Ahh pumpkin pie. The quintessential American Thanksgiving dessert.
I’m English, so Thanksgiving is not something I grew up celebrating. Pumpkin pie is also probably as far from British puddings as you could get. Thanksgiving is an American holiday. You wouldn’t believe how many people give me disbelieving looks when I tell them that.
However, I did grow up with a lot of American friends and I definitely acquired a taste for a good pumpkin pie.
For the last two years I have made my own homemade pumpkin pie, switching out the evaporated milk for coconut milk but otherwise still using butter in the crust and eggs in the filling.
This year I was determined to make it 100% plant based. I have to admit, I was a little intimidated by the idea. There’s nothing worse than spending time making something for it to not turn out right. As I began looking online for ideas and inspiration, I saw a lot of vegan pumpkin pies being made with nut butter or tofu, and I even saw one made with chickpeas.
Um, no.
Even for me, that just seemed wrong. Granted, I haven’t tasted them, so they could be really tasty. BUT I could never serve a pumpkin pie to my husband, or anybody, and say it was made from chickpeas.
What I created here, adapted from a combination of different recipes I found, is a delicious pumpkin pie that is 100% plant based and vegan with no ingredients that are weird in a pie.
When I tasted it, I was surprised that it tasted so “normal” and so good! I never would have known it was vegan. I’ve had about two pieces a day and yesterday my husband caught on that it was actually a successful experiment. And now it’s all gone.
I have always made my own pie crust because store bought never tastes the same and is always full of unnecessary ingredients. This crust is very quick and probably the easiest I have ever made. It’s all mixed together in food processor. It can also be made and frozen for ready-to-go pie crusts. Even with coconut oil, it still turned out flaky, beautiful and slightly crunchy on the edges. The nut milk mixed with apple cider vinegar creates a vegan buttermilk, which is necessary for the crust texture.
I don’t embellish much when I cook and I try and keep things as simple and quick as possible so my crust looks a little rough around the edges. If you’re good with your hands and can crimp the edges and make a beautiful looking pie – please do! It’s a skill I have yet to learn.
I have never found that the coconut milk leaves a coconutty taste in the pie. That was the first substitution I began making in my pumpkin pies because evaporated milk is highly processed and has practically no nutritional value.
The sugar amount can be varied depending on whether you like a more or less sweetened pie. You could start with a 1/4 cup and keep adding. I also added plenty of spices because I like my pie full of holiday spice flavour!
I hope you enjoy this beautiful pie as much as I do! And happy holidays – for whenever you make and serve it this season!
Vegan Pumpkin Pie (nut free, soy free, refined sugar free)
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 1/3 cup Nut Milk I use hemp milk
- 1 1/2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 1/4 cup All Purpose Flour
- 1 tbsp Coconut Sugar can use cane sugar, if preferred
- 1 tsp Salt I use himalayan pink salt
- 1/2 cup Unrefined Extra Virgin Coconut Oil solid at room temperature
Pie Filling
- 1 15 oz can Pumpkin Puree roughly 2 cups
- 1 cup Coconut Milk full fat, stirred
- 1/2 cup Coconut Sugar can use cane sugar, if preferred
- 2 tbsp Maple Syrup
- 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 cup Cornstarch or tapioca starch
- 2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Ground Ginger
- 1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg
Instructions
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Grease a 9 1/2″ pie pan. I use some coconut oil and a paper towel to coat the pie pan.
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Whisk together nut milk and apple cider vinegar. Set aside and let it rest for 5 minutes.
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In the bowl of a food processor, add the flour, sugar and salt. Pulse to combine.
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Add the solid coconut oil and process until mealy. About 15 seconds.
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With the processor running, add the nut milk and process about 30 seconds, or until the mixture forms a loose ball. Mine was very soft. If it seems too dry, grab a fist full and squeeze. It should hold together. If not, add a tsp of water at a time until it clumps in your fist.
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Dump the dough onto a floured work surface. I had to roll it in quite a bit of extra flour to firm the dough up a bit.
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When it is at a roll-able texture, roll out into a thin disc, about 1/8 inch thick, making sure you keep your surface well floured so it doesn’t stick. Carefully transfer crust to your pie pan and gently press into edges. Trim the excess around the edge of the pie pan. Crimp the edges if you wish.
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Place in fridge while you make the pie filling.
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To make the pie filling, mix together the pumpkin puree, coconut milk, sugar, maple syrup and vanilla extract.
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Add cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Whisk until smooth and well blended.
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Pour filling into pie crust. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until center is set. It took me about 80 minutes. Allow to cool on baking rack.
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Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. Slice and serve!
