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If you’ve never had shoofly pie, it’s basically a molasses forward pie with a thick crumb layer on top, all baked in a flaky pie crust. This Pennsylvania Dutch classic has a gooey molasses layer on the bottom and a buttery crumb topping that soaks up some of the filling as it bakes. If you’ve ever made a pudding cake, it’s similar in a sense where liquid is added with dry ingredients without being mixed together but it doesn’t create a sauce, it makes a thicker molasses layer at the bottom.

I first had shoofly pie when I was younger and have an adapted shoofly-style cake recipe I’d make often but added different spices (Vegan Gingerbread Crumb Cake) but when I was in Pennsylvania recently, I visited Dutch Haven in Ronks which makes their famous shoofly pie without eggs or dairy, and it got me interested again in finally figuring out my own vegan version.

After some testing, I settled on what I feel is a faithful version good enough to share. It’s completely vegan, naturally egg-free and uses pretty basic pantry ingredients. I should warn you though that shoofly pie can be a little divisive and can be a love it or hate it dessert. I had two neighbors test this and one absolutely loved it and called it perfection but the other said it just wasn’t for her and fair enough. If you’re not a fan of strong molasses or gingerbread flavors, this may not be the pie for you. But, if you like that deep, old-fashioned molasses flavor, you might just like it.

About Shoofly Pie

There are two main styles of shoofly pie, wet-bottom and dry-bottom. A wet-bottom pie, like this one, has a distinctly soft and gooey layer of molasses underneath the crumb topping, while a dry-bottom version is baked until the filling is more cake-like throughout. I prefer wet bottom but if bake the pie a little longer, it will be closer to a dry-bottom pie.

It’s associated with the Pennsylvania Dutch food traditions of southeastern Pennsylvania, including Amish, Mennonite and Moravian communities but its exact history like molasses itself, is a little murky.

The name is even harder to pin down. You’ve probably assume the name implies that the sweet molasses attracted flies that had to be shooed away but another theory connects the name to Shoo-fly Molasses, a brand that was popular in the region in the late 19th century. And interestingly, the traditional pie was generally made without eggs, so that makes an egg-free vegan version less of a modern invention than you might expect.

This pie is very easy to make especially made with a prepared pie crust. Aldi’s Belmont brand, Kroger’s store brand, Whole Foods Market 365 pre-rolled two crust pack and Marie Callender’s frozen crusts are all vegan-friendly. Always check refrigerated roll-out doughs as most contain butter or lard. Sweet Loren’s also makes a gluten-free option now. There’s only a few ingredients to this recipe and you can even mix the dry ingredients in a food processor or use a pastry blender like I did. After that, it’s just a matter of adding the wet to the dry in the pie shell and baking. So simple it’s great for novice bakers or kids.

Some Flavor Variations

Gingerbread Shoofly Pie

For a gingerbread-inspired version, add ½ teaspoon ground ginger and ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves to the existing 1 teaspoon cinnamon in the recipe. The molasses and brown sugar already give this pie a naturally gingerbread-like flavor.

Pumpkin Spice Shoofly Pie

For a fall version, substitute 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice for the cinnamon in the recipe. You still get the molasses flavor of classic shoofly pie, but with a warmer pumpkin-spice profile.

Chocolate Shoofly Pie

Chocolate and molasses make a surprisingly good combination. Add 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder to the crumb mixture and stir in ½ cup vegan chocolate chips before assembling the pie. Dutch Haven sold this version but couldn’t promise me the chocolate chips didn’t have dairy.

Pecan Shoofly Pie

For some crunch, add ½ cup chopped toasted pecans to the crumb mixture. The buttery pecans work particularly well with the dark molasses filling.

Frequently Asked Questions

It’s sweet, rich and strongly flavored with molasses. The crumb topping adds a buttery brown-sugar flavor, while the crust keeps it from becoming too heavy. If you love molasses, you’ll probably understand the appeal immediately. If you’re not a molasses fan, shoofly pie may not win you over.

I recommend unsulfured baking molasses, rather than blackstrap molasses. Blackstrap is much more intense and bitter and can overpower the other flavors. Unsulfured baking molasses gives you the deep molasses flavor you want without making the pie unnecessarily bitter.

Once cooled, I would refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container. Bring individual slices to room temperature or warm them slightly before serving if you prefer a softer, gooier filling.

It’s good either way, but I particularly like it slightly warm or at room temperature. Let the pie cool sufficiently after baking so the wet-bottom layer has time to set before slicing. It’s great with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream or vegan whipped cream.

Absolutely. That’s what makes this an easy pie to make. Use your favorite 9-inch vegan pie crust, homemade or store-bought.

If you’ve never had shoofly pie before, this is a fun one to try, especially if you’re a fan of molasses or gingerbread flavors. It’s definitely not a pie that tries to please everyone, but that’s part of the fun. You may fall in love with it, or you may be firmly on Team Shoo!

Try more of my pie recipes by clicking the links below!🥧

Vegan Wet-Bottom Shoofly Pie

Recipe by Kreg Sterns

5.0 from 1 vote

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Total time

minutes

This classic Pennsylvania Dutch recipe for shoofly pie has a gooey molasses layer, buttery brown-sugar crumbs, a flaky crust and is vegan without eggs or dairy!

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Ingredients

US Metric

1 cup 125 g all-purpose flour
1/3 cup 75 g brown sugar
3 tablespoons 3 tablespoons vegan butter (stick style is best)
1 teaspoon 1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 cup 120 ml unsulphured molasses (not blackstrap)
1/2 cup 120 ml boiling water
1/2 teaspoon 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350° and keep your pie crust frozen or chilled until you’re ready to fill it.
In a medium bowl or food processor, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, vegan butter, and salt. Mix using a pastry blender, two forks, or pulses in the food processor until fine crumbs form.
Boil the water (you can use a microwave, but watch it carefully so it doesn’t boil over), then add the baking soda (it will bubble). Add the molasses and stir until completely combined.
Place your pie dish on a rimmed baking sheet for easy transfer to the oven, as the filling is liquid. Sprinkle about a third of the crumb mixture onto the bottom of the crust, pour in the molasses mixture, and evenly scatter the remaining crumbs over the top, covering all the way to the edges.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes and start checking early, as times will vary depending on your oven (convection ovens tend to bake faster). The topping should be slightly puffed and light golden brown. To test doneness, stick a toothpick into the center; you want to see a little wet molasses sticking to it. Don’t let it bake too long unless you prefer a cakey, “dry-bottom” pie over a gooey one.
Cool completely before serving. Tip: Chilling the pie in the fridge first makes it much easier to slice cleanly.

Notes

Molasses: Use mild, dark, or unsulphured molasses (such as Grandma’s brand). Avoid blackstrap molasses, as it is overly bitter and pungent, which will overpower the sweet, rich flavor profile of shoofly pie.
Pie Crust Options:
Store-bought: standard store-bought frozen pie shells (like Wholly Wholesome or Marie Callender’s) are accidentally vegan. Keep them frozen until the moment you fill them so the fat layer stays firm.
Homemade: If using a scratch-made crust with vegetable shortening or vegan butter, blind baking is unnecessary, just keep it thoroughly chilled before assembling.
Vegan Butter: Stick-style vegan butter (such as Country Crock Plant Butter or Earth Balance sticks) contains less water content than tub spreads. Tub spreads can make the crumb topping oily instead of light and crumbly.
Serving Suggestion: Shoofly pie is traditionally enjoyed with a warm mug of coffee or try it topped with a dollop of dairy-free whipped cream, or vegan vanilla ice cream to balance the molasses flavor.