Perfect Vegan Pumpkin Pie

I’ve literally been working on this recipe for years. Probably around 20 – no joke. I’ve tried so many tricks and tips from others (using tofu, cooking your own squash, various egg replacers) and I was never satisfied. I wanted to make something easy that also tasted great and wasn’t too fussy (most people make this for the holidays though so some fuss is required!) and I think I’ve finally made a version that will please all pumpkin pie lovers. 

I found that most vegan recipes used cornstarch in them as the binder or thickener and every time I used it, I found the flavor to be somewhat off and the texture to be looser than I liked. I tried arrowroot, agar, and even garbanzo flour and what I found worked best for me was potato starch! It’s used as a binder in desserts and gravies and thickens without leaving an aftertaste. It can be bought in most natural and big box markets in the gluten-free baking section. Yes, it’s a specialty item purchase but you’ll find yourself using it for more recipes! You could use cornstarch of course or arrowroot in a pinch. I also found that adding a few tablespoons of a drippy nut butter was essential to a smooth delicious and firmer pie. I used almond butter but you could use cashew or a sunflower or other seed butter if allergic to nuts. Just don’t use any hardened nut butter. Needs to be a little loose and I prefer a natural variety which can be found in most grocery stores.

Let’s talk about pie crust. Some are very intimidated by making their own and I get that. For those people I suggest buying a pre-made pie crust at the supermarket. Many are vegan and some even gluten-free! For those wanting to make their own, I couldn’t improve on this amazing recipe for pie crust by J. Kenji López-Alt from his food blog Serious Eats. It’s so good made with vegan butter. You need to use a stick or block style vegan butter and not one from a tub as those contain more water and will not give the desired flakiness you want in the crust. There are many brands making stick style vegan butter so use your favorite or what you can find at your local grocer. This recipe is super easy too and rolls out like a dream without the dough shrinking back. He has a very special technique of making the dough so follow the directions and you’ll be fine. I prefer to weigh all the ingredients as opposed to dry measuring. You can buy inexpensive food scales online and they come in handy for so many things.

I decorated the top of my pie with festive cutout pastry pumpkins (say that 10X fast!) as the recipe I used (linked above) was for a double crust. You can use leaves or other festive fall shapes which can be bought at a lot of crafting stores or online. I baked these separately after brushing with vegan cream and sprinkling sanding sugar on top. I baked them at 350° for 10 minutes until they just started to brown. It’s a nice touch for a holiday gathering (and covers any cracks in the pie!) and everyone will ask how you did it! We got addicted to these little pastry pumpkins and couldn’t stop eating them. They’re so good!

Some tips for success:

• Chill your pastry dough well before adding your filling. Warm pastry dough will leak fat as it bakes so make sure to leave it in the fridge after rolling out into your pie dish for at least a half hour before filling and baking. If using a store-bought crust then you can even use it from frozen.
  
• Blend your filling using a food processor or blender. You can whisk it by hand but blending it well is essential.
  
• Make sure to bake until the sides of the filling start to shrink away somewhat from the crust and it does not jiggle when you move the pie dish. This will ensure it’s set.
  
• Cool your pie! Make sure to cool it completely before serving. I usually leave it overnight in the fridge.
  
• Make sure to use full fat coconut milk or canned coconut cream (there is a difference and coconut cream should be labeled as such in stores – Trader Joe’s sells it as well as other major retailers). I shake the can but there’s usually still a thicker layer at the top and around the rim so make sure to use that thicker coconut cream as you’re not using the whole can. In recent years, vegan heavy cream and vegan cans of evaporated oat or coconut milk have become more widely available and I’ve tried the recipe with vegan cream and it worked well. UPDATE: I tried Natures Charm evaporated oat milk in a can (it’s sold at Whole Foods and online at Amazon – check my storefront linked at the bottom of the recipe) and it worked perfectly. It’s a more expensive option than coconut cream or even vegan heavy cream so not sure it’s really necessary but it is the classic ingredient in most traditional pumpkin pie recipes. It’s an option if you can find it but like I said, I feel the other options work just as well.

What you’ll need:

• Canned pumpkin purée. This is unsweetened and not the canned pumpkin pie filling. I prefer Libby’s brand as it’s the most consistent in texture and flavor to me.
  
