My grandma used to tuck in a full tray with sliced pumpkins and leave it to cook until the skin got dark. But this was the only way we would consume pumpkins in the fall.
Going to London for university, I saw all kinds of cookies and cakes and drinks involving pumpkins. And they were all delicious, I agree.
This pie is nothing fancy, but for those of you who couldn't (yet) find a good, healthy and simple plant based pumpkin pie recipe, here it is.
You must do the crust beforehand, but while the pumpkin is baking, you have plenty of time. This recipe is better made on a weekend day when you have the time and mood for all the steps. Nothing fancy, but you’re making your own delicious crust so take your time.
The good part is that you can use this crust recipe for any pie you want. You can also use it as a galette crust! It’s made with whole wheat and coconut wheat and is nutty and crumbly and melts in your mouth. You’ll thank me for this one, I promise.
Whole vegan crust pumpkin pie
Vegan, Plant-based, Soy free, Gluten-free option included
Makes 12
Total time: 2 hours
Ingredients for the crust
2 cups whole wheat flour (for a gluten free crust, replace the wheat flour with your favourite gluten-free flour mix)
1 cup coconut oil, soft but not melted
1 tbsp coconut sugar
Big pinch sea salt
Lemon zest from 1 lemon
⅓-¼ cup ice cold plant based yogurt
In a bowl, add the flour and coconut oil. Mix with your hand until the flour has absorbed the oil and you got a crumbly mix.
Instructions
Add the coconut sugar, sea salt and lemon zest and mix in.
Add the ice cold water and mix quickly until the dough comes together. Don’t over knead. You need to get a dough sticky enough so you can roll it with a pin.
Take the dough out of the bowl and wrap in cling film.
Add to refrigerator for about 10 mins.
Take out the dough and prepare the oven at 175 degrees C.
On a floured work surface, roll out one disk of chilled dough . Rotate the dough a quarter of the way after every few rolls until you have a circle 3-4 cm bigger than your pie dish. Carefully place the dough into the pie dish. Tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it is completely smooth.
Place in the freezer for 5-10 minutes.
Now take out the dough and line the chilled pie crust with parchment paper. Fill the pie with dried beans (I use chickpeas). Make sure the weights are evenly distributed around the pie dish.
Place in the oven and cook until the edges of the crust are starting to brown, around 15.
Now take out the parchment paper with weights and cook for another 10-15 minutes. You can also prick holes all around the bottom crust with a fork.
When it’s ready, take out and leave aside to chill.
Ingredients for the pumpkin filling
2 cups mashed pumpkin
½ cup full fat coconut milk
1 tbsp chickpea flour
⅓ cup maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon powder
Pinch of nutmeg, cloves and star anise powder
Instructions
If you don’t already have a cooked pumpkin, you can start by cutting in slices half of a whole pumpkin and oven bake them at 175 C until soft.
If you already have the cooked pumpkin, start by mixing it in a food processor together with coconut milk, chickpea flour, maple syrup, and condiments.
Take out and add in a pan. Boil on medium heat for about 10 minutes, until the chickpea flour is activated (and cooked).
Meanwhile, you can take out the dough and prepare the surface to roll it.
Taste for sweetness and spices. You can now adjust the filling as you wish.
Put the filling into your baked pie crust and bake at 175 degrees C for 15-20 minutes or until the filling starts to crack on the surface.
Chill before you dig in!
Tips: Don’t skip the refrigerator steps of the crust. It’s imperative to chill the dough so you’ll a flaky, crispy crust.
You can store the pie in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, but you'll see it won’t last that long! :)
