These Easy Keto Key Lime Pie Cups are the best keto dessert recipe EVER! Tart and sweet and incredibly easy, these sugar-free Key Lime Pie Cups are sure to be a family favourite! Delicious granola layered with key lime pudding and filled to the brine with sweet whipped cream! Made with lime juice, these gluten-free “Key lime” pie cups taste just as authentic as the real deal — plus they are much easier to make!
I love “no-bake” easy keto dessert recipes, especially during the hot summer months where just the idea of turning on my oven makes me cringe!
This sugar-free key lime pie recipe is a combination of my 5-Minute Skillet Granola as well as my Sugar-free Whipped Cream, layered with perfectly creamy, not too tart or too sweet key lime filling.
And the best thing about this recipe is that it only takes minutes to make, can be made ahead of time and can be made in individual servings (like my Easy Keto Strawberry Shortcake) or in a larger serving bowl!
KETO PIE CUP INGREDIENTS
As I mentioned already, this recipe is really a combination of a couple of my other recipes.
Keto Vanilla Pudding – To keep this recipe uber simple, I used a package of Simply Delish Vanilla Pudding mix. This is my favourite pre-mixed pudding – it is Ketogenic certified, contains no artificial colours or flavours and is also plant-based and vegan. If you are in a pinch, you could use Kraft Sugar-Free Jello but just know that it contains cornstarch and maltodextrin which can cause blood sugar spikes. If you can’t find Delish Pudding or you want to make your pudding from scratch, follow my Keto Lemon Pudding and replace the lemon juice with lime juice!
Almond milk – Almond milk is used to make the Key Lime pudding mixture. If you make my lemon pudding recipe, omit this ingredient and follow the lemon pudding recipe instead.
Cream cheese – You only need a little cream cheese to help firm the pudding and give it some texture. Don’t really like the taste of cream cheese? Don’t worry! The cream cheese flavour does not come through so all you really taste is lime.
Key lime juice – Again, to keep this recipe simple, I used key lime juice instead of squeezing my own key limes. I really like Nellie and Joe’s Key Lime juice that you can find in nearly every store or even at Sam’s Club. If you can’t find this brand, you can use regular limes instead and just take the extra time to squeeze the limes to make your own lime juice.
Heavy cream – In order to make homemade whipped cream, simply combine heavy cream with a powdered sweetener such as allulose or Swerve. Make sure that when you are trying to whip heavy cream that the cream is VERY cold. I typically place my bowl and my beaters in the freezer for about 30 minutes to ensure that I get the best “whip” from my heavy cream!
Powdered sweetener – You can use either allulose or Swerve in this recipe. You do not want to add an erythritol-based sweetener as it may crystallize as it cools.
Keto granola – I used my 5-Minute Skillet Granola for this recipe but you could also make this Nut and Dairy-free Keto Granola instead. You can also use any store-bought granola such as NuTrails Keto Granola or Kiss My Keto Granola.
See recipe card for quantities.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR KETO PIE CUPS
Prepare the granola – If you are making your own granola, simply place the butter (or coconut oil) and liquid sweetener (such as sugar-free maple syrup or tapioca fiber syrup) in a saucepan and heat it on medium-high heat. Once heated, add in all remaining ingredients and stir constantly for about 4-5 minutes or until the coconut just begins to brown. Spread the mixture on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and press it down firmly. Allow it to cool to room temperature (about 30 minutes). See my 5-Minute Skillet Granola recipe for the ingredients as well as the instructions.
For even crunchier granola, omit the liquid sweetener and add 1 additional tablespoon of sweetener instead.
Make the sugar-free key lime pie filling – Beat 1 packet into 1 ¼ cups of almond milk using handheld or electric beater for 2 min. Add the softened cream cheese and beat again for 1 minute. Place in the fridge to firm slightly for about 5 minutes.
Make the Whipped Cream – Whip together the heavy cream and sweetener in a cold bowl for about 1-2 minutes or until stiff peaks form.
Assemble the Key Lime Pie Cups – Depending on your serving size, add 1-2 tablespoon of granola to each 4 or 6 glass cups or 6-4 oz mason jars. Add about ¼ cup of the key lime pie pudding mixture. Repeat the layers one more time. Top each cup with whipped cream topping.
