Prepare to meet your new favorite dessert: Coconut Ginger Key Lime Pie Bars. Imagine a traditional key lime pie, but with a buttery crust made with spicy gingersnaps and tropical coconut—a perfect foil for the creamy, tangy filling.
I remember the first time I tried a piece of Ettore’s famous key lime pie in Sacramento. It should come as no surprise that I immediately fell in love. I couldn’t resist: a crumbly, salty-sweet graham cracker crust filled with a pleasantly mouth-puckering custard with a creamy texture that made me weak in the knees.
While I never got the original recipe, the flavor stuck with me. So, way back in middle school, I set out to recreate that dreamy experience—these not-too-sweet bars are the result. The creamy filling is bursting with the tartness of key limes, but achieves the perfect balance thanks to sugary condensed milk. Best of all, it’s made with just 2 ingredients (and no cream cheese)!
But the crust and topping is what really sets these bad boys apart. Rather than reaching for regular ol’ graham crackers, I opted to use gingersnaps for a bit of heat. To improve the crumbliness, rolled oats and shredded coconut are added to the mix. And, because I love coconut, I use unrefined coconut oil in addition to butter. They are, in a word, superb.
Jump to:
- Why These Are The Best Key Lime Pie Bars Around
- Ingredients & Substitutions
- How To Make Eggless Key Lime Pie Bars
- Optional Variations & Dietary Adaptations
- Expert Tips
- Serving Suggestions
- Storage Instructions
- FAQs
- More Classic American Dessert Recipes With A Twist
- Ginger Coconut Key Lime Bars (Vegan & Gluten-Free Options!)
- 💬 Reviews
Why These Are The Best Key Lime Pie Bars Around
- Inclusive Recipe - Whether you’re on the hunt for a vegan or gluten-free key lime pie recipe (or both!), I’ve got you covered with easy swaps. Better yet, this recipe is designed to feed a crowd! I usually cut it into 36 squares so there is plenty to share.
- Tropical Twist - These lip-puckering key lime squares taste like classic key lime pie, but with a hint of spicy ginger and creamy coconut. Delightful!
- Quick & Easy - You only need 12 simple ingredients and about 15 minutes of active time to get them in the oven. Honestly, the hardest part is giving them enough time to cool and set up. ⏱️👀
Ingredients & Substitutions
You only need simple ingredients to make these tart key lime squares, most of which are probably already in your pantry:
- Key Lime Juice - While fresh key lime juice has a better flavor than bottled (plus comes with the added benefit of key lime zest), Nellie & Joe’s Famous Key West Lime Juice is about as good as it gets.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk - This yummy, syrupy canned dairy is always in my pantry—it’s perfect for adding to coffee and making all kinds of treats like rice pudding, dulce de leche, and super speedy no-cook ice cream. Here it is mixed with key lime juice for the simplest 2-ingredient pie filling around!
- Gingersnaps - I love the spicy flavor of ginger against the tart lime. If you can get your hands on them, Trader Joe’s triple ginger cookies are the best! You're also welcome to swap in graham crackers or Biscoff cookies if you like if you like.
- Rolled Oats - Using oats in the crust makes it extra crumbly and delicious, plus adds a little hit of fiber. In a pinch, you can swap in quick oats, but the texture won’t be quite as lovely.
- Granulated Sugar & Brown Sugar - Using both varieties ensures a perfectly caramelly crust. You’re welcome to swap in less-refined varieties like organic cane sugar for the white and grated piloncillo or jagger for the brown.
- All-Purpose Flour & Baking Powder - Self-rising flour can be used in place of both.
- Salt - If possible, opt for fine sea salt or kosher salt instead of iodized table salt, which has a bitter undertone.
- Sweetened Flaked Coconut - Coconut adds both texture and another layer of tropical flavor.
- Butter & Unrefined Coconut Oil - You’re welcome to use all butter if you prefer, but the unrefined coconut oil enhances the coconut flavor we’re after.
How To Make Eggless Key Lime Pie Bars
Step 1: Prep. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9 x 13 pan and set aside.
Step 2: Make Filling. Combine condensed milk and lime juice in a bowl, stirring until well combined. A whisk or electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment will help make short work of this step, but you can achieve the same result using a spoon and some patience.
Step 3: Make Crust Mixture. Put the gingersnaps in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade. Process (pulsing) until only fine crumbs remain. Add oats and process for about 10 seconds, breaking the oats into smaller pieces. Add remaining dry ingredients and pulse till combined. With the blade of the processor running, drizzle in melted butter. Process until well combined.
Step 4: Press-In Crust. Using about ⅔ of the crumb/crust mixture, create a crust by pressing firmly into prepared pan. Try to keep the cookie layer level for even filling.
Step 5: Pour Filling over base, using an offset spatula, rubber spatula or back of a spoon to spread it evenly.
Step 6: Add Crumble Topping. Using remaining crumb/crust mixture, top the filling layer.
Step 7: Bake, Cool, & Enjoy! Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes, until golden brown and set. Let pan cool on a wire rack, then refrigerate for about an hour. Use a sharp knife to slice into pieces and dig in!
Optional Variations & Dietary Adaptations
- Gluten-Free Key Lime Bars -To make these treats celiac-friendly, simply substitute your favorite 1-to-1 gluten free flour blend for the AP flour and ensure your oats are certified GF.
