I don’t care how much of a follower it makes me, I am SO on the avocado bandwagon. I won’t be naming my firstborn child ‘Avocado’ or anything, but I am a really big fan of this creamy fruit (! it’s one of those sneaky fruits that is often more of a culinary vegetable – kinda like tomatoes). I’ve been craving key lime pie for quite a while, but I felt like it was time to branch out from only using raw cashews. Avocado was the perfect ingredient to help out with these key lime tarts and lend a lovely green color. And thus my mini avocado key lime tarts were born, with a coconut graham cracker crust to bring everything together.
The piece de resistance of these avocado key lime tarts is the coconut graham cracker crust. It was seriously hard to resist eating it with a spoon right out of the food processor. To keep this recipe totally unprocessed and whole foods-based, you can also use your favorite date- and nut-based crust. But I think graham cracker crust is one of those things that’s worth it!
In other avocado news, I successfully found food to eat in Atlantic City this weekend! We were staying at Revel, and they had a little Mexican joint inside the resort called Distrito Cantina. I had some guacamole, of course, as well as some black bean tacos that were quite delicious! And considering how expensive everything is in AC, $6 for a Corona (also vegan) with lime was, *in comparison*, a pretty good deal. For dinner, Relish Cafe: red pizza (hold the mozzarella) and a house salad. Not the best, but enough food to fuel a night at the penny slots. For breakfast: Luke’s Kitchen, for coffee and a plain bagel. In between meals, I snacked on a giant bag of Snapea Crisps that I brought along.
So is Atlantic City a vegan haven that I would recommend as a food destination? Absolutely not! Are there some things that vegans can eat there? Yes! To be honest with you, that’s good enough for me. It’s vacation, after all, and I’m not willing to spend it being stressed out. We had a great time and I actually had some pretty fantastic luck on the slots, multiplying my admittedly meager initial spendings several times over! We will definitely be going back someday.
Vegan Avocado Key Lime Tarts with Coconut Graham Cracker Crust
Ingredients
For the coconut graham cracker crust:
- 1 sleeve of graham crackers (136 grams)
- 1/4 cup coconut butter (or use 2.5 tbsp coconut oil)
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp plain, unsweetened non-dairy milk
For the avocado key lime tart filling:
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1/2 cup raw cashews soaked overnight (or in hot water for at least 2 hours)
- 3 and 1/2 tbsp brown rice syrup
- 2 and 1/2 tbsp key lime juice (or regular lime juice)
- 1 tbsp key lime zest (see notes)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
- pinch sea salt
Instructions
For the coconut graham cracker crust:
- Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor until fully pulverized. The mixture should be crumbly but stick together if you press on it. If it doesn't stick, add a bit more nondairy milk until it does.
- Press the filling into two 5-inch tart pans and set in the freezer to cool.
For the avocado key lime tarts:
- Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor until completely smooth. Taste for sweetness and adjust if needed.
- Spread the mixture onto the prepared coconut graham cracker crusts, and return to the freezer for at least 2 hours.
- Slice and enjoy. Store leftovers in the freezer.
Notes
Nutrition
I'm Shannon, the writer and photographer of Yup, it's Vegan! I'm a morning person based in Baltimore, USA. My mission is to create healthy plant-based recipes that anyone would enjoy, using seasonal produce with inspiration from global flavors.
Deb says
Looks amazing! Can you suggest a substitute for the cashews?
Karissa @ Vegan À La Mode says
I am totally avocado addicted too!! I have a bunch of avocados from the Farmers Market that I am anxiously awaiting to ripen! This looks soo good, wish mine were ripe so I could make it right now 🙂
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thank you 🙂 waiting is the hardest part!
dederka @ plants on the plate says
arent we all on the avocado bandwagon? 😉
I think of giving these a try sometime soon; is it okay to replace the rice syrup with agave?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
I think at this point, most of us are, yes 🙂
Sure! Agave and rice syrup have a pretty similar consistency so that should work. Agave is a tiny bit sweeter so just give it a taste to make sure the sweetness level is to your liking.
Kate says
Looks delicious! I’m wondering if I could do coconut oil instead of coconut butter in the crust? I’m not a big fan of coconut butter, so I don’t keep it around. I suppose I could just use earth balance instead of the butter as well.
I’m wondering where you found your key limes? I found some at a Kroger in Chicago once, but never here in Michigan! Maybe Whole Foods would have them?
Great post–I’m going to try this soon!!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thank you! You could definitely use coconut oil instead, or probably Earth Balance. You might not need quite the whole 1/4 c. to bring it together. Any graham cracker crust recipe that you like should work great!
It’s weird because I’ve never once seen key limes at my local Whole Foods, or the Giant I usually shop at, but this Safeway I go to occasionally just happened to be selling big bags of them for $3. Just luck I guess! Regular limes should work fine though 🙂
Bailey and Mahaley says
Yum! I love the idea of using the avocado! Can’t wait to try these!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thanks! Let me know how it goes if you do!!
Laura @ the gluten-free treadmill says
The title of this recipe had me – sounds so good! I think this is my favorite so far!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thanks, Laura 🙂