Raspberry Lemonade Pie {Vegan & Paleo}
This Raspberry Lemonade Pie is delightfully sweet and tart. And best of all.. Pretty in pink! 🙂 No food coloring needed. 100% naturally colored with fruit! (Free from gluten, dairy, eggs & refined sugar. Vegan & Paleo)
Dye-Free Colorful Deserts
For all my pink loving friends, this is for you. I love making colorful desserts, especially for my daughter’s birthday parties. But I don’t love using artificial food coloring. (You can read more about why here <–I’ve learned a lot from that website. Good stuff especially for real-food beginners!)
So.. sans the gross artificial dyes, I am absolutely thrilled to be able to color desserts 100% with fruit! (See below for how!)
You can use as little or as much as you want to achieve the color you want. More fruit = more vibrant color!
And more delicious raspberry flavor. Sweet and tart. Light and refreshing. To me, it tastes like sunshine and rainbows, lol. It reminds me of pink lemonade but has a distinct raspberry flavor. Delicious.
Delicious without gluten, dairy or sugar!
Natural, wholesome ingredients can create spectacular taste! The no-bake coconut flour crust tastes like a light pound cake and the whipped coconut cream + coconut oil filling taste like a creamy mousse. Yummm.
Fresh lemon juice & zest adds a terrific tartness that is balanced by a touch of maple syrup and the richness of the cream. Add as much zest as you like (I like a to use a lot!) It really compliments the raspberry flavor.
Top it off with lots of pretty fresh raspberries. I only wish I had used more because the texture of the berries with the creamy mousse was so perfect.
If you love raspberries, too, check out my Raspberry Cheesecake! I LOVE raspberries, don’t you?
The secret to vibrant color without food coloring…
Freeze-Dried Fruit
The beautiful pink color comes from freeze dried raspberries! These are not JUST *dried* berries, they are *freeze* dried. So there is zero moisture left. They are very light and crispy in texture as opposed to chewy like dried fruit.
How to Use Freeze-Dried Fruit as Food Coloring
- Pour the entire contents of a bag (typically about 1 ounce) into a small blender.
- I used my little Ninja personal size blender. A smaller blender works better to blend small quantities. If you use a large blender, you may need to scrape down the sides a few times to get it all blended.
- *never add any liquids and make sure your blender is completely dry before using)
- Blend into a fine powder consistency. This takes about 20-30 seconds with a good quality blender. It may take a little longer depending on the power of your blender.
- That’s it! Quick & easy!
Where to find freeze dried fruit:
You can find freeze dried raspberries at Target, Sprouts, Whole Foods, Trader Joes and many health food stores. Even Aldi carries freeze dried fruit now. You can use any fruit you like– strawberries, blueberries or blackberries would all go well with lemon. And the colors are gorgeous!
EASY, No-Bake Dessert
Besides the delicious taste, you’ll LOVE how easy it is to make. NO baking, no cooking of any kind!
Mix the crust and press it into a pan. Chill to set. (no need to bake it!)
Mix the filling and spread on the crust. Chill until firm and you’re ready to enjoy!
Pretty in Pink
This pink pie is perfect for Valentine’s Day! If you have a heart shaped pan, that would be even more perfect.
For more pretty pink desserts, check out my Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes, Hot Pink Pie, Cookies with Strawberry Whipped Cream, Neapolitan Cheesecake,
Click the image below to save this recipe on Pinterest:
Raspberry Lemonade Pie (Paleo & Vegan)
Ingredients
Crust
- 1/3 coconut flour
- 1/4 cup + 1 Tbs water
- 1 Tbs maple syrup
- 2 Tbs coconut oil - melted
Cream
- 1 can coconut milk - refrigerated overnight
- 3 Tbs maple syrup
- 3/4 cup freeze dried raspberries
- 2 Tbs coconut oil - melted and warm
- lemon zest - from 1 lemon
- 3 Tbs lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
To make the crust:
- Stir together all ingredients in a small bowl.
- Press into a 7" pie plate.
To make the cream:
- Blend freeze dried raspberries into powder using a small blender.
- Scoop out solid cream from a can of coconut milk into a large mixing bowl.
- Add in the raspberry powder, syrup, zest, lemon juice and vanilla and whip with hand mixer. (Using a blender or food processor is not recommended because it changes the texture.)
- Pour in melted coconut oil last and stir briefly to incorporate (Do not overmix or it could clump together)
- Pour cream over crust. Decorate with berries and extra zest.
