This smooth and velvety deep dish vegan pumpkin pie is perfect for any Thanksgiving dinner. The crust is made with vegetable oil which makes it so flaky, light, and easy to work with. Topped with a cinnamon whipped cream this is a great way to end your holiday meal. Best of all, no one will know it’s dairy and egg free…it tastes exactly like traditional pumpkin pie!
Pumpkin pie is the quintessential fall holiday dessert, wouldn’t you agree? Growing up, we always had several pumpkin pies for our holiday feast. My sister and I would shamelessly eat the leftovers directly from the pie dish. Haven’t we all?
Anyway, this recipe has been a long time in the making and I’m so happy to share it with you this season. So, let’s get started.
Why Deep Dish Pumpkin Pie?
That’s easy. The filling is the best part. Most vegan pumpkin pie recipes make enough for an 8 or 9” standard pie plate, however, they tend to lack a nice deep filling. As such, I’ve created this recipe to make a generous 8″ or 9” deep dish pie, enough to serve 8 people. The filling is deep, smooth, custard-y, and tastes every bit as good as traditional pumpkin pie.
No deep dish Pie Plate? No Problem!
However, if you don’t have access to a deep dish pie plate, you can use a standard pie plate or make two smaller pies from this recipe. This recipes makes a nice amount of pie dough, so you can omit some and use the extra to make decorative leaves or cutouts to adorn your pie.
Why an Olive Oil Pie Crust?
I make this vegan pumpkin pie with an oil pastry because I struggle with regular pie crusts. However, oil pastry has changed my life and it’s now my absolute favourite to make. Best of all, it’s really easy to work with.
My recipe for oil pie crust makes a soft, workable and fuss-free pie crust that bakes up soooo flaky. Extra virgin olive oil is my preference for the crust, but you can use any neutral tasting vegetable oil in its place (i’ve successfully made this recipe with grapeseed oil as well).
It may seem like a lot of oil for this crust, but it’s the perfect amount to make a golden, flaky, delicious deep dish pie.
Unlike butter-based crusts, there is no need to roll out the dough. Simply press the dough into the pie plate, create your edging, and viola…easy as pie (ha!). Moreover, there’s also no need to chill it before blind baking which saves on time.
Arrowroot powder vs. Cornstarch
This vegan pumpkin pie recipe uses starch as a binding agent. Traditional pumpkin pie is made with eggs, however, arrowroot powder works just as well. Arrowroot powder is a starch based thickening agent similar to cornstarch. Many people have an intolerance to corn products; as such, arrowroot makes a perfect substitution.
You can use cornstarch and arrowroot interchangeably, however, cornstarch can be a little harder to incorporate I find. If you prefer to use cornstarch, I recommend taking a small amount of the filling and mixing it with the cornstarch in a separate bowl until it’s dissolved. Then, add the cornstarch mixture back into the remaining filling.
How to Blind Bake the pie crust
There are plenty of tutorials on how to blind bake a pie crust and this is one of my favourites. This recipe only need a partial blind bake, and i’ve detailed the process in the recipe directions. For this recipe, once the pie dough is pressed into the pie plate, you follow 4 simple steps:
Dock it – in other words, you prick it with the tines of a fork. This helps air escape so you have an evenly baked crust.
Line it– an easy way to do this is to take a piece of parchment which extends 2” around the edges of the pie plate. Crumple it into a tight ball, then smooth it back out. You can now form the parchment paper into the pie crust cavity with ease. The extra wrinkles really help it take the shape of the pie plate. Alternatively, you can use aluminum foil.
Fill it– you need to weigh down the pie crust as it bakes so it’s doesn’t shrink or lose it’s shape. Use pie weights, dry beans or dry rice. Make sure it’s filled to the brim with weights.
Bake it – once you have your pie crust lined and weighted, bake it as per the recipe instructions. A partial blind bake is roughly 20 minutes, and a full blind bake is about 40 minutes. This recipe requires a partial blind bake only.
7 Keys to making a perfect deep dish vegan pumpkin pie
Press the crust to your desired thickness – I prefer a sturdy pie crust, which means, I like it on the thicker side. This recipe makes a generous amount of dough, enough for a 1/3” pie crust and decorative edging. If you prefer a thinner crust, you can remove some of the dough and press it to your desired thickness. Use the leftover pie dough for decorative cutouts.
Thoroughly combine the arrowroot – I find arrowroot powder mixes and dissolves in the filling with ease. A good stirring, or a hand mixer, will leave no traces of it. You definitely don’t want little lumps of the stuff.
Use plenty of pie weights – when blind baking the crust, make sure you use enough weights to fill the entire volume of the pie crust. Otherwise, the edges will lose their shape.
Use full fat coconut milk – instead of evaporated milk, this recipe uses full fat coconut milk. I’ve made this recipe with both almond milk and light coconut milk, however, full fat coconut milk makes the filling super thick luscious and velvety-smooth. It’s the best option. And, no, you can’t taste any coconut flavour.
Check the crust periodically – watch for any over-browning of the pie crust during the allotted baking time. If you notice this happening, loosely cover the edges of the pie with tinfoil.
Bake the pie just until the filling is set – The pie is baked once the filling is no longer wobbly. Give the pie a little shake and if it doesn’t wobble, it’s set.
Use homemade pumpkin pie spice – It’s cheaper and you can make it with spices you already have on hand. Grab my recipe for homemade pumpkin pie spice right here.
Can this recipe be made gluten free?
Although I haven’t tested this recipe with a gluten free pie crust, you could certainly give it a go. Most all purpose gluten free flour blends can be used interchangeably with all-purpose flour.
Alternatively, you can try a pre-made gluten-free pie shell and blind bake it per the directions on the package. Again, watch for over-browning; gluten free flours tend to bake faster and are more prone to burning.
Want more inspiration for your Autumn table?
If you love my deep dish vegan pumpkin pie, try my other favourite fall season recipes.
Dairy-free Pumpkin Spice Latte
Classic Butternut Squash Soup with Lemon Roasted Cauliflower
Sweet Potato Soup with Red Lentils & Hemp
Deep Dish Vegan Pumpkin Pie
This smooth and velvety deep dish vegan pumpkin pie is perfect for any thanksgiving dinner. The crust is made with vegetable oil which makes it very flaky, light, and easy to work with. Topped with dairy-free cinnamon whipped cream, this is a great way to end your holiday meal. This recipe will fill a 8" or 9" round deep dish pie plate but can be adjusted to make two smaller pies. Alternatively, use your favourite store bought pie shell and bake per the package directions.
Ingredients
Vegan Pie Crust