Hint: The granola can be made several weeks ahead of time. If you want to make these easy keto key lime pie cups a day ahead, make sure you use my Keto Stabilized Whipped Cream recipe instead.
SUGAR-FREE KEY LIME PIE SUBSTITUTIONS
Although I have only made this recipe as instructed in the recipe card, I believe the following substitutions will work.
- Almond Milk – instead of almond milk, you can use coconut milk or any other type of plant-based milk.
- Pudding mix – Use your favourite keto pudding mix or make my lemon pudding recipe and replace the lemon juice with lime juice.
- Granola – Use any type of keto, gluten-free or sugar-free cereal, crushed candied nuts or plain toasted coconut flakes.
If you don’t want to make this recipe sugar-free, use regular Jello pudding mix and any type of granola.
VARIATIONS
This recipe can be varied in a number of ways.
- Serving – Although I made these in individually portioned cups, you can use a single bowl instead. You can also double or triple this recipe to create a Keto Key Lime Truffle!
- Spiff it up – Add some crushed pistachios on top, other berries like raspberries or blueberries or even some sugar-free white chocolate chips
- Kid-friendly – Use a little less lime juice for a sweeter key lime pie or change the ratio of whipped cream, granola and key lime pie filling to suit your tastes.
See this Easy Keto Strawberry Shortcake recipe on my website for a different twist on a mason jar keto dessert!
TIPS FOR THESE EASY KETO KEY LIME PIE CUPS
If for whatever reason your pudding does not end up as firm as you would like it, don’t panic! Simply bring another 2 ounces of cream cheese to room temperature and whisk it into the pudding. Return it to the fridge for about 30 minutes.
Also, for the best whipped topping, make sure that you use REALLY cold heavy cream as it will create the fluffiest whipped cream topping.
STORAGE
Although you can store these easy keto key lime pie cups in the fridge for up to 3 days, the granola loses its crunch and the whipped cream will lose its stiff peaks after about 1 day.
I have not tried freezing this sugar-free key lime pie but I do think that you should be able to without it affecting the flavour.
TOP TIP
To make this easy keto dessert, plan ahead slightly! You can easily make the keto granola at least a week or more ahead of time. Then, you can easily make the pudding the day before or in the morning.
This means that the time to assemble the keto pie cups will be only about 5 minutes!
Recipe: EASY KETO KEY LIME PIE CUPS
- Total time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 6-4 oz servings
These Easy Keto Key Lime Pie Cups are the best keto dessert recipe EVER! Tart and sweet and incredibly easy, these sugar-free Key Lime Pie Cups are sure to be a family favourite! Delicious granola layered with key lime pudding and filled to the brine with sweet whipped cream! Made with lime juice, these gluten-free “Key lime” pie cups taste just as authentic as the real deal — plus they are much easier to make!
Ingredients
- 1.7 oz Simply Delish Keto Vanilla Pudding (or other sugar-free brand)
- 1 ¼ cup almond milk
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup key lime juice
- 1 cup heavy cream, cold
- ¼ cup powdered sweetener (I use allulose)
- 1 cup keto granola
Instructions
- Beat 1 packet of pudding mix into the almond milk using a handheld or electric beater for 2 min. Add the cream cheese and lime juice and beat for about 30 seconds. Place the bowl in the fridge for at least 5 minutes or until it firms.
- Prepare the whipped cream by whipping together the heavy cream and powdered sweetener on low for 1 minute and then increase the speed to high and whip until stiff peaks form.
- Take 4-6 serving dishes and add about 2 tablespoon of granola, followed by 2 tablespoon of key lime pudding. Repeat layering and then add a final layer of whipped cream. Repeat for all serving dishes.
- Serve immediately or place the key lime pie cups in the fridge for up to 8 hours before serving.
Notes
You can buy keto granola or omi it and just serve the key lime pudding with whipped cream
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6 servings
- Calories: 240
- Sugar: 2
- Fat: 20
- Carbohydrates: 8
- Fiber: 6
- Protein: 5
Food Safety
Since these easy keto lime pie cups are a plant-based keto dessert, you should follow the following food safety guidelines.
- Keep the pudding refrigerated at all times
- Do not leave milk-based products sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Pay close attention when making the keto granola as coconut burns VERY quickly and easily