- Chill for 1 hour or until set. Enjoy!
Notes
To store: Keep refrigerated. The color will deepen slightly over time. Should last about a week in the fridge.
28 Comments
Christina
Can we swap out the freeze-dried raspberries for fresh?
Emily
I wouldn’t recommend it. That would add a lot of juice to the pie and make it liquidy, and it may not set up. But you could try leaving out the freeze dried and just adding them on top. 🙂
Marlene Maag
Hello, would it be possible to substitute honey for the maple syrup? Would the measurements be the same? I’m super excited to make this.
Emily
Yes it should be an easy swap! 🙂 hope you enjoy it
Star
My can was mostly solid but with some liquid. Do you not add the liquid?
Emily
Correct, cream only, no liquid. Save that for a smoothie 🙂
Star
That’s what I thought, thank you!
Susan Ishihara
how large a can of coconut milk?
Emily
13.7 oz can, which gives about 1 cup of cream. You can also buy cans of just the cream (8oz)
Cheryl Harrell
Hi Emily,
I plan to make this pie for easter. I have a can of coconut cream, not milk, do I refridgerate it or was that so it would solidfy since it was milk? Also how much of the cream do I use, it is a 13.5 oz can from Trader Joes. 🙂
Emily
I would still refrigerate it since the cans of cream tend to still have a little bit of water in them.
Use 1 cup of cream. It’s flexible, though. A little more or little less is ok.
Keep in mind this makes a small (~ 7”) pie, so if you have a standard size pie plate, double the recipe 🙂
Hope you enjoy!
Kim DiRaffaele
Does it taste like coconut?
Emily
It doesn’t to me, but I love coconut. Thai Brand coconut milk doesn’t have a coconutty flavor like some other brands 🙂
You can use refined coconut oil if you don’t want any coconut flavor.
Brandi
Hi I’m newly dairy free and I’d love to make this pie for Easter. Is the 3/4 cup freeze dried raspberries before they are all ground up?? I was planning to double this so I just want to make sure I have enough raspberries:) thank you for this yummy recipe
Emily
Hi Brandi! If I remember correctly, yes! But it works with pretty much any amount. It’s flexible 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
Stephanie Gosselin
Hi! I went to three stores in my city to find freeze dried rasberries with no luck. The closest substitue I could find was baobab fruit powder. So my question is, once the rasberries and blended, how much powder does it produce, so I know how much baobab powder to include. Thank you!
Emily
On no, sorry you couldn’t find them. Do you live near a Target, Sprouts, Kroger or Whole Foods? Most grocery stores carry them now with the snacks & nuts. Amazon has them too.
But you can use a different fruit, too! I believe it’s about 1/3 cup after blending. You can use a little more or less if you need to. It’s flexible 🙂 Adjust to taste. Hope you enjoy!
Faiza
Hi, is it okay if I opt to bake the crust for 10-12 mins instead?
Emily
I think that may make it too dry and crumbly since it’s formulated to be no-bake.
If you want a baked crust, try this one: https://prettypies.com/secret-ingredient-chocolate-silk-pie/
Hope that helps 🙂
Faiza
Thanks for the reply 🙂 Can I opt for freeze dried raspberry powder instead of in whole form? If so, how much?
P.S I think I like dry and crumblyish,
Emily
Yes you sure can 🙂 By weight it’s 1.2 oz of powder. Let me see if I can find the volume measurement.
Emily
I would try 2-3Tbs. You can always add more or less to your liking 🙂 It’s flexible. Hope you enjoy!
Faiza
thanks so much 🙂 Do you have a coconut flour/arrowroot flour crust recipe that I can adapt and bake for this recipe base?
Emily
I’m sorry I don’t. I’m not a fan of baking with coconut flour. I do have several baked almond flour crusts if that would work for you
Faiza
Last question, can I sub coconut oil for EV olive oil instead? (im nearly out of coconut oil)
Emily
I’m sorry, that won’t work. Coconut oil solidified when chilled, so that’s what holds it together. Another option is palm shortening or a mix of 1/2 coconut butter 1/2 coconut milk.
Linda Blahut
Hello there,
I couldn’t find raspberries, but found strawberries instead. I prefer raspberries and was wondering if I could substitute raspberry juice from some thawed frozen raspberries for the vanilla. What do you think Emily?
Linda
Emily
That might be good! I’m not sure if it would add a ton of raspberry flavor, but I think it would add a little 🙂 Let me know if you try it