This vegan pumpkin pie with pecan crust is easy to make and out of this world delicious! You won't believe how rich, thick and creamy it is!
This recipe was originally published on 11/19/15
I love it when I hit the jackpot with creating my favorite non vegan recipes into equally amazing, if not better, vegan versions. This is one of those.
Vegan Thanksgiving Food
Thanksgiving, or "Christmas Practice" as I like to call it, gives me a chance to make all the foods that I love and want to eat more of at Christmas. I'm talking about recipes like:
- Caramelized Onion Gravy
- Creamy Mashed Potatoes
- Peas with Scallions & Dill
- Protein Packed Vegan Stuffing
- Smoky Maple Roasted Carrots
- Vegan Scalloped Cauliflower
But my favorite is pie. I have already created these pumpkin pie type recipes that we all love:
But there is nothing like a vegan pumpkin pie with pecan crust. And I mean: creamy, easy and the best damn pumpkin pie pairing you've ever tasted. And pecans are so buttery amazing delicious.
Does pumpkin pie contain dairy?
Typically, classic pumpkin pie is made with sweetened condensed milk. So it is not vegan. But it's very easy to make it vegan by substituting the milk with creamy dairy free alternatives.
Is pecan meal and pecan flour the same thing?
Yep! Meal can be a little grittier and not as fine but they are both ground pecans.
What do you use pecan meal for?
There are loads of great ways to use it! As a topping in oatmeal, over cereal or sprinkled over a salad. You can bake with it, use it as a crispy coating for things and make pie crust!
What is pumpkin pie spice made of?
Pumpkin pie spice is a combination of a few different spices to get that deep spice blend that gives the perfect fall flavor to pumpkin pie. Some of the spices used are:
- cinnamon
- ginger
- cloves
- nutmeg
- allspice
Canned versus homemade pumpkin
In my experience, using homemade pumpkin doesn't get the best end texture. Unlike most of what I preach, when I say fresh veggies are best, when it comes to pumpkin pie, canned gives you the best overall texture.
Homemade pumpkin tends to be stringy and contains more water, so once baked, it isn't as firm and creamy. It yields a more jiggly end result and that's just not my cup of tea.
Tips to prep ahead
You can definitely prep ahead so that you can bake your pie fresh in a quick amount of time. Here are my suggestions for the most success with both the vegan pumpkin pie and the gluten free crust:
- Make the crust batter but don't shape it. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Make the filling and store in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Day of, put both out to allow them to reach room temperature before you put them together and bake.
Storage tips
Sometimes you pass out because of shock at how good a vegan pumpkin pie is, so you need to store the rest for when you come to. In this case, it's really important to store it right so you can enjoy it just like you did the first time.
Because this pie is vegan and contains no milk or eggs, you can leave it on the counter longer than classic pumpkin pie. I leave it out all day until dessert time. After that, I put it in the fridge until I'm ready to eat it again.
When you are ready to eat it, sometimes it's only minutes later because I simply can't get enough, there are many options:
- put it back in the oven, covered in foil to prevent burning, and bake until warm
- eat it cold because it's still amazing that way
- allow it to reach room temperature
Making pumpkin pie with a pecan crust from scratch
This recipe is super easy! You can make it in a blender or food processor, and you can make the filling in just a bowl if you prefer.
- Make the gluten free crust and press it into a pan.
- Make the vegan pie filling and pour it into the crust.
- Bake.
- Devour!
Vegan Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Crust
Equipment
Ingredients
Filling:
- 1-15 ounce can pumpkin puree , about 1 ¾ cups
- ¾ cup coconut sugar
- 1 cup coconut cream , the top layer from about 1 can full fat coconut milk, stored in refrigerator for 2-3 days or freezer for 2-3 hours
- ¼ cup coconut butter , at room temperature (see note)
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder (see note)
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Crust:
- 1 cup raw pecans
- ½ cup rolled oats or oat flour , gluten-free if needed
- 2 tablespoons coconut butter
- 5 Medjool dates
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C.
- Place all crust ingredients into a blender or food processor and pulse until a dough like consistency forms. It should still look crumbly but when pressed together become dough like.
- Pour into a 9 inch pie pan and press down and around the edges to form crust. You can also use a 9 inch springform pan. I liked the springform pan because it kept the crust from burning a bit better.
- Then, place all filling ingredients into the blender or food processor and blend well.
- Or, for a blender free filling, place pumpkin, sugar and coconut cream into a large bowl and whisk until combined.
- Add in the rest of the ingredients and whisk well. Make sure your coconut butter isn’t solid, if it is then very slowly warm it in the microwave so it can be melted when mixing. The filling won’t turn out as smooth if you don’t blend it, but will work in a pinch.
- Pour filling into crust and bake, covering edges of crust in foil if using pie pan, for 40 minutes.
- Start checking it at 30. If the pie starts to brown on the top too quickly, cover the whole thing in foil. It will still seem undercooked when done, but it sets more as it cools.
