nut-free · soy-free

It’s that time of year again – the time for pumpkin pie. But this time, we’re not going to be eating one with a whole load of sugar in it.

Many people want the pie but they don’t want to do the work, so they tend to take shortcuts, whether that’s buying a pre-made crust or using pumpkin puree. Shortcuts are fine and all for saving time, but if you’re going to take the time at all, might as well make well worth it. But the truth is that there’s nothing quite like a pumpkin pie made from scratch. And if there was ever a year to learn how to make pumpkin pie from scratch, it’s this one.

This pumpkin pie is naturally sweetened, infused with vanilla and made from actual pumpkin, which makes all the difference. Plus, the spices are in the crust, which allows the pie to have those notes of spice that we all know and love, but they don’t overpower the pumpkin.

Scroll down for the recipe and video ↓

  

 

filling

The filling for this pie is made with simple ingredients: maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla, salt, and a hint of orange zest. The predominant flavor (apart from the pumpkin) is the vanilla. It gives it that lovely sweetness and also goes really well with the orange. All these ingredients: pumpkin, vanilla, and orange, work to form a delicious fall/holiday cocktail of flavors that make this pumpkin pie all you want to eat during the holidays.

Crust

The crust is crisp and not too sweet, which goes perfectly with the maple-sweetened filling. As mentioned before, we wanted to put the spices in the crust because in the filling they took away from the flavor of the pumpkin. That way, you get all the flavors of the pumpkin, vanilla, and spices in one bite but they don’t overpower each other.

WHAT MOLD TO USE

We made our pumpkin pie using a tart ring for a simplistic, elegant presentation (that was also different to your usual pumpkin pie), but feel free to make this in a traditional pie dish. If you’re interested, the ring we used is this one.

Please note that this isn’t a large pie, only 6”. For a larger pie, double or even triple the recipe.

Watch the recipe video here:

Vegan Pumpkin Pie

Makes 1 6” pie

CRUST

1 cup | 134g spelt flour

1 pinch sea salt

1/2 tsp | 0.5g ground cinnamon

2 pinches ground cloves

3 pinches ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp | 0.3g ground ginger

1 tbsp | 9g coconut sugar

1/4 cup | 54g soy-free vegan butter (we used Earth Balance)

1 tbsp | 18ml ice cold water

FILLING

300g pumpkin, peeled

1 tbsp | 12ml coconut oil

1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped or 1 tsp | 5ml vanilla extract

1/4 cup | 71ml maple syrup

1 pinch sea salt

Zest of 1/2 an orange

2 tbsp | 16g organic non-GMO corn starch

2 tbsp | 24ml water

CRUST

1. In a medium bowl combine spelt flour, salt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger and coconut sugar. Stir to combine. Add vegan butter a little bit at a a time and incorporate into the dough with a fork, being as fast as you can so as not to melt the butter. Use your hands to work the dough, crumbling it in between your fingers. It should have the texture of wet sand. Add water to the mixture and press into a dough – it should come together at this point. Tip it out on to a flat surface and form a flat disk. Cover and let rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

FILLING

1. Cut the pumpkin into small cubes and place into a large steamer. Steam for 25 minutes, or until soft. Remove from heat and transfer to a high speed blender or food processor. Add vanilla, maple syrup, salt, and coconut oil. Blend on high until smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender if necessary. You might have to do this a few times, but keep going and don’t add any more water. Stop the blender, add orange zest and stir to combine.

2. Make a slurry by whisking the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl. Transfer pumpkin puree to a medium pot on medium heat and add the slurry. Whisk until slurry is fully dissolved. Cook for 5 minutes or until it starts to bubble. Lower the flame and cook for another 5 minutes. The consistency should be like a thick, shiny puree.

ASSEMBLING

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Grease your pie mold if necessary and place on a lined baking sheet. Take out the crust from the fridge and place it on a large sheet of parchment paper. Roll it out to about 1/4” thick. Carefully transfer your crust to lay on top of your pie mold by peeling off the parchment paper. It’s ok if it breaks—patch it up with the broken pieces of dough. Gently press the dough into the mould using the tips of your fingers, making sure to patch up any holes. Be careful to not make the sides too thin (you can add more dough to them if this happens).

2. Carefully trim the top of the crust off with a knife. Bake the crust in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and add the pumpkin filling. Use a rubber spatula to spread it out even. Bake in the oven for another 15 minutes. You’ll know it’s cooked when you start smelling the spices in the crust. Remove from oven and set aside to cool on a cooling rack. Serve at room temperature.

 

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