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Here’s our perfect vegan pumpkin pie recipe! This plant based version is even more delicious than the original. We’ve been making this in our house for years, and it’s always a hit at Thanksgiving with eaters of all diets!
What makes this pie incredible? Let us count the ways. Pumpkin pie has always been a favorite of mine—and of course, my grandma’s pie is the absolute best. So when we whipped up this vegan pumpkin pie recipe, Alex and I weren’t expecting to love it more than the original.
But this vegan pie is so full of pumpkin-spiced sweetness and the flavors are so delightfully elevated, no one will guess it’s plant-based! We’re solidly in camp vegan pumpkin pie, so much so that we’ll be making this recipe for years to come. Here are all our secrets!
Ingredient notes for this vegan pumpkin pie
Oddly enough, coconut milk does wonders in a vegan pumpkin pie. Something about the light fruitiness of the milk goes hand in hand with bright orange pumpkin! There’s no need for evaporated milk, which is what’s used in a standard pumpkin pie. It’s difficult to even detect a coconut flavor: you mainly just taste silky, pumpkin-spiced goodness. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Pumpkin puree: Don’t use pumpkin pie filling: it’s pre-flavored! You’ll want the blank slate of a plain puree
- Full fat coconut milk: The richness of a full-fat milk is absolutely necessary here; don’t substitute light coconut milk
- Vanilla extract
- Light brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Cornstarch or arrowroot powder
- Kosher salt
- Pumpkin pie spice blend
Tips for vegan pie crust
The part of a vegan pumpkin pie with the most technique is the pie crust! We have a whole separate article about Vegan Pie Crust with all of our tips and tricks. But here’s a brief overview of the process you’ll follow:
- You can us either coconut oil or vegan butter. Both of these plant-based butter substitutes yield excellent results. You might wonder whether the flavor is too heavy on the coconut when using coconut oil. But if you use refined coconut oil, you can barely detect that flavor.
- Chill for 30 minutes while making the filling. Chilling the pie crust dough makes it easier to work with, no matter which butter substitute you’re using.
- Roll it out in an even circle: a pastry cloth can be helpful. It’s not required, but a pastry cloth is helpful for rolling out the pie crust because it helps to reduce sticking.
- Use a standard 9-inch pie plate: not deep dish! This vegan pumpkin pie recipe is for a standard pie: not deep dish! You won’t have enough filling for a deep dish plate.
How to make a pie crust shield
For this vegan pumpkin pie recipe, you’ll need to use a pie crust shield. What is it? A pie crust shield is a shield that prevents pie crust from burning in the oven. It covers just the crust, so it allows the filling to bake as normal. Here’s what to know about using a pie crust shield:
- It’s easy to make a pie crust shield with aluminum foil! All you have to do is cut a hole in the center of a large sheet of foil that’s the diameter of your pie plate. The foil will rest on the crust but let the pie filling be uncovered. Here’s a video with instructions for more details.
- You can also buy a metal pie crust shield. If you bake a lot, you might want one. Here’s a link to buy a pie crust shield online.
Toppings for vegan pumpkin pie
What’s the best topping for vegan pumpkin pie? Most people are used to a dollop of whipped cream: which certainly makes the entire experience complete. This pie is actually very delicious without whipped cream. But if you’d like the full experience, here’s what to do:
- Make a batch of vegan whipped cream. This Vegan Whipped Cream recipe is light and fluffy, made with…you guessed it, coconut milk!
- Consider using vegan butter for the crust. If you’re planning to top with vegan whipped cream and you’re worried about too much coconut flavor, consider using vegan butter in the crust. Personally we don’t mind the extra fruity finish of the coconut flavor in this fall dessert, but it’s an option for mixing up the flavor.
Dietary notes
This vegan pumpkin pie recipe is vegetarian, vegan, and plant-based.
Vegan Pumpkin Pie
Here’s your perfect vegan pumpkin pie recipe! This plant based spin on the standard is (dare we say it) even more delicious than the original.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Pie
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 Vegan Pie Crust
- 2 ¼ cups pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling; buy 2 15-ounce cans and measure out)
- ½ cup full fat coconut milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice blend (store-bought or homemade)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- For serving: vegan whipped cream
Instructions
- Make the Vegan Pie Crust Step 1 and 2, then refrigerate it while you make the filling.
- Preheat an oven to 350°F.
- Measure out the pumpkin puree into a blender. Add the coconut milk, vanilla, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, cornstarch, pumpkin pie spice, and kosher salt. Blend until smooth.
- Make a pie crust shield using aluminum foil: cut a hole in the center of a large square of aluminum foil that’s the diameter of your pie plate. The foil will rest on the crust but let the pie filling be uncovered. (It will look like this.)
- Roll out the pie crust and add it to a standard pie plate (not deep dish), following the instructions in Vegan Pie Crust.
- Pour the filling into the pie crust. Fill it all the way to the rim, but don’t overfill the pie plate. Depending on your pie plate, you may have about ¼ cup leftover that you can discard (or taste!).
- Bake the pie for 55 minutes total until set, adding the foil shield for the crust at the 30 minute mark. Cool 1 hour on counter, then refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.
A few more vegan Thanksgiving recipes
This vegan pumpkin pie is the crown jewel in our list of vegan Thanksgiving recipes! Here are some more favorites for the holiday:
- Make up a delicious batch of Vegan Stuffing
- Try a cozy savory Vegan Pot Pie or Vegan Shepherd’s Pie as a main dish
- Mash up fluffy, dreamy Vegan Mashed Potatoes
- Top it all off with a savory Easy Vegan Gravy
- Need side dishes? Try Roasted Green Beans, Sauteed Green Beans, Roasted Apples & Cauliflower, Roasted Butternut Squash or Brussels Sprout Salad
Can you use full fat coconut cream instead of the milk?
Coconut cream is richer than coconut milk — but you are welcome to use it! You could try it straight up, or use this conversion factor to make it into coconut milk: Mix 3 tablespoons coconut cream into 1 tablespoon water to make about ¼ cup coconut milk. See this post! https://www.acouplecooks.com/coconut-cream-vs-coconut-milk/
this was so easy, creamy, and delicious!! perfectly sweet & loved by vegans and non vegans alike!! i loved the balance of flavors, easy prep, and minimal cleanup. mine only took about 35 minutes (maybe its my oven or altitude). will definitely make again!!
For the vegan pumpkin pie, is it 21/4 cups or 21/2 cups of pumpkin puree?
Thank you – love your website!
It is 2 1/4 cups! Recipe clarified. Thank you and hope you enjoy the recipe!
This was fabulous!
I think you left the pumpkin pie spice out of the list of ingredients to blend. Thought you would want to know :)
Thank you so much! We’ve fixed this in the recipe!