Vegan Key Lime Pie

This vegan key lime pie recipe is not like your traditional key lime pie. It uses a high volume of fresh lime juice and zest to create a delicious lime curd filling, similar to the lemon curd in vegan lemon meringue pie.

The result is an ultra-flavorful bright and zesty filling that is complimented by sweetened coconut cream and a gingery cookie crust. It's one of those pie recipes that's just perfect for spring and summer!

vegan key lime pie topped with dairy free whipped cream and fresh lime zest on a ceramic plate.

Jump to:

📖 Recipe Overview
🍋 Key limes vs regular limes
🧾 Ingredients Needed
🥣 How To Make Vegan Key Lime Pie
💬 Frequently asked questions
🥧 More Vegan Pies
Vegan Key Lime Pie

📖 Recipe Overview

Made with just 8 main ingredients.
Eggless and dairy-free.
Easy no-bake pie crust that comes together in a food processor.
Tangy lime curd filling made using fresh limes.

If you're a fan of lime desserts try my lime popsicles and lime cookies next!

🍋 Key limes vs regular limes

Traditional key lime pie uses "key limes" also known as Mexican limes, which have a punchier flavor than regular limes. They're not always easily found around the world, so don't sweat, regular limes will work perfectly for this recipe. In fact, this vegan pie recipe uses a decent amount of both fresh lime juice and zest giving it a really tangy punchy flavor.

🧾 Ingredients Needed

Here's everything you need to make this fresh and zesty dairy free key lime pie:

metal tray of ingredients for making vegan key lime tart.

Ingredient Notes

Find the complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.

Fresh limes - This easy key lime pie uses more lime juice and zest than your average lime pie, and that's what gives it a super zesty, tasty edge!
Coconut milk - Made with coconut milk instead of condensed milk.
Soy milk:- You can use any plant-based milk of your choice, such as oat milk or almond milk.
Cornstarch - This is the thickening agent for the lime curd filling seeing as it's made without eggs or added dairy.
Matcha powder - Completely optional, but it adds a pop of green color to your lime custard. You can also use wheatgrass powder, moringa powder, and spinach powder.
Vegan cookies - I like to use gingernut cookies as the ginger flavor compliments the lime so well. You can use any vegan cookies of your choice, digestive, biscoff, or graham crackers will work well.

🥣 How To Make Vegan Key Lime Pie

You're just a few simple steps away from tucking into this delicious non-dairy key lime pie. Both the crust and filling as incredibly easy to make and require no baking!

crumbly vegan cookies. blended in a food processor jug.

Step 1: Blitz the cookies. Simply add the dry ingredients (cookies and sea salt) to a food processor and blitz them to a fine crumb consistency.

ginger cookies and vegan butter in a food processor jug showing a sticky consistency.

Step 2: Finish the cookie base. Add in the vegan butter and blend again to form a dough consistency.

a large pie dish with no-bake ginger cookie crust neatly pressed into the base and sides.

Step 3: Press the cookie crust into the pan. Use a spoon or flat-bottomed glass to get a nice smooth finish. I recommend lining the base. of the tin with some parchment paper to make it easier to remove once set.

lime curd ingredients in a saucepan before being cooked.

Step 4: Whisk the curd ingredients. Add the cornstarch, sugar, and soy milk to a saucepan and whisk until smooth. Then add the lime juice, lime zest, coconut milk, and matcha powder (if using) and whisk again to combine.

a saucepan with vegan key lime pie filling being stirred with a whisk.

Step 5: Cook the lime curd. Heat for 5-8 minutes until the curd thickens. Make sure you're constantly whisking the mixture to prevent it from burning to the bottom of the saucepan.

lime curd filling for dairy free lime pie being passed through a fine-mesh sieve and collected in a glass mixing bowl.

Step 6: Strain and cool the curd. Pass the lime custard filling through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any lumps. Then let it cool very slightly for 5 minutes.

vegan key lime pie just filled with freshly made lime curd and fresh squeezed limes in the background.

Step 7: Set the pie. Pour the slightly cooled lime filling into the pie crust. Then chill for a few hours until completely set.

freshly set vegan key lime pie topped with dairy free whipped cream and lime zest.

Step 8: Decorate. Once completely set, top your vegan lime pie with whipped coconut topping, and freshly grated lime zest.

📝 Recipe Tips

I do not recommend using bottled lime juice, you'll want the fresh stuff.

Skip the kitchen equipment and make the crust without a food processor. Place the cookies in a ziplock bag and bash them into a crumb consistency using a rolling pin - and blow off some steam at the same time 😊 Then just melt the vegan butter and stir it through the crushed biscuits before pressing it into the tart tin.

If you're not a fan of coconut you can use alternative plant-based whipping creams such as soy cream or oat cream to top your key lime tart.

Meringue topping. If you want a fancy topping you can also use vegan Italian meringue which you can then blowtorch for a toasted flavor and look.

💬 Frequently asked questions

How should I store vegan key lime pie?

Store this vegan key lime tart in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

You can freeze the tart and filling. I do not recommend freezing the coconut cream topping, this can be added before serving.

Can key lime pie be left at room temperature?

As long as you’re keeping it at a pleasant room temperature, you can keep this vegan lime pie out of the fridge for a couple of hours on the day of serving it.

Can this recipe be made nut-free?

You can easily adapt this recipe as nut-free by using cookies that do not contain nuts. Also, make sure you opt for nut-free plant-based milk.

Is this key lime pie gluten-free?

The cookies in this recipe are not gluten-free, but you can easily adapt this lime pie by using gluten-free cookies.