- Dairy-Free/Vegan Key Lime Bars - Feel free to use either store-bought or homemade vegan condensed milk and plant-based butter to make them suitable for your vegan pals.
- More Traditional - Feel free to trade out the gingersnaps and make a classic graham cracker crust. You may also omit the coconut shreds and opt to use only butter, depending on how you feel about coconut.
Expert Tips
- Tidier Twist. These condensed milk key lime pie bars are a bit messy, and serving them straight from the pan is much like serving a real pie—the first piece is often the most difficult to get out! If you want to avoid this, you can make a parchment sling before pressing in the crust.
- PSA: Food processor blades are sharp! I forgot and earned myself a thumb bandage.
- Large Crumbles. To get this (or any other) crumble topping to have some big crumble pieces, I like to smash it in my hands by making a fist.
- Patience is a Virtue! If you're like me and love to relish in cookies warm from the oven, do not succumb to this urge. The key lime filling needs time to set up, and the beautiful crumb base won't achieve proper shortbread consistency if you act too quickly. So, WAIT for the best results. Let your 9 x 13 cool to room temp, and then refrigerate it for at least an hour before cutting into perfectly tart little dessert bars.
Serving Suggestions
These sweet bars are perfect just as they are, though you’re welcome to gussy them up with a dollop of homemade whipped cream. As for when to serve them, try:
- Summer Cookouts - These delicious key lime pie bars are a welcome addition to any potluck, and are the perfect palate cleanser after a plate of BBQ.
- Christmas Cookie Platters - Since not everyone is a fan of chocolate, I generally make these coconut key lime pie bars for Christmas. They’re the perfect foil for more traditional favorites like my oat flour chocolate chip cookies and chocolate peanut butter rice krispie treats.
- Bake Sales - Everytime I’ve made these bad boys for a fundraiser, they’re among the first things to sell out!
Storage Instructions
- These key lime ginger bars will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature.
- For a longer shelf life, you can refrigerate them for up to a week, or freeze for up to 3 months.
- To serve after freezing, allow to defrost in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight. You can also speed up the thawing process by letting them sit out at room temperature for about 30 minutes to an hour.
FAQs
Key limes are a specific variety of limes that are native to the Florida Keys. They have a distinctive floral quality to them. While you could ostensibly use regular limes (a.k.a. Persian limes) to make these key lime bars, the flavor would likely be a bit less complex. In addition, key limes are more tart and astringent than their conventional counterparts, making them a perfect match for über-sweet condensed milk. If you can’t find them fresh, Nellie & Joe’s bottled key lime juice is what I always use!
Yes! They can be frozen for up to 3 months. Just make sure to wrap them well with several layers of plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn.
While both of these delicious things prominently feature citrus, that’s about where the similarities end. Lemon curd is traditionally made with lemon juice, eggs, butter, and sugar. It's typically sweeter than key lime pie filling and is most often used for spreading on pastries, sandwiching between cookies, folding into whipped cream, or using in no-bake icebox desserts. Key lime pie filling, on the other hand, is usually either made with condensed milk (or sometimes cream cheese), may or may not include eggs, and is most often baked in the crust. I wouldn’t recommend using them interchangeably.
It all depends on the recipe. This particular recipe for coconut lime bars can easily be made gluten free by using gluten-free cookies or graham crackers and GF flour. The key lime pie filling is also celiac-friendly, as it’s made with just key lime juice and sweetened condensed milk.
More Classic American Dessert Recipes With A Twist
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Ginger Coconut Key Lime Bars (Vegan & Gluten-Free Options!)
Ingredients
Filling
- 1 C Key Lime Juice
- 2 cans Sweetened Condensed Milk use homemade vegan condensed milk if preferred
Crust/Crumble
- 10 oz Gingersnaps
- 1 C Rolled Oats
- ½ C Sugar
- ½ C Brown Sugar packed
- 1 ½ C AP Flour substitute 1-to-1 gluten free flour if preferred
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¾ C Sweetened Flaked Coconut
- ½ C Butter (1 stick) melted. Sub vegan butter if preferred.
- ¼ C Unrefined Coconut Oil melted with the butter.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9 x 13 pan and set aside.
- Combine condensed milk and lime juice in a bowl, stirring until well combined. Note: a whisk will help, but you can achieve the same result using a spoon and some patience.
- Put the gingersnaps in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade. Process (pulsing) until only small crumbs remain. Add oats and process for about 10 seconds, breaking the oats into smaller pieces. Add remaining dry ingredients and pulse till combined. With the blade of the processor running, drizzle in melted butter and coconut oil. Process until well combined.
- Using about ⅔ of the crumb/crust mixture, create a cookie base by pressing firmly into prepared pan. Try to keep the cookie layer level for even filling.
- Pour filling over base, using an offset spatula, rubber spatula or back of a spoon to spread it evenly.
- Using remaining crumb/crust mixture, top the filling layer. NOTE: To create larger crumbs, simply squeeze mixture in your fist.
- Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes, until golden brown and set. Let pan cool on a wire rack, then refrigerate for about an hour. Slice into pieces and ENJOY!
Notes
- To make these bars gluten free, simply substitute 1-to-1 gluten free flour and GF cookies, and make and rolled oats are certified gluten-free.
- Allow to chill completely before refrigerating, then be sure to refrigerate for at least an hour for best slices
- Bars will keep in an air tight container for up to 3 days at room temperature, up to a week in the refrigerator, or 3 months in the freezer.
Nutrition
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