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With layers of savory sage-pumpkin filling and a spiced pecan-date cream cheese core, all tucked inside puff pastry shaped like a dang pumpkin, this surprisingly 100% vegan pumpkin puff pastry recipe seriously delivers flavor and holiday vibes.
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If fall gatherings had a mascot, this lil' guy would be waving a tiny flag while wearing a cinnamon stick as a hat. It's more than kinda adorable, flaky, creamy, a battle-tested crowd pleaser to serve at a party before dinner, and easy enough to whip up while watching Hocus Pocus for the 437th time.
It's the kind of appetizer that makes people think you went to pastry school in Paris, when really you just went to Trader Joe's in pajama pants. It bakes up golden and gorgeous, with crisp, buttery layers that both figuratively and literally explode with autumnal vibes. And while it looks like it should be on a magazine cover, it only takes about 30 minutes of actual work.
Perfect for Friendsgiving, Christmas, or even a Halloween party where you're already making spooky stuff like vegan Halloween cinnamon rolls , vegan Halloween cake pops, chocolate Halloween donuts, or Frankenstein s'mores.
Basically, serve this puff pastry any time you want to win a holiday and leave your guests emotionally unprepared for how good vegan food can be.
LOOVED THIS RECIPE! Will be making this again for thanksgiving.
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🥰Why you'll adore this pumpkin puff pastry recipe
✊ Vegan AF: Like all of my vegan Thanksgiving recipes, this pumpkiny puff contains zero dairy-based brie, eggs, or animal parts. I mean, thank GOD there's no chicken feet or fish heads in the darned thing, am I right?
😋 Sweet & Savory Combo: Creamy pecan-date-orange-spiced cheese filling meets a savory pumpkin filling with sautéed onions and sage.
💨 Surprisingly Easy: Minimal chopping, no fancy equipment needed, and less than 30 minutes of hands-on time.
✅ Tested and Approved Worldwide: Like all of my vegan recipes, this one was tested, tweaked, and totally devoured by a massive team of recipe testers over the globe.
🥧 Show Them Vegan Thanksgiving Can Be Better
✌️Join thousands of other vegan cooks from all around the world in this FREE program as we share recipes and plan our Thanksgiving menus together.
🎃Pumpkin puff pastry ingredients
Molasses
Molasses brings that rich, smoky hug your pumpkin filling didn't know it needed. Go for unsulphured-not blackstrap. Maple syrup can step in if you don't have any molasses.
Pumpkin Purée
I always rock this with convenient canned pumpkin puree. If you want to make your own, just cut up and roast a small sugar pumpkin until fork tender, scoop out the flesh, and purée it in a food processor until smooth.
If you have leftover pumpkin puree, use it up to make vegan pumpkin cinnamon rolls, vegan pumpkin muffins, or some glorious pumpkin risotto.
Tamari
I use tamari because I do a lot of gluten-free cooking and honestly hate having to keep more than one kind of soy sauce in my small pantry less kitchen. But yes, any regular soy sauce will absolutely work here, or you can use coconut aminos if you avoid soy.
Vegan Cream Cheese
This vegan cream cheese base gets spiced, sweetened, and loaded with pecans and dates. Let it come to room temperature so it mixes without a fight. I like using my easy 4-ingredient vegan cream cheese recipe. But my go-to brands are Tofutti, Treeline, Miyoko's, and Trader Joe's (though that last one's a bit stiffer than the rest).
Frozen Puff Pastry Dough
Pepperidge Farm and 365 by Whole Foods both make puff pastry that's accidentally vegan, and there are other ones out there too. I use them religiously to make a mushroom Wellington or vegan pot pie to serve for Sunday dinners.
If you're gluten-free, Schär makes a puff pastry that's both vegan and decent-like, not just edible-decent but "I'd bring this to a potluck" decent.
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
📖 How to make pumpkin puff pastry
OK, I get it. You're getting hangry. You don't have time for 921 step-by-step photos of me holding a spatula in glam lighting. Scroll to the recipe card below if you're in a rush. Otherwise, let's make some magic.
Step One
Sauté My Name, Té My Name:
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat for 90 seconds. Add the onion and sauté for 6 minutes, until softened and golden.
Step Two
Sage Against the Machine:
Add the garlic and sage. Cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sage wilts and garlic is fragrant.
Step Three
Pumps Up, Hos Down:
Stir in the molasses, cinnamon, ginger, pumpkin purée, and tamari. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 6-8 minutes, until the mixture thickens. Transfer it to a bowl and let it cool completely.
Step Four
Pecan't Stop the Feeling:
Chop the pecans if you aren't already using pecan pieces. Toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step Five
Ruth Date'r Ginsburg:
In a bowl, combine the toasted pecans, chopped dates, orange zest, cloves, cardamom, and vegan cream cheese. Mix until fully combined. Freeze the mixture in a ball shape for 15 minutes.
Step Six
Dough Cry for Me Argentina:
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment. On a floured surface, place the puff pastry dough and spread the pumpkin filling in the center, leaving a 2-inch border.
