This vegan pumpkin pie is also paleo and has a richer and creamier pumpkin filling than your traditional pumpkin pie! A great grain-free and gluten-free pie for Thanksgiving dessert. With a how-to recipe video.
I’m SO excited about this recipe. I made it about a month ago and have been trying to be patient and not post it before Halloween. But according to the people on Instagram, it’s never too early for pumpkin pie so here we are!
Pumpkin pie has never been a favorite of mine because of the texture. To me, it’s just kind of bla. But this vegan pumpkin pie?! Definitely the opposite of bla. :D I’ve made some no-bake cashew-based desserts before, like these no-bake paleo vegan key lime pies and this paleo vegan maple frosting but this one is different in that it’s baked.
The result is a super creamy, rich and decadent pumpkin pie. I’m not vegan nor paleo but I’m telling you… if I had the choice between this filling and one with sweetened condensed milk and eggs, I’d much rather have this one. Nobody will know that it’s allergy-friendly and made healthier.
Before I made this, I tried some recipes that basically just used coconut milk in place of the evaporated / sweetened condensed milk and coconut sugar instead of brown sugar. But nope. I can’t have any coconut taste in my pumpkin pie.
I did use some whipped coconut cream on one piece, but to be honest, it was just because I wanted the pie to look more interesting for the pictures. I then wiped it off and put it in a smoothie because coconut taste is not welcome here. ;) And seriously – the texture in this cashew-based recipe is so much better than the coconut milk based ones!
The crust is the same one I used in this paleo chocolate fudge pie and like I said in that post, the only kind of crust I really like is a cookie crust.
This isn’t at all a cookie crust but it’s still a great crust (if you like regular pie crust!). I used a chia egg in the pictured pie but a regular egg works just as well!
If you can eat grains and aren’t vegan, the whole wheat cookie crust in this blueberry cream cheese pie would be my favorite crust to use in this (or really – any!) pie. I’m not sure if you’d need to pre-bake the crust, though. I’m guessing not but I’m not positive!
Prefer a cheesecake? This Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake is one of my favorite recipes on the blog!
There are a few downsides to this pie. I think it’s really best to prepare it the day before serving (or the day of). I didn’t cut into the pie until after it had chilled overnight and both the crust and filling were perfect.
The next day (so two days after I had made it), I thought the crust wasn’t as good. It had gotten kind of soft. And I thought the filling started tasting a little weird on the fourth day.
If you’re worried about not being able to eat it all before the funkiness sets in, freeze it! I’m pretty sure it’d freeze well, though I doubt the crust would be as crisp.
The other negative thing about this paleo vegan pumpkin pie is that it uses a full cup of maple syrup. If maple syrup is super expensive in your neck of the woods, you could try using half agave or brown rice syrup (if you’re not paleo) or half honey (if you’re not vegan). By the way, I haven’t tried any of these ideas – they’re just suggestions. :)
By the way, if you’re vegan, I recommend checking out my post on Is Maple Syrup Vegan? Some manufacturers use an animal product during production that you may or not be okay with.
If you’re paleo but not vegan, definitely also give my paleo pumpkin donuts a try! They’re seriously SO good!
And if you’re vegan but not paleo, check out this gluten-free pumpkin mousse pie for another great gluten-free pumpkin recipe.
And for the vegans, I have vegan pumpkin muffins! Which you also coat in cinnamon sugar, making them donut-like.
I’d love to hear what you think about this paleo pumpkin pie! It’s one of my very favorite recipes ever.
Vegan Pumpkin Pie (paleo, grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free)
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 8-12 slices
Ingredients
- 2 cups (200 grams) blanched almond flour
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon (33 grams) coconut oil
- 1 chia egg1 or 1 large egg (50 grams, out of shell) for a non-vegan version
- 1 1/3 cups (193 grams) raw unsalted cashews, soaked and drained2
- 1 cup (240 milliliters) maple syrup, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 1 15-ounce (425-gram) can pumpkin puree
- 2-3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice3
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/8 teaspoon salt
- I used whipped coconut cream and healthier maple candied walnuts (just to make the pictures look nice – I don't think the pie needs it!)
