Hello, my chickpeas! As the holidays approach I know we all have one very important decision to make... what dessert are we serving at our holiday tables this year? Well, if you happen to be celebrating a vegan Christmas or vegan Thanksgiving (or just like eating plants when you can), this Easy Vegan Pumpkin Pie should definitely be on your menu! It's super easy to make, has those comforting flavors we all know and love, and is sure to impress both the herbivores and omnivores at your table this year. I also give you full permission to enjoy this delicious fall dessert anytime you please, who says you can only enjoy pie on holidays?
Pumpkin pie is a classic that we all know and love, and I can't wait to share my version of it with you today. Let's go!
Inspiration for Easy Vegan Pumpkin Pie
We all know and love the classic pumpkin pie. It's probably THE dessert that comes to mind when you think of Thanksgiving. And I think that vegans should be able to enjoy it too, ideally with an easy-to-make recipe AND ingredients that are decently easy to find. I tested this recipe a number of times to get the consistency and flavors just right, and I am so proud of how it came out in the end!
Typical pumpkin pie usually contains both eggs and dairy, making it not suitable for vegans. But this one is totally free of animal products, making it the perfect addition to your vegan thanksgiving! We use coconut cream in place of dairy, arrowroot starch to help thicken our pie filling and bind everything together, maple syrup as our main sweetener, and I even managed to keep this recipe oil-free! Plus, making the pie filling couldn't be easier - it's basically just a matter of blending everything together!
Ingredients
Our ingredients all work together in this cozy fall dessert to bring those delicious pumpkin pie flavors.
- Pumpkin puree: obviously a necessary ingredient for a delicious pumpkin pie!
- Coconut cream: this is our dairy substitute today! Coconut cream is great for this recipe because it is decently thick and its flavor actually pairs very nicely with the rest of our ingredients.
- Maple syrup: this provides our sweetness! It also gives off extra cozy fall vibes.
- Arrowroot starch: this will thicken our pie filling and bind things together.
- Vanilla extract & spices: all necessary for the flavor of a pumpkin pie! These flavors all go together perfectly for this recipe.
- Frozen vegan pie crust: lastly, we of course need a crust. And luckily there are a surprising amount of frozen pie crusts in grocery stores that are vegan, so go ahead and pick your favorite! (Check out "Tips & Tricks" for more information on this if you'd like some guidance and suggestions).
How to Make Easy Vegan Pumpkin Pie
As always, full recipe can be found down below. But let's talk about the basics.
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Blend up all ingredients for the pie filling.
- Prepare your frozen crust according to package directions.
- Pour your pie filling into the prepared crust.
- Bake for 10 minutes, lower the temperature to 350, then bake for 50 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool, then refrigerate for 4 hours or over night.
- Lastly, serve & enjoy!
Tips & Tricks
I wouldn't mess with this recipe much as baking can be very particular and I did a lot of work to make sure this one came out right! But of course I still have some thoughts and ideas for you!
- There are a surprising amount of frozen pie crusts in grocery stores that are vegan! Take a stroll down your frozen aisle and check out the ingredient lists on the options available to you. The ones I have personally used are the Marie Callender's Frozen Pastry Pie Shells and the Signature Select Deep Dish Pie Crusts, and they both worked great!
- If you're feeling fancy, this would be delicious served with a vegan whipped cream! For the photos in this blog post I used Sweet Rose Coconut Whipped Topping from Trader Joes! Another fun option could be to make your own (like this Vegan Coconut Whipped Cream from the It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken blog!).
- Looking for some other fun additions to your vegan thanksgiving? Next you should check out my Pomegranate Wild Rice Salad or my Baked Vegan Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese!
Enjoy!
Easy Vegan Pumpkin Pie
8
servings40
minutes1
hour10
minutesBe sure to add this delicious Easy Vegan Pumpkin Pie to your holiday menu this year! It has those classic pumpkin flavors we all know and love, is super easy to make, and is sure to please both your vegan and non-vegan holiday guests!
*Note that From Start to Finish is an estimate that does NOT include the cooling and chilling time at the end of the recipe. Your pie will need to cool to room temperature and then be chilled for at least 4 hours.
Ingredients
1 can pumpkin puree
¾ cup canned coconut cream*
⅔ cup pure maple syrup
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoon arrowroot starch (also called arrowroot flour)*
1.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
pinch ground cloves
½ teaspoon salt
9 inch frozen vegan pie crust*
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Add all ingredients (except pie crust) to a high speed blender. Blend until very smooth.
- Prepare your frozen pie crust according to package directions. (There is no need to pre-bake the pie crust).
- Pour your blended pie filling mixture into the prepared crust and smooth out the top with a spatula.
- Place in the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes. Then lower the oven temperature to 350F and continue to bake for another 50 minutes.
(Note: If the edges of your crust are already pretty golden about 20-30 minutes into your 50 minute bake, briefly remove the pie from the oven. Carefully cover the edges of the crust with strips of aluminum foil or a pie shield to prevent them from burning. Return the pie to the oven and continue baking for the remaining time). - Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. When it comes out of the oven the middle should still be very slightly jiggly. Once completely cooled to room temperature, transfer to the fridge and let chill/set for 4 hours or over night.
- Serve as desired and enjoy!
Notes
- *Canned coconut cream: please note that coconut cream is different than coconut milk! You can often find coconut cream in the Asian aisle of the grocery store. I use Kin Dee Natural Coconut Cream, but any brand should work.
- *Arrowroot starch: Arrowroot starch can often be found at general grocery stores, but if you have a hard time finding it you can also check your local health food store or order it on Amazon!
- *Frozen vegan pie crust: There are a surprising amount of frozen pie crusts in grocery stores that are vegan! The ones I have personally used are the Marie Callender's Frozen Pastry Pie Shells and the Signature Select Deep Dish Pie Crusts.
Happy baking! If you made this recipe don’t forget to tag me (@joyfulbalanceofficial) on facebook or instagram so I can cheer you on for your pie-making ways.
Stay joyfully balanced!
Conchetta says
Really enjoyed this pie. Trialed it and will be serving for our T-day dinner. Yum- sharing
Delaney Marie says
Hooray! So glad that you loved it! Have a great Thanksgiving 🙂
Sharon says
The coconut cream sounds like a delicious alternative to oil!
Delaney Marie says
It works perfectly with these flavors! 🙂
Padma says
This looks so pretty! And oil free! Wow, love it!
Delaney Marie says
Thank you! 🙂