This is the best vegan pumpkin pie ever and the only recipe you’ll ever need! It’s rich, creamy, deliciously spiced and perfect for the holidays.
This vegan pumpkin pie is seriously delicious. It’s perfectly sweet, loaded with fall spices and flavors and absolutely NO ONE would be able to guess that it’s vegan.
It’s also the easiest pie you’ll ever make, especially if you use a store-bought pie crust. It’s as simple as adding your ingredients to a blender, blending it, pouring it out into your pie crust, baking it, cooling it and voilà!
Of course if you want to make your pie crust from scratch then we’ve got you covered with that too.
This pie is heaps of fun to make, comes out perfectly every time and is the perfect Thanksgiving pie.
And if you love some delicious vegan holiday pies, then check out our vegan sweet potato pie and our vegan apple pie too.
How To Make Vegan Pumpkin Pie
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
The Crust:
- Add all purpose flour, sugar and salt to the food processor and pulse to combine.
- Now add coconut oil (must be solid, not melted) and pulse until the mixture is crumbly.
- Add ice water and pulse it to combine. It should look like a dough now and if you break off a piece and roll it in your hands it should easily roll into a ball.
- Remove the dough from the food processor, transfer to a floured surface and roll the dough into a big round ball.
- Using a rolling pin roll out the dough from side to side into a large circle that is wider than your 9-inch pie dish.
- Spray your pie dish with non-stick spray and then roll up the crust in your rolling pin (or just pick it up carefully) and carefully unroll it over the top of your pie dish. Carefully tuck the crust in along the edges of your pie dish.
- Take a scissors and trim off any excess dough but make sure that there is a little overhang over the edges of the dish.
- Place your pie crust into the fridge while you prepare your pie filling.
The Filling:
- Add canned pumpkin, coconut milk, brown sugar, maple syrup, cornstarch, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract and salt to your blender and blend until smooth. If you don’t have a blender, then just add all ingredients to a mixing bowl and use a hand whisk to whisk it until smooth.
- Pour this out over your pie crust and smooth down with the back of a spoon.
- Place into the oven to bake for 60 minutes at 350°F.
- Allow to cool on the counter until it reaches room temperature and then place into the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight until set.
- Serve with vegan whipped cream.
Recipe Tips
THE PIE CRUST: The pie crust is made with coconut oil. The recipe is from our vegan pie crust recipe and works wonderfully as an easy, homemade option.
If you prefer a buttery crust: Check out the crust from our vegan apple pie that is made with vegan butter. If you’re using that pie crust then you can halve the recipe as the apple pie crust makes a double crust (top and bottom).
Alternatively, if you want to save time in this recipe, you can use a store-bought unbaked 9-inch pie crust.
TENTING WITH FOIL: We find it useful to tent the pie with foil after 40 minutes of baking and then place it back into the oven to bake for the final 20 minutes. This prevents the pie from over-browning. Sometimes the full 60 minutes baking time can result in some uneven browning on top of the pie and over-browning of the crust. If you have a pie crust shield then you can use that instead which will prevent the crust from over-browning. However, you may still have some uneven browning on top of your pie.
BROWNING: In these photos, we tented the pie with foil at the 40 minute mark. You can see that the browning is nice and even on top. Nonetheless, the pie when it first comes out of the oven is very dark in color, but it lightens as it cools.
In our video we didn’t tent the pie with foil and you’ll notice there is some uneven browning on top of the pie when it comes out of the oven. However, it also lightens up as it cools.
TIP: The best thing is to tent the pie with foil after 40 minutes of baking (or use a pie crust shield), or your pie crust may be over-browned.
How To Tent With Foil
Tenting with foil is to loosely cover the pie with foil in a tent like shape so that it doesn’t press down on the pie from the top. It prevents the pie and the crust from over-browning while allowing it to bake for the full 60 minutes, so that it bakes through and sets perfectly.
Ingredient Tips and Substitutions
Pumpkin Purée: The easiest option is to use canned pumpkin purée. It must be plain pumpkin purée and not pumpkin pie filling.
You can also use fresh homemade pumpkin purée. We have tested it with this recipe and it works perfectly. It’s just important that you make sure your pumpkin purée isn’t too wet. It must be similar in consistency to what you would get in a can. The best way to do this is to place peeled and chopped pumpkin onto a parchment lined baking tray. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes (no oil or spices) until soft and cooked. Let it cool and then add to the food processor and process into a purée. Let the purée stand in a strainer over a bowl and let any excess water drain off before using.
