Vegan Pecan Pie

4.98 from 38 votes

This vegan pecan pie is literally the best pecan pie we've ever tasted. It's rich and insanely delicious with a caramelized center and loads of pecans!

Prep Time45

Cook Time40

Total Time1 25

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegan

Servings:

Calories: 621kcal

Author: Alison Andrews

Ingredients

Crust:

1 ¼ cups All Purpose Flour (156g)
1 Tbsp White Granulated Sugar
½ tsp Salt
½ cup Vegan Butter (113g)
1 Tbsp Ice Water may need up to 1 and ½ Tbsp

Filling:

½ cup Vegan Butter (113g)
¾ cup Light Brown Sugar (150g)
½ cup Maple Syrup (120ml)
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
¼ tsp Sea Salt
1 ½ Tbsp Cornstarch
¼ cup Coconut Milk (60ml)
2 cups Chopped Pecans (300g)

For Decorating:

1 cup Pecan Halves (110g)

For Serving:

Instructions

Prepare the crust. Add the flour, sugar and salt to your mixing bowl and mix together.
Now add the vegan butter and mix it in with your hands until crumbly.
Add ice water, only as much as needed to form it into a ball of dough (we used 1 Tbsp but you may need up to 1 and ½).
Place the dough into the fridge for an hour for the gluten in the dough to relax (this helps to prevent the crust from shrinking during baking)
After an hour, bring out the dough and roll it carefully into a circle wider than the size of your 9-inch pie dish.
Spray your pie dish with non-stick spray, and place the dough over your pie dish pressing the crust down into the edges of the dish. Trim off the excess dough with a scissors.
Crimp the edges of the crust to create a pattern, or skip this step entirely and just leave the crust straight along the top.
Place the crust back into the fridge while you work on the filling.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
Prepare the filling. Melt the vegan butter and light brown sugar in a saucepan and add the maple syrup, vanilla extract and sea salt. Whisk together until the sugar has melted.
Mix the cornstarch with the coconut milk until smooth and then add it into the saucepan and whisk in quickly. Add chopped pecans and mix everything together (see notes*).
Pour the filling out over the crust and smooth down.
Add pecan halves to the top of the pie for decoration.
Bake for 35-40 minutes until the center is bubbling and the crust is lightly browned.
Allow to cool for an hour on the countertop and then move to the fridge until set (1-2 hours).

Notes

The cornstarch/coconut milk mix just gets whisked in very quickly, then the chopped pecans are added, mixed in well (but quickly) and then it's off the heat and the filling gets poured out over the crust. Don't let this step take too long because we don't want the cornstarch/coconut milk mix to start thickening the filling up at this stage, we just want it mixed in. The bulk of the thickening effect should take place during the baking process.
Pie Crust: If you want to save time on this recipe you can absolutely use a store-bought unbaked 9-inch pie crust.
Measure the flour correctly for the pie crust. Either use the spoon and level method (spoon the flour into your measuring cup and then level off the top with a knife - don't scoop it and don't pack it into the cup) or weigh it on a food scale.
Pecans: We used raw unsalted pecans. Chopped pecans for the filling and pecan halves to place on top before baking.
Maple Syrup: Pure maple syrup created the best taste and texture results in this pie. We did try a version with a maple flavored table syrup and it works and it is delicious so if you wanted to use a table syrup or a dark corn syrup it will work, but my top vote is for pure maple syrup in this recipe.
Cornstarch: A little cornstarch goes a long way in this recipe and works great for thickening up the filling. It's possible that you could use tapioca starch or arrowroot but we have not tested this.
Coconut Milk: This is mixed with the cornstarch. You can switch this with another non-dairy milk if you prefer.
Serving: This pie can be served either warm or cold. It's ideal to let it cool completely so that it sets. But after that, if you want to serve it warm, then just heat each slice in the microwave for 20 seconds or so before topping with vegan whipped cream or vegan ice cream.
Make Ahead: You can make this pie a day or two in advance and store it (covered) in the fridge. Let it come to room temperature before serving.
Storing and Freezing: This pie stores really well in the fridge (covered) for 5 days. It also freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and let it come to room temperature before serving.
Prep time does not include the time spent chilling (pie crust 1 hour before rolling out and 2-3 hours for the baked pie to cool and set).
Nutritional information excludes vegan whipped cream or ice cream.

Nutrition