• Coconut cream, coconut milk or vegan heavy cream. Use a full fat coconut milk or coconut cream (it’s got more fat content) here or vegan heavy cream (brands like Silk, Country Crock, Trader Joe’s and Califia all make it). Vegan heavy cream is a great option if you’re allergic or don’t like coconut and canned evaporated oat or coconut milk works as well but is a more expensive option but that’s what’s used in most traditional pumpkin pie recipes.
  
• Potato starch. This is the main thickener in this pie. I find it has a cleaner flavor than cornstarch and as some are allergic to corn, this would work better for them as well. You could also use arrowroot but I haven’t tested that but it should work.
  
• Nut or seed butter. Since this pie has no eggs like a traditional pumpkin pie, we need to replace the fat that would normally be in the pie, so a nut butter works great. Needs to be loose and drippy variety (not the hardened residue at the bottom of the jar often in some natural varieties) and I prefer almond for the clean flavor but a seed butter like sunflower would work as well if you’re allergic.

I love pumpkin pie and this recipe has been a labor of love. I hope you enjoy it for years to come and I promise no one will know it’s vegan!

Perfect Vegan Pumpkin Pie

Recipe by Kreg

5.0 from 11 votes

Cuisine: Vegan dessert

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

50

minutes

This is a vegan pumpkin pie that’s perfect in every way!

Ingredients

• 1 store-bought or your own vegan pie crust (my favorite linked above)

• Pumpkin pie filling

• 15 oz canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

• 1 cup full fat – not lite canned coconut milk, coconut cream or vegan heavy cream

• 1 cup brown sugar (light or dark)

• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 3/4 teaspoon salt

• 2 tablespoons drippy nut butter (I used almond) or alternative seed butter

• 1/4 cup potato starch or cornstarch

Directions

• Prepare your pie crust and make sure it’s well chilled. If using a pre-made crust, you can even use it from frozen (my preference as it won’t brown as quickly). Preheat your oven to 350°.
• Add all of the filling ingredients to a blender or food processor and mix well until completely blended making sure to scrape down the sides at least once during mixing.
• Pour the mixture into the chilled crust and tap a few times on the counter to remove any small air bubbles. It should fill the crust up to the crimped edge line but don’t overfill. Depending on the size of your pie crust you could have a bit too much filling so resist the temptation to add it all and fill only to the top line near the crimped edge like I mentioned and if you have a bit of filling leftover, so be it. I like to place my pie on a parchment lined baking sheet to catch any possible drips (if you haven’t overfilled the shell, that shouldn’t be an issue but better safe than sorry) and make it easier to remove from the oven once baked. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until set and just starting to slightly pull away from the sides of the crust. The center should not jiggle when moving the pie dish from side to side. If your crust starts to brown too much before the pie is completely baked, you can use foil to wrap the edges so it doesn’t burn or use pie edge covers that you can find in some specialty houseware stores or online if you bake a lot. You may have a few small cracks in the top but that’s fine and easily covered with whipped cream when serving. That depends on your oven and the bake and can happen. Don’t worry, it will taste fine.
• Cool the pie completely then cover with plastic wrap or foil and chill for at least 3 hours or preferably overnight (I like an ice cold pumpkin pie personally). Chilling is essential to completely set the pie filling. I personally prefer eating an ice cold pumpkin pie but that’s a personal preference. Top with vegan whipped cream if desired before serving. When cutting, slice two pieces out first as it will make it easier to remove that first slice. Enjoy!

Recipe Video

Notes

• If you can’t find potato starch you can use cornstarch in its place but I preferred the clean taste of potato.
  
• Use your favorite nut butter (I like to use almond or cashew) or if nut-free or allergic, use a seed butter like sunflower.
• You can use a pumpkin spice blend in the same amount as the other spices but I prefer adding them separately. Cloves are essential to the flavor of this pie. Using fresh spices is important so check them yearly and replace if needed. They don’t last forever.
  
• Use an organic brown sugar to make sure it’s vegan but any dark or light variety will work.
• I’ve used coconut cream, vegan heavy whipping cream and vegan evaporated oat milk in a can all with success although I think the coconut cream option is still my favorite. For the heavy cream option you can find brands like Silk, Country Crock, Califia and even Trader Joe’s has a version in stores.

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