This classic vegan pumpkin pie is so rich and creamy, no one will believe it's vegan. The filling can be made in a blender for a quick and easy fall dessert the whole family will love.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.
So now that we've got our Thanksgiving entrée covered, let's talk about the NEXT most important component of our holiday meal - dessert! Yes, after nearly 7 years of blogging, I finally have the perfect Thanksgiving dessert for you.
It's a classic vegan pumpkin pie!
I've been making a variation of this pie for 12 years. The first year I made this recipe I was newly vegan and I didn't yet know the difference between regular and silken tofu (we will get into that in a moment). What resulted was a chunky pumpkin and tofu pie that DID NOT impress.
While that was not a pie I felt good about serving, I did learn a lesson and I have never made that tofu mistake since. Now I've been perfecting this pumpkin pie recipe for the past decade and friends, I think you're going to love it.
Recipe Video
Recommended Ingredients and Equipment
This pumpkin pie is so rich and creamy with the perfect custard texture that no one at your holiday table will believe this dessert is vegan!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Silken Tofu - It's very important that you use silken tofu. Silken tofu is a shelf-stable product found usually in the international food aisle of most well-stocked grocery stores. Like regular tofu, silken tofu comes in soft, medium, firm, and extra firm. For this recipe, I recommend using extra-firm.
- Pumpkin Puree - Make sure to use canned pumpkin and NOT pumpkin pie filling.
- White and Brown Sugar - Check out my guide to vegan sugars and alternative sugar replacements. For a healthier sugar alternative, I recommend coconut sugar.
- Cornstarch
- Spices - You will need cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, and salt
- Vanilla Extract
- 1 Pie Crust - You can either use homemade or store-bought. Most well-stocked grocery stores carry vegan frozen pie crusts.
Recommended Equipment
For this recipe, you’ll need basic kitchen equipment such as a mixing bowl, utensils, and a pie pan. You will also need a blender or food processor. (<<affiliate links)
Check out the full list of my recommended kitchen tools and gadgets.
How to Make Vegan Pumpkin Pie
Step One - Make the Crust
First of all, let me say, there is NO shame in buying pie crust. Most well-stocked grocery stores carry vegan frozen pie crust and most of the time that is what I opt for. If you go the pre-made pie crust route, the rest of this pie comes together in about 10 minutes!
For those of you making your own pie crusts, there are a few tricks I've learned.
- Have an even mix of vegan butter and coconut oil. By combining the two, you will get the perfect combination of buttery flavor and flaky texture. Do remember: both your butter and coconut oil should be chilled before using!
- Add just enough water to allow your pie crust to come together. We don't want overly moist crusts. Wetter pie crusts are easier to work with, but the drier it is, the flakier (aka, more delicious) your pie crust will be.
- Chill your pie crust twice. The first chill allows for the dough to harden just enough to be rolled out. If you chill it for too long, you may need to warm the dough up by kneading it between your hands. The second chill allows the fats to re-firm up. This prevents the butter and coconut oil from melting too quickly in the oven so that your pie crust keeps its beautiful structure.
If you are struggling with making your pie crust pretty. Don't worry. Rustic is always a lovely look and tastes exactly the same.
Step Two - Make the Filling
In a powerful blender or food processor, combine all the ingredients for the pumpkin pie filling. Blend until completely smooth. Pour the pumpkin pie filling into your pie crust, spread evenly with an offset spatula,
Pro Tip: Getting the right tofu is super important. Silken tofu, unlike regular tofu, is a shelf-stable product found usually in the international food aisle of most well-stocked grocery stores. If you can't find it, you can buy it online. Silken tofu has a creamier consistency than regular tofu making it a great egg replacement for custards, puddings, and cream pies.
Step Three - Bake
Bake the pie, uncovered, for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, check for doneness. The pie should be mostly firm and the pie crust should be golden brown. If there is still a lot of jiggle to the pie, bake it for another 10 minutes before checking again. You will know the pie is done when the filling starts cracking down the middle.
Let the pie cool completely at room temperature before transferring it to the refrigerator to chill. This prevents the pie from cracking.
Serving and Storing
Serving - Chill the pie for at least 4 hours. This pie is best when chilled overnight. This pumpkin pie should be served cold with coconut whipped cream. Serve this pie with your favorite holiday recipes for a classic dessert that no one will believe is vegan!
Storing - Wrap leftover pie in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or the freezer for up to 2 months.
Tips and Tricks
- Ensure that you are not baking above 350F. Anything higher will bake your pie too quickly and, thus, unevenly.
- Put a water bath at the bottom of your oven. You can do this by filling a sheet pan with water and placing it on the bottom rack. The steam provides a slower and even bake.
- When checking for doneness, you want your pie to be slightly wobbly. Give it a little shake and see how it feels. If it's too wobbly, the pie isn't set and will be too soft. If it has no wobble at all, the pie is overcooked and won't have the custard-like, melt-in-your-mouth feel.
