My Berry Forest

Creative plant-based recipes from the magical berry forest

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KEY LIME PIE CHIA PUDDING – VEGAN AND GLUTEN-FREE SWEET TREAT

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Key lime pie chia pudding_vegan and gluten-free sweet treat, myberryforest.comI’ve been dreaming of this pudding for a long time. It reminds me of summer, of all things fresh and bright, sweet and good. Originally I made a stripped-down version of this for my kids: an avocado and yogurt based chia pudding with a dash of sweetener. Kids loved it, and I sighed with relief as they didn’t notice the creamy avocado. Both my girl (5) and son (2,5) are at a stage now where they dislike (hmm hate would be a better word) avocado, so I’m sneaking it into smoothies and now into puddings as well 🙂 Cheers to the upcoming summer with key lime pie chia pudding! Definitely not a stripped-down version, this tastes like the real deal.

I’m really into raw(-ish) vegan treats right now, and this delicious “pie crust” is a great example of a tiny flavorful treat which can turn a pudding into a PIE. There are a lot of “pies in a jar” recipes, and I had to include a summer version on the blog too, to accompany my autumn Caramel apple pie smoothie (which I can’t wait to start making again in the autumn with fresh local apples). The ingredients for this key lime pie chia pudding are simple, pictured below. I’m often amazed by the beautiful natural colors of food, and as you can see, these basic ingredients turn into quite magical shades of green and mint.

Key lime pie chia pudding_vegan and gluten-free sweet treat, myberryforest.comThis pudding pie can be done in a few simple stages: first the pie crust, then whipped coconut cream and finally the pudding itself. You just need a good blender or food processor, a chilled coconut milk can for the whipped coconut cream, and some healthy plant-based ingredients, which I’m sure most of you already keep in the pantry/fridge anyway. While this key lime pie chia pudding could be categorized as a snack (or even as breakfast!), I wanted to include it in the SWEET category as an alternative to basic key lime pie. In my opinion, there’s nothing basic about these pretty green dessert pies in a jar 😉

Key lime pie chia pudding_vegan and gluten-free sweet treat, myberryforest.com

KEY LIME PIE CHIA PUDDING – VEGAN AND GLUTEN-FREE SWEET TREAT
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • [b]Pie “crust”[/b]
  • This pie crust recipe is enough for 4 key lime pie chia puddings (just freeze half of the crust for later)
  • 1/4 cup buckwheat groats (for Finnish readers: I use the brand Gogreen, tattarisuurimo)*SEE NOTES
  • 1/3 cup cashews*SEE NOTES
  • 6 pitted dates (if using medjool, 5 might be enough)
  • 2 heaped tsp almond butter
  • 1/8 tsp Ceylon cinnamon
  • Pinch of good quality salt (e.g.Himalayan)
  • [br]
  • [b]Whipped coconut cream[/b]
  • 1 can chilled coconut milk (scoop out the creamy part)*SEE NOTES
  • 1 tsp light agave nectar
  • 1/8 tsp Bourbon vanilla powder
  • Pinch of spirulina
  • [br]
  • [b]Key lime chia pudding[/b]
  • 1 ripe medium avocado
  • 1/2 cup plant-based yogurt or curd (I used half Alpro Go On natural curd and half Alpro creamy natural yogurt)
  • 3 heaped tbsp whipped coconut cream
  • 1,5 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1 tbsp lime juice
  • zest of 1/2 lime
  • 2 tsp light agave nectar
  • few basil leaves (I used all of the leaves in the pic)
  • 1/8 tsp (or adjust to taste) spirulina (+ drop of light agave nectar if needed)
  • Toppings: lime pieces and coconut flakes
Instructions
  1. [b]Pie crust:[/b] Blend all pie crust ingredients until the dough can be rolled into a ball.
  2. Roll into an even thin layer and put in the freezer for about 30 minutes.
  3. [b]Whipped coconut cream: [/b]Scoop out creamy stiff part from the coconut milk can and using a hand mixer blend cream with the sweetener and vanilla until fluffy. Add a pinch of spirulina with a spoon and swirl it to make a pretty minty color.
  4. [b]Key lime chia pudding:[/b] Blend all pudding ingredients well with a food processor or blender until smooth and creamy. Taste and add more sweetener or lime if needed.
  5. Divide the pudding in half, and put the first half in the fridge.
  6. Meanwhile, mix 1/8 tsp spirulina into the other half of the pudding. Taste and add more sweetener if needed. Put pudding into the fridge.
  7. [b]Assembling the key lime pie chia pudding: [/b]Prepare the pie crust first by cutting the crust into tiny squares. I used about 1/2 of the crust for 2 puddings.
  8. Take two small jars and start layering: 1.pie crust 2.pudding 3.pie crust 4.pudding 5.pie crust 6.coconut cream
  9. Add lime pieces and coconut flakes on top and ENJOY!
Notes
*OPTIONAL preparation (activation) of buckwheat groats and cashews to remove anti-nutrients and to make them more digestible: [br][br][br]24 hours: Soak buckwheats in warm water + 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar for 10-12 hours. After soaking drain and rinse groats (to remove the “slime”) and spread evenly on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Dry the grains in the oven at the lowest possible temperature overnight (10-12 hours) until the groats are completely dry and “crispy”. Keep the oven door slightly open with a wooden spoon or similar. You can also use a dehydrator.[br][br]16 hours: Soak cashews in warm water + 2 tsp sea salt (dissolved in water) for 4 hours. After soaking drain and rinse nuts and spread evenly on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Dry the nuts in the oven like the groats overnight or until cashews are completely dry. [br][br][br]For convenience it is good to soak a bigger amount of nuts and groats at a time (than required for the recipe). Just remember to add more acv and salt to the soaking water.[br][br][br]*Preparation of the whipped coconut cream: keep a coconut milk can in the fridge at least overnight to separate the creamy part from the watery part. Use only the creamy part for the whipped cream.

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

    • Tiinatuuli says

      Thank you Riikka 🙂 This really is a super delicious kid-friendly treat. And kids love the color too!! Lots of love <3

      Reply

  2. Natalie | Feasting on Fruit says

    Avocado!?! My mind had not gone there after seeing this emerald beauty on IG, you are a sneaky one! I am a massive key lime pie fan, but…um…i don’t know how to say this…key lime pie’s got nothing on these. They are cuter. They are two toned. They are healthier. And those little crust pieces are too fun! I would probably have to make extra of those because they are so perfectly bite-sized I’d be eating them the whole time 🙂 Very smart to use the yogurt too since it’s already meant to be tangy. Love, love, love <3

    Reply

    • Tiinatuuli says

      Thank you!! Yes I find these quite cute too 😉 And have to say I’ve been snacking on those little crust bites for a while now. The crust recipe is enough for four puddings (or even more) so I have plenty of bites in the freezer! And I’ve made this pudding a lot lately, such lovely summer-y taste. Hope you’re having a beautiful sunny day there 🙂 Love from (finally!) warm Finland <3

      Reply

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