This vegan no-bake lime tart is inspired by the popular children’s ice cream “Blue Moon” but it’s 100% naturally colored without any additives or artificial ingredients! Instead of the waffle cone, this pie has a simple crispy cookie crust, making it an impressive no-fuss dessert that comes together quickly!
Blue Moon lime tart – 100% naturally colored!
This extraordinary blue lime tart with coconut and vanilla pleases both your taste buds and your eyes! It is colored with 100% natural blue spirulina powder and it looks as impressive as the popular children’s ice cream “Blue Moon”, which you may still know from your childhood! I always loved to eat this smurf-colored ice cream when I was a child, even though it’s actually just blue-colored vanilla ice cream.
Earlier, however, I did not know that just the vision of the blue color made the taste of vanilla ice cream appear so different. Neither did I know how bad artificial food colors with all their additives are. But we don’t have to forgo the great bright colors in our food, because it’s possible to color them with natural products!
Natural food coloring
There are many brands that offer organic plant-based superfood powders which are naturally intense in color. Since the fruit and vegetables need to get extracted to produce powders, most of them are very nutritious and are therefore considered as superfoods! So with a slice of this blue moon lime tart, you can even get some healthy vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants!
Blue spirulina powder
For the blue layer of this lime tart, I used blue spirulina powder. Actually, spirulina is a blue pigment from blue-green algae, which is also known for its abundance of B vitamins. Since it is almost tasteless, it is great to use as a 100% natural food coloring for no-bake tarts, pies, cakes, desserts, ice cream, smoothies, and much more. Who would have thought that algae could be so amazing?
In order to preserve the valuable nutrients of superfood powders, it’s best to use them only for no-bake recipes. That’s why I went for a vegan blue moon lime tart that doesn’t require baking. For the filling, I mix the spirulina powder separately with some liquid and then add it to the cooked agar a bit later. So you can avoid adding it directly to the boiling water.
Simple cookie pie crust and alternatives
I kept the crust of this blue moon lime tart very simple and made it just with vegan cookies. All you need to do is crush a few cookies into crumbles. Then mix the cookie crumbs with liquid vegan butter and press them into the tart pan. The whole process may take 10 minutes – at least if you don’t try it so perfectly like I usually do! 😀
However, if you don’t want to make this cookie crust, I have also other great alternative recipes for the tart crust:
- Oreo cookie crust
- Almond oat-crust (gluten-free)
- Classic shortcrust pastry
- Hazelnut shortcrust pastry
… Anyway, whatever crust you choose, make sure it is completely cool before adding the filling.
Use your favorite superfood color!
You can also get creative with the color selection for the filling! Instead of blue spirulina powder, you’re welcome to use another superfood powder of your choice. So you can transform this recipe into a pink, yellow, purple, red, or green lime tart! You can even mix the colors with each other and create your own color-mix. I really enjoy experimenting with colorful superfood powders.
Blueberries, Blackberries, Limes
I think that blueberries and blackberries are a beautiful and delicious topping for this blue lime tart! Of course, you can also use other fruits that you like. Kiwi, mango slices, passion fruit, pineapple, physalis, shredded coconut or other tropical fruits are also great. But if you would like to use raspberries or strawberries, I would rather make a pink or red layer, fitting to their color.
This no-bake vegan blue Moon lime tart is:
- Vegan (dairy-free, lactose-free, egg-free)
- Can be made gluten-free
- Naturally colored
- Easy to make
- Doesn’t require baking
- Made with blue spirulina
- Tastes like “Blue Moon” ice cream
- With vanilla and lime flavor
- Refreshing
- Perfect for spring and summer
- A great way to impress your guests!
More vegan no-bake tart or pie recipes to try:
- Raspberry Chocolate Tart
- Raw Coconut Raffaelo Cheesecake
- No-Bake Mango Cheesecake Pie
- No-Bake Blackberry Mousse Tart
- Vegan Vanilla Custard Tart
- Chocolate Mousse Pie
- Summer Fruit Cream Tart
- Vegan Chocolate Cream Pie
- Vegan Panna Cotta Tart with Jelly
- Coconut Rice Pudding Cake
- Blueberry Chia Pudding Cake
- Strawberry Ice Cream Pie
If you try this no-bake vegan blue moon lime tart, please leave a comment and rating on how you liked the recipe! And if you take a photo of your impressive dessert, please tag me on Instagram @biancazapatka and use the hashtag #biancazapatka, because I love to see your pictures! Have fun experimenting!
