This Gluten-Free Vegan Pumpkin Pie is fragrantly spiced, rich and creamy and has a flaky, crispy and buttery crust. The pastry crust can be pressed in with your fingers, so there's no need for a rolling pin or floured surface, there's no pre-baking required and there's no need to chill the pastry beforehand. It's also refined sugar free, and perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas!
How to make this recipe
Scroll down to the bottom of this post for the full recipe.
- Place all the ingredients in a saucepan – use a measuring jug to measure out the plant-based milk.
- Stir well.
Tip: Ensure the cornflour (cornstarch) has dissolved completely.
- Once the mixture is mixed well, cook on a medium heat, stirring continuously, until thickened and gently bubbling - you might want to use a balloon whisk to make this easier, though a spoon and some elbow grease should do the trick.
Tip: Depending on the consistency and texture of your pumpkin purée, it may not properly mix into your milk - if this is the case you can either transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender or use a hand-held stick blender to blend it until completely smooth.
- Leave the filling to cool slightly before pouring into the pastry.
- Combine all ingredients for the pastry dough in a glass mixing bowl.
Tip: Add the water a few tablespoons at a time so that you don’t add too much!
- Place the pastry dough into a greased pie dish and use your fingers to carefully press it across the bottom and up the sides of the dish.
Tip: You can use a fork or your fingers to create a pretty pattern around the edge if you like.
- Pour the filling into the pie crust just before putting in the oven - otherwise the dough might 'melt'.
- Bake in the oven for around 40 minutes, until the pastry crust is firm to the touch and golden brown.
- Leave to cool completely before cutting, ideally putting the pie in the fridge for a couple of hours, to allow the filling to set properly.
Substitutions you can make
- You can use any type of plant-based milk: I used cashew milk, but almond milk, oat milk, soy milk, rice milk etc all work well.
- You can use store-bought pumpkin purée or make your own.
- If you can’t get hold of pumpkin purée, you can substitute it with butternut squash purée.
- You can use any type of liquid sweetener: maple syrup, agave syrup, brown rice syrup etc.
- The cornflour (cornstarch) can be replaced with arrowroot.
- You can replace the gluten-free flour in the pastry crust with rice flour.
- You can replace the gluten-free flour with plain flour if you’re not gluten-free.
- If you’re not into pumpkin, you can make sweet potato pie instead!
How long does this Pumpkin Pie keep for?
This Pumpkin Pie does taste best when fresh, but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.
More vegan pumpkin recipes
- Pumpkin Hummus
- Creamy Pumpkin Chestnut Pasta
- Pumpkin Quinoa Salad
- Chickpea Pumpkin Biryani
- Creamy Pumpkin Gnocchi Soup
- Pumpkin Chestnut Risotto
If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.
Watch how to make this recipe
Gluten-Free Vegan Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 450 g (15 oz) tin of pumpkin purée * (shop-bought or make your own)
- 300 ml (1 ¼ cup) unsweetened cashew milk (or sub unsweetened almond milk or oat milk)
- 12 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice to taste (or sub a mixture of ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, or mixed spice)
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 3 teaspoons cornflour (cornstarch) (or sub arrowroot)
For the pastry:
- 30 g (â…› cup) coconut oil
- 75 g (â…” cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub rice flour, or plain all-purpose flour if not gluten-free)
- 75 g (â…” cup) ground almonds (almond meal) **
- 7 tablespoons water
Instructions
For the filling:
- Place all ingredients in a saucepan and stir well, ensuring the cornflour (cornstarch) has dissolved completely.
- Once the mixture is mixed well, cook on a medium heat, stirring continuously, until thickened and gently bubbling.
- Depending on the consistency and texture of your pumpkin purée, it may not properly mix into your milk - if this is the case you can either transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender or use a hand-held stick blender to blend until completely smooth.
- Leave to cool slightly before pouring into the pastry.
For the pastry:
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl along with about 7 tablespoons of water, until it forms a firm dough - add the water a few tablespoons at a time so that you don’t add too much!
- You can keep this pastry dough in the fridge for up to a day if you like, but there is no need to chill it before using.
- Place the pastry dough into a greased pie dish and use your fingers to carefully press it across the bottom and up the sides of the dish (I used a 9inch/22.5cm pie dish).
- You can use a fork or your fingers to create a pretty pattern around the edge if you like.
- Pour the filling into the pie crust just before putting in the oven (as otherwise the dough might 'melt').
- Bake in the oven for around 40 minutes, until the pastry crust is firm to the touch and golden brown.
- Leave to cool completely before cutting, ideally putting the pie in the fridge for a couple of hours, to allow the filling to set properly.
- Tastes best when fresh, but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.
Video
Notes
Disclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase any of these products, a small percentage will come to me with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog – thank you.
Elizabeth
I was reading through the comments and noticed some people questioning 5 tablespoons of pumpkin puree, but the US measurement says a whole 15 oz can. I just wanted to clarify, is it a 15 oz can, or 5 tbsp? Thanks!
Rhian Williams
It's a 15oz can, I updated and changed the recipe recently! Sorry about the confusion!
Kelly
Can arrowroot powder be used in place of the corn flour?
Rhian Williams
Yes should be fine!
Rokenia Wells
Do you have a sweet potatoe pie recipe?
Rhian Williams
Unfortunately not, sorry! But this one can be made by using exactly the same amount of puréed sweet potatoes instead of pumpkin purée!
Mandy
I tried the pastry base with a savoury filling instead. Although it worked the dish tasted quite like marzipan which is fine for a sweet dish but not so nice as a savoury one. Do you have a pastry recipe without the ground almonds. I think the taste will be the same with ground walnut or sunflower seeds. Is there any other flour that can be used and still keep it GF.
If you have any savoury tart or vegan quiche dishes, that would be great!
Rhian Williams
Hi, thank you so much for your feedback! I am actually planning a vegan quiche recipe at the moment and will hopefully post it soon! I think you could probably use buckwheat flour instead of the ground almonds, but haven't tested it so not completely sure. Would love to hear how you get on if you do try it though!
Helen
Absolutely delicious! I used coconut milk and it gave it a sweet creamy flavour. It was a real hit with my colleagues at work. Thanks for posting this recipe.
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much, so glad you liked it!!