For the crust:
For the filling:
For garnish:
Directions
- Position the rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat it to 350 °F (175 °C).
- Prepare the crust. You can either mix the dry ingredients together and then stir in the wet ingredients with an electric hand mixer or by hand (which will take some time and strength) until well combined or use a food processor. To use a food processor, place the almond flour in the bowl of a food processor fitted with an S-blade. Sprinkle the sugar and salt over the top and then add the coconut oil and egg / chia egg. Pulse just until a ball forms.
- Press the mixture up the sides and over the bottom of a 9" pie plate. Set aside while preparing the filling. If you don't have a pie shield then you should create one now out of foil. Set it aside until you need it after it's baked for about 20 minutes.
- Blend all the filling ingredients in a high-powered blender (I don't think this will work in a food processor) at medium or high speed for about 1 or 2 minutes or until completely creamy and no lumps remain.
- Pour the filling over the unbaked pie crust and bake for 45-55 minutes or until the topping looks slightly puffy and has turned slightly brown. I put a pie shield over my crust after about 20 minutes to prevent it from browning too much. The pie will still be quite soft but firms up as it chills.
- Let cool completely, about 2 hours, and then refrigerate for another 2 hours. Best served on the day of making or the next day. Keep refrigerated for up to 2 days and freeze leftovers after that. By the way, the pictured slices are WAY too big. I didn't realize how rich the pie was until after I had sliced them!
Notes
- To make a chia egg, mix together 1 tablespoon of ground chia seeds and 2 1/2 tablespoons water. Let sit 5-15 minutes or until goopy like an egg.
- To soak the cashews, place them in a large mug, small pot, or some kind of container that's safe to pour boiling water into. Pour enough boiling water over the cashews to cover them. Let them sit 2 hours.
- Since everyone's ideal amount of pumpkin pie spice is different, I recommend starting off with 2 teaspoons, blending, tasting and adding more, if desired. I used 3 teaspoons.
Crust adapted from Elana's Pantry.
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127 comments on “Vegan Pumpkin Pie (paleo, grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free)” — Add one!
6 comments are awaiting moderation!
Can I use anything in place of Maple syrup? I just ran out after 3/4 of a cup!
Sorry for just now seeing your question! You could use some honey (if not vegan) or even just omit it. Others have made it with less maple syrup with success. :)
Merry Christmas
I am making the crust now but it doesn’t seem to ball up should I add another egg
Merry Christmas to you, too! Sorry for just now replying to your question. I live in Europe so I was already sleeping when your comment came in. I wouldn’t add another egg. Did it end up working out?
I baked this pie for a holiday party yesterday and it was so good! Everyone loved it! Thank you for the recipe!
You’re welcome! I’m thrilled that everyone loved it. Yay! Thanks for your comment. :)
This was a great recipe! I brought it to Thanksgiving thinking no one would like it as much as the store bought one, but they all liked it better. I need to practice placing the crust, but I will make this again!
I’m happy to hear that it was well-received! And thank goodness they preferred it over the store-bought pie. :) It would have been a shame after all that work (and the cost!). Thanks a bunch for your comment. :)
Best Pumpkin Pie I’ve ever had and I felt great the next day!!!
Thank you so much for sharing this fabulous recipe!
Woohoo! So happy to hear that. :) Thanks a ton for your comment!
Hey I just made the pie and it’s not really “firm” and when I stick a knife in it, it still has pie goo on it lol.. I used already made pie crust but kept it in the oven an additional 20 mins but still has stuff on the knife when poking it..
Will refrigerating it make it like a “normal” pumpkin pie?
A knife probably won’t come out clean. Fluffy and brown are all that’s important. The pie will still be quite soft but firms up as it chills. Let cool completely, about 2 hours, and then refrigerate for another 2 hours. Happy Thanksgiving. :)
I’m having a hard time telling if it’s cooked. It’s still wibbly & a knife doesn’t come out clean but it’s fluffy & brown.
