I love key lime pie…it’s my absolute favorite dessert, and I really wanted to make a nutrient-dense, healthier raw version. This pie comes with a warning: Do not be left alone with the pie, for it will steal your self control and possibly your soul with it’s tangy creaminess and sinful scrumptiousness. Especially if you love key lime pie. Admittedly I stuck my fingers in the blender trying to scrape the remnants my spatula could not reach. I probably wont be the only one 😉

The crust has three ingredients, pecans, a bit of salt, and dates. This time of year in Texas, the pecan trees are incessantly dropping pecans on passerby, and it’s really nice to be able to go to the local park with a bag and come home loaded with nuts after about an hour (while being rained on by the pecan trees). Hamlet loves to scavenge for pecans too and can be found munching on them when we go for walks, but usually asks me to crack them open first because the shell doesn’t taste so good. Food always tastes best when it’s fresh, local, organic, and most of all, free! If you can’t find any raw pecans, any other nut will do, but the pecans give a lovely, almost buttery distinct flavor to the crust.

Raw Vegan Key Lime Pie

For the crust:

1 cup raw pecans

6 pitted dates

1/4 tsp (scant) salt

Blend the pecans and dates, until they form a smooth paste. Spread onto the bottom of a pie pan lined with parchment paper and place a second pie pan on top of the crust to create a smooth, even looking crust. Place in the freezer while you prepare the filling.

For the filling:

1 cup coconut meat

zest of 3 key limes

juice of 7 key limes

pinch of salt

1 tbsp raw coconut oil

2 3/4 tsp liquid sugar in the raw

8 sweet leaf vanilla drops

1/2 c cashews (soaked overnight)

Blend all ingredients together and pour on top of the crust. Spread as evenly as possible, then place some parchment paper on top of the filling and use a second pie pan to make sure the filling is even and looks pretty and flat 🙂 Freeze the pie overnight, then refrigerate for about 30 minutes to an hour before serving. Sprinkle with lime zest and place a slice of lime on top if desired.

More raw vegan recipes: Fall Spiced Raw Vegan Oatmeal Squares

Harvest Raw Vegan Apple Pie

Cherry Carob Brownies

Raw Date Roll

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Photo: Jessica Ferguson