Vegan Avocado Key Lime Pie 

Key lime pie is one of my favorite desserts, and I never had the courage to make one until I discovered how easy it could be and making it healthier to indulge. As a key lime pie lover, I love the unique palate of sweet and nutty with tang taste and the balance of creamy and crunchy texture this pie has got to offers. The graham cracker pie crust offers a great nutty flavor and crunchy texture that perfectly pairs well with the light mousse-like texture filling.

Traditional key lime pie filling is made with heavy cream, condense milk, and sour cream. It is full of dairy products and a whole lot of sugar and fat. I love my vegan key lime pie recipe because I used fresh avocado to create a lovely creamy key lime filling instead of high calories, sugar, and fat ingredients. I know using avocado might sound a little strange, but you don't taste the avocado at all. With the maple syrup and lime, it masks the avocado flavor perfectly. And to make this delicious vegan key lime pie, you only need eight ingredients!

Why you will love this recipe

• Simple ingredients. You only need eight ingredients to make this entire key lime pie, from crust to cream.
• Naturally colorful. The naturally green colored avocado enhances the green color that a key lime pie would have.
• Naturally delicious. You have a perfect balance of taste and texture between the filling and the crust. It is nutty, crunchy, tangy, sweet, and airy.
• Nutritious. Avocado is packed with healthy fat and fiber. It is the perfect addition to your pie without even tasting the ingredient!

You Will Only Need 8 Ingredients 

Graham crackers

Graham cracker crust is the perfect addition to this light, moose like texture filling. It has a nutty flavor and adds a crunchy texture. It adds a whole new dimension to the pie. When purchasing Graham crackers, make sure it is vegan friendly and does not contain any honey. If you are unable to find vegan options, you can substitute with digestive biscuits instead. 

For gluten-free options, you can opt-in for gluten-free graham crackers.

Coconut oil

Coconut oil will help the ingredients to bind. I like to use organic and unrefined coconut oil. But if you don't like coconut flavor, you can use refined coconut oil. Do not substitute with other types of oil.

Fresh Avocado

Nutrient-dense avocado is full of healthy fat, and it offers an ultimate creamy texture when it is whipped or blended. When choosing your avocados, make sure they are soft and ripe. The flesh should be bright green with no dark parts inside.

If you don't have avocado around, you can substitute this with soaked nuts. Make sure you soak the nuts for at least 12 hours.  

Heavy coconut cream

Heavy cream will help hold the shape of filling longer. I used organic heavy coconut cream to keep it vegan.

Lime juice

Traditional key lime pie is made with fresh key lime or key lime juice. If you are unable to find any, you can substitute with other types of lime.

Maple Syrup

To sweeten the pie, I used organic grade A amber maple syrup. You can substitute this with other sweeteners like dates syrup or coconut sugar.

Salt

This ingredient is optional. I like to add a pinch of salt to balance all the flavor.

Coconut milk

I used organic canned full-fat coconut milk to help the blending process going. You can substitute for nut milk if you don't like coconut flavor. Avoid using the lite option because the full fat will help form the mousse like texture.

Ingredients

Pie Crust

1 Package of graham cracker or digestive biscuits (~ 1 1/2 cups)
1/3 Cup Coconut Oil melted
A pinch of salt

Filling 

3-4 Small avocado or soaked cashew nuts ( ~ 1 1/2 cups puree)
1/3 Cup Lime Juice
1/2 Cup Heavy Coconut Cream Chilled Overnight and only use the solid part
1/4 Cup Of Maple Syrup
1/4 Cup Coconut Milk
1/2 Tablespoon Lime Zest
A pinch of salt

Cream

1 Can Of Heavy coconut cream
1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup
A Pinch Salt

Topping

Lime Zest
Shredded Coconut

Directions

Graham Cracker Crust

1. Put full sheets of graham crackers in a food processor or blender. You can also put them in a zip lock bag and crush it with a rolling pin.
2. Mix the graham cracker crumbs with melted coconut oil, and mix. The mixture should have a thick and coarse texture.
3. Pour the mixture into an 8 or 9-inch round baking pan. Use a dish or measuring cup with a flat bottom to smooth out the crumb. Press gently to make sure the crumbs are tightly compact. To form a crust, press down around the pan until a wall builds.
4. Bake the crust at 300 F for 10 minutes and then let it chill for 2 hours.

Filling

1. Place all ingredients into a blender until form a creamy texture batter.
2. Stir in lime zest into your batter.
3. Pour the avocado key lime filling into the prepared pie base. Use a spatula to help spread evenly and put it in the freezer for at least 1 hour or 4-5 hours in the fridge. Make sure the pie is covered with food wrap. If you are putting it in the refrigerator, you must wrap the pie tightly so the avocado's color doesn't get oxidized.
4. Once the tart has firmed up, it is ready to be served. If you put it in the freezer, let it thaw out for about 10-15 minutes before serving. If you like the frozen texture, you can eat it earlier. Once you are done serving, put the remaining leftovers back in the freezer. Otherwise, the filling will get soft.

Cream

1. Whip coconut heavy cream with maple syrup. You can whip by hand or use a handheld mixer.
2. Once it forms a whipped cream-like consistency, leave it in the fridge for at least an hour. This will help the cream to firm up.
3. When you are ready to serve your pie, place the cream on top and sprinkle your toppings. 

Tips For Making Vegan Key Lime Pie

• It is important to let your vegan key lime pie filling chilled after pouring into the crust by place it in either the fridge or freezer.
• Before placing the filling into the graham cracker crust, you must let it cool down first.
• When placing it in the fridge, make sure you wrap it tightly with food wrap. This will prevent the avocado from oxidizing and turn darker on you.
• To get a firmer texture, place your vegan key lime pie in the freezer instead of the fridge. You can also enjoy the key lime pie quicker if you use the freezer option.
• To store your leftover vegan key lime pie, place it back into the freezer.
• This recipe is not gluten-free. If you wish to make it gluten-free, you will need to swap to gluten-free crackers.

Need more vegan pie ideas? Check out my almond pulp dark chocolate hazelnut pie.