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Key Lime Pie Parfaits

Mmmmm Florida…

key lime parfaits

Soft, sandy beaches.

Cool ocean breezes.

Sunshine. Sunshine. Sunshine…

key lime pudding

And key lime pie.

I often think I should move to Florida. Some of my happiest childhood memories are from visiting my grandparents’ home in West Palm Beach. On those vacations, we did everything you’d typically associate with Florida living: splashed in the pool, drank freshly-squeezed orange juice (from freshly-picked oranges!), played in the sand and baked in the sun, chased after the lizards that crawled up Grandma and Grandpa’s porch screen…

And ate key lime pie.

Actually, I never ate key lime pie in Florida. (Even as a little kid, I had zero interest in the non-chocolate desserts!) But any mention of key lime pie reminds me of a particular restaurant at which we often dined during our Floridian visits. The restaurant was famous for this pie, and therefore someone at our table almost always ordered it. (Me? I went for the chocolate mousse. Every time.)

I figured it’d be fun to create a key-lime-pie—themed dessert for St. Patrick’s Day this year, since my blog is lacking in the lemon & lime department. (There’s a reason it’s not called Citrus-Covered Katie…) I was originally going for a pudding; however the results were a bit thinner than traditional pudding, so I’m calling it Key Lime Cream:

key lime

Key Lime Pie Cream

(Good for St. Patrick’s Day!)

Categorized here: Pudding and Dip Recipes.

  • 2 cups milk of choice (for a richer result, try using canned coconut milk as some or all of your milk)
  • 1/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour (Anyone want to try a gf flour and tell me how it goes?)
  • 3 tablespoons evaporated cane juice (or regular sugar)
  • 2 nunatural stevia packets (or 2 more tablespoons sugar)
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup Mori-Nu silk-firm tofu (If you don’t like tofu, don’t worry… this is such a small amount that I promise you can’t taste it!)
  • 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 to 2 tsp pure lemon extract
  • 1/3 cup lime juice (key lime or regular lime)
  • for the green: I was brave and used a few handfuls of spinach… and it paid off! I couldn’t taste the spinach at all!! But if you’re not brave, you can use a few drops food coloring instead.

Blend the tofu with 1 T of the milk. (If you don’t have a blender, you can try soft tofu… but I haven’t personally tried it in this recipe. I used a Magic Bullet short cup as my blender.) In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients except extracts and optional spinach, and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Lower the heat and continue to cook until desired thickness is reached. Then remove from heat and add the vanilla and lemon extracts. Chill in the fridge. When it’s cold, blend everything with the spinach. (Once again, you can skip this blending step if you must… but the texture is better if you don’t. And if you want a thicker pudding, maybe add more tofu? Let me know how it goes if you do!)

See the following for: Calories + Nutrition Facts.

I know people will ask about substitutions: I can only vouch for the results if you follow the recipe, and I can’t tell you if a substitution will work, because I’ve only tried it as written. But please feel free to experiment with substitutions, and be sure to report back so others can read about your results!

key lime parfaits

If desired, serve in mini glasses with: S’mores Graham Crackers.

And pretend that you are in Florida.

Unless you’re lucky enough to actually be there!

florida pool

Question of the Day:

Have you ever been to Florida?

I went at least once a year when my grandparents lived in the sunshine state. We even decorated a palm tree one year with Christmas lights. I really miss those days…

Final note: winner of the $100 Shopping Spree Giveaway.

Published on March 12, 2012

Meet Katie

Chocolate Covered Katie is one of the top 25 food websites in America, and Katie has been 
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ABC's 5 O’Clock News. Her favorite food is chocolate, and she believes in eating dessert every single day.

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125 Comments

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      • furpurr says

        I am sure she saw that; she was just wanting to know if anyone else might have some ideas for her to try…which a few did indeed! 😎

    • jenni ingram says

      i’m wondering if cashew butter (raw cashews soaked and then ground up in the blender or store bought) might do for tofu. the soy thing is a frustration in our house, too.

    • RC @ Just Add Cayenne says

      You can use something like agar agar or gelatin to create a thickened mold and then blend according to directions. The result should be pretty similar since silken tofu has about the same texture as the gel from gelatin or agar agar. Good luck!

      • Ann says

        Another possible sub is the cream from full fat coconut milk that’s been chilled in the fridge. You can also add a little starch, such as arrowroot, to the cold mixture before cooking.

