Not only are these easy key lime pie bars a cinch to whip up, they make a great after school snack or dessert for those moments your kids (or YOU) need something slightly sweet to eat.
You would never guess that these Easy Key Lime Pie Bars are made with…wanna take a guess? Give up? Cashews! Sorry, I didn’t give you a whole lot of time to guess, now did I? I just get excited about sharing this secret because no one, and I mean no one, ever suspects this. They are the perfect treat for those moments you need something tart, slightly sweet, and ultra-silk/creamy.
Recipe Notes: The crust calls for gluten free graham crackers. If you cannot have some of the ingredients that are in most store-bought crackers, you can always make this homemade version that are gluten, egg, and dairy free. OR if you want to avoid graham crackers altogether and opt for a no-bake version, you can use the crust base in this No Bake Key Lime Pie recipe.
These Easy Key Lime Pie Bars do not come without rave reviews. I have served these countless times to unsuspecting citizens and not only do they say they taste amazing but they also had NO clue that they were made with cashews and no dairy!
Print
Easy Key Lime Pie Bars
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Yield: 12 bars 1x
Description
The recipe has been adapted from my cookbook, Decadent Gluten Free Vegan Baking
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 2 c. ground gluten free graham crackers (for a vegan option, use this recipe or use ground up Chex cereal)
- 1/2 c. coconut oil, melted (use refined if you don’t like coconut flavor)
For the filling:
- 2 c. raw cashews, soaked for 2 hours, liquid drained
- 1/2 c. fresh lime juice (from 2–3 limes)
- zest of 2 limes
- 3/4 c. dairy free milk
- 1/3 c. maple syrup
- 1/3 c. coconut oil, melted (use refined if you don’t like coconut flavor)
- 3–4 drops all natural green food coloring (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper.
- Combine the graham cracker crumbs and coconut oil until the texture is like wet sand. Firmly pat the bottom of the pan with the crust mix until it is packed in. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Allow to fully cool.
- While the crust is cooling, throw all of the pie filling ingredients into a high-speed blender until thick yet smooth. Pour the filling mix on top of the crust. Cover and freeze for a couple of hours until ready to slice.
- Cut into 12 bars.
Notes
You can store these bars in the fridge for up to 3 days before the graham cracker crust gets a bit soggy. Try freezing them for longer storage and allow to thaw out prior to eating.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 91mg
- Fat: 27g
- Carbohydrates: 24g
- Fiber: 1.5g
- Protein: 5g
Don’t take my word for it. I double dog dare you to make them and find out yourself…
Looks like another fantastic recipe, Cara! I buy Mary’s Gone Crackers Mini Grahams (vegan and gluten free) and grind them up in the food processor. Have you seen them? They are cute little hearts and stars, which are perfect for making miniature s’mores. (You better not steal my idea now.) 😉
OMG, genius, Amy! I have those cookies in my pantry but never thought to use them. Thank you for that awesome tip! And I promise I won’t steal your idea about the mini S’Mores but I wouldn’t mind if someone made me a dozen *ahem*
Hi! I’m a vegan athlete 🙂
Can follow me on instagram: @_alex_marques_
★★★★★
These look so good I may have to give up my dreams of lemon curd and try this instead. I’m so lazy though I’ll probably pull my normal trick of skipping the crust entirely and apportioning the filling into small ramekins or wine glasses if I’m feeling fancy. See, now they’re grain free as well plus that means I can eat twice as much ’cause I won’t be full of graham crackers (snicker).
All I read was wine and that’s all I can think about (even though you didn’t even suggest the alcohol part, just the glasses, ha!) That’s where my pregnant mind is these days: I WANT WINE 🙂 But don’t you dare give up that lemon curd dream, you hear me??? Now I want it too! xoxo
No danger really of lemon curd. I had some for my birthday along with some macadamia cocoa butter chunk cookies. 🙂
I’m just wondering if you’ve ordered that case of win for Christmas or New Year’s and if the onesies will have your favorite wine labels embroidered on them instead of teddy bears? Hah! xooxo
wine not win
Tomorrow I’m going to make this terrific recipe. But, my daughter doesn’t like anything made with coconut oil. Can I use grape seed oil or do you have another alternative? Thanks.
Hi. Well you know Cara’s the expert but I suspect she uses coconut oil because it will firm up when refrigerated. That being the case if it were me I’d use melted cocoa butter. It’ll alter the flavor somewhat but it sounds so good I may just have to give it a try myself.
Hi Janet! I’m assuming your daughter doesn’t like coconut oil because of the taste, am I correct? If you simply use the refined coconut oil it will NOT taste like coconut, in fact, it is tasteless. If that is the only reason, I highly suggest just using that (it’s what I do because I’m not a fan either) but Laurel is right, the coconut oil firms up when cold unlike other oils and is very important to the recipe. You could try Laurel’s tip on cocoa butter but she needs to get her buns back over here on the amount. I’m assuming it’s the same?
Yup, it would be the same. I use it all the time when making raw cheezecakes. I usually use half coconut and have cocoa butter, it really enriches the flavor. Sometimes (if it’s chocolate or mocha I’ll use all cocoa butter). Was that enough extraneous information?
My husband will LOVE these! He’s always asking for lemon or lime bars!
★★★★★
If he loves tart and sweet, then he’s gonna flip! I’m still savoring my last 2 leftover bars. So sad to see them go 😛