Coconut Milk: This must be canned, full fat, unsweetened coconut milk. It needs to be thick and creamy so that your pie will be the right consistency. There is no coconut flavor in the end result. If you switch this for a thinner non-dairy milk such as almond milk then your pie may be too thin and won’t set properly.
Brown Sugar: You can also use coconut sugar if you like. The sugar can also be slightly reduced if you prefer.
Maple Syrup: You can switch this with a different kind of syrup if you like. Or you can just replace it with extra brown sugar.
Cornstarch: This helps the pie to set so it is a crucial ingredient. You can possibly also use tapioca starch but you may need to use double the amount. Arrowroot (in the same quantity as cornstarch) will likely also work.
Pumpkin pie spice: I used my super awesome homemade pumpkin pie spice in this pie. You can also make your own or use a store-bought option, it will be the same either way.
Pumpkin Pie Q&A
How long should I let my pumpkin pie cool?
Let it cool on the counter until it reaches room temperature. Then transfer to the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Can I use fresh pumpkin purée instead of canned?
Yes you can! You just need to make sure that your freshly made pumpkin purée isn’t too wet. It should be the same consistency as what you will find in a can. To achieve this, let your homemade pumpkin purée stand in a strainer so any excess water can drain off.
Can I make it gluten-free?
The filling for this pie is already gluten-free, so to make an entirely gluten-free pie you’ll just need to use a gluten-free pie crust. You can either purchase an already made gluten-free unbaked pie crust, or you can make your own. This recipe from Detoxinista looks awesome.
Make Ahead, Storing and Freezing
Make Ahead: This is a perfect pie to make ahead of time. It needs a few hours to chill and set in the fridge anyway and overnight is even better. So if you make the whole pie the day before, then you can simply store it in the fridge. When you’re ready, add vegan whipped cream and serve.
Storing: Keep your pie stored in the fridge (covered) where it will keep for up to a week.
Freezing: It is also freezer friendly for up to 3 months. Let it cool completely and chill/firm up in the fridge as usual. Then wrap it in several layers of plastic wrap, followed by foil to prevent any freezer burn and freeze. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
More Vegan Pumpkin Recipes
- Vegan Pumpkin Cake
- Vegan Pumpkin Muffins
- Vegan Pumpkin Bread
- Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes
- Vegan Pumpkin Cookies
- Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
For the Pie Crust:
- 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour (145g)
- 1 Tablespoon White Granulated Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ cup Coconut Oil (55g) Solid
- 4 Tablespoons Ice Water
For the Filling:
- 15 ounce Can Pumpkin Purée (425g) not pumpkin pie filling*
- ¾ cup Coconut Milk (180ml) Canned, Full Fat, Unsweetened
- ¾ cup Light Brown Sugar (150g)
- ¼ cup Maple Syrup (60ml)
- ¼ cup Cornstarch (32g)
- 3 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ½ teaspoon Salt
For Serving:
Instructions
- Prepare the crust: Add all purpose flour, sugar and salt to the food processor and pulse to combine.
- Add the coconut oil (must be solid, not melted) and pulse until the mixture is crumbly.
- Add ice water and pulse it to combine. It should look like a dough now and if you break off a piece and roll it in your hands it should easily roll into a ball.
- Remove the dough from the food processor, transfer to a floured surface and roll the dough into a big round ball.
- Using a rolling pin roll out the dough from side to side into a large circle that is wider than your 9-inch pie dish.
- Spray your pie dish with non-stick spray and then roll up the crust in your rolling pin (or just pick it up carefully) and carefully unroll it over the top of your pie dish. Carefully tuck the crust in along the edges of your pie dish.
- Take a scissors and trim off any excess dough but make sure that there is a little overhang over the edges of the dish. Place your pie crust into the fridge while you prepare your pie filling.
- Prepare your filling: Add canned pumpkin, coconut milk, brown sugar, maple syrup, cornstarch, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract and salt to your blender and blend until smooth. If you don't have a blender, then just add all ingredients to a mixing bowl and use a hand whisk to whisk it until smooth.
- Pour this out over your pie crust and smooth down with the back of a spoon.
- Place into the oven to bake for 60 minutes at 350°F. To prevent over-browning, bring it out after 40 minutes, tent it with foil and then return to the oven for the remaining 20 minutes (*see notes).
- When you remove the pie from the oven, it will still be quite wobbly in the center, this is completely fine, it will firm up when cooling. Your pie may also be quite dark in color when first removed from the oven, it lightens up a lot when cool.