Sorry for the slow reply! I’m 6 hours ahead of ET so your comment came in while I was already sleeping. Wobbly is fine and a knife probably won’t come out clean. Fluffy and brown are all that’s important. It’ll firm up as it chills! Happy Thanksgiving. :)
Hello! Excited to make this…. but almond flour is so expensive! I’d be using the entire $8 bag I just bought. Is there another GF option I could use to substitute in ~halfish? Flax seed?
Hi there! Unfortunately, nuts flours aren’t interchangeable with non-nut flours. Do you have access to a cheaper kind of nut flour / meal? What about almond meal? That’s usually cheaper than almond flour! I’ve heard of people using sunflower seed flour as a sub but I’ve never tried it and have no idea if it’d work here. Sorry about that!
Perfect recipe! Except I can’t have cashews. Any alternative suggestions? Thanks!
I wouldn’t try another type of nut but a few of the commenters below you made the pie cashew-free! I haven’t tried their versions so I have no idea how it compares to the original, though.
You drain the cashews and use the juice or you get rid of the juice and mix up the softened cashews with everything? I’m confused as to which you use!
Drain and get rid of the water. Enjoy! :)
Delicious! I made this for my daughter-in-law who is vegan and it was delicious! I make this all the time now even though my husband and I are not vegan.
I’m thrilled to hear that! That’s great. :) Thanks a bunch for your comment!
I started this as an attempt to try making a vegan pie but somehow got distracted and had to use real eggs. I’m sorry but I must say it came out really well. I still need to work on my texture but it tasted very delicious, Erin. One question: what’s the importance of coconut sugar? I just used normal store sugar. Looking forward to more of your pumpkin recipes. Thanks.
But what did you use eggs in place of? Except for the chia egg in the crust, I’m not sure what you would have subbed eggs in for. But that’s great that it came out well! There is no importance of coconut sugar – I just wanted to make the pie paleo for the paleo folks and coconut sugar is one of the few granulated sugars that can be used. :) Brown sugar or granulated sugar works just as well! Thanks a bunch for your comment. :)
Do you think substituting 1/2 cup of the almond flour for pecan flour be tasty?
I definitely do! Sounds delicious. :) I’d love to hear how it comes out!
This vegan doesn’t love pumpkin pie but her husband does! Being an elementary teacher on Halloween he always comes home a bit unsettled so I decided to make him a pumpkin pie. I fouind yours and because I LOVE cashews in everything decided to try it. Let me tell you, this could be the first pumpkin pie I am going to love as I couldn’t stop eating the filling before it went into the oven! I will be back to report how much we loved it after it finishes baking and we eat it! Thank you for this recipe!
Aww. That’s so sweet you made him a pumpkin pie after his trying day at school! I’m with you on the filling. I have a hard time not eating a good deal of it before it’s time to put it in the crust. I hope you all enjoyed it after it was baked! Thanks a bunch for your comment. :)
Hi, Can I use gluten free all purpose flour instead of almond flour? I’m allergic to almonds :(
Hi there! Unfortunately, nuts flours aren’t interchangeable with non-nut flours. I’ve heard of people using sunflower seed flour as a sub but I’ve never tried it and have no idea if it’d work here. Sorry about that! :( You could always find a crust recipe using GF AP flour and use this filling.
This looks delicious and meets all of my dietary issues except one — I can’t have that much sugar. I don’t even like stuff that sweet anymore, thankfully.
If I reduced the amount of maple syrup to about 2-3 tbsp (1/8 – 1/4 c), do you think it would set properly?
I think reducing it to 2-3 tbsp from 16 tbsp wouldn’t work. Like you said, I don’t think it’d have the right texture. Sorry about that! I could be wrong, but I’d hate for you to risk it and waste all those good ingredients.
Oopps. I see it doesn’t call for egg, but still, the syruo is not a thickener. I’d just reduce the sweetner. I can’t imagine it would affect it…and it woild still be delicuous.
