This key lime paleo and vegan cheesecake tart is insanely creamy, perfectly sweet/tart and couldn’t be easier to make! The no-bake dairy-free, cashew-based filling blends up quickly and chills to perfection in a simple coconut pecan crust. It’s family approved and sure to become a favorite special occasion dessert!
True story – I made this recipe last year and NEVER POSTED IT only because I hated the pictures and never got around to reshooting it.
Before I knew it, key lime pie/cheesecake season was over and replace with everything pumpkin. I saved the recipe and promised myself to revisit it this year – hoping my food photo skills would improve enough to make everything fall into place.
Even more truth – I struggled with the photos just as much this time around – what is it with lime?! Pies and tarts in general always seem to challenge me when it comes to photos, and something about the green/yellow limes make it even tougher.
But enough already! This recipe is SO GOOD that no bombed photoshoot is going to keep you from it now. And maybe I should’ve used a brown background (okay I’m done now, promise).
Anyway, I said the recipe is so good and now I need to tell you why, of course.
1.) It legitimately tastes like a key lime cheesecake EVEN THOUGH there’s no cheese in sight – the filling is made with cashews, coconut cream, and lots of other yummy stuff.
This isn’t one of those times I call something a cheesecake and it’s not really a cheesecake (I hope there weren’t too many of those times). This one REALLY is a cheesecake – ’nuff said.
2.) This is a no-bake recipe, meaning you perform some magic with your Vitamix or food processor (both will work), chill the cheesecake and move on with your life.
It’s perfect to make ahead of time for parties and guests or even just because you’re meal prepping and want a dessert for the week. It lasts as long as you want it to when frozen! Well, within reason I suppose!
3.) This recipe is also amazing because even my kids liked it. Yup – my kids aren’t even huge cheesecake fans but this one was a thumbs up!
My oldest daughter (Diana, 10) even had a piece as an after school snack 3 days in a row. That is BIG success in my opinion, because after school snacks are a pretty big deal – as those of you with kiddos know all too well.
4.) You will 100% love this recipe because it’s both paleo + vegan, which makes it nice and light for summer yet rich and creamy enough to feel like legit dessert. I mean, this IS legit dessert! I hope I covered that already…this is for everyone – no matter what their tastes are.
Okay that’s only my extremely biased opinion, but still, just saying…
Lastly, this recipe will knock your socks off because – okay to be honest I ran out of reasons. But trust me on this one – you will love it with the first bite!
It’s time to soak your cashews (by the way, these cashews, made my cheesecake extra creamy) and get that blender ready.
This is going to be no work at all and yet the payoff is HUGE! Let’s make this key lime paleo + vegan cheesecake! I mean “cheesecake”, but it’s okay to keep that part a secret if you want. Alrighty – we’re no-baking now 🙂
Key Lime Paleo + Vegan Cheesecake Tart {No-Bake}
Key Lime Paleo + Vegan Cheesecake Tart {No-Bake}
This key lime paleo and vegan cheesecake tart is insanely creamy, perfectly sweet/tart and couldn't be easier to make! The no-bake dairy-free, cashew-based filling blends up quickly and chills to perfection in a simple coconut pecan crust. It's family approved and sure to become a favorite special occasion dessert!
Ingredients
crust:
- 1 1/2 cups raw pecans or walnuts
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- 3 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1/4 tsp fine grain sea salt
- zest of 1 lime or about 1 and 1/2-2 tbsp
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
filling:
- 2 1/4 cups raw cashews soaked in water for at least an hour, and drained
- 1 cup organic coconut cream *or thick part only of 15 oz can coconut milk
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- Grated zest of 2 limes about 3 tbsp
- 1/2 cup lime juice or key lime juice fresh
- 2 tbsp organic coconut oil either refined or unrefined
- generous pinch sea salt
Instructions
For the Crust:
-
Place all ingredients in a food processor or high speed blender and blend/process until it sticks a bit (do not over-mix or it will become greasy, like a nut butter) then press into 9 inch tart pan bottom and up the sides; freeze while you prepare the filling.
For the Filling:
-
Place all ingredients in a high speed blender or food processor and process/blend/pulse until a creamy mixture forms. Pour the mixture over the chilled crust, then place in the freezer and allow to chill for 3+ hours or overnight. Alternatively, you can refrigerate overnight to set (this will avoid having to thaw before serving)
-
Once ready to serve, thaw in the refrigerator for 1-2 hour to soften. Serve with coconut whipped cream if desired. Enjoy! Store leftovers in the refrigerator or freezer - you’ll need to thaw in the refrigerator before serving.
Recipe Notes
*I like this full fat coconut milk when using the cream only.
Nutrition
Shop Products and Ingredients:
Want More Paleo + Vegan Dessert Recipes? Try One of These!
Strawberry Lemon No-Bake Cheesecake
Chocolate Chip Cookie Vanilla Cheesecake
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles
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Hi Michele, I have been reading your lovely blog for quite a long time now and never commented. I love your recipes and have tried many. Today I was surprised with the new look and graphics- fresh and beautiful, congrats! And today’s photos are great…?
Wishing you a good sunny Sunday- xo Chris
Following your blog for over a year now. Love your receipes. You have helped me with celiac. Thank you
Hi, u have pecans in the picture of ingredients but not written in the instructions.. does it go in the crust?
