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A proper vegan pumpkin pie is the ride-or-die Thanksgiving dessert, and this well-tested banger of a recipe is anything but heavy or dry. You can make it ahead, so holiday dessert stress is officially canceled.
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I've tested this pumpkin pie recipe a ridiculous number of times over the course of 20 years of vegan catering for Thanksgiving to thousands of customers, because nobody deserves to cut into a runny, baby-food-bland pumpkin, or cloyingly sweet pie on Thanksgiving.
If you ever ordered from our Thanksgiving vegan catering menu, you know we didn't play around with desserts. Vegan apple pie that sold out in minutes, pumpkin crème brûlée smooth enough to make the tough guys tumble (Sorry, I needed to work a One Night in Bangkok reference in here somehow), and vegan apple cider donuts so good they got a shout-out in the New York Times.
Don't wait for Thanksgiving to bake it. Follow the steps, give it the chill time it needs, take the time to neatly crimp up those crust edges, and you'll end up with a vegan pie that looks and tastes exactly like autumn incarnate.
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🥰 Why you'll adore this Vegan Pumpkin Pie recipe
✊ Vegan AF: Like all my vegan Thanksgiving recipes, this pie is gloriously rich and buttery without harming a single animal.
🕒 Hands-Off Baking: Blend the filling, pour it in, and let the oven werk it (I put my thang down, flip it and reverse it). The only real challenge is waiting for it to cool before you can have a slice off that heavenly pie.
🛒 Pantry-Friendly: Every ingredient in this pie is super-easy to find at a standard grocery store, especially during Fall when canned pumpkin practically shoves everything else off the shelf.
✅ Tested and Approved Worldwide: Like every vegan recipe I share, this one got stress-tested by a crew of hundreds of home bakers from around the world. Different ovens, different climates, and the pie still came out BUSSIN'.
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🥧️ Vegan Pumpkin Pie Ingredients
Pumpkin purée
Canned pumpkin purée is the most convenient option, but canned butternut squash purée, or fresh roasted pumpkin blended smooth is a good substitute.
Keeping cans on hand makes it effortless to pop off some vegan pumpkin cinnamon rolls, pumpkin flan, or vegan pumpkin donuts at the drop of a hat.
Coconut cream
Coconut cream adds body and richness, replacing the evaporated or condensed milk used in traditional pies. If you can't get coconut cream where you live, you can use full-fat coconut milk, especially if you chill it and scoop up the fattier cream that rises to the top.
The Spices
Store-bought pumpkin pie spice blend is the shortcut, but I think you get better results sorta handcrafting your own balanced blend: cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom, and cloves. Together they make the pie taste like Thanksgiving.
When I want the most insanely fresh smelling cardamom on the planet, I pick up some of Burlap & Barrel's Cloud Forest Cardamom. I use it in my cranberry galette and vegan pumpkin puff pastry too, because it's truly phenomenal.
Molasses
For this pie, stick with regular gluten free molasses, not blackstrap. If you've got some left in the jar, use it to make my vegan gingerbread donuts or vegan gingerbread cake recipe.
Vegan pie crust dough
My flaky vegan pastry crust recipe has carried more holidays on its back than a folding card table in Grandma's basement. Of course, if you are America's latest bum and all you do is sit around and vape all day, you can use a frozen pie crust from the store if you must. Cheap, easy, and nobody at Thanksgiving is gonna storm out yelling, "This isn't homemade!" They'll be too busy loosening their belts.
Vegan whipped cream (optional)
I'm a fan of a big swoop of vegan whipped cream. Fluffy, sweet, and ready to hang with all those spices. If you don't feel like dragging out the mixer, grab a tub of Cocowhip, let it thaw a little, and boom: instant cloud coconut whipped cream topping.
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
🤯 Variations
Vegan Pumpkin Chiffon Pie
This Vegan Pumpkin Chiffon Pie is a Southern-style pie that's sooo light and airy, it's basically fresh pumpkin pie on cloud nine. Still has all the spice, and a touch of rum.
Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake
Thick, perfectly spiced pumpkin in a gingersnap crust topped with a little cardamom orange cream. Oh mommy, this vegan pumpkin cheesecake is what my dreams are made of…
50 stunning holiday classics designed to win over even the most anti-vegan guests.
📖 How to make Vegan Pumpkin Pie
You can scroll right down to the recipe card if you're in a rush, but hanging here with me means you'll see the steps with your deep, sad, Italian eyes (I mean, assuming you are from there and are sad), and will pick up the little tricks that make this sweetie pie the banger that it is.
Step One
Preheat Offender:
Set the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Roll the dough on a floured counter until it fits a 9 in (23 cm) dish. Trim it with a paring knife to make a perfect circle.
