I couldn’t possibly let one more Thanksgiving pass without finally sharing this recipe. I’ve had a lot of requests for vegan pumpkin pie recipe over the years, and that’s one of the reasons it had to be done. It was so much easier than anticipated! Back when I was new to vegan cooking I would’ve thought replicating that classic custardy texture in an eggless non-dairy pumpkin pie would be impossible. But guys, it’s the simplest thing: cornstarch. I’ve been using cornstarch as an egg substitute for years, and this finally hit me. I decided to see how it would do with pumpkin, and it worked like a charm! This pie was rich and perfectly creamy. My entire (non-vegan) family devoured it and requested another one for Thanksgiving dessert. I’m ready to deliver!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Pie crust. There are lots of store-bought pie crusts that are accidentally vegan, but I also have a killer vegan pie crust recipe that just happens to be pretty easy. The choice is yours! Wholly Wholesome is my favorite brand of store-bought vegan pie crust. Pumpkin puree. Make sure you’re using canned pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. Avoid using Trader Joe’s brand, as I’ve had a few readers tell me it didn’t work well. I’ve tested the recipe with Libby’s and Wegman’s brands, and both worked great! Brown sugar. Use organic brown sugar to keep the recipe vegan. White sugar. Use organic here too. Coconut milk. Preferably use full-fat coconut milk, from a can. Other types of non-dairy milk will work, but won’t give you a pie that’s quite as rich and creamy. Cornstarch. This is our egg replacer, so it’s an essential ingredient. Pumpkin pie spice. You can mix up your own pumpkin pie spice if this isn’t something you normally keep on hand. Use 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ¾ teaspoon ginger, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon cloves. Vanilla extract. Salt.
How It’s Made
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you’d like to skip right to the recipe!
Blind Bake the Crust
Blind baking is just a fancy word for pre-baking. Some pumpkin pie recipes call for you to just fill your crust up raw and bake your pie, but I find it comes out much better (as in, not soggy) when you give a brief bake first.
Roll out your pie dough out on a lightly floured surface and place it into 9-inch pie pan. Trim any excess dough and crimp the edges if you’d like. Poke your crust with a few holes, line it with parchment paper (or foil), and fill it with pie weights, dried rice, or beans. Unfortunately, if you use rice or beans you won’t be able to eat them later. But you can reuse them for pie weights in the future. Pro tip: This is a great excuse to make more pumpkin pie!
Make the Filling
While your crust bakes, place your pumpkin puree, sugars, coconut milk, cornstarch, spices, vanilla and salt into a large mixing bowl. Beat the mixture with an electric mixer for a full 2 minutes. You can use either a hand mixer or a stand mixer. Don’t take a shortcut here — it’s important to introduce enough air into the batter to give your vegan pumpkin pie filling the perfect texture.
Variation: You can blend the filling in a blender or food processor if you don’t have an electric mixer, or if that’s just your preference.
Pour your filling into your prebaked pie crust. Pop it back into the oven and bake the pie until the center is just set.
Tip: Feel free to taste your vegan pumpkin pie filling and make adjustments. This mixture is totally safe to eat before cooking!
Make sure to let your pie cool completely before cutting. It will continue to firm up as it does. Pumpkin pie takes about 4 hours to cool, so plan accordingly!
Tip: Make your pie the day before serving. Pumpkin pie is one of the few Thanksgiving dishes that’s just as good the second day! See how easy that was!
Leftovers & Storage
Seal your vegan pumpkin pie up in an airtight container, plastic bag, or wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Make sure it’s completely cool before you wrap it up! It will keep in the fridge for up to 2 days. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months, but only if it’s sealed up in a bag or container (plastic wrap won’t cut it!). Thaw it in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours.
More Vegan Holiday Pie Recipes
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