Step Seven
Sweet Creams (Are Made of This):
Place the chilled pecan cream cheese mixture in a mound at the center of the pumpkin layer.
Step Eight
Wrap Battle:
Fold the pastry edges up and over the filling to seal it completely.
Step Nine
Next of (Pump) Kin:
Wrap kitchen twine around the pastry to divide it into 8 or more segments. Tie at the top without tightening it too much.
Step Ten
Brush Limbaugh:
Brush the pastry with the plant-based milk. Sprinkle it with the brown sugar and cinnamon.
Step Eleven
Baking and Entry:
Bake for 30 minutes, until the pastry is puffed and golden. Remove it from the oven and carefully snip off and discard the twine.
Insert the cinnamon stick into the top center and place two sage leaves beside it to resemble a stem.
Step Twelve
Limp Triscuit:
Serve it warm with the 3 Cs: crostini, crudité, or crackers. the cinnamon stick into the top center and place two sage leaves beside it to resemble a stem.
50 stunning holiday classics designed to win over even the most anti-vegan guests.
💡Serving Ideas
Serve this when your guests arrive-right when everyone's hangry and you're still wrestling with the mushroom gravy in the kitchen. It's the perfect edible distraction while you're putting final touches on your vegan schnitzel or pretending not to burn the vegan turkey.
Pair slices of this golden puff with a little ramekin of bourbon cranberry sauce. Chunks of it are excellent beside roasted garlic parsnip purée, a spoonful of vegan sweet potato casserole, or some vegan cornbread stuffing.
👉Top tips
- Let Fillings Cool: Assemble with cooled ingredients to avoid soggy-bottom syndrome (nobody wants a Great British Bake Off disaster). It also helps the dough keep its shape so you get a nice round pumpkin instead of a melty dough blob. Cool fillings = better structure, easier twine tying, and less drama in the oven.
- Keep Puff Pastry Cool: Frozen puff pastry works best when it's refrigerator-cold, and not fully thawed to room temp. If it gets too warm, it turns stretchy and melty, which not only makes it harder to shape into a cute little pumpkin but also robs you of those epic buttery layers from the fat melting early.
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
Use enough twine loops and don't pull them tight. You want room for the dough to puff between the strings.
You'll lose the pumpkin shape, but for a stuffed galette vibe, just fold and bake without tying.
Chill it longer (you can even freeze it in a ball shape over night) or stir in a spoonful of breadcrumbs or crushed nuts to tighten it up.
❄️ Refrigerating:
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
🧊 Freezing:
Freeze slices in a single layer, then transfer to a sealed container for up to 1 month. Let thaw in the fridge overnight or at room temp for 1-2 hours.
🥵 Oven Reheating:
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 10-12 minutes until warmed through.
🍁 You'll adore these vegan holiday recipes too:
Unlock a discounted bundle of classes that walk you through vegan Thanksgiving menus with detailed video instruction from Chef Adam Sobel.
Pumpkin Puff Pastry
Equipment
- Kitchen twine
Ingredients
Sage Pumpkin Filling:
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ½ cup onion fine diced
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons sage chopped
- 2 teaspoons molasses
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon dried ground ginger
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree
- 2 teaspoons tamari
Pecan Cream Cheese:
- ¼ cup pecans
- ⅓ cup dried dates chopped
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1¼ cup vegan cream cheese room temperature
To Bake:
- ½ lb. frozen puff pastry dough half a box
- 2 teaspoons unsweetened plant-based milk
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 sage leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick
Instructions
- Warm the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat for 90 seconds. Once the oil is hot, add the onion and sauté for 6 minutes, until softened and lightly golden.
- Add the garlic, and sage, and cook for 4 minutes.
- Stir in the molasses, cinnamon, ginger, pumpkin purée, and tamari. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 6-8 minutes, or until the mixture thickens and reduces slightly. Transfer to a bowl and let cool completely.
- Chop the pecans (if not already using pieces), and toast them in a dry pan over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, flipping them about periodically until fragrant.
- In a food bowl, mix together the toasted pecans, chopped dates, orange zest, cloves, cardamom, and cream cheese until thoroughly combined. Place the bowl in the freezer to chill and firm up 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place a 10 inch square of puff pastry dough on a very lightly floured surface. Spread the cooled pumpkin filling in the center, leaving a 2-inch (5 cm) border around the edges.
- Top with the chilled pecan cream cheese mixture in a mound directly in the center of the dough.
- Bring the pastry edges up and over the filling to enclose it completely, pressing the seams together.
- Carefully going over and around the pastry package several times, use kitchen twine to segment the pastry into 8 sections. The string should be tied at the top and should not be so tight around the dough that it starts to cut into it, so the pastry can expand as it bakes and form a pumpkin-like shape.
- Brush the pastry evenly with the plant-based milk, then sprinkle with the brown sugar and cinnamon.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed and golden. Remove from the oven and carefully cut away the twine.
- Insert a cinnamon stick in the center and place 2 sage leaves beside it to resemble a stem and leaves. Serve warm with crostini, crudités, or crackers.
Notes
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Marjorie says
LOOVED THIS RECIPE! Will be making this again for thanksgiving.