A low carb coconut key lime pie from scratch with a flaky gluten free coconut flour pie crust. This is a great sugar free pie that isn’t overly sweet. Perfect for the holidays.
This Easter, I made a low carb pie to share at the family gathering. There are a couple diabetics in my immediate family, but neither of them follow a low carb lifestyle.
Although I’ve always had a sweet tooth, I’ve avoided becoming diabetic like my mother and grandmother. I believe that the low carb way of life is one way to treat and prevent the disease.
For most of my life, I got by eating a very high carbohydrate diet. It’s only been the last ten years that I’ve gone to a higher fat low carb diet.
My mother and grandmother both became diabetic in middle age and I am hoping that by eating lower carb foods, I can avoid that happening to me.
However, my brother is a type 1 diabetic who was only twenty something when he got diagnosed.
This low carb coconut key lime pie from scratch is not comparable to a regular one made with condensed sweetened milk. But, it is a pretty good substitution for those who are staying away from sugar and white flour.
The pie crust is another adaptation of Bruce Fife’s recipes. I added some sweetener to Bruce’s basic recipe since I was using it in a sweet pie and not a savory one like quiche. The result is a fantastic coconut flour pie crust.
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 easiest way to combine filling ingredients for this low carb key lime pie is to process them together in a food processor. I suppose a blender or electric mixer would work just as well.
I used liquid Splenda since that adds no calories or carbs, but a stevia/erythritol blend could be substituted if you prefer using natural sweeteners. You can also use stevia or monk fruit drops as well.
Overall, this recipe for key lime pie from scratch was pretty tasty. However, I might try adding a meringue topping next time.
I thought the filling was very similar to what you’d get in a lemon meringue pie. So, a fluffy egg white topping may be in order.
Low Carb Coconut Key Lime Pie from Scratch Recipe
Low Carb Coconut Key Lime Pie from Scratch
Ingredients
Pie Shell:
- 1/4 cup butter melted
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup low carb sweetener or equivalent sweetener
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup coconut flour sifted
Filling:
- 3/4 cup coconut milk
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup low carb sweetener or equivalent sweetener
- 1/4 teaspoon stevia concentrated powder
- 2 teaspoons xanthan gum
- 1 teaspoon guar gum
- 3 Egg Yolks
- 1/2 cup Key West Lime Juice
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened dried coconut optional
Instructions
Pie Shell:
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Melt butter in a medium microwavable bowl.
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Add almond flour, eggs, Swerve and salt. Mix well. Stir in sifted coconut flour.
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Knead dough with hands for about one minute, then shape dough into a ball.
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Roll out between wax paper to about 1/8 inch think and turn dough into 9 inch pie pan.
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Prick bottom and sides of crust with fork.
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Bake crust at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes. Set aside.
Filling:
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Combine coconut milk, heavy cream, xanthan gum, guar gum and Swerve in a food processor.
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Add egg yolks and lime juice. Process all ingredients until well blended. Stir in dried coconut if using.
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Spread filling into pie crust.
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Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes.
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Allow to stand for 10 minutes before refrigerating. Just before serving, top with whipped cream.
Recipe Notes
You may sub the stevia with another 1/4 to 1/2 cup sweetener. Just be careful not to add too much erythritol as it may crystallize.
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Denise Siri says
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 says
That’s an old pin that is difficult to completely delete. You can use this coconut flour crust instead.
Susan says
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 says
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.
Rebecca says
For the filling, could I use all coconut milk and remove the cream? I’m trying to avoid dairy.
Lisa says
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 says
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 says
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 says
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 says
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 says
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 says
Yes. This works as a savory crust. Just leave out the sweetener!
Elaine Markley says
Can you double the crust recipe and use it for a double crust pie? I’m thinking mock apple using chayote squash. 😉
Lisa says
Yes. You could certainly use this crust for a pie top and bottom by doubling.
Lisa says
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 says
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 says
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 says
The count is total carbs for the slice which does not include any erythritol sweetener.
Karen says
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 says
Thanks for trying. It’s a favorite of mine. I sometimes add unsweetened shredded coconut.
Tally says
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 says
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. 🙂