Awesome Vegan Pumpkin Pie

Awesome Vegan Pumpkin Pie

I made this Awesome Vegan Pumpkin Pie during the weekend after Thanksgiving.  Since we enjoyed my Apple Cranberry Crisp Pie for our vegan Thanksgiving Day meal ~ and for breakfast the next day ~ I was craving pumpkin pie.  Pumpkin anything!  It's mid-December, and I'm feeling a bit pumpkin deprived! Plus, this pie for breakfast thing was quite fun, and I wanted more of it!  So I whipped up this Vegan Pumpkin Pie, and it did not disappoint!   It checked off all the boxes:  smooth, creamy richness and a perfect balance of sweet and spice.  Best of all, it's plenty decadent, yet feels light to eat without all the heavy cream found in traditional pumpkin pie recipes.  

I loosely followed Dani's recipe from VeganProteins on YouTube, which is similar to a Vegan Pumpkin Pie I had made in the past using tofu.  I had to make some modifications because I only had soft tofu available.  When I blended it with the pumpkin, it was pretty runny.  I decided to compensate with some egg replacer along with the arrowroot / cornstarch binder, and some nut and seed butters.  

As for the nut / seed butter, I used up the last tablespoon or so of our sprouted sunflower butter (my absolute favorite sunflower butter!) and filled in with cashew butter.   I honestly wasn't sure what I thought of the batter while preparing it, but I poured it into the crust and hoped for the best.  

Since I made this in the evening, and pumpkin pies need to sit for a while before cutting, we waited to try the Vegan Pumpkin Pie ~ you guessed it ~ for breakfast the next day. Don and I were very pleasantly surprised as to how great it tasted.  The flavors melded together in a seeming miraculous way.

What Is In This Vegan Pumpkin Pie

1 can of pumpkin purée (I used Organic Farmers Market Pumpkin Purée in a BPA liner-free can)

1 package of soft tofu (Dani used 1/2 a package of medium tofu.)  I used water-packed tofu.  Next time I would try the medium.

Nut & Seed Butters - I first used up our jar of sprouted sunflower butter.  I added cashew butter as well.  I didn't want any of the crunchy peanut butter that was open.  I didn't want the crunch, nor the peanut butter flavor.  I nearly tried using some almond butter, which would also be good.  But, as chance would have it, I recently purchased a greatly discounted jar of Once Again brand Cashew Butter.   I NEVER have cashew butter on hand.  I had a hunch at the time it could come in handy for making holiday treats without having to first soak and blend raw cashews, and I'm so glad I trusted my intuition to purchase a jar at that time.  (How often do we ignore those inner hunches?)  Although cashews can be used to create a lot of creamy sauces or desserts, we rarely consume them.  That said, Don and I made these delicious Vegan Scalloped Potatoes for our Sunday dinner which were quite good.  So, if you happen to purchase a jar of cashew butter, I'll be putting that recipe up on my website.  

Sweetener - I used brown sugar + a bit of maple syrup.  Dani used the equivalent of 2/3 cup of stevia.  I personally only like stevia in very small doses, but use what you prefer.  Vanilla extract and cinnamon also lends sweetness to the pie.

Spices - A generous amount of pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and a bit of dried ginger, nutmeg and a tiny pinch of clove.  If you have pumpkin pie spice, you may not need the extra bit of ground ginger and clove unless you like those pumpkin pie spices. In that case, have at it.  I added all of it.  Allspice can be used in lieu of the clove.  Adjust the spices to your taste preferences.  I like the earthy cinnamon flavor with a bit of the spicy ginger and the warmth of the nutmeg and clove.  These spices along with the richness of the nut and seed butter, and the betacarotene-rich pumpkin make this dessert (or, ahem, breakfast) an ideal addition to your fall and winter diet, especially if you have a Vata constitution.

If using pumpkin pie spice, you may not need as much of the individual spices, but again, it depends upon how you like it.  Do a quick taste test before adding more.  Just know that the flavors will mellow and come together once baked and set.

Binder - I added a tablespoon of Simple Truth Organic Plant-Based Egg Replacer made from ground chia + aquafaba along with the arrowroot / cornstarch.  You can sub 1 Tbsp. ground chia seeds.

Crust - I used the other flour crust which comes in a 2-pack and found in the freezer section.  Aside from palm seed oil, found in all the pie crusts I looked at, the ingredients are pretty minimal.  I like the pastry taste to the flour crust.  You can also try making my Oat Cider Crust.

Vegan Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Vegan Pumpkin Pie Ingredients

• 1 can pumpkin purée (I like the Farmers Market Organic Pumpkin Purée in a BPA-free can)
• 1 package soft tofu, drained
• 1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp. nut / seed butter (I used about 3 Tbsp. cashew butter and 1 Tbsp. sprouted sunflower butter) - more if needed
• 1 Tbsp. Simple Truth Organic Plant-Based Egg Replacer or 1 Tbsp. ground chia seeds (grind whole chia seeds in a coffee grinder before adding to pie filling otherwise you'll have lumpy chia seeds messing with your creamy smooth pumpkin filling, which is no bueno!)
• About 1/2  cup (or a bit more) Wholesome Brown or Dark Brown Sugar, or dry sweetener of choice
• 1 Tbsp. maple syrup 
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1-1&1/2 tsp. cinnamon 
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. dried ginger
• Pinch of ground clove or allspice 
• 2 Tbsp. arrowroot, tapioca powder or cornstarch
• 1-2 Tbsp. unsweetened or vanilla soy milk, optionally needed

Vegan Pumpkin Pie Steps

1. Preheat oven to 375º F.
2. Add all ingredients except soy milk to a high speed blender or food processor.  Blend, scraping sides.  You may need to add more nut / seed butter, or a little soy milk, depending on the type of tofu you used, and the consistency.  It should be a thick, pourable batter.  If it seems slightly runny, the egg replacer will help it bind.  If too runny, add more nut butter to thicken it.  If too thick, thin with nondairy milk.  Adjust sweetness and spices too.
3. Pour into pie crust.  Spread evenly with a spoon or rubber spatula.
4. Bake for about 40 minutes.  If the crust is getting too brown before the pie filling is ready, loosely cover the outer edges of the pie with foil.  A toothpick entered into the middle should com out clean.  The pie will turn a darker brown as it cooks and sets.
5. Leave pie to set for at least 30 minutes before cutting!

Be sure to check out my Apple Cranberry Crisp Pie. If you want to make your own pie crust, this Oat Cider Pie Crust would be great with the Pumpkin Pie.

If you are craving more pumpkin, I also just baked this super healthy oil-free Vegan Pumpkin Spice Bread from Kathy's Vegan Kitchen.  It's definitely among the best pumpkin bread recipes I've ever tried.  Moist, light, perfectly sweetened, and healthy!

Kathy has great oil-free, whole-foods, plant-based recipes you may want to check out.   

Interestingly, she and her husband made the opposite move when she retired, and lives in Scottsdale, AZ where we left!  We miss AZ and may move back as soon as we are able. 

Read more about Eating in Harmony with the Fall / Winter Diet.