Keto key lime bars! Tangy, delicious, and creamy, these will remind you of the key lime pie of your childhood. Low carb and gluten-free, with an amazing almond flour shortbread crust. Less than 3g net carbs per serving! This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill.
I consider these key lime bars as proof that the keto diet is not one of deprivation. Really, people, when you are able to make something this tangy, this flavourful, this creamy and delicious, and eat it as part of your healthy diet, life is good. I’ve been doing this for quite some time now and it can still take even me by surprise. Aren’t we the lucky ones, to have discovered this little secret?
My dad was a serious key lime pie lover back in the day. When we would travel to Florida for Spring Break, he would order a slice at every opportunity. My birthday always fell during our all-to-brief stints in the Sarasota sunshine and I always picked the same place for my birthday dinner: Charlie’s Crab on St. Armand’s Circle. Even with birthday cake waiting at home for us, my dad would take a slice of key lime pie to go. I never thought much about it, as I was a chocolate lover and much preferred it to any sort of citrus-y dessert. I don’t think I ever tried the key lime pie while in Florida and I think that’s such a shame now. It was only later in life that I discovered the joy of the tangy light green pie.
I once tried making a key lime pie while in grad school and it was not very good. I am not sure what I did wrong but the filling was lumpy and gritty, and it just wouldn’t smooth out. I was bringing it to some event or other and I believe I spent much of my time apologizing for my contributions.
But believe me when I say that you won’t be apologizing to anyone for these keto key lime bars. They are divine! And even non keto dieters will agree. I pawned some off on my friend Emily and she declared them the best dessert I’ve ever made. Of course, she’s said that about a few of my other desserts so take it with a grain of salt. That doesn’t mean they aren’t as good as she says, it simply means that she loves dessert. She absolutely loved the almond flour shortbread crust and I have to agree, it’s pretty amazing. It’s made with Bob’s Red Mill almond flour, as always, and it truly tastes like a buttery, delicious shortbread cookie.
How To Make Low Carb Key Lime Bars
A couple of things to keep in mind about these bars:
- You need to make the sugar-free condensed milk in advance, which takes 30 minutes. You can make that well in advance and store it in the fridge for up to a week.
- I used cream cheese to help thicken the filling and give it a little more substance. I am not sure that it was absolutely necessary but it sure did taste great that way and it gave the filling an extra creamy richness.
- You shouldn’t need to add any other sweetener to the filling besides the condensed milk. However, if you like things sweeter and less tangy, then feel free to add a tablespoon or two of powdered Swerve or some stevia extract.
- Key limes are teeny tiny things and it takes quite a few of them to get enough juice. They are a pain to squeeze! So if you can find it, get the bottled variety from concentrate. I found key lime juice at Cost Plus World Market but it’s also available on Amazon.
- You don’t really need key limes at all, if you don’t care about being authentic. Regular lime juice and lime zest will suffice. It’s still going to be utterly delicious.
- I know someone will ask so yes…you can make this into a pie. You will need to use my low carb almond flour pie crust, and you may need a little more filling to fill it up properly.
Yes, it still hits me by surprise sometimes. The fact that we can so easily create sugar-free versions of beloved desserts like key lime bars, and have them taste so good and so much like the real thing, is just astonishing. Letting the memories of Florida vacations wash over me…
Check out these other delicious keto lime recipes!
Key Lime Bars
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust:
- 1 ¼ cups almond flour
- ⅓ cup Swerve Sweetener
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup butter melted
Key Lime Filling:
- 3 ounces cream cheese softened
- 2 teaspoon lime zest
- 4 egg yolks room temperature
- 1 cup sugar-free condensed milk
- 6 tablespoon key lime juice
Instructions
Shortbread Crust:
- Preheat the oven to 325F.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, and salt. Stir in the melted butter until the mixture begins to come together.
- Turn out the mixture into an 8x8 baking pan and press firmly into the bottom. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until just golden brown around the edges.
- Remove and let cool while preparing the filling.
Key Lime Filling:
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and lime zest until smooth. Beat in the egg yolks until well combined. Slowly beat in the condensed milk and lime juice until the mixture is smooth.
- Spread the filling over the crust and bake 18 to 20 minutes, watching carefully to make sure it doesn’t brown at all. Remove and let cool, then refrigerate at least one hour to firm up.
- Top with lightly sweetened whipped cream and lime slices
Many thanks to Bob’s Red Mill for partnering with me to bring you this recipe.
kim says
so good! a new favorite
Cathy says
I am dying to make these, they look wonderful, especially in our super hot environment. But, I’m on a tiny island in the Caribbean, and there is no sugar free condensed milk here. No one would ever understand why I might want that, Lol. Is there anything that could be substituted for that?
Carolyn says
You don’t purchase it… you make it! 🙂 The recipe is linked right in there.
Susan says
Carolyn, these are wonderful. I made them yesterday, tried them today, and my husband and I both enjoyed them. I used regular limes because that’s what I had. I wasn’t sure about keto baking after the last recipe I made (not from your blog), but now I understand that I have to choose recipes from the right blog… 🙂
Carolyn says
Glad to hear it, Susan!
Cheryl Popoutsis says
Can I use vegan cream cheese as my husband is lactose intolerant?
Carolyn says
Probably but I didn’t test them that way so I can’t guarantee it.
Lisa says
Those look amazing!
Barbara Benson says
These bars were absolutely great! I have already dropped off six bars (socially distanced -curbside) to three friends and three of my children as a pre Xmas treat! It may be my favorite dessert of yours!
Casey Forlong says
I’d love to give this recipe a go, but I have a nut allergy. Is there another option I could use instead of the almond flour? Or a recipe for another base that would work, perhaps?
Carolyn says
Sunflower seed flour.
Avneet B. says
Thanks for your quick reply! I’m new to Keto and I’ve tried many of your recipes! Next time I will use Boca Sweet. I was actually just eating a bar right now and they’re soooo good.
Carolyn says
Glad you still like them!
Avneet B says
This was wonderful bar but mine came out a bit grainy. I used powdered swerve in my condensed milk. My cream cheese wasn’t softened long enough, could that have been the issue? The flavour is amazing and overall they look great. Is the filling meant to be luscious and creamy? I will try again, these ones taste amazing though!
Carolyn says
So since you used only Swerve in your condensed milk, that will happen. Without another sweetener like BochaSweet, allulose, or xylitol, the erythritol will re-crystallize a bit.
Avneet B. says
Thanks for your quick reply! I’m knew you Keto and I’ve tried many of your recipients! Next time I will use Boca Sweet. I was actually just eating a bar right now and they’re soooo good.
Beth says
THE BEST KETO DESSERT I’ve made (and I’ve made a lot!) The only change I made was that I used regular limes for the key limes. I also used allulose for the sweetener. These were wonderful. I ended up packaging the individual bars (the 4 or 5 I didn’t eat from the recipe a couple days after baking it) in plastic and storing in the freezer. They’ll be wonderful frozen. The crust is on point and the lime filling is incredible. My husband isn’t a fan of a lot of the keto desserts I make but he loved these and couldn’t tell they were sugar free. Thank you for this amazing recipe!!! Your site is a gold mine!