I reduced the syrup to 1/2 cup and found it set much easier after baking! Way less sweet than he first time I made it with the full cup. I also omitted the coconut sugar with no issue.
I’m happy you enjoyed it with less sweetener! I guess I have a bad sweet tooth because 1 cup with coconut sugar was perfect for me. ;) Thanks for the tip!
Thank you Erin! In Chile is very difficult to find anything with pumpkin. I love pumpkin and as a Fligh Attendant i can buy a lot everytime i fly to USA. My work has some benefits!
It’s also very difficult in Germany to find anything with pumpkin. You can find actual pumpkins everywhere, but nothing sweet with pumpkin. And haha. That is a nice benefit of being a flight attendant. :)
I love your recipes. I will definitely try it! Do you now what happen if i put an egg or an egg yolk to the filling. It would be more dense?… Sorry for my english… I’m from Chile in South America. Thank you so much!
Your English is great! I wouldn’t recommend adding an egg to this filling. I think the filling is perfectly creamy and quite dense as it is. It’d also make everything out of proportion. I hope you’ll enjoy it! Do people in Chile do much baking with pumpkin? I’m just curious. :)
Thank you Erin! In Chile is very difficult to find anything with pumpkin. I love pumpkin and as a Fligh Attendant i can buy a lot everytime i fly to usa. My work has some benefits!
I made 2 pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving – this one and the recipe on the back of a can of Libby’s pumpkin. Both delicious. I’d bet most people couldn’t tell them apart if you didn’t tell them beforehand that one was vegan. My vegan daughter loved it, as did I. We didn’t think the filling tasted “weird” after 4 days.
I was lazy and used a store-bought crust (Marie Callender’s). Next time I’ll try your crust recipe.
I love it when you post vegan recipes!
I’m glad to hear that you and your daughter enjoyed the pie! And I’m happy you like my vegan recipes. I’m trying to post more vegan options when I can but the eggs get me almost every time! I’ll keep trying. :) Thanks a bunch for your comment!
You’re recipes have been a life savor!! Can’t wait to try and make this for Thanksgiving ! Sorry for such a last minute question but what would you recommend to use instead of the cashews ? I am not a vegan however I can not have eggs nor wheat so i resort to most vegan options and gluten free options! This might defeat the purpose of making it vegan but all the other ingredients help me out a ton! I appreciate your feedback ! xox Happy Holidays !
Don’t be sorry! And it’s not last minute. :) Check out the comment from Robin below (two below yours). Sorry I don’t have a better / more helpful answer! I’m so happy you like my recipes and I hope you’ll enjoy the pie if you try it out. :) I’d love to hear how it goes! Thanks a bunch and happy holidays to you, too!
Hi again! So instead of using the cashews I just subbed some almond milk (same measurement 1 1/3 cup) As well added about 90 grams of almond butter! I used the almond butter because I felt as if my batter was to liquidy and not thick. I assumed that because i’m sure the fat content in the cashews contributed to the texture and thickness so I just googled what the fat content of the 190grams of the cashews would be and just put the same about of almond butter! It turned out amazing!! so yummy
Hi there! You and the other commenter below, Laura, are brave with your cashew subs. :D I’d never have even dared! You’re awesome for figuring out the right amount of almond butter. I really want to try your version! Thanks so much for coming back to let me know how it turned out. :)
I’m going to try using soaked pepitas/raw pumpkin seeds instead of cashews! Will let you know how it goes. I use them for my dairy alternative dips too!
Oh, that’s interesting! I would have never imagined that’d work. Thanks so much for the tip and I can’t wait to hear how it goes. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you. :)
It worked and tastes great! I soaked the raw pumpkin seeds just like cashews and although the pie was a funny yellow (raw pumpkin seeds are green) it browned up and tasted great! Especially with whipped coconut topping ❤️
Aww, yay! I’m so happy to hear that it worked out well. Thanks a bunch for your tip! I’m sure it’ll help the others who need a cashew-free version. :) I’d also like to try it! Thanks again and happy Thanksgiving.