lime juice, lime extract and lime zest to the bowl with the condensed milk and whisk with a hand whisk to combine. Then fold in the whipped coconut cream.
- Pour this over the cooled crust and place into the fridge for a few hours to set. If you want to speed it up a bit then you can put it into the freezer, just don’t forget it in there or you’ll have to wait for it to thaw!
- Decorate with lime zest and serve.
Notes
- The crust is made with approximately 26 Vegan Digestives or 20 Graham Cracker Sheets. It would be most accurate to go by weight since different brands have different size cookies.
- We used one full batch of our homemade vegan condensed milk. If you want to make it from scratch using our recipe then make it using soy milk or rice milk powder so that it’s nice and thick for using in this pie. You can also use store-bought vegan condensed milk.
- If you want to use a different vegan whipping cream then the amount to use would be 2 ½ cups before whipping. Very light and airy vegan whipping creams may not work great as the pie may not set properly.
- The filling for this pie is gluten-free, so if you wanted to make the whole pie gluten-free you could switch for a gluten-free cookie for the crust.
Hi Alison,
I want to make this for a party. How long will it keep in the fridge? Can I make this a day or 2 before the party?
Hi Cynthia, this pie keeps in the fridge for up to 5 days.
I’ve made this a few times, and it’s always a hit! Wondering if you think I could make it into mini pies in the cupcake holders, and if it will chill, and hold the shape. Think it would work?
Hi Taj! So glad you enjoy the recipe! We haven’t tested them as mini pies, but if you do make them and want to bake the crust – I would bake it for a shorter time because they are smaller. They should hold their shape when chilled.
Real Key Lime pie is yellowish, not this
green. I don’t trust any recipe for Key Lime pie that is green.
I made this recipe with the plant-based cool whip that is available now (and fresh key limes) and it was SO good! Thank you for letting me enjoy one of my favorite desserts again!
Awesome! So glad to hear it came out great!
I’ve made this recipe a few times and absolutely LOVE IT! Here are a few things I do: Use soft lighter green limes for zest, not the thick dark green limes. Those ones taste bitter. I used a pre-made gf pie crust from Mi-Del. And lastly, I blended all my filling ingredients because the coconut cream I use tends to get grainy and won’t smooth out in a stand mixer. You won’t regret making this delicious pie!
Thanks so much for sharing your tips and the amazing review Maggie!
I’m not vegan, however I’m nursing an infant who is allergic to eggs and dairy so your recipes have been keeping me sane! I made this pie today and it turned out lovely, the consistency was perfect! I used store-bought sweetened condensed coconut milk (soooo tasty). The pie was just a bit bitter for me, maybe I zested a little too far down? I’m sure with a little vegan whip and strawberries it will be simply dreamy. Thank you!!
Hi Nicole! So happy to hear the recipes have been helpful! And so glad the pie turned out lovely. I think the bitterness could well be the zest. Thanks so much for sharing and the great review!
Alison, this pie is mind-blowingly good. Seriously rave reviews!!! I did make a few refinements to the recipe which I’d like to share. 1. I used “NOW” brand organic soy milk powder (which was the only one I could find on Amazon – even Whole Foods did not have any – it’s really hard to find). When I added the hot water and coconut oil to the soy milk powder it was as thick as mortar and impossible to blend – I had to add more water and am wondering if it is the type of milk powder that is the cause. It was so thick and lumpy that I ended up beating it in the mixer on high speed which made it nice and smooth. 2. I used a coconut cream with Guar gum in it – and got fabulous results. I should point out that when I opened the refrigerated cans, there was NO WATER CONTENT AT ALL. Does this mean it is a high quality product with lots of fat? Interesting. 3. Finally, I added 5-6 packets of “TRU-LIME” dessicated lime which really upped the lime flavour and made it intensely tart and delicious. Also couple drops of green food coloring. Congratulations on an award-winning recipe and keep them coming. JP
Awesome Judi! So happy it was a success! Yes, I have found that different brands of soy milk powder can have dramatically different ‘density’, it’s not like they are the same across the board in the way something like ‘all purpose flour’ would be. It’s definitely fine to add more water, as you did, in this case. It’s great when that happens with the coconut cream! Thanks so much for sharing and the wonderful review.
I know it’s been over a year, but guar (and other kinds of) gum is not only a thickener, but a stabilizer. The reason they put it in coconut cream is specifically so it doesn’t separate.
That said, I guess the recipe still works if you’re using coconut cream with guar gum!
Hi Alison,
I’m wondering where the beautiful green color of your pie comes from? Did you use a vegan food coloring agent of some sort? I was also wondering if it tastes like coconuts or if the lime flavoring overpowers the coconut taste? I will be using lime juice and lime extract.
Hi Casey, I didn’t use any food coloring, the pale green is just from the lime juice and lime extract. I think the lime flavor overpowers the coconut taste. 🙂 Hope you enjoy it!
Wow !!! Alison I made This Pie today, Sooooooo Good . Love your recipes
Thanks so much Kassey!