How To Make the Best Vegan Pumpkin Pie

For being an omnivore, I’m pretty expert at vegan Thanksgiving. My husband was vegan for over 10 years, and every year I make an entire second vegan Thanksgiving dinner alongside my regular butter-enriched, roast beef-filled buffet. I always whip up a vegan pumpkin pie, and usually I wing it. But this year, I decided to perfect my recipe, swapping a store-bought crust for a flaky homemade one and mastering the perfect rich and creamy filling. It’s all the goodness of a regular pumpkin pie, but made vegan. Here’s how to do it.

A couple of things bother me about pre-made pie crusts: They’re usually smaller than a standard pie plate (which means less filling!) and 99 percent of the time the crust cracks before I even take it out of the packaging. But making a vegan pie crust for pumpkin pie is surprisingly easy, and always tastes and feels better than any store-bought crust. 

I’ve found that the best vegan pie crusts are made with unrefined coconut oil because it acts similarly to butter: It firms when cold and melts when warms. Coconut oil warms up much more quickly than butter, however, so you’ll want to start with frozen coconut oil to give you more time to make the dough before it gets too soft. A food processor works the fat into the dough more quickly than you can by hand, but if you don’t have one I recommend a pastry cutter and working quickly so the dough stays cold.

With traditional pie doughs, you usually make the dough, wrap it in plastic, and allow it to rest before rolling it out. But when a coconut oil dough gets too cold, it’s no longer pliable and is more likely to shatter. That’s why here, you’ll roll out the dough immediately, press it into the pie plate, then allow it to rest in the pan before crimping.

To ensure the crust is cooked through and golden when you pull the pie out of the oven, you have to blind bake it first. Bake the pie crust until it’s golden-brown around the edges, then let cool on a wire rack while you make the filling.

This dairy-free filling couldn’t be easier: All the ingredients are whisked together in a large bowl, then poured into the pre-baked crust. It’s made with pumpkin purée, traditional pumpkin pie spices, maple syrup, vanilla, and a few special ingredients that add richness and depth.

Sweetened condensed coconut milk lends sweetness and a deep creamy texture, while evaporated coconut milk adds richness. These dairy-free ingredients help create a pumpkin pie filling that mimics the traditional version, so you don’t miss out on any of that velvety pumpkin pie texture. Instead of an egg, the filling is bound together with arrowroot powder, which gives this pie its silky mouthfeel. Cornstarch works as well.

After pulling it from the oven, let the pie cool to room temperature, then serve immediately or refrigerate until chilled. I like it with a dollop of non-dairy whipping cream and a tall glass of oat milk.

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