Gwyneth Paltrow's No-Bake Key Lime Pie Will Make Your Vegan, Gluten-Free Friends Very Happy

By Michele Foley
Grand Central Life & Style
Grand Central Life & Style

No pie shop is quite complete without an offering of the key lime variety. A quintessential American dish, key lime pie is the perfect balance of sweet, creamy, and tart — a total delight of flavors for any dessert-loving being. Despite the lightness that the limes impart on the dish, the cornerstone of any key lime pie recipe is sweet, thick condensed milk. While OK for the occasional indulgence, condensed milk is not the sort of habit you want in your everyday life, something Gwyneth Paltrow touches on in her new cookbook, It's All Easy ($20).

"Key lime pie is one of my daughter's favorite desserts, so I've made a lot of them over the years," Gwyneth writes. "While I'm a big fan of the sweetened condensed milk and sugar bomb that is the traditional recipe, I wanted to make a raw, vegan dessert highlighting the bright, citrusy flavor I love so much in the original without all the butter, sugar, and preservatives."

Besides lightening up the classic dish, Paltrow's vegan take on the dessert is even more appealing because it involves absoulutely no cooking. That's right, no oven — or stove, for that matter — is needed to make the dish. As if key lime pie couldn't be more of a Summer dessert, Paltrow went ahead and stepped up the game.

Related: The Best Healthy Pie Recipes

Coconut Key Lime Tarts

Yield8 tarts

It's All Easy by Gwyneth Paltrow

INGREDIENTS

    • For the crust:
    • 1 cup natural almond meal or flour
    • 3 tablespoons coconut oil
    • 3 tablespoons brown rice syrup
    • A pinch of salt
    • For the filling:
    • 1 (13.5-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk, left in the fridge overnight
    • Zest of 5 key limes or 1 regular lime, plus extra for garnish
    • Juice of 3 key limes or one regular lime
    • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon coconut sugar

    INSTRUCTIONS

    1. To make the crust, place all the crust ingredients in a medium bowl and use your hands to mix thoroughly, making sure there are no lumps of coconut oil left. Divide the mixture into eight (about 1 tablespoon each) balls if using a standard muffin tin or 24 (about 1 teaspoon each) balls if using a mini-muffin tin. Place one ball of dough in each well of the muffin tin. Wet your fingers with water and press the dough up the sides to make little tart shells. Place the tart shells in the fridge to set while you make the filling.

    2. To make the filling, scoop out the solid portion of the coconut milk and place it in a large bowl. Use a fork to break it up into an almost smooth consistency, then add the lime zest, lime juice, and coconut sugar. Whisk until the mixture is supersmooth and has the consistency of lightly whipped cream.

    3. Fill each tart shell with the coconut filling, garnish with extra lime zest, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.

    4. When ready to eat, use a butter knife to loosen the tarts from the pan, then pop them out. Eat immediately or store in the fridge so they keep their shape.

    Notes

    Use natural almond meal or flour if you can find it, and be sure to put your coconut milk in the fridge overnight so the solids and liquids separate.