An easy and delicious keto coconut key lime pie with coconut milk combines two great flavors. The custard filling tops a flaky almond and coconut flour crust. It's a great low-carb dessert that isn't overly sweet.
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This year, I made a new low-carb pie to share at a small holiday family gathering. Instead of the more traditional desserts, I wanted to change it up by offering something more tropical.
I also retested an old pie crust made with both almond flour and coconut flour. Using both keto-friendly flours results in a light and flaky texture.
This tangy coconut key lime pie is not comparable to a regular one made with condensed sweetened milk. It's also much different than my key lime pie with cream cheese which comes with a cream cheese based crust and filling.
You'll find this is more like a coconut custard pie with a lime twist! It's always a favorite at Easter along with ricotta cheese pie. The filling is also thicker and richer than my key lime cheesecake in jars.
Making the Almond and Coconut Flour Pie Crust
The recipe for the crust is an adaptation of a coconut flour one from the Bruce Fife Cookbook. I added some sweetener to since it's being used for a sweet pie.
The crust is made with a blend of melted butter, low-carb flours, eggs, sweetener, and salt. Although I pre-baked it first, that shouldn't be needed.
Baking the Coconut Key Lime Pie Filling
I used a blend of coconut milk and heavy cream in the filling. But if you'd like the pie to be dairy-free, coconut cream can be used in place of the cream.
The filling is not overly sweet. I used xanthan and guar gum to firm up the custard. Additional egg yolks might work as well.
The base ingredients are combined first in a food processor or blender. Then the dried shredded coconut is stirred in.
Once it's poured into the prepared crust, it's baked at 400°F until set. Because of the added xanthan gum, it should set after baking. The baking is needed to cook the egg yolks.
Cooks Tips
I prefer using a liquid monkfruit in the filling because a monkfruit and erythritol blend tends to crystallize. You can also use stevia liquid extract as well.
To prevent burning the edges of the pie crust, use a pie shield or some aluminum foil to cover it while baking. Although I pre-baked the crust, that should not be needed since the filling is being baked.
Recipe Variations
A meringue topping can be added as the coconut key lime pie filling with coconut milk is similar to what you'd get in a keto lemon meringue pie.
The custard can be topped with a stabilized whipped cream made with heavy cream or coconut cream after cooled. Or, try piping on mounds of key lime mousse!
Some toasted coconut would be an excellent addition to sprinkle on top.
Other Recipes To Try
Looking for more keto pies for holiday desserts? Take a look at some of these popular recipes:
- Sugar Free Chocolate Pie has a rich and creamy pudding filling topped with whipped cream.
- Keto Coconut Cream Pie is a decadent pie that is sure to impress all your guests.
- Sugar Free Pecan Pie has all the sweet taste you love without all the high carb sweetener.
- Keto Apple Pie is made with chayote squash but you'll never miss the real apples.
- Keto Peanut Butter Pie whips up quickly as there's no baking needed.
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📖 Recipe
Low Carb Coconut Key Lime Pie from Scratch
Video
Ingredients
Pie Shell:
- ¼ cup butter melted
- ½ cup almond flour
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup low carb sugar substitute or equivalent sweetener
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup coconut flour sifted
Filling:
- ¾ cup coconut milk
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon monk fruit liquid extract or ½ granular sweetener (see note)
- 2 teaspoons xanthan gum
- 1 teaspoon guar gum or additional xanthan gum
- 3 large egg yolks
- ½ cup Key West Lime Juice
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut optional
Instructions
Pie Shell:
- Melt butter in a medium microwavable bowl.
- Add almond flour, eggs, sweetener and salt. Mix well. Stir in sifted coconut flour.
- Knead dough with hands for about one minute, then shape dough into a ball.
- Roll out between wax paper to about ⅛ inch think and turn dough into 9 inch pie pan.
- Prick bottom and sides of crust with fork (if using for a no-bake filling). Place a pie shield or aluminum foil over the edges to prevent burning.
- There's no need to pre-bake the crust for a baked pie filling like this coconut key lime. For a no-bake filling, bake crust at 400°F for 10 minutes (if using for a no-bake filling).
Filling:
- Combine coconut milk, heavy cream, xanthan gum, guar gum and sweetener in a food processor or mixing bowl.
- Add egg yolks and lime juice. With food processor blade or electric mixer combine all ingredients until well blended. Stir in dried coconut if using.
- Spread filling into pie crust.
- Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes. If desired, the pie can be baked for up to 25 minutes if the center is too jiggly.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes before refrigerating. Just before serving, top with whipped cream.
Notes
Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart
Nutrition
Additional Info
Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Unauthorized use of this material without written permission from Lisa MarcAurele is strictly prohibited unless for personal offline purposes.
