Eggless Pumpkin Pie with Flaky Crust (vegan)
Eggless pumpkin pie recipe that is entirely plant-based. Creamy, sweet, and luscious! Make entirely from scratch, or use store-bought crust. The creamy pumpkin filling has a secret ingredient that will make this pie pop. It’s absolutely delicious and bursting with flavor!
Servings: 12 pieces
Equipment
- ∅12 cm / 9-inch pie pan, food processor, pie crust shell
- food processor, rolling pin, pie crust cutters, scissors
Ingredients
Flaky Pie Crust (alternative: store bought pie crust)
- 315 grams unbleached all-purpose flour (2 ½ cups)
- 1 tablespoons cane sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 120 grams vegetable shortening (½ cup)
- 110 grams vegan butter (½ cup)
- 2-3 tablespoons ice water, more if needed
Pumpkin Pie Filling
- 600 grams pumpkin puree (2 ½ cups)
- 100 grams plant based yogurt (½ cup)
- 50 grams maple syrup (¼ cup)
- 25 grams brown sugar (⅛ cup)
- 20 grams corn starch (1 ½ tbsp)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla exract
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
- ½ teaspoon chinese five spice
- vegan egg wash, to brush crust
Instructions
The day before
- Prior to beginning, gather all ingredients and utensils you'll need. Stick all ingredients and utensils in the fridge overnight (or in the freezer for ca. 30 minutes) prior to preparing the pie crust. Cutting the shortening and butter up into small chunks prior to chilling it, will help you with working with it immediately. You want the fat to stay as cold as possible.
Making pie crust form scratch
- Add flour, salt, and sugar into a food processor and pulse to combine. Then add butter and shortening and pulse until crumbly. (Works best pulsing in 2-second bursts a couple of times until most of the fat is the size of peas)
- Once everything is crumbly add the iced water to the food processor. Pulse until dough begins to clump into small balls. Don’t allow the dough to become completely one single mass during processing! This is necessary to get that flaky texture. You want the dough to hold together, but you’re not making bread or pizza dough.
- Gently press the dough together with your hands. If it does not hold together, you may need a bit more ice water. Divide the dough into ⅔ and ⅓. Press each piece into a round flat disk (wrap in plastic wrap or parchment). Chill for at least 30 minutes*. While the dough is chilling you can prepare the filling.
Prepare the filling
- In a mixing bowl combine all ingredients for the filling and whisk together. Either with an electric hand or stand mixer, or by hand with a whisk. Once everything is well combined, set aside. If necessary cover the bowl.
Rolling out pie shell and pre-baking
- Preheat your oven to 180°C / 355°F.
- Once the dough is chilled, take out the ⅔ and roll it out in between two pieces of cling wrap (or on a floured surface). This will be our shell. Make sure you have enough space when rolling it out!
- With uniform pressure on the pin, roll the dough from the center out in all directions. Try keeping the dough in a circular shape. Rotate the dough itself rather than moving the pin. Periodically, make sure the dough isn’t sticking to the wrap (or work surface) by sliding your floured hand beneath it and sprinkling some flour on the counter, if necessary. It can be tricky but try not to use too much flour, or the crust could turn dense and chewy, instead of light and flaky.
- Roll the dough 5 – 6cm (2,5 inches) wider than your pan so you will have plenty of dough for covering the entire pan and for creating a rim (if wanted). Gently place your pan upside down in the center of the dough for calculating the width.
- Once rolled out transfer the dough to your pan: get rid of one cling wrap, and using the sides of the bottom wrap gently flip and transfer it. Or roll it loosely around your rolling pin. Center the pin over one side of the pan, and then gently unroll the dough. Patch any holes or cracks with dough scraps. When the dough completely covers the pan, trim the edges with scissors. Prick the dough on the bottom of the pan with a fork. Pre-bake the shell at 180°C / 355°F. for 15 to 20 minutes.
Making a decorative top
- Get the other ⅓ chilled piece of dough and roll out, just like before. You can either cut out even strips and make a lattice top, you could braid some of the strips, or simply cut out pieces with cookie cutters/pie crust cutters of your choice. I rolled out the dough into a big circle and cut out parts with fall-themed leaf pie crust cutters. Once cut out I put them on an even surface and then back into the fridge (or shortly in the freezer) to chill. When the cutouts are chilled they are way easier to handle!
Assembling the pie
- Pour your prepared filling into your (pre-baked) pie crust. Get out the chilled lattices or cutouts. Top your pie with your favorite pastry design, or alternatively leave uncovered. Brush with vegan egg wash. It’s important that the pie goes into the hot oven asap or the filling will begin to soften the bottom crust.
- Bake for about 30-45 minutes at 180°C / 355°F, or until the crust is lightly browned and the outermost of the filling is set. If the edges of the pie are browning too much during baking, gently cover with a pie crust shield. Don’t worry if the center is still a bit soft; it continues to firm up as the pie is cooling down.
- Turn off the oven, and leave the pie in the oven for another 15 minutes. This helps everything to set properly. Take the pie out of the oven, and allow it to cool fully on the counter before slicing. Enjoy! Tastes great with some toasted nuts (like pecans or walnuts) and plant-based whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or yogurt on top.
Notes
*Chilling time of the crust: Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to several days before rolling. The dough can also be tightly wrapped and frozen for up to 6 months. Thaw completely before rolling. That makes it a perfect "Make-Ahead" dough that'll save you some time on the actual baking day!