- Let the pie cool completely at room temperature before transferring it to the refrigerator to chill. This prevents the pie from cracking. Chill the pie for at least 4 hours. This pie is best when chilled overnight.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! It is the only kind of tofu that will blend completely into this custard. It is a shelf-stable product found usually in the international food aisle of most well-stocked grocery stores.
Can I use something other than tofu?
Unfortunately, no. This recipe centers around the tofu being the base of the custard. There are no equal substitutions.
More Vegan Pie Recipes
- Fresh Berry Fruit Pizza
- Cream Chocolate Silk Pie
- Vegan Lemon Tart
- Perfect Apple Pie
- Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Pie
- Mini Cherry Pies
Vegan Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 1 ¼ cup All-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoon non-dairy butter
- ¼ cup coconut oil, solid
- 2-3 tablespoon ice water
Pumpkin Pie Filling
- 1 ½ 15 (oz) cans pumpkin puree
- 8 oz extra firm silken tofu
- ½ cup white sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ tsp cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon allspice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
- Start by making your pie crust. Spray a 9" pie pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Cut the butter and coconut oil in small pieces - about 1 tablespoon in size - and add to the dry ingredients. Using your hands or a pastry cutter, press the butter and coconut oil into the flour until the fats are evenly distributed and the dough resembles small pea-size pieces.
- Dribble 1 tablespoon of ice water over the flour mixer and kneed together with your hands. Add water as necessary. You want a fairly dry dough (this creates the flakiness) but that has enough moisture to roll out and shape.
- When you have the right consistency, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. When the dough is firm, roll out onto a piece of floured parchment paper until your dough is about ⅛" thick and you have a circle about 12" across.
- Placing your hand underneath the parchment paper, gently flip the crust into the pie pan. Peel off the parchment paper and press the crust evenly into the pie pan, trimming any edges that hang over. Place in the refrigerator and let chill for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Place a baking sheet on the bottom rack and fill it with water. This creates steam which will allow the pumpkin pie to bake more evenly.
- In a powerful blender or food processor, combine all the ingredients for the pumpkin pie filling. Blend until completely smooth. Pour the pumpkin pie filling into your pie crust, spread evenly with an offset spatula, and bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes.
- At 45 minutes, check for doneness. The pie should be mostly firm and the pie crust should be golden brown. If there is still a lot of jiggle to the pie, bake it for another 10 minutes before checking again.
- Remove from the oven and let cool completely at room temperature before transferring to the refrigerator to continue chilling. The pie should set for 4 hours but best overnight.
- Serve with coconut whipped cream.
Video
Notes
- Put a water bath at the bottom of your oven. You can do this by filling a sheet pan with water and placing it on the bottom rack. The steam provides a slower and even bake.
- When checking for doneness, you want your pie to be slightly wobbly. Give it a little shake and see how it feels. If it's too wobbly, the pie isn't set and will be too soft. If it has no wobble at all, the pie is overcooked and won't have the custard-like, melt-in-your-mouth feel.
- Let the pie cool completely at room temperature before transferring it to the refrigerator to chill. This prevents the pie from cracking. Chill the pie for at least 4 hours. This pie is best when chilled overnight.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the
Sharon says
I would give it more stars if I could! I made this for our thanksgiving desert and it was the creamiest pumpkin pie I have ever made. I did not make the crust as I did not have any coconut oil. I used a different recipe
Emily says
This pie was so good!! The filling was so smooth and creamy and I used my own homemade crust recipe! Thanks!
Jenni says
I made this for Thanksgiving, and it was awesome! Nice blend of flavors, a great firm texture, and most importantly, my non-vegan husband asked me to make it again some time. It was super easy to make. I will definitely use this as my go-to pumpkin pie recipe from now on. Thank you so much!
Jenny says
Hi Sarah,
Thank you very much for this recipe! My daughter has been vegan for over 5 years and this is the first vegan pumpkin pie recipe I have made for her that we both liked. My store only carried the silken firm, so I imagine when I find the extra firm it will be even better. The texture of the pie was firm, yet incredibly light, smooth, creamy, and melted in our mouths.
I made my own GF crust for this, and with the exception of firm rather than extra firm stabilized silken tofu, I followed your recipe.
I will be making this again!
Thank you! Jenny
Anne M Jenkins says
I've tried a few vegan pumpkin pie recipes, and this is the winner! I make my own crust or use store bought vegan graham cracker crust. My husband prefers this pumpkin pie over my traditional pumpkin custard pie which my family has made for generations....this is fine because my son and I get to eat the traditional pie, and my husband and daughter eat the vegan pie. This recipe is better than most store bought NON vegan pies. It has a cheesecake like flavor and consistency.
Sarah McMinn says
Ah, thanks for sharing. I love hearing that.
Joanne Kelleher says
What can I use instead of tofu?
Sarah McMinn says
I don't recommend substituting the tofu, unfortunately.