  1. PK says

    *waves Hi from Australia *

    Ah, Florida. We went to Orlando in late October (and did Halloween at both Magic Kingdom and Universal Studios/ Harry Potter World, and did NASA as well. Magic, just magic) 2010. No day under 90F, humidity always 80% or higher. It was hot and I had trouble breathing the wet air. It was just like a mid-summer’s day here. Hate the climate, but Orlando’s a pretty great place to visit.

    Next time we’re planning on January/February, and we’ll be seeing more of the state than just Orlando (we’re hoping to get a tour into the Everglades, too) – but we’re so hoping the days will be a little cooler and drier!

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      Ah Australia… another place I’ve always wanted to go!

      I’m not big on the Florida humidity either… but it sure is nice around Christmastime, when everywhere else is cold! Then again, I bet Australia is nice around Christmastime… lol see? I told you I want to go there! 😉

      • Tiph says

        I live (born & raised) in SWFL, and the humidity really isn’t all that bad — except in the very middle of the summer (Starting in the end of May… peaking in July/August and getting less as intense by Sept/Oct) — but that’s the time where you stay in the A/C or really take advantage of the pools/ocean. 🙂 Of course the weather can be unpredictable at any time of the year… as PK has attested.. but for the most part, it’s a warm, sunny tropical paradise!

        For example, the winter this year was unusually warm, but beautiful! (as in, I never completely lost my tan from the summer!!). We only maybe had a handful of “cold” days (upper 50’s/low 60’s), but otherwise we’ve had a good 5(+)mos of temps in anywhere from the mid-60’s to the upper-70’s… and lots & lots of glorious sunshine!

        Today was 76° with 62% humidity. Yes, I adore where I live! 🙂

  2. L. says

    Never been to Florida, but I’d love to go someday, just for Disneyworld alone! Yes, I am still a child at heart.
    And you are super adorable!

  3. Annabel says

    Ooh, I’ll be going to Florida for the first time in a couple weeks!
    Key lime parfaits sound “parfait” (‘perfect’ in French) for a hot Floridian day. 😀

  4. Alexandra says

    This makes me so happy! And what perfect timing because I am visiting my grandma in west palm beach Florida as we speak! On the beach reading your blog post and I squealed at the coincidence.

  5. Faith says

    I LOVE key lime pie! Of course, I grew up in the Florida Keys, so it would just be weird if I didn’t 🙂

    Just a quick note for the sake of authenticity, unlike regular limes, the inside of key limes is not green! It has a more greenish tint than lemons, but still isn’t really green. The rinds actually turn yellow when they are ripe! Some places add green food coloring to match peoples idea of what it should look like for the word “lime” in the name. But a true purist key lime pie would definitely not be green.

    That said, I’d probably add some green this month just for St. Patrick’s day 🙂

  6. Arielle says

    I also went to Florida when I was little because my grandma used to lived there, but I have barely any memories of it :-/ I would like to go again, if only to visit Harry Potter World 🙂

  7. Lauren says

    Those little parfaits are gorgeous. I adore your photography, Katie. Forget the cookbook, come out with a food photography book just of the pictures!

    No wait, I want a CCK cookbook too :).

  8. Samantha says

    Good morning!

    Congratulations to Trish…I just went to her site. Those are some fancy bundts! Wow. 🙂

    Cute photo of you in Florida, I have never been but it is a place I would love to visit. I think because I associate that state with hurricanes I can’t imagine living there. Not that I am loving the WA winter right now…

    This will be a good recipe for me to try since I have never had a key lime pie in my life. And also, I have this strange draw to lemon right now and lime is close enough as far as I am concerned.

    Have you been making your africards?

  9. Michelle says

    Funny I just made a raw key lime pie (with spinach this weekend) you cant taste it at all.
    This sounds great!!!

    I went to Florida once it was end of April and way too humid for me, went to Orlando and Ft. lauderdale I didn’t like it, weather and bugs…lol but I am a spoiled Southern Calfornia girl… But I know people love the Keys.. my brother is moving there this year…

  10. Bianca- Vegan Crunk says

    Pretty! I love that all the blogs are starting the green stuff today! I was never a huge fan of Florida. I’ve been to Pensacola a few times and to Orlando. Disney was cool, but beaches aren’t really my thing.

  11. Sally @ sallys baking addiction says

    i adore key lime pie, it reminds me of summer. 🙂 I recently came across a recipe for a key lime pie tart, but these look SO much easy and healthy to boot. it’s so warm where i am today, so a light parfait like this would be perfect. great recipe Katie!

