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Looking for a vegan, no-bake dessert? These easy coconut lime bars are perfection!
I’m a big fan of chocolate desserts, but one I’ll almost always choose over chocolate is key lime pie. I like lime in general, especially when it’s paired with coconut.
If you look for vegan no-bake dessert bars, you’ll find a lot that is made of dates. I think dates are fine and do a good job of adding natural sweetness without a lot of sugar. But they’ve got dark, caramel undertones that aren’t suited to a tropical-flavored dessert in my opinion.
But I needed something kind of sticky to hold these together, and the answer was simple — dried pineapple. When blended with raw cashews, sunflower butter, and LOTS of lime juice, you get something that’s still sweet, a bit tart, but also kind of rich. It has a creamy, coconut “frosting” that makes it even more decadent. If you can’t find coconut cream, you can chill a can of coconut milk overnight and scoop out the cream.
One of the best things about this is that other than a tiny bit of maple syrup in the frosting, there is no added sugar. So you don’t have to feel bad about eating these when you have a sugar craving. But because it’s a raw dessert, you can taste and adjust as you go. Remember that you’re not baking these, so when you taste them, that’s what the finished product will taste like.
You’ll need to chill these or pop them in the freezer before cutting, and then it’s best to store them in the fridge to keep them from getting too soft.
No Bake Coconut Lime Bars
A simple vegan no bake dessert that will remind you of sunny days and tropical islands is perfect for a rainy day.
Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Baking dish
- Mixing bowls
Ingredients
Bars:
- 4 ounces unsweetened dried pineapple
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1/3 cup raw pepitas
- 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut divided, see note
- 1/4 cup sunflower butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Juice and zest of 3 limes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Frosting:
- 4 tablespoons coconut cream - see note
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- Juice of 1 lime
Instructions
- Put the pineapple in a bowl and cover with hot water. Let stand for 5 minutes and drain well.
- Transfer to a food processor bowl with the cashews, pepitas, 1/2 cup coconut and sunflower butter.
- Process until it comes together, and add the vanilla, limes, and salt.
- Line a square baking dish with parchment paper.
- Press the mixture into the dish.
- To make the frosting, whisk the coconut cream, maple syrup, and lime juice until smooth.
- Spread over top of the bars. Sprinkle remaining coconut on top.
- Chill for at least 1 hour before slicing into 9 bars.
- Store in the fridge.
Notes
Storing leftovers:
Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Ingredient notes:
If you can’t find a can of coconut cream, you can put a can of coconut milk in the fridge overnight. When you open it, the cream will be on top and you can scoop that out. There will still be liquid in the can that you can use for a smoothie later on.
For the shredded coconut, I toasted the half for topping in a 300-degree oven for 10 minutes, which is not technically “raw.” You can leave it untoasted if that’s a concern for you.
Sourcing:
I used this dried pineapple and this coconut cream.
Pairs well with:
Perpetual Vanilla Extract
Nutrition
Calories: 239kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 8gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gSodium: 267mgPotassium: 372mgFiber: 7gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 4IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 37mgIron: 4mg
Nutrition information is only an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. View full nutrition disclousre.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