- When it’s cool to the touch, place the pie in the fridge to set for at least 3-4 hours, but preferably longer. It will set much more as it cools in the fridge.
- Serve with coconut whip and let your taste buds dance!
Notes
- The filling is nut free, so you can use a nut free crust to keep this completely nut free.
- You can buy or make your own coconut butter. If you want to try leaving it out, add an extra 2 tablespoons of arrowroot powder.
- To make your own coconut butter, place unsweetened shredded coconut in a blender or food processor and puree until a liquidy butter forms.
- You can sub cornstarch for the arrowroot powder.
- Using a high speed blender will yield the most fluffy and creamy result.
- You can use either oats or oat flour in the crust.
Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.
Nutrition
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.
Vicky @ Avocdo Pesto
Hahah totally with on on the whole Thanksigiving thing being more like Christmas practice. YUP! Love this pie looks and sounds so good!
veggiesdontbite
Thanks Vicky! Bring on Christmas right?! I'll just practice a bit with these pies...
Linda @ Veganosity
Look delicious, Sophia! Alex's boyfriend loves pumpkin pie and she made him the one I created last year with chickpeas and he devoured it. She told him what was in it after the fact and he couldn't believe it. Who needs a bunch of eggs and condensed milk when you can use ingredients like yours?
veggiesdontbite
Thank you Linda! My hubby loves it too. He could have eaten this whole thing! People can't believe how rich it is without any of the milk or eggs. I've never seen a pie with chickpeas, how inventive!
Cadry
The pecan crust sounds amazing! I'm usually lukewarm on pumpkin pie, but this sounds like a game changer!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you Cadry! You can totally eat this luke warm, but it will be a little less firm. But still great!
lenia
Oh dear Sophia, I have been waiting for this one! It looks absolutely divine!!!!!!!!!This pie calls my name!
Kisses from Greece, sweet girl!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you so much!! Its so good, I know you'll love it! Hope you're feeling great!
Mandy
That is so cool that your son's teacher asked you for a classic pumpkin pie recipe...and this looks perfect! I'm a total texture person so when you mentioned jiggly pie, I literally cringed and all the childhood memories of bad pie that i suppressed were brought to the surface! Haha!!! But back to your delicious looking pie...I can't get over how simple it is! I'm pretty sure the crust wouldn't make it into the pie pan...I'm a sucker for pecans! Looks awesome, Sophia!
veggiesdontbite
Isn't it awesome?! She said it went so well and the kids devoured it. Big win!! Thanks so much for your kind words. I worked hard on this one, to get it just right but still simple. It's so quick to make, blender all the way. And yes, pecans are the best. I may have shoved a little dough into my mouth ?
Heidi @ Food Doodles
Well this pie looks amazing but that crust sounds like a showstopper! Yum!
veggiesdontbite
Thanks Heidi! Yes, the crust. Pecans are pretty much my vice. So. Darn. Good.
Sarah
Wow! Not only does this look delicious, but I love that it is Vegan! XO
veggiesdontbite
Thanks Sarah! It's so easy to make amazing vegan desserts like this!
Natalie | Feasting on Fruit
That filling has to be incredibly rich! The ingredients sound wonderful and the photos are stunning. I would have trouble sharing this one, all the slices for moi 😉
veggiesdontbite
Thank you Natalie! I worked extra hard on this one! It is so rich and creamy. Just like I like it!
Kelly Lloyd
Wow, looks simply delightful, love the consistency and the finished result is mouthwatering!!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you Kelly! The consistency is SO amazing. I literally drool just thinking about it. Lol.
Kylee @ Kylee Cooks
That looks outstanding. YUM.
veggiesdontbite
Thanks Kylee!!
Lindsay @ The Lean Green Bean
crust is by far the best part of pumpkin pie and you just took it to the next level!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you Lindsay! This one definitely was shoved into my mouth here and there as it was being created ?
Dina
It looks yummy and beautiful! Cant wait to try it.
veggiesdontbite
Thank you! It's so good, I know you'll love it!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Loving that crust! Like pecan/pumpkin pie combo, just way way better than pecan pie (which is not a fav of mine). But pumpkin <3 Always!!
veggiesdontbite
Thanks Rebecca! Pecans make the most buttery crust. It complements the pie so well!!
Bianca @ ElephantasticVegan
The pie is beautiful and I love that is so easy to make. I've actually never had pumpkin pie but now I have to try it soon, before pumpkin season is officially over 😀
veggiesdontbite
Oh yes!!! You need to try this. It's so much creamier than the others I've had. It's so good!!!
Jenn
What a beautiful pie!! That texture looks absolutely perfect! And how love how easy this is to throw together! YUM!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you so much Jenn!! I'm super excited about it! I've always loved that idea of pumpkin pie, but all the pies I've had have this "veggie" type consistency or too jiggly or too firm and never as creamy as I imagined. This one is so creamy and smooth! And a huge plus that it's so easy to make!