  12. Emily @ Glitz Glam Granola says

    Ohh key lime pie definitely reminds me of Florida and specifically Key West! I’ve only been there once and I too, was more interested in chocolate but a family member ordered Key Lime stuff wherever we went! They would love this and I would too! Love the idea of the crumbled graham crackers! And those glasses are too cute!

  13. Sarah the official CCK drooler-we pick Rick says

    Oh boy, this looks major delish! My cousins live in Florida, so I go at least once a year. I do like it there, but I’d never want to live there! I am not a hot weather-with some hurricanes thrown in- type person. Nice for vacation though!

  14. Danielle says

    Lucky for me I don’t have to pretend, I live in Florida and not far from West Palm Beach.! Today is a beautiful day outside as well. To bad I’m at work and not by the pool or beach 🙁

  15. Anna Lynn says

    I was born and raised in SW Florida about 10 minutes from the beach and now live in Orlando for school! This Florida baby LOVES key lime pie. So. Much. My favorite thing to do when I go home is to spend a day on the boat and to come home and eat grilled shrimp and veggies and a big ole slice of key lime pie. Although dont be fooled, not all of florida is paradise! So excited to try this recipe!

  16. Meme says

    You read my mind! I just made frozen key lime pie the healthy way on the weekend! Hahaa. Interested on the recipe ? 🙂

      • Meme says

        FROZEN LIME TART

        Crust:

        8 (24 g) low calorie sugar free bisquits ( I used a brand called Semper, they´re swedish and make food for babies and kids, their products are organic, sugar free and mostly vegan. So my 8 bisquits had 100 calories overall. Animal bisquits wohooo!)

        1-2 tsp soy milk (you can use any other milk if you want to)

        Filling:

        3,5 tbsp plain (soy) yogurt

        zest of half a lime

        juice of half a lime

        dash of cinnamon

        dash of vanilla

        sweetener to taste ( I used erythritol but you could use Stevia etc.)

        1. Crush the bisquits

        2. Mix in the milk of choise. I used 2 tsp, the mixture should be moist-ish, so you can mold it to the tin.

        3. Press the crumbles to a mini pie- or tart tin tightly. I used baking sheet to help in this, otherwise the crumbles just stuck on my fingers haaha.

        4. In a bowl mix all the ingredients of the filling. I bashed the lime zest a bit to get the most of the flavour, but it´s not a must.

        5. Pour the filling on top of the crust and set the tart in the freezer. Let it freeze overnight.

        6. When you want to have the tart, take it off the freezer to melt for about 30 minutes. Then just enjoy!

  17. Anna @ The Guiltless Life says

    I spent a lot of my childhood in Florida too, or so it feels like! I’m from the Cayman Islands so Miami was our closest port of call in terms of ‘civilization’. We would go there for shopping weekends or up to Orlando and Tampa for holidays. Many fond memories! and many tacky pink flamingo magnets too :).

    LOVE key lime pie, so this recipe super excites me – love the green too, so vibrant!

  18. Mary @ Bites and Bliss says

    My mom LOVES Key Lime Pie! She actually fell in love with it in Florida when we took a trip to the Keys. Half of our family lives in Florida, so we’re there a lot.

    Thanks for this!

  19. J3nn (Jenn's Menu and Lifestyle Blog) says

    We were in FL back in November and I have been CRAVING it ever since! I’m not a fan of high temps + humidity, but FL in the 70s-80s is lovely.

    Love these pretty green key lime parfaits! So cute. 🙂

  20. Tanya @ Dine, Dash, and Deadlift says

    What a fun treat! I was actually just in Florida last week for a VERY quick trip. Drove down Monday to pick up a stray dog my sister had taken in. Stuck around and helped her out with her horses on Tuesday and drove back to VA with new puppy in tow on Wednesday. He is a super cute and sweet. Picture here: http://dinedashdeadlift.com/2012/03/08/the-key-to-good-health-owning-a-pet/ because I am a proud momma and love to show him off! 🙂

  21. Alaina says

    I’ve been to Florida many many times. My first time was when I was nine and went to Boynton Beach. My grandfather lives in Bradenton so spring spreaks were usually spent on the west coast. I haven’t been back in years so it would be fun to visit him again soon.

  22. Natalie says

    Sounds so yummy. But, I am lazy and also doing the low-carb thing. So, I am thinking of trying these flavors with chilled canned coconut milk. It will be thick, and I can skip the cooking step. Also a good solution for a soy allergy.

