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These dairy-free key lime pie bars are a delicious springtime recipe! They have all of the flavors of traditional key lime pie cheesecake without all the gluten or dairy! Complete with a vegan gluten free pie crust, these no bake cheesecake bites are the perfect treat!
This recipe was originally posted on April 7, 2020 and updated with new photos and copy on May 2, 2022.
What Makes This Recipe Great
It’s officially springtime, which means it’s time for no-bake desserts! Key Lime Pie is my all-time favorite dessert. The perfect combo of sweet & tart, I just can’t get enough! I wanted to make a quick & easy vegan and gluten-free version and these dairy-free key lime pie bars totally hit the spot!
With vegan gluten free pie crust and delicious key lime filling, these are no bake cheesecake bites that everyone will love!
The best part? They are so easy to make! All you need is a food processor (preferred) or a blender and a bunch of pantry staples! The “cheesecake” filling is made from creamy cashews and coconut milk, and it’s incredible how much it tastes like regular cheesecake.
Ingredient Notes
Vegan Gluten Free Pie Crust
- Pecans & Macadamia Nuts: I like to get all of my nuts from Trader Joe’s – they have a great selection of raw nuts at great prices. Any brand of pecans or cashews will work- just make sure they are raw. You can just use all pecans if it’s all you have!
- Coconut oil or Ghee: If you have a dairy allergy, make sure to use coconut oil. If you aren’t a big fan of the coconut taste, refined coconut oil is flavorless.
- Pitted dates: These make such a wonderful alternative sweetener!
- Almond flour: Pie crust with almond flour is so easy and delicious. It’s a great low-carb alternative to gluten-free flour.
- Shredded Coconut: Make sure to look for unsweetened so there isn’t any added sugar.
Key Lime Pie Filling
- Raw Cashews: See recipe notes or tips and tricks for the best way to prep your cashews.
- Pure Maple Syrup: A little goes a long way!
- Full Fat Coconut Milk (or cream): You will only use the hardened/thick white coconut milk. save the rest for another use.
- Key Limes: You’ll use both the zest and the juice from the limes.
- Pantry Staples: Vanilla Extract, Salt, & Cinnamon
Recipe Step by Step
- Make the Crust: Combine the crust ingredients in a food processor and pulse until a slightly chunky sticky mixture has formed. Press it down evenly into the bottom of an 8×8 pan. Place into the freezer while you make the filling.
- Make the Filling: Wash out the food processor, drain the cashews (if soaked), and add all of the filling ingredients. Blend on high speed for 1.5-2 minutes until the mixture is very creamy and no lumps remain.
- Finish the Bars: Pour it on top of the crust and use a spatula to spread it out evenly. Freeze for 2+ hours until hardened. Slice into 9 bars. Enjoy!
Mary’s Tips & Tricks
Soak Cashews: The filling will become very creamy a lot faster if you soak the cashews for at least 30 minutes in hot water. If you don’t have time, it’s ok. It will still work! I didn’t soak them before making these, and I just ran the food processor for about 2 minutes to get it really creamy.
Pan Size: I used an 8×8 metal pan for this recipe. No need to spray the bottom because the crust is oily enough that it should just pop right out! You can use a 9×9 pan, but the bars will just be a little bit thinner.
Serving: These no bake cheesecake bites are best when you remove them from the freezer 10-15 minutes before eating so they have time to soften up a bit.
Storage: Store these key lime pie no bake cheesecake bites in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
FAQs
Yes! You can freeze these bars for up to 3 months. Remove from the freezer for 10-15 minutes before serving!
Yes! This recipe makes such a delicious no-bake vegan gluten free pie crust with almond flour, pecans, and macadamia nuts. Use it as a base for other no-bake desserts- you can’t go wrong!
These dairy-free key lime pie bars are “healthy” in the sense that they use real, all natural ingredients. While they’re high in calories, they’re a great treat! The sugar content is SO much lower than standard recipes, which makes them a much better choice than other desserts. You can also cut the bars into 12 or 16 pieces instead of 9 to cut down on the calories.
More Gluten Free Pies & Bars
Paleo Vegan Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
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Dairy-Free Key Lime Pie Bars (No-Bake)
Equipment
Ingredients
Vegan Gluten Free Pie Crust
- 1.5 cups raw pecans
- ½ cup macadamia nuts, can sub another ½ cup pecans
- ⅓ cup coconut oil or ghee, in solid form
- 6 pitted dates
- ⅓ cup almond flour
- ⅓ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp cinnamon
Filling
- 2 cups raw unsalted cashews, ideally soaked in hot water for at least 30 minutes
- 1 cup coconut cream , or the thick part of can of full-fat coconut milk
- ⅓ cup maple syrup, can sub honey
- zest from 3 limes
- juice from 3 limes
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine the crust ingredients in a food processor and pulse until a slightly chunky sticky mixture has formed. Press it down evenly into the bottom of a 9×9 pan. Place into the freezer while you make the filling.
- Wash out the food processor, drain the cashews (if soaked), and add all of the filling ingredients. Blend on high speed for 1.5-2 minutes until the mixture is very creamy and no lumps remain. Pour it on top of the crust and use a spatula to spread it out evenly. Freeze for 2+ hours until hardened. Slice into 9 (3×3 inch) bars. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
All nutrition facts are an estimate and automatically calculated. While I fact check them using My Fitness Pal, please note that they may not always be 100% accurate and depend on ingredients used. Weigh your total and divide by the number of servings for the most accurate grams per serving size.
How much lime juice are you supposed to use? Limes vary in size and juice content.
Hi! I’m growing limes in the Desert and so they may be smaller than typical key limes. As such, it would be helpful to know approximately how much juice (as a tablespoon or cup measurement) is needed for the recipe. I don’t know if my 3 limes will give the right amount. Thanks!
These bars are so easy to make and are delicious!! We kept them in the freezer and then took out 15 minutes before eating and they were perfect all week long! Highly recommend for a refreshing treat!
Yay! Thanks Julie!
These are the perfect summer treat and so easy to make! My hubby is obsessed with anything lime and my 8 year old son loves it too! Great recipe!
Thank you, Kerrie! Glad you enjoyed them!
Key lime cheesecake is in my top five favorite desserts. And here’s the thing about paleo desserts – they are usually a decent sub but always leave me wishing for the real thing. Holy DANG these are not that way!! They are creamy, tart, and nuanced in flavor. And SO EASY to make!! This might be the best paleo dessert I have ever had, much less made. Thank you so much, Mary! I will definitely be making these again and again.
YAY! So glad to hear you enjoyed them! Thank you, Leigh!
These “cheesecake” bars were not only easy to make it, but also delicious! Thank you for this great sweet treat!
Thank you Michelle! Glad you enjoyed them!
VERY TASTY!!!!! So creamy & the crust is perfect! I did a bit less lime because I don’t like key lime too tart, I highly recommend!
Thanks so much, Sarah!
These look so good, just like all your recipes! Do you think I could substitute coconut flour for the almond flour? I can’t tolerate almonds. Thank you!!
Hi! I haven’t tried it, but I think another gluten free flour would work better if you have it. Cassava, Cup4Cup, etc. If you do try coconut flour, I would do 1/3 the amount.
Delish and so easy!! I was a little sad that the rest of my gluten-tolerating family was eating the chocolate cake masterpiece my 12-year-old and I made, until I tried these:). Shhhh….I ate two of them!
Haha love it – thanks so much Erica!
Delicious bars! But beyond that — MUCH easier than other paleo blogger versions of this treat. It was a hit with my entire family. Highly recommend!
Thank you so much Erin!!