This No-Bake Key Lime Tart is creamy and bursting with fresh lime flavor. It’s gluten-free, dairy-free, and made with whole-food ingredients.  An easy dessert for your spring and summer gatherings!

I recently saw a recipe for a no-bake key lime cheesecake that looked good, but I wasn’t a fan of some of the ingredients. One of my favorite things to do is “healthify” recipes.

I went out of my comfort zone and tried some new things in this dessert. After some trial and error, I came up with a recipe that all of my taste testers loved!!!

Tammy’s Tips for Making No-Bake Key Lime Tart

Pie Dish or Minis – This tart can be made in a 9-inch pie dish or in eight 4 oz jars. I think the minis are fun if you are having a dinner party with 8 or less people. Kids also love the minis.

Graham Crackers – Some graham crackers contain artificial flavors and other questionable ingredients. I love Simple Mills Sweet Thins because they contain whole food ingredients. They are gluten-free which is a plus if you are bringing this dessert to a party or hosting guests that have a gluten intolerance. 

I use my food processor to make the crumbs. You could also put them in a plastic bag and crush them.

If you are making minis, don’t press the graham cracker crumbs into the jars. They can stick to the bottom.

Also, most graham cracker crust recipes call for sugar. The graham crackers already contain sugar, so the crust is plenty sweet without adding more sugar.

Coconut Oil – You can use coconut oil or butter for the graham cracker crust. 

Avocados -I have NEVER made a sweet treat with avocado. The thought has always kind of grossed me out. I don’t know why since it is a fruit.

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised! It gives the filling its velvety smooth texture and pretty green color. I PROMISE you cannot taste the avocado!

Aside from the texture and color, the avocados give this dessert some incredible nutrients. Avocados are rich in fiber, vitamin K, folate, and potassium. They also contain heart healthy fats.

Cream Cheese -The other thing I tried for the very first time is dairy-free cream cheese. I didn’t want to say you can use dairy-free cream cheese without trying it.

Again, I was pleasantly surprised. The texture was spot on! By itself, I didn’t think it tasted like cream cheese, but in the filling, it did have a hint of cream cheese flavor.

The filling is delish with either dairy-free or regular cream cheese. In fact, some of my taste testers preferred the dairy-free. I loved both versions!

Limes – Key limes and regular limes both work in this recipe. Key limes have a more floral flavor and regular limes tend to be a little sweeter.

Key limes are smaller so you will need more. The recipe calls for 6 tablespoons of lime juice which is about 3 regular limes and approximately 6 key limes.

Coconut Cream – I tried this recipe with both coconut cream and heavy whipping cream. The coconut cream gives the filling a firmer texture. It doesn’t give it a coconut flavor. I think coconut cream works better if you are making in a pie dish vs making minis. Heavy whipping cream makes it fluffier which makes it a little harder to slice.

There you have it! A healthified No-Bake Key Lime Tart your family and friends will LOVE! The dairy-free and gluten-free options make it a great dessert for gatherings. Don’t let the avocados scare you away. LOL!

If you make this tart, please let me know. You can leave a comment and/or a rating below, and be sure to tag me on Instagram. I love hearing from you and seeing your creations! 

 

You might also like this No-Bake Fruit and Yogurt Tart.