The pecans are listed in the crust ingredients and the instructions for the crust say “Put all ingredients in a food processor….”
Hi Michelle,
I’m sure you food bloggers get tired of these sort of questions, but I can’t do cashews and most paleo cheesecake recipes use them. Have you ever tried macadamia or another nut instead in a cheesecake type recipe with good results? Btw, love your recipes! 🙂
The perfect summer dessert! Can’t wait to try 🙂
Hi Sherry,
I make a lot of vegan recipes and they often say you can substitute macadamias for cashews because they’re both creamy and soft. For some recipes, you can sub pine nuts but I’m not sure if they would work in this recipe.
I made this key lime “cheesecake” yesterday. It was incredible! That was the first time I’ve used cashews in place of cream cheese. It was much easier to make and I liked it way better than normal cheesecake! Plus, it didn’t cause any digestive trouble. Rather than putting this in a pie pan, I pressed the (delicious) crust into small mason jars to make individual servings. I love eating pie that way. Thanks for the great recipe!
I can’t eat coconut. Could I just use an extra cup of pecans in place of the coconut?
That should work just fine 🙂
Very good…but I think maybe I needed to process the filling longer as it wasn’t as smooth as yours looks.
Great flavour and two thumbs up from my husband.
Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed! Depending on your blender or processor it might take more or less time. My vitamix is the fastest 🙂
I made this for our Father’s Day dinner. Everyone loved it! I loved that it could be done ahead of time. Easy peasy.
So happy to hear you loved it!
Is the nutritional info by serving?
Made this and it was fantastic! Perfect balance of sweet/tart.
My mom used to have the biggest sweet tooth of anyone I’ve ever known. A couple of years ago, due to health reasons, she found she cannot have refined sugar, most grains, and can tolerate very limited dairy. I have made several of your desserts for her and they have all been awesome. Thank you for sharing so many great dessert recipes!
This was delicious!!! Even carnivores agreed!
Happy you all enjoyed it!
This cheesecake is oh so good. I’ve made it twice now. I usually turn to a chocolate when I want a treat but this was a refreshing treat. I’ve made a a crust with both walnuts and pecans and love both. Keep the awesome recipes coming, thank you!
Do you think it turns out strong in coconut flavor? Would subbing an avocado for part of the coconut cream work? I want to make a lime dessert for hubby’s bday but a lot of coconut flavor is a turn off for him. I appreciate any input!
Hello, this looks so good and as my family is trying to switch over to a healthier life style I’d love to try this. However, we can’t have nuts or peanuts. Is there a way to make this without nuts….a substitute, yet still healthy? Thank You!
Super delicious! Not sure if my filling was just a little runny due to my coconut cream (Goya) not being totally solid (even though I refrigerated it beforehand!), but it was a little less firm than the pictures!
I’m so excited to try this! Can I use raw cashew butter? And if so, how much?
It’s delicious! Wouldn’t change a thing about it. Thank you Michele for another great dessert.
Just made this key lime tart and I am amazed at the taste! My family and friends cannot believe there is no diary in this recipe. You are a genius! I have made several of your recipes since starting paleo and they have not disappointed. Thanks for doing all the hard work in developing these recipes. Top notch!
I made this and it’s refreshingly delicious. I think the ratio of base and filling could be a little more base heavy but thanks so much for this recipe
Are the nutrition facts for the entire pie or one slice? Looks delicious, can’t wait to try!!
This recipe was disappointing. Didn’t set at all even after 16hrs in fridge. I think Australian coconut cream is different to American. Either that or the measurements are off in terms of American cup sizes and Australian measurements. Maybe grams would be more useful? I’m going to try and freeze it in the hope it firms 🙁
So yummy! I made this yesterday for our Memorial Day socail distancing bbq and it was a huge success. My 2.5 year old daughter LOVED it which was definitely a pleasant surprise, she even wanted it again for an afternoon snack today. Definitely a winning recipe in my book, thank you!!
Thanks so much for this recipe, I just made it for the first time. It’s truly amazing that these ingredients can come together for such a tasty treat.
Mine is in the freezer now I but I already took a bite and it was YUM! How amazing such a healthy recipe can taste so good- thank you!
This was so delicious! My whole family loved it and even my five year old said, “This is delightful!”
Hi there! We follow SCD – would honey work instead of maple syrup? Would I need to adjust the amounts? Thank you!
So good. Besides being a dessert I can eat for breakfast (!) with No guilt, the Yum factor is 10. I look forward to my next version with Meyer lemons!
This is the best of both worlds – it’s key lime pie, in cheesecake form, and it’s vegan! And oh so delicious.
I made this cheesecake for a day by the pool with my parents. It was so refreshing as an after-swim treat! Because my mom can’t have maple syrup, I had to make a few small adjustments:
For the crust I replaced the maple syrup with a few dates and because of that it was quite crumbly, so I added 2-3 tbsp of coconut oil to help it stick and set.
For the filling I replaced the maple syrup with a non-nutrative sugar replacer (mix of stevia and xylitol and so on).
It came out absolutely perfect. Superb recipe! Definitely going to try out other vegan recipes on here.