Healthy Vegan Pumpkin Pie (gluten free, refined sugar free)
Nov 12, 2018 • Updated Jun 20, 2023
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This Vegan Pumpkin Pie is a healthier version of the classic holiday dessert that’s high in protein, gluten free, refined sugar free and oil free!
Perfect Vegan Pumpkin Pie!
It just wouldn’t be autumn without pumpkin pie, and I’m happy to say that this simple Vegan Pumpkin Pie is easy to make and a crowd-pleaser for vegans and omnivores alike! It’s also secretly healthy, high in protein, and made without refined sugars or added oils. You can serve it with your favourite dairy-free ice cream, with dairy free coconut whip on top, or enjoy it as-is. It’s silky, smooth and baked just enough so that it’s cooked, but not dry.
How to Make the Best Vegan Pumpkin Pie
This pie takes about 20 minutes of hands-on time. It’s fully cooked in about an hour, then it just needs to cool.
To save time, use your favorite store-bought crust.
The first step is to make your vegan and gluten-free pumpkin pie crust. Then, while the crust is baking and chilling, make your creamy pumpkin filling right in a blender.
When the crust and filling are both ready, simply pour the right into the crust. Shake and tap out any air bubbles, then pop the whole pie back into the oven. Once baked, let cool to set and enjoy!
Recipe Ingredients
You only need 10 ingredients to make this Vegan Pumpkin Pie.
Here’s what you need:
- Silken tofu. This is our secret ingredient! You don’t need any dairy for a creamy and silky texture. Trust me when I say you won’t taste the tofu! Bonus: silken tofu adds a nice boost of protein to the dish.
- Pumpkin purée. No surprise here, just make sure you use pumpkin purée and not pumpkin pie filling. You can make your own by roasting a whole pumpkin or butternut squash or use canned pumpkin puree.
- Granulated sugar. I like to use coconut sugar, but any granulated sugar will work.
- Maple syrup. For a touch of additional sweetness and moisture, add a little bit of maple syrup.
- Arrowroot starch. This is the gltuen-free binding ingredient to achieve a perfect pumpkin pie texture, but I’ll include a few substitutions below.
- Pumpkin pie spice. Flavour, flavour, flavour! You can make your own spice mix with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves or use a storebought pumpkin pie spice.
- Vanilla extract. Just be sure to use the real stuff, not imitation!
- Nut butter. This adds a thicker texture to the pie filling, but it’s optional. You can make the pie nut-free by using seed butter or omitting it altogether.
Tips for Success
Here are my top tips for making perfect vegan pumpkin pie for any occasion:
- Make sure that your pumpkin pie filling is blended smoothly before filling your pie crust. The ingredients should blend quite easily, as all the ingredients are quite soft, but look out for any potential arrowroot starch/cornstarch dry pockets.
- I updated this recipe in November 2021 and reduced the maple syrup by 2 tablespoons and added a tablespoon of nut/seed butter. This was primarily for textural reasons, as I wanted to see if I could find a way to prevent breakage in the pie top, and I found that it did help slightly. Cracks in your pie top are nothing to worry about, though!
- Since the recipe is vegan, you can sample your pie filling before pouring it into the crust. Then simply adjust the sweetness and spice level as you like! I know everyone has their own pie preferences.
- If you don’t want to make your own pie crust, you can also use your own store-bought crust. There are a few vegan varieties on the market now, and a few that are “accidentally vegan” so just read the ingredients!
Make-Ahead Pumpkin Pie Recipe
You can certainly go ahead and make the pie in advance. It will stay fresh for up to two days, covered at room temperature.
Likewise, store leftover pie in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. You can serve this pie chilled or at room temperature. Just don’t forget the coconut whip on top!
More Vegan Pumpkin Recipes to Try
If you love this creamy and thick vegan pumpkin pie, try these treats next:
- Pumpkin Spice Pecans
- Pumpkin Gingerbread Loaf
- Cozy Pumpkin Lentil Stew
- 2-Ingredient Pumpkin Gnocchi
- Pumpkin Spice Tahini Cookies
- Healthy Pumpkin Spice Granola
If you try this recipe out, tag me on Instagram @veggiekins so I can see your delicious re-creations and feature them! As always, I love when you share your reviews in the comments below, and if you make any fun substitutions, let me know how it worked out below too.
Healthy Vegan Pumpkin Pie (high protein, gluten free, refined sugar free, oil free)
Ingredients
- vegan pie crust of choice*
- 1 can of pumpkin purée roughly 15oz
- 8 oz silken tofu
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar I used coconut sugar, which adds a nice caramel note
- 2 tbsp maple syrup or other liquid sweetener
- 2 tbsp arrowroot starch or cornstarch or tapioca flour
- 1 tbsp cashew butter almond butter, or other nut/seed butter (optional)*
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Pre-bake your pie crust or prepare according to directions.
- Once the piecrust is ready, make sure your of your oven has preheated to 350°F while you prepare the pie filling
- In a high-speed blender or food processor add all of your ingredients and blend until completely smooth. Taste the filling, and add additional sweetener or spices as needed.
- Transfer the pie filling into your pie shell, and bake at 350° for about 35-40 to minutes, or until the top is lightly golden brown and the filling is set. Use a toothpick to check whether the center is cooked through.
- Remove the pie from oven, and allow to cool for at least an hour to allow the filling to set further. You can chill it in the refrigerator to speed up the cooling as well.
Notes
- You can use store bought pie crust of choice (do read the labels as many are accidentally vegan friendly), or use your favourite pie crust recipe. I really like this crust recipe from From My Bowl.
- This recipe was modified as of October 2020--I reduced the maple syrup from 1/4 cup to 2 tbsp, and included an optional 1 tbsp of nut/seed butter as I found it helped with the overall texture of the pie.
- Recipe adapted from Food Network's Vegan Pumpkin Pie recipe.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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