Pumpkin Pie (vegan)

thefriendlyepicurean

5 years ago

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Thanksgiving is next week and I am ready to make and eat lots of delicious food! Pumpkin pie is definitely on my list this year. I prefer traditional pumpkin pie over other pumpkin desserts because it’s the quintessential Thanksgiving dessert. Pumpkin spice lattes and smoothies are great but nothing is better than actual pumpkin pie. The combination of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove in pumpkin pie filling gives it a lot of flavor, warmth, and an amazing fragrance. The crust is flaky and and not too heavy and balances out the sweetness of the pumpkin filling. If you’re short on time or just not into making homemade pie crusts, there are non-dairy options such as pre-made graham cracker crusts. I have yet to find pre-made vegan pie crust dough. Homemade pie dough definitely requires some extra effort but nothing beats a buttery, flaky, homemade crust in my opinion. I recommend making the pie crust dough ahead of time so that all you have to do is roll it out and pre-bake it the day of (to prevent sogginess).

Lay the pie dough over the pie plate, trim the edges, and crimp with your fingers or a fork.

I used ceramic pie weights over parchement prior to keep the pie shape while pre-baking.

I used leaf shaped pie dough cutters (from Amazon) to make cute decorative pie crust leaves. I simply rolled out the extra half of the dough and used the dough cutters to cut out the leave shapes. I transferred the leaf cut outs to a foil lined baking sheet and baked them at 350F for about 20 minutes. After the pie was baked and cooled I arranged the baked leaf cut outs over the pie for a pretty overlay. This is optional, of course, but adds a lot of character to the pie. You can wrap the extra pie crust dough and freeze it if you aren’t making the decorative cut outs.

I watched Joy of Baking on You Tube to review the pie crust making process. Make sure you buy extra firm silken tofu (not in the refrigerated section) for this recipe. This kind of tofu works best for vegan quiches, tarts, and pies (see below).

Morinaga Silken Tofu works best for vegan baking.

Pumpkin pie is one my favorite fall desserts – the vegan version tastes very similar to traditional pumpkin pie, but of course the texture varies a little since silken tofu is used as the substitute for eggs and heavy cream. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and make sure to post a picture if you make this recipe. Dont’ forget to tag @thefriendlyepicurean on Facebook and Instagram or Pin this recipe on Pinterest.

Servings: 8
Time: about 5 hr 30 min total time
Difficulty: medium
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Pumpkin Pie (vegan)

Ingredients

For the crust: (makes enough for 2 pies)

2.5 cups all purpose flour (plus more for rolling out dough)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
8 oz (1 cup) cold vegan butter, cut into 1 inch cubes (such as Earth Balance)
6 to 7 tbs ice water

For the filling:

1 (15 oz) can of pumpkin puree
1 (12 oz) box of silken, extra firm tofu
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp ground clove
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbs corn starch

For coconut whipped cream topping (optional):

1 (13 oz) can of coconut cream refrigerated overnight
1/4 cup organic powdered sugar

Directions

For the pie crust: Preheat oven to 350F. In a food processor, pulse flour, salt, and sugar for a few seconds. Add cold butter cubes and continue to pulse until crumbly. Next, add about 4 tbs. very cold water slowly and pulse again. Dough will start to come together a little bit more. Add 2-3 more tbs. water and pulse again for a few more seconds. Empty dough onto clean rolling surface. Form into a disk and cut in half. Form each half into a disk with your hands and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight. Once dough is chilled, sprinkle clean rolling surface and rolling pin with flour. Roll dough out into about a 11 to 12 inch circle that is about 1/8 of an inch thick. Carefully transfer to pie dish and trim excess dough from edges. Crimp edges with fingers or fork, if desired. Cover center of plate with foil or parchment paper and fill with pie weights. Pre-bake crust for about 35 to 40 minutes. Remove crust from oven and allow to cool for about 20 minutes before filling. For the filling: Place all ingredients into food processor and blend until smooth. Pour filling into crust evenly. Bake at 350F for about 45-50 minutes. Filling may develop cracks if baked for too long. Make sure to check on the pie to keep edges from burning. Cover edges of pie crust with foil toward end of baking time to prevent further browning or burning. Allow pie to cool for at least 20 minutes. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight before serving. May store leftovers in the fridge for up to 2 days. For the coconut whipped cream: Remove can of coconut cream from fridge without shaking it. Carefully scoop hardened top layer of refrigerated coconut cream out of the can and place in the bowl of a stand mixer. Whip on high speed adding powdered sugar a few tbs at a time until fluffy. Refrigerate or use right away. Can store leftover whipped cream in fridge for a few days in an airtight container.