- Allow to cool on the counter and then place into the refrigerator to set completely, around 4 hours at least or overnight if possible until completely chilled and set. Serve with vegan whipped cream.
Video
Notes
- Pie Crust: You can use a store-bought 9-inch unbaked pie crust instead of making a crust from scratch if you want to save time on this recipe. It must be an unbaked crust though to work well in this recipe.
- Pumpkin Purée: The easiest option is to use canned pumpkin purée. It must be plain pumpkin purée and not pumpkin pie filling. You can also use fresh homemade pumpkin purée. We have tested it with this recipe and it works perfectly. It’s just important that you make sure your pumpkin purée isn’t too wet. It must be similar in consistency to what you would get in a can. The best way to do this is to place peeled and chopped pumpkin onto a parchment lined baking tray and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes (no oil or spices) until soft and cooked. Let it cool and then add to the food processor and process into a purée. Let the purée stand in a strainer over a bowl and let any excess water drain off before using. You will need 1 and ¾ cups homemade pumpkin purée.
- Coconut Milk: This must be canned, full fat, unsweetened coconut milk. It needs to be rich and creamy so that your pie will be the right consistency. There is no coconut flavor in the end result. If you switch this for a thinner non-dairy milk such as almond milk then your pie may be too thin and won’t set properly.
- Brown Sugar: You can also use coconut sugar if you like. The sugar can also be slightly reduced if you prefer.
- Maple Syrup: You can switch this with a different kind of syrup if you like, or replace it with a ¼ cup extra brown sugar, or omit it altogether for a less sweet version.
- Cornstarch: This helps the pie to set so it is a crucial ingredient. You can possibly also use tapioca starch but you may need to use double the amount. Arrowroot (in the same quantity as cornstarch) will likely also work.
- Pumpkin pie spice: You can make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice or use a store-bought option, it will be the same either way.
- Tent with foil: Tent the pie with foil after 40 minutes of baking and then place it back into the oven to bake for the final 20 minutes. This prevents the pie from over-browning. Sometimes the full 60 minutes baking time can result in some uneven browning on top of the pie and over-browning of the crust. If you have a pie crust shield then you can use that instead which will prevent the crust from over-browning. However, you may still have some uneven browning on top of your pie.
- Make Ahead: This is a perfect pie to make ahead of time as it needs a few hours to chill and set in the fridge anyway and overnight is even better. So if you make the whole pie the day before, then you can simply store it in the fridge and when you’re ready, add vegan whipped cream and serve.
- Storing and Freezing: Keep your pie stored in the fridge (covered) where it will keep for up to a week. It is also freezer friendly for up to 3 months. Let it cool completely and chill/firm up in the fridge as usual. Then wrap it in several layers of plastic wrap, followed by foil to prevent any freezer burn and freeze. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
- This recipe was first published in November 2016. We have given it a makeover with some new photos and lots of extra tips and tricks. The recipe itself is unchanged.
Julia says
This looks great – my son who prefers eating vegan wants a pumpkin pie for his bday party tomorrow but he doesn’t like maple and we don’t have honey or any other liquid sweeteners. Will it change the recipe too much to omit the syrup/honey? If it’s just a matter of sweetness I’m fine with adding more sugar, just hoping the texture/setting-up would still be ok. Thanks!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Julia, I think it should be okay to either omit it or use an extra 1/4 cup sugar so that you have the same level of sweetness. I don’t think it will affect anything else since it is a small amount used. All the best! 🙂
Amanda says
This pie is delicious. It’s simple to make and full of flavor. I appreciate that there’s no tofu in this recipe! Will be making plenty more for thanksgiving and just because as well!
Alison Andrews says
Fantastic! I’m all about the ‘just because’. ? Thanks for the great review Amanda. 🙂
Lorraine says
This may be a foolish question, but does the final product taste of coconut at all? I’ve never tried/made pumpkin pie before so I don’t know exactly what to expect!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Lorraine, it doesn’t taste like coconut at all in the final result. 🙂
Lorraine says
Great, I can’t wait to try it out 🙂
Lorraine says
It turned out amazing. thanks for the recipe! 🙂
Alison Andrews says
So glad to hear that Lorraine. Thanks for letting us know! 🙂
Alexis says
This came out AMAZING. My Little one was all about it. I’m so glad I took the chance on it! And with only a few ingredients, it was so easy too!