✅ Invert the pie pan over the rolled out dough and use it as a guide. I like to cut about a 1-inch margin wider than the pan, which gives me some extra dough to account for the depth of the pan, and to give me some extra crust to fold under for nicer looking crimping.
Step Two
Crust Issues:
Transfer the cut dough to the pan. Fold under the extra dough around the edges, or trim it off with a paring knife. Crimp the edges neatly in any fashion you like. Chill the crust in the fridge until it's ready for filling.
✅ There are two easy ways to transfer the crust into the pan without stretching it. Either roll it around your rolling pin and then unroll over the pan, or fold the rolled dough into quarters, place the point of the folded dough in the center of the pan, and then unfold back into a circle.
Step Three
FRC, Blend Me Your Ears:
In a food processor or blender, mix canned pumpkin purée, coconut cream, sugar, spices, molasses, vanilla, cornstarch, and salt until smooth and glossy.
Step Four
Pour Decisions:
Pour the filling into the crust and smooth the surface so it bakes evenly.
Step Five
Pie Will Always Love You:
Bake for 55-60 minutes until the filling sets and the crust turns lightly golden. Let it cool on the counter, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours so it slices clean.
Step Six
Slice Slice Baby:
Cut generous wedges, add a scoop of whipped cream, and dust with cinnamon before serving.
💡Serving Ideas
Pumpkin pie may be the star of the show, but even Beyoncé needs backup dancers.
Here's what I like to do: get some snacks and appetizers out like my cranberry puff pastries, vegan sausage rolls, or vegan pigs in a blanket to keep your ravenous guests at bay while you are in the other room putting the final touches on your tofu turkey.
Then start the actual seated meal with a nice autumnal soup like vegan butternut squash soup, roasted mushroom soup, or roasted carrot lentil soup.
For the main event, vegan shepherd's pie or mushroom bourguignon served over parsnips purée are dang good choices. But we all know the sides are what everyone shows up for, right? Maple balsamic roasted Brussels sprouts and carrots, garlic & sage hasselback potatoes, vegan stuffing, vegan green bean casserole, bourbon cranberry sauce, and mashed potatoes.
And when the table finally clears, this pumpkin pie comes in and steals the whole dang show.
👉Top tips
- Don't overmix the filling once all ingredients (especially the flour) are combined. Mixing too much incorporates too much air and develops the gluten more than you want, which can cause cracks to form on top during baking.
- Watch the baking time and temperature like a hawk. Remove the pie when the edges are set and the crust is lightly golden brown, but the center still jiggles slightly; it will continue to set as it cools. Over-baking leads to cracks and a dry, too-dense texture.
- Deal with your sucky uneven oven: bake the pie on the middle rack so top and bottom bake evenly without burning the crust. Rotate the pan to a different position in the oven halfway through baking if you know yours has hot spots.
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
You'll know your pumpkin pie's ready when the pie crust recipe you made is golden and the edges are holding steady. Give the pan a gentle wiggle (don't give it shaken baby syndrome or anything) and the center should do a little jiggle.
Homemade is defo fine to use, just gotta watch the moisture. Roast the pumpkin till it's tender, then blend it until it's completely smooth. If it's looser than the canned kind, let it drain in a fine wire mesh strainer, or reduce it down in a pot on the stove over medium heat to get the right thickness.
Arrowroot or tapioca starch totally work, but potato starch is dang handy too. I use it for vegan potato kugel and tofu karaage, and it keeps the pie filling nice and firm. Always good to keep a little arsenal of starches in the pantry.
🥶 Refrigeration
5 days. Always let it cool completely before storing so condensation doesn't make the crust soggy.
❄️ Freezing
You can freeze the whole pie or individual slices. Place it in a freezer-safe container and keep it for up to 3 months. For best results, let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
🍁You'll love these vegan Thanksgiving desserts too:
Unlock a discounted bundle of classes that walk you through vegan Thanksgiving menus with detailed video instruction from Chef Adam Sobel.
Vegan Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Ingredients
- 14 oz. Pumpkin purée
- 1 cup coconut cream
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 teaspoons molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ recipe vegan pie crust dough
Optional Toppings:
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pie crust dough to fit a 10-inch (25 cm) pie dish.
- Transfer the dough to the dish, trim the edges, and crimp as desired. Keep the formed pie crust in the refrigerator until you are ready to fill and bake it.
- In a food processor or blender, mix together the pumpkin purée, coconut cream, brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves, molasses, vanilla, cornstarch, and salt until smooth.
- Pour the filling into the prepared crust and smooth the surface with an offset spatula.
- Bake for 55-60 minutes, until the filling is set and the crust is golden. Remove from the oven and cool completely at room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours before slicing.
- Serve slices topped with whipped cream and a light dusting of cinnamon.
Notes
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Dushenka Silberfarb says
Im not a fan of molasses or cornstarch but I love the coconut cream. Definitely delicious!