How to Make Vegan Pumpkin Pie

THE CRUST:

  • Add all purpose flour, sugar and salt to the food processor and pulse to combine.

  • Now add coconut oil (must be solid, not melted) and pulse until the mixture is crumbly.

  • Add ice water and pulse it to combine. It should look like a dough now and if you break off a piece and roll it in your hands it should easily roll into a ball.

  • Remove the dough from the food processor, transfer to a floured surface and roll the dough into a big round ball.

  • Using a rolling pin roll out the dough from side to side into a large circle that is wider than your 9-inch pie dish.

  • Spray your pie dish with non-stick spray and then roll up the crust in your rolling pin (or just pick it up carefully) and carefully unroll it over the top of your pie dish. Carefully tuck the crust in along the edges of your pie dish.

  • Take a scissors and trim off any excess dough but make sure that there is a little overhang over the edges of the dish.

  • Place your pie crust into the fridge while you prepare your pie filling.

THE FILLING:

  • Add canned pumpkin, coconut milk, brown sugar, maple syrup, cornstarch, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract and salt to your blender and blend until smooth. If you don’t have a blender, then just add all ingredients to a mixing bowl and use a hand whisk to whisk it until smooth.

  • Pour this out over your pie crust and smooth down with the back of a spoon.

  • Place into the oven to bake for 60 minutes at 350°F.

  • Allow to cool on the counter until it reaches room temperature and then place into the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight until set.

  • Serve with vegan whipped cream.

RECIPE TIPS

THE PIE CRUST: The pie crust is made with coconut oil. The recipe is from our vegan pie crust recipe and works wonderfully as an easy, homemade option.

Alternatively, if you want to save time in this recipe, you can use a store-bought unbaked 9-inch pie crust.

TENTING WITH FOIL: We find it useful to tent the pie with foil after 40 minutes of baking and then place it back into the oven to bake for the final 20 minutes. This prevents the pie from over-browning. Sometimes the full 60 minutes baking time can result in some uneven browning on top of the pie and over-browning of the crust. If you have a pie crust shield then you can use that instead which will prevent the crust from over-browning. However, you may still have some uneven browning on top of your pie.

BROWNING: In these photos, we tented the pie with foil at the 40 minute mark. You can see that the browning is nice and even on top. Nonetheless, the pie when it first comes out of the oven is very dark in color, but it lightens as it cools.

In our video we didn’t tent the pie with foil and you’ll notice there is some uneven browning on top of the pie when it comes out of the oven. However, it also lightens up as it cools.

TIP: The best thing is to tent the pie with foil after 40 minutes of baking (or use a pie crust shield), or your pie crust may be over-browned.

HOW TO TENT WITH FOIL

Tenting with foil is to loosely cover the pie with foil in a tent like shape so that it doesn’t press down on the pie from the top. It prevents the pie and the crust from over-browning while allowing it to bake for the full 60 minutes, so that it bakes through and sets perfectly.

INGREDIENT TIPS AND SUBSTITUTIONS

Pumpkin Purée: The easiest option is to use canned pumpkin purée. It must be plain pumpkin purée and not pumpkin pie filling.

You can also use fresh homemade pumpkin purée. We have tested it with this recipe and it works perfectly. It’s just important that you make sure your pumpkin purée isn’t too wet. It must be similar in consistency to what you would get in a can. The best way to do this is to place peeled and chopped pumpkin onto a parchment lined baking tray. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes (no oil or spices) until soft and cooked. Let it cool and then add to the food processor and process into a purée. Let the purée stand in a strainer over a bowl and let any excess water drain off before using.

Coconut Milk: This must be canned, full fat, unsweetened coconut milk. It needs to be thick and creamy so that your pie will be the right consistency. There is no coconut flavor in the end result. If you switch this for a thinner non-dairy milk such as almond milk then your pie may be too thin and won’t set properly.

Brown Sugar: You can also use coconut sugar if you like. The sugar can also be slightly reduced if you prefer.

Maple Syrup: You can switch this with a different kind of syrup if you like. Or you can just replace it with extra brown sugar.

Cornstarch: This helps the pie to set so it is a crucial ingredient. You can possibly also use tapioca starch but you may need to use double the amount. Arrowroot (in the same quantity as cornstarch) will likely also work.

Pumpkin pie spice: This recipe uses homemade pumpkin pie spice, but you can also make your own or use a store-bought option, it will be the same either way.

PUMPKIN PIE Q&A

How long should I let my pumpkin pie cool?

Let it cool on the counter until it reaches room temperature. Then transfer to the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Can I use fresh pumpkin purée instead of canned?

Yes you can! You just need to make sure that your freshly made pumpkin purée isn’t too wet. It should be the same consistency as what you will find in a can. To achieve this, let your homemade pumpkin purée stand in a strainer so any excess water can drain off.

Can I make it gluten-free?

The filling for this pie is already gluten-free, so to make an entirely gluten-free pie you’ll just need to use a gluten-free pie crust. You can either purchase an already made gluten-free unbaked pie crust, or you can make your own.