Alison Andrews says
Yay! SO pleased to hear that! Thanks so much for sharing Alexis! 🙂
Madison says
My pie came out with a paper like top that I could peel off the pie. I followed the recipe and only cooked the pie for 50 min as it started to brown. Any ideas what happened? I did use corn starch that I’ve had for over 2 years. Maybe it’s bad?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Madison, oven temperatures can really vary, I would think that maybe yours is running a bit hot. I don’t know if the cornstarch would’ve had anything to do with that.
Kathy says
I have made many recipes from lovingitvegan, and I made this recipe and loved it. The only difference is the second time I made this pie, I cut back on the brown sugar by half noted in the recipe as it was too sweet with the addition of the maple syrup, and I enjoyed it so much better and could taste more of the pumpkin with less sugar added. It turned out fantastic!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Kathy, so glad you loved the recipe, and thanks for sharing your adjustments! 🙂
Steph says
Just wondering re: the coconut milk, are you using canned that hasn’t separated (like for the whipped cream)?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Steph, yes you can just use regular canned coconut milk, it doesn’t need to be refrigerated (to separate) first.
Heather says
So do you add the 3/4 cup of coconut milk to the filling out is it reserved for the whipped cream?
Alison Andrews says
It’s for the filling. The whipped coconut cream is just something to serve it with, not part of this recipe, and we linked to the recipe for how to make coconut cream in the recipe card.
Heather Dancey says
Thanks!
Petrina says
Hi,
How I do the pumpkin purée?
Thx
Alison Andrews says
Hi Petrina, you usually buy it in a can, already done for you. That’s the best way to get pumpkin purée because it’s already the perfect consistency. Some countries don’t sell it already canned though, so in this case you can make it yourself, the best way is to bake peeled and diced pumpkin until soft and cooked (30 minutes at 350°F (180°C) is usually about right) and then purée it in the food processor. It’s best to bake it so that it isn’t too wet (it tends to be too wet if you cook it by other means). Weigh out the correct amount on the food scale. All the best!
Petrina says
Dear Alison,
Thank you for your answer and thank you for sharing this recipe with us!I love it! Pumpkin is one of my favorite food and had some in the freezer, but I was always afraid to make a pie….the crust was a challenge for me. But with your instructions I felt I could do it.
I baked it in order to celebrate the Labor Day with my friends and all were very excited about it. Everyone asked for more and wanted the recipe. It was the hit of our party ?
Can’t wait to bake it again!
Best regards,
Petrina
Alison Andrews says
So glad it was a success! Thanks for sharing Petrina! 🙂
April says
This pumpkin pie is so good. I don’t like traditional pumpkin pie. At all. I make it for my husband because he thinks its delicious, and I love to bake.
My daughter always asks to try it, but she has food allergies (egg, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts) and cannot have any traditionally made pumpkin pie.
I found this recipe and tried it. IT. IS DELICIOUS.
My pumpkin pie hating self ate THREE pieces. My mom and vegan husband ate three pieces. My daughter ate one piece and wanted more.
Super easy and delicious.
Alison Andrews says
So awesome April – so happy you all enjoyed it! Thanks so much for posting! 🙂
Karen says
Hi
I am trying to make this to take to my daughter who is vegan. I don’t have pumpkin pie spice, but have nutmeg, cloves, cinamon and ginger. Do you know what quantities to mix to make pumpkin pie spice?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Karen, I have a homemade pumpkin pie spice recipe you can take a look at! The only thing you’re missing by the sounds of things is allspice, but you could leave that out, I think it would still be great!
Alissa says
I have made this pie several times now. It is the BEST. So few ingredients but so much flavor. My mom, a strict NON-vegan thinks this is the best pie she’s ever had. 3 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice might seem like a lot, but it makes all the difference. This has got to be the cheapest recipe out there with the limited ingredients. It is wet/wobbly in the middle when I take it out, but it always stays pretty solid when I begin to serve the pie. Thank you so much for this recipe.
Alison Andrews says
That is so awesome to hear Alissa! Love it! Thanks so much for your review! 🙂
Betty Philis says
OMG!! amazing!!
Alison Andrews says
🙂
Pam says
Do you think I could use coconut sugar instead of brown sugar and it would work the same or not? My coconut sugar is brown and kind of tastes like brown sugar.
Alison Andrews says
Yes, sure, I think it would be great. As long as it’s a granulated sugar, which coconut sugar is, it should be perfect.
Anna Andrews says
Absolutely delicious!