  23. Sami B. says

    Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!!!! This is one lactose intolerant girl who has missed key lime pie somethin’ FIERCE! And yes, sweet memories from FL…especially the keys

  24. Kerry says

    It’s fun to read the comments and your post about Florida. My husband and I moved here from Seattle (TOTAL CULTURE SHOCK!) two years ago and I am SO homesick. So I love hearing all the fond stories about Florida. It makes me appreciate what I have. You are always welcome to visit Boca Raton!

  25. Holly - InspirationBeauty says

    Key Lime Pie is not very popular or heard of in Ireland, not sure why!

    But last summer I spend a week in the Outer Banks in North Carolina and they had it in every restaurant! Still haven’t mustered up the courage to try it, I love citrus flavoured sweets but not sure if I’d like it in a pie?

    Thanks for the recipe all the same 🙂

  26. Allie says

    I live in West Palm Beach! All my life! Where do/ did you grandparents live/d? Key lime pie is a yummy staple, but I’m 100% it ain’t dessert unless it’s chocolate kind of girl 😀

  27. Amber K says

    I have never been to Florida or ever had key lime pie for that matter. I’m going to have to change both of those things someday!

  28. Steph says

    I’m sure the recipe tastes great, but you don’t need to add the green. Key limes are yellow. As a native of the Florida Keys, I find it annoying that many call recipes key lime, when they aren’t using key limes and they color it green or add a green lime for garnish.

  29. Kim @ Homesteader's Heart says

    This looks yummy. I will have to try the GF option and when I do I’ll try to come back and let you know how it went.
    And to answer the question of the day, I live in Florida and I LOVE it! I could be here the rest of my life and I’d be happy!

  30. Katie @ Nutrition in a peanut shell says

    Looks awesome! I love Key Lime Pie yogurt with graham crackers crushed on top 🙂

  31. Moni'sMeals says

    SO cute for St Pattys. I actually do not think I have ever had key lime pie?! I always want a chocolate dessert, ya know! Will have to try it and this recipe too.

    Only been to South Beach and it was great. 🙂

  32. Ann says

    Katie
    While I love chocolate, I really love citrus too. I will defiantly try this. I also like to make your cheesecake sauce into a lemon “pudding” by adding lemon juice (esp good with Meyer lemon), lemon drop stevia, no milk, and orange or lemon extract. Then I make it like you do with toppings.
    Another great flavor combo is chocolate with orange (can make the same base, or use coconut cream), using cacao/cocoa powder, orange extract and zest.
    One of my fav treats was always my moms orange rolls–cinnamon roll base but sub orange zest with sugar for cinnamon sugar in filling and frost with powder sugar/oj glaze. Now that I have to bake gf and vegan, I can only imagine eating these treats, but maybe, Katie, you could use this flavor combo to come up with some delish goodie. I’ve made it into an oven pancake but haven’t taken the time to be creative–in your hands I’m sure something fabulous would emerge…
    And I have been to florida, but I have only had the good fortune of drinking freshly picked orange juice when I went to visit my great aunt in az once as a kid when we visited them in their snowbird home.
    Thanks
    Ann

  33. healthkismet says

    My husband went on a military training exercise from Alberta to Key West and the only thing I wanted was anything key lime and he found a ton of goodies at Kermit’s…the pie he had air shipped home to me was worth every penny!!!

  34. Leah Yablong says

    I live in just south of West Palm Beach and a great place for key lime pie is The Old Key Lime House on Ocean Ave in Lantana. Not only is the key lime pie pretty dang good, but it’s Florida’s oldest waterfront restaurant and has a great atmosphere! (And killer brunch!)
    I’m not a Florida native so I still live in Florida like a tourist… sun bathing, pool, drinks at ocean-front bars, weekend farmers markets and outlet shopping. 🙂

  35. JoLynn-dreaminitvegan says

    Ooooh and Awwwwww! Looks so refreshing and springlike! My son loves keylime pie. Our local health food store makes a vegan keylime pie a couple of times every year so that’s when my son gets to enjoy. This would make him very happy!

  36. Justine Duppong @ Life With Cheeseburgers says

    Looks wonderful for the springtime! I’ve been getting into experimenting with cool, brightly-colored treats myself 🙂

  37. Sunnie says

    Your parfaits look great! My BFF is getting married in July on Captiva Island in Florida, so I’m super excited to go. We are also going to take the kids and do the Disney thing after the wedding. Can’t wait!

    PS: I bought a Cuisinart 12 cup food processor yesterday (after the demise of my Cuisinart mini) and I’m absolutely in love with it!

