This gluten free vegan pumpkin pie is easy to make and out of this world delicious! You will not 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.
Gluten Free Vegan Pumpkin Pie
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 classic vegan pumpkin pie. And by classic I mean: creamy, easy and the best damn pumpkin pie you’ve ever tasted. And I paired it with a pecan crust, because pecans are so buttery amazing delicious. Pardon my language, but it’s that good…
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 there a substitute for evaporated milk in pumpkin pie?
There are many ways to do this. The main thing I have seen is using dairy free milk. Some recipes even use tofu.
But the ingredient I think yields the best result is the one I use here, using coconut cream. Coconut cream is the ultra creamy part of coconut milk. And it works perfectly because it isn’t as watery and thin as regular dairy free milk.
Can I substitute almond milk for evaporated milk?
You absolutely can, but I personally don’t think it gives as creamy a result. Make sure you use a high quality brand so that it is thicker and creamier. You can also try boiling it so that it reduces a bit and isn’t as watery.
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 Gluten Free Vegan Pumpkin Pie
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!
This gluten free vegan pumpkin pie is easy to make and out of this world delicious! You will not believe how rich, thick and creamy it is!
- 1-15 ounce can pumpkin puree , about 1 3/4 cups
- 3/4 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
- 1/4 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
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup raw pecans
- 1/2 cup rolled oats or oat flour , gluten-free if needed
- 2 tablespoons coconut butter
- 5 Medjool dates
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
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!
Equipment
- 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.
Lin says
Amazing amazing pie! Instead of molasses and coconut sugar in the filling I just used brown sugar and turned out great! Also used brown sugar in the crust and WOW so good. The pecan crust is really to die for. Next time I think I will double the crust recipe because I didn’t have enough to go on the sides of the pie pan. Would also be great to have extra to make cookies 🙂 Thank you so much!
veggiesdontbite says
So glad you all loved it!! Thank you so much for the great review!
Trish says
Seriously, best pumpkin pie I’ve had. This had a caramel-y flavor with a hint of coffee in the background mixed with lovely warm spices. So incredibly good. Thank you!!!!
veggiesdontbite says
Thank you so much! I am so happy you love it!
Jen says
Absolutely delicious! Served it to my Omni mom and she loved it, too. Bonus that it was easy to make with just a food processor. 😀 We’ll definitely make this again.
veggiesdontbite says
Yay!! Thank you so much for telling me!
Alexandra says
What would you recommend as a substitute for coconut butter? I found pumpkin seed butter at the store, could that work as a substitute?
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Alexandra! So pumpkin seen butter is a great sub for things like almond butter, but in this recipe it may not work for the coconut butter. You could use coconut oil, but you’d need less for sure. You could try the pumpkin seed butter if you wanted I am just not sure how it would turn out. You could also very easily make coconut butter, all you do is get unsweetened coconut shreds and puree them in a food processor for a long time until they turn melty into coconut butter! Let me know what you do!
Emily says
You’ve sold me with your wonderful description of how delicious this is. I can’t wait to try it for myself!
JD says
This is my favorite part of Thanksgiving!
Claire says
Looks great, Want to make for thanksgiving, but I don’t have coconut butter, Van I use coconut oil or vegan butter?
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Claire! I have only tried it with coconut butter (which is easily made if you take shredded coconut and blend it in a food processor or high speed blender for a LONG time until it gets smooth and creamy). But if you aren’t able to do that, you could maybe try the coconut oil or vegan butter. I wouldn’t know how much though, so I’d start with half the amount of what I say for coconut butter and take it from there. Let me know how it works!
Alison @Food by Mars says
Beautiful and love the crust!! <3 Happy New Year, darling! xo
veggiesdontbite says
Thanks so much Alison!