Vegan Blue Moon Lime Tart
Author:You do not have a fitting cake pan at hand right now? Try my Cake Pan Conversion Calculator!
Ingredients
Cookie crust
- 8,8 oz (250 g) vegan cookies * see notes
- 5,3 oz (150 g) vegan butter melted (or coconut oil)
Lime layer
- 1 ¼ cups (300 ml) coconut milk * see notes
- ¼ cup (60 ml) agave syrup or other syrup or sugar
- 2 limes freshly squeezed (approx. 80 ml) or lemon juice
- ¾ tsp agar * see notes
Blue layer
- 3-4 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp spirulina blue superfood powder
- 1 ⅓ (320 ml) cups coconut milk * see notes
- ¾ tsp agar * see notes
- ⅙ cup (40 ml) agave syrup or other syrup or sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract optional
To garnish (optional)
- ½ cup (75 g) blueberries
- ½ cup (75 g) blackberries
- limes
Instructions
- * See step by step pictures above!
Cookie Crust
- Place the cookies in a food processor and process them into fine crumbs. (Alternatively, put them in a freezer bag and crush them with a rolling pin).
- Transfer the cookie crumbs to a bowl. Add the melted vegan butter and mix to combine. Then press the mixture into a 9-inch tart pan (or another pan with removable bottom). Place it in the freezer for 15 minutes (or in the refrigerator for 30 minutes) so the crust solidifies.
- You could also pre-bake the crust (see notes below).
Lime layer
- Pour the coconut milk into a saucepan. Stir in the agar until it has completely dissolved. Bring to a boil and cook for 1-2 minutes (or according to the package instructions), stirring constantly.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the agave syrup (or sugar) and lime juice. Allow to cool briefly and pour onto the chilled crust. Place it in the refrigerator for about 1 hour until the top has set.
Blue layer
- Pour the water into a small cup and stir in the spirulina powder to dissolve. Set aside.
- Add the coconut milk to a saucepan. Stir in the agar until it has completely dissolved. Bring to a boil and cook for 1-2 minutes (or according to the package instructions), stirring constantly.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the agave syrup (or sugar), vanilla extract, and the spirulina water. Carefully, pour it on the lime layer, then place back in the fridge for another 2 hours, or until firm.
- Once the filling has set completely, carefully remove the tart by gently pressing against the removable bottom of your pan. Garnish with fresh blueberries, blackberries, and limes.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Cookies: Basically, you can use any (gluten-free) cookies or crunchy granola to make the crust. Alternatively, you can also use sandwich cookies to make an oreo crust. Or make a traditional shortcrust pastry, hazelnut pastry or this gluten-free almond date crust.
- Pre-baking: If you want the cookie crust to be crispier, you can bake it in a preheated oven at 356°F (180°C) for 5-6 minutes. Then allow to cool completely before adding the filling.
- Coconut milk: You can also use another rich non-dairy milk or cream or a creamy drink with flavor. If it is sweetened, I recommend using less syrup/sugar. It's best to taste it.
- Agar powder: Please make sure to use 100% pure agar powder, otherwise you will need more. You can find more information about agar in this post: no-bake mango cheesecake.
- The instruction time does not include chill time.
- For more information on this recipe, make sure to read the blog post above.
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Blue Moon is not vanilla flavored, it has other flavors it’s flavor profile. I was interested in this recipe until that statement.
Can you please send me the source of your information? 🙂
The recipe turned out beautifully! I am curious what variety of spirulina powder was used. I had options to purchase different color variations, and went with blue. It definitely looked more of a dusty blue vs turquoise as in the photo. Still very pretty though!
Glad it turned out beautiful! I used natural blue food coloring powder, however, you can also use blue spirulina oder blue butterfly pea powder! 🙂
How long does the pie last for at room temperature or in the fridge? Ty
I keeps 2-3 days in the fridge.
I love this recipe! It was my first time making a no-bake tart and it was so easy to complete. I did not follow the vegan recipe and instead used whipping cream, but it tasted good nonetheless. I also used lemon instead of lime. I have never heard of Blue Moon ice cream as I am from Southeast Asia, so I do not know how it should taste, but personally, I prefer a stronger citrus flavour so I added more lemon juice to the mix. Still tasted good in any case! I also used powdered blue pea flower – which is more local – for colouring but it was not dark enough so I added some blue colouring as well. All in all, I will definitely make it again. Great recipe and perfect centrepiece for parties as it looks soooo good.
Glad it turned out well! Thank you very much! 🙂