Vegan lemon pie is a cool and creamy treat bursting with lemon flavor and just the right amount of sweetness. With no refined sugar, this no-bake pie is a sweet treat to enjoy on a warm day.
FINALLY!! It actually feels like Spring today! So to celebrate, I made this vegan lemon pie. Now before some of you turn your nose up, just know that this lemon pie is only vegan because it contains no eggs.
Traditional lemon pie is made with sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks and lemon juice. But I wanted to figure out a way to make this lemon pie both vegan and healthy.
So I set out on my pie making journey to figure out what ingredients would mimic traditional lemon pie, but in a much healthier way.
Secret ingredients in vegan lemon pie
Did you know that you can thicken some desserts with tofu? Hang in here with me. When blended, tofu creates a creamy and smooth texture that adds body to this vegan lemon pie. It’s totally flavorless, so you won’t even know it’s there.
I was honestly a bit skeptical at first too, but the more I looked at vegan pie recipes online, the more I noticed they were also using silken tofu. The silken part is key. If you buy firm or extra-firm tofu, your texture is going to be all off. We want silky pie, not lumpy pie.
Other secret ingredients in this pie {if you can get past the tofu}? Frozen bananas {for natural sweetness and thickener}, coconut cream {another thickener} and pure maple syrup {for natural sweetness and a rich, full bodied flavor}.
What is coconut cream?
Were you reading one of the secret ingredients and wondering what exactly is coconut cream?
Have you ever opened a can of coconut milk only to be met with some thick white cream that’s keeping you from the coconut milk? Usually you would just stir it into the liquid that sits below to create the creamy coconut milk you were looking for.
But today, we’re taking just the cream. The easiest way to do this is to flip a can of coconut milk upside down. Take the lid off and pour out the liquid. You can use this for smoothies if you’d like.
Scrape out the coconut cream that’s left over. You should get about a half cup from this. The flavor isn’t overly coconut-y, so it pairs perfectly with this vegan lemon pie.
Fastest vegan lemon pie around
If you’ve stayed this long {hopefully the tofu situation is in the past now}, then you only have about 3 more minutes until your pie filling comes together.
Because there were no egg yolks in this recipe {vegan friendly} the pie filling is going to look more white the lemony yellow. That’s okay. It’s still going to be super delicious.
I also topped my pie with these super tasty coconut chips by Bare. If you’ve never had toasted coconut chips you’re seriously missing out! They’re naturally sweetened and only contain three ingredients. I honestly love eating them as a sweet after dinner snack.
In just five minutes you’ve created a simple lemon pie filling that sits perfectly in this walnut pie crust I shared earlier this week. The combination of the salty pie crust with the sweet lemon pie filling is a match made in heaven.
- 1 {12 oz} package soft or silken tofu, drained*
- 1 cup frozen bananas
- 3 lemons, juiced and zested {about ½ cup}
- ½ cup coconut cream from 1 {13.5 oz} can coconut milk**
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 3 Tbsp. raw cane sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp. salt
- Coconut whipped cream for serving
- Toasted coconut chips for topping
- 1 prepared Walnut Pie Crust
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In the jar of a blender, add the tofu, bananas, lemon juice, zest, coconut cream, maple syrup, sugar, vanilla and salt.
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Blend on low until smooth.
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Make sure your pie crust is completely cooled {and sat overnight in the refrigerator}, and pour the lemon mixture into the chilled pie crust.
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Chill overnight to let the pie set completely. The center should no longer jiggle. Top with coconut whipped cream and toasted coconut chips to serve.
*Note: do not buy any form of firm tofu. The texture will not be the same.
**Note: flip your coconut milk can upside down and open. Pour off the liquid {you can reserve for smoothies} and scoop out the cream that is at the bottom. One can should yield about ½ cup.
***Note: this pie does not last for a long period of time in the fridge if you’ve used the walnut pie crust. The crust will soak up too much moisture. It’s best to eat the day after chilling.
