If you love Key Lime Pie, you’ll love these fresh and creamy Key Lime Truffles. I love these as a summer picnic dessert and for beach picnics.
This Key Lime Truffle Recipe is a wonderfully easy, no-bake dessert for picnics and parties or a quick sweet snack. It’s also a no fridge required dessert and is a more portable take on Key Lime Pie than my Key Lime Pie Bars, so they make a wonderful sweet treat for kid’s picnics.
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A Healthy Key Lime Pie Truffle Recipe
This recipe is also a slightly healthier version than most Key Lime Pie Truffle recipes, but no less delicious. It’s also naturally gluten-free.
These creamy truffles are full of fresh and zesty summer flavors but don’t rely on Graham Cracker crumbs, heavy cream, chocolate, or butter. Cream cheese sets the creamy base, and crushed nuts and coconut add the texture.
Ingredients
See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements and notes.
Recipe Variations and Substitutions
- Sweetness and Tangyness: Adjust the sugar and lime to your preferred sweetness and tanginess.
- Coconut: You can substitute finely shredded coconut for desiccated coconut. However, shredded coconut may absorb less moisture, in which case you may need to add one or two more tablespoons of coconut. If you use shredded coconut, you can use a blender to achieve a finer texture.
- Walnuts: You can replace ground walnuts with almond flour. Almond flour absorbs more moisture than freshly ground nuts, so you may use less.
- Coating: For an extra luxe touch, drizzle a little melted dark or white chocolate over the truffles before the final chilling.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1: Grind walnuts in a food processor or grinder and set them aside.
Step 2: Mix the cream cheese with vanilla extract well.
Note: It will help to soften the cream cheese at room temperature before mixing it.
Step 3: Add the powdered sugar and mix again.
Step 4: Fold in the lime juice and lime zest.
Step 5: Add the desiccated coconut and ground walnuts and mix until well combined.
Refrigerate the mixture for one hour so the coconut can absorb the excess moisture.
Step 6: Once the mixture has chilled, it will remain moist, but you can roll the truffles. If you feel it is still too wet, add an extra tablespoon of coconut.
Roll the mixture into 16 evenly sized balls and coat each truffle with more coconut.
Step 7: The truffles are ready to eat, but, in my experience, they are better if refrigerated for another half hour after rolling.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can. The difference between normal limes and Key Limes is minimal. Key Limes are smaller, a little more tart, and more aromatic, but using normal limes will not change the recipe.
Yes. Truffles will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer. Store them in an airtight container or ziplock bag. You may want to partially freeze them on a tray before putting them in a freezer bag to prevent them from sticking together.
Expert Tips
- Room-Temperature Ingredients: Start with room-temperature cream cheese to ensure it blends smoothly with the other ingredients, giving the mix a smooth, silky texture.
- Texture Adjustment: As desiccated coconut and ground walnuts absorb differently, don’t be scared to be flexible with these dry ingredients. If the mixture feels too wet after chilling, don’t hesitate to adjust by adding a little more ground walnuts or coconut until you reach the desired consistency.
- Coating: Chilling the truffles before rolling them in the coconut coating firms up the truffle balls, prevents the coconut from clumping, and helps it adhere better to the surface.
- Storage: You can make these truffles in advance as they will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to five days.
Related Recipes
Did you try these Key Lime Truffles?
Please leave me a ⭐ rating below and let me know in the comments how you enjoyed them.
Key Lime Truffles
Ingredients
- ½ cup cream cheese - 4 oz
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons lime juice
- zest of one lime
- 1 cup desiccated or finely shredded coconut - ½ cup for the recipe and ½ cup for coating.
- 1 cup ground walnuts - about 1 ½ -2 cups of whole walnuts
Instructions
- Grind walnuts in a food processor or grinder and set them aside.
- Mix the cream cheese with vanilla extract well. Note: It will help to soften the cream cheese at room temperature before mixing it.
- Add the powdered sugar and mix again.
- Fold in the lime juice and lime zest.
- Add the desiccated coconut and ground walnuts and mix until well combined.Refrigerate the mixture for one hour so the coconut can absorb the excess moisture.
- Once the mixture has chilled, it will remain moist, but you can roll the truffles. If you feel it is still too wet, add an extra tablespoon of coconut.Roll the mixture into 16 evenly sized balls and coat each truffle with more coconut.
- The truffles are ready to eat, but, in my experience, they are better if refrigerated for another half hour after rolling.
Notes
Recipe Tips & Variations
- Sweetness and Tangyness: Adjust the sugar and lime to your preferred sweetness and tanginess.
- Coconut: You can substitute finely shredded coconut for desiccated coconut. However, shredded coconut may absorb less moisture, in which case you may need to add one or two more tablespoons of coconut. You can use a blender to achieve a finer texture if you use shredded coconut.
- Walnuts: You can replace ground walnuts with almond flour. Almond flour absorbs more moisture than freshly ground nuts, so you may use less.
- Add Chocolate: For an extra luxe touch, drizzle a little melted dark or white chocolate over the truffles before the final chilling.
- Texture Adjustment: As desiccated coconut and ground walnuts absorb differently, don’t be scared to be flexible with these dry ingredients. If the mixture feels too wet after chilling, don’t hesitate to adjust by adding a little more ground walnuts or coconut until you reach the desired consistency.
- Coating: Chilling the truffles before rolling them in the coconut coating firms up the truffle balls, prevents the coconut from clumping, and helps it adhere better to the surface.
- Storage: You can make these truffles in advance as they will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to five days.
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