  38. robin plant says

    Yes I also have memories of visiting my Grandfather in Florida. He lived on the edge of the keys and the vines would grow so fast. We would mark them and come back later to see how much they had grown. It was amazing they would grow couple inches in a day.

  39. Connie says

    I was wondering if you’ve ever used Irish Moss or carageenan. I’ve seen it in some raw food recipes and know it acts as a thickener in recipes like puddings! It might work in this one. I’m not sure exactly how to use it, but bet you would create something fantastic with it! (It also is supposedly quite healthy!)

      • Anonymous says

        I LOVE this idea! And, speaking of thickeners, I was making vegan sour cream the other day and alas, discovered I was out of my silken tofu… so I used leftover steel-cut (Irish) oatmeal. It worked wonders! I have many vegan recipes that call for cooked millet, cornmeal, quinoa or oats as a base/thickener. Maybe one of these options would work for those who avoid soy or gluten? Another thing I like to do for creamy textures is use raw sunflower seeds… they are an amazing substitute for cream recipes that call for cashews.

  40. Anonymous says

    Katie I love your blog, you’re a dessert genius, I wanna make everything!! much love from Brooklyn NY!
    -Dana

  41. Stacy says

    I’ve been to Florida – St. Augustine to be exact. We want to go back someday…what a great place it is to spend your birthday if you have winter one like I do.

  42. Jen says

    What brand of Stevia do you use? I’ve tried a few but some of them are very bitter. I’m curious as to which one you use for cooking/baking?
    Thanks!

  43. Katie Henderson says

    Word to the wise… pay attention to the directions!! I blended mine while it was still hot because I didn’t read carefully… and it was a disaster. The bit left in the pot, however, set up beautifully.

  44. Tara Daze says

    Hi Katie,
    Really inspiring ideas!

    I LOVE key lime pie and haven’t made any version of it at all yet. I also haven’t yet made good friends with tofu, and although I do plan to, in the meantime I happened across a key lime recipe that uses avocados instead of tofu. I was wondering if that was something you would be interested in experimenting with and building into your recipes, to shake things up a bit?

    I’ll wait and see the verdict! (not a plug! Other recipe here: http://www.terawarner.com/blog/2012/03/eat-nude-food-shakayas-sublime-key-lime-mousse-recipe/)

  45. Tara says

    Ah, ohhhh yes, hopefully one day!
    Anyway, I LOVE Tofu, I mean I just haven’t made friends with preparing it for myself yet so… you’re the inspiration 🙂
    Thanks again for taking health power to the sweet side!

  46. Hungry Heather says

    Has anyone made this sugar-free? I didn’t see anything in the comments about that as I was scrolling through.

  47. Donna Trull says

    I just found your blog from Pinterest and I’m now following you. My problem is that I’m a traditional Southern down home cook. Butter, sugar, white flour. My husband and I have never had a weight problem till the last few years and now I’m trying to find healthier ways of cooking and eating. A totally foreign concept to me. I’m still learning about ingredients like Tofu. I’ve only tried it once at home and neither of us liked it. We both also LOVE sweets so I’m hoping your recipes will help us satisfy those cravings and lose weight at the same time. I’m starting with this recipe this week to see how we like it since Key Lime Pie is one of his favorites, anything with chocolate being mine. (Not telling hubby it has Tofu in it) shhhh….

  48. Hungry Heather says

    Mmm! I subbed the flour with cornstarch and used 5 packets of stevia total instead of the other sweeteners. The pudding tastes great!

    On the other hand, I totally botched the texture. At least I know exactly what I did wrong so that next time it won’t be runny! Hahaha…doesn’t it feel good to laugh at yourself?

  49. Maggie says

    Katie, what went wrong? I was so excited to make this lime dessert! I followed directions, it was a total flop:( never thickened, looked un attractive , I was so disappointed . I love your recipes

      • Maggie says

        Oh wow katie! I feel so dumb! I was going through the brands like you suggested and guess what? Oopsie, I forgot the flour!! I will definitely try this one more time over the weekend:). I did make your one crazy ingredient cake with cauliflower and it turned out great. Thank you for your quick response and you are awesome

  50. Cathy says

    Hi,
    Just wanted to let you know I am sharing your wonderful post in my 100 Something Green St. Patricks Day RoundUp http://wp.me/p466oG-11f with a link back to your original post plus pinned to my St. Patricks Day Board! Have a terrific weekend!
    Cathy from APeekIntoMyParadise.com

  51. Amy says

    I was wondering… do you think it would be possible to make a pie filling using key lime Greek yogurt and agar agar flakes?

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