Single photos may be used, provided that full credit is given to LowCarbYum.com along with a link back to the original content.
Post updated on December 8, 2020 with new images and improved recipe. First published on April 25, 2011.
Lori Jayhan
If you use exthyritol in the crust does it get gritty as it's a lot in that part of recipe? I usually use swerve as a substitute. Asking because of your comment in the notes about the filling. I'm a diabetic so no sugar for me other than a substitute. Looks delicious
Lisa MarcAurele
The filling is what can get gritty. I haven't found that to be an issue with the crust.
Nancy
I love all the recipes, can’t wait to try!
Thank you!!!
Denise Siri
Your Pin says "Coconut Crust", but this has almond flour too. Many people who avoid nuts (I'm allergic to almonds) cannot use this recipe.
Lisa
That's an old pin that is difficult to completely delete. You can use this coconut flour crust instead.
Susan
Just happened onto your website today and WOW, it's fantastic! I am a type 2 diabetic and am limited to 30 to 45 Gm of carbs per meal, but the fewer carbs the better. Many so-called diabetic recipes are still what I would call carb-dense. Your recipes make for truly guilt-free eating. Thank you!
Lisa
You're very welcome Susan! I do believe that cutting way back on carbs is best for those with diabetes. My mom is a type 2 and my brother is a type 1.
Marie
Question - is the coconut milk, canned or from a carton?
When I added the Xanthan gum to the blender (which seemed like already too much in any recipe unless it’s bread), it got really thick (too thick) - a big glob. Sorry, as an experienced baker, I won’t be making this recipe again.
Lisa MarcAurele
Either should work in the recipe, but I used the kind in the carton.
Rebecca
For the filling, could I use all coconut milk and remove the cream? I'm trying to avoid dairy.
Lisa
It will be a bit thinner, but should be okay. I prefer subbing heavy cream with coconut cream instead which has more fat than the milk.
Brian
Hi, This was my first try at a low-carb desert. I didn't know what to expect but the filling was very gelatin-like and gritty but the crust was great! I used all ingredients as listed. My only difference was using a Ninja blender instead of a food processor. Any thoughts on if I did something wrong or is this just how it is? Thank you in advance for your thoughts.
Lisa
It may have been the Swerve as it can crystallize. I'd recommend using less Swerve and adding in a non erythritol sweetener like stevia.
Eliz
Hi, may I know the amount of nutrition facts on the this pie? It really looks great but I want to watch my macros as wellwell! 🙂
Lisa
Here's what I get from calorie count for 1/8 of the recipe: Nutrition per slice: 199 calories, 15.3g fat, 7.5g saturated fat, 125mg cholesterol, 162mg sodium, 11.8g carbs, 7.3g fiber, 4.5g net carbs, 0.9g sugar, 6.4g protein
Sandi M
Can this be used for a savory pie? I don't add the fake sugar anyway so I'm hoping I can use this crust to make a tortierre.
Lisa
Yes. This works as a savory crust. Just leave out the sweetener!
Elaine Markley
Can you double the crust recipe and use it for a double crust pie? I'm thinking mock apple using chayote squash. 😉
Lisa
Yes. You could certainly use this crust for a pie top and bottom by doubling.
Lisa
You can leave it out, it just helps with texture. It's best to eat just after processing because it will freeze hard. If frozen, you'll want to let it sit a bit to thaw before scooping.
Sandi M
I doubled mine but it was very hard to roll out even between the waxed paper. We ended up pressing the crust into the pie plate and on top on my tortierre filling. Should I have chilled my dough first?
Maria
This looks gorgeous! So much so that my taste buds are acting up ::sigh::.
Two questions. The 3 carbs, are they 'net'? The other question is: is the 3 carb count for a slice of the completed pie or for just the crust?
Thank you.
Lisa
The count is total carbs for the slice which does not include any erythritol sweetener.
Karen
I made a low carb strawberry pie using the recipe for your crust. It was delicious and I will definitely be using this recipe again.
Lisa
Thanks for trying. It's a favorite of mine. I sometimes add unsweetened shredded coconut.
Tally
Thank you for posting all your awesome recipes! Really helps in the search for yummy low carb dishes. I used your coco-flour crust recipe this weekend and it was a big hit! 🙂
Nami @ Just One Cookbook
Thank you for coming to my website Lisa! I love sweets and carb and your website is just meant for me. I'm just ignorant about what kind of products I can use/replace with to maintain low carb and sugar free. I'm looking forward to learn from you and I'm following you via Facebook. If you are interested in Japanese food, please come to my site and fan page. 🙂