Vegan Pumpkin Pie

Classic pumpkin pie has gone vegan with this easy recipe! This delectable vegan and gluten free pumpkin pie is made with a dairy free, egg free, coconut milk filling and almond flour crust! It’s easy enough for a weeknight dessert and tasty enough for Thanksgiving. 

Canadian Thanksgiving just passed and seeing all of my Canadian friends’ Thanksgiving delights made me so excited for the holidays. I know American Thanksgiving is not until next month, but for you planners, I’ll just drop this sweet little pie here. Is pumpkin pie really just for Thanksgiving though? I think it should be enjoyed all fall long! Are you having or going to a Halloween party? It needs pumpkin pie!

I’ve posted a few pumpkin pie variations here in the past. These Mini Pumpkin Pies that I brought to our kindergarten Thanksgiving feast a few years ago, and this Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake made with cashews. I’ve had some requests for a classic vegan pumpkin pie, so I accepted the challenge and got to work.

How to Pumpkin Pie Vegan & Gluten-Free

I really wanted this pumpkin pie to not only be vegan and gluten-free, but to fit the paleo category for my paleo friends. It’s not quite there because it does require cornstarch, but we can call it paleo-ish. I have made so many vegan pumpkin pies over the last few weeks it’s amazing that I haven’t turned orange. First I tried making it with soaked cashews, which is one of my go-to swaps for anything dairy. Uncooked it was an incredibly delicious pumpkin mousse-like concoction. When baked it wasn’t quite as flavorful.

Then I tried dropping the eggs in traditional pumpkin pie and substituting them with arrowroot. Arrowroot is fantastic for making gluten free baked goods light and fluffy and as a natural thickener for sauces. In this pumpkin pie though, it made the filling slightly gummy. It is still an option, however. After a bit more digging I found that cornstarch is a better solution than arrowroot for pies, and in this case that certainly holds true! You’ll want to be sure to use a good quality, organic corn starch to avoid any texture issues. Maple is the perfect natural sweetener and goes so well with pumpkin. A little brown sugar gives it a deeper flavor and color. At last, the perfect vegan pumpkin pie.

This classic vegan pumpkin pie rivals any dairy and egg filled version. It’s creamy, cool, and perfectly spiced with a flaky almond flour crust.

 Tips to create the perfect vegan pumpkin pie

1. Use a pie crust shield. One of the trickiest parts of pie baking for me has always been keeping the crust edges from burning while ensuring the rest of the pie has cooked enough. I’ll link one that looks great and some other favorites below (Amazon Affiliate links). The pie crust shield I have is metal and isn’t adjustable, so parts of my crust did get overdone. I won’t be recommending that one.
2. Don’t rush it. Please, don’t chill the pie for three hours and expect it to hold up. This pie really sets into sliceable perfection after about 8 hours.
3. If you want to make cute little pie crust leaves to sit on top of your pie, make 1 1/2 batches of the pie crust and bake on a cookie sheet. Sugared cranberries also make a nice garnish.
4. Use good quality organic corn starch. I made the mistake of using cheap corn starch because that’s all my grocery store had, and the result wasn’t nearly as silky smooth. I use Rapunzel organic corn starch which you can find in natural foods stores and on this Amazon Affiliate link. 

First grab the Almond Flour Pie Crust recipe here! 

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Yield: 1 standard sized pie

Vegan Pumpkin Pie

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

This vegan, gluten-free pumpkin pie has all the classic pumpkin pie flavor without the guilt.

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Ingredients

• 1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 cup coconut milk, canned full fat (Trader Joe's recommended)
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 3 tablespoons organic corn starch (Rapunzel recommended)
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 prepared and par-baked almond flour pie crust or favorite 9-inch pie shell
• dairy free whipped cream, for serving

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, coconut milk, syrup, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, corn starch, salt, and vanilla until very smooth. You can also combine in a blender. Pour into the par-baked pie crust and carefully transfer to the oven. Bake for 45-55 minutes. The filling will be jiggly and will set overnight. Be sure to cover the crust edges with foil or a crust shield if they are getting dark.
3. Remove from the oven and let the pie cool completely. Transfer to the refrigerator to set up over night. Serve chilled with dairy free whipped cream.

Notes

1. You can use a frozen pie crust, thawed, without par-baking. Transferring to the oven is easier if you fill the pie with the crust on a cookie sheet, but I've found it may take 55 minutes to bake.
2. You can use homemade pumpkin puree if you prefer.
3. Paleo Option: You can use arrowroot in place of the cornstarch, though the consistency won't be quite as perfect. Sub coconut sugar for the brown sugar or omit it. This recipe makes one standard 9-inch pie. If you are using a store bought crust, you'll want to blind bake the shell first so you don't end up with a soggy crust.
4. Nutrition information is approximate and has been calculated with a regular European style pie crust.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Pie Shield
• 
  Pie Dish
• 
  Organic Corn Starch

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1 slice
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 304Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: n/amgSodium: n/amgCarbohydrates: n/agFiber: n/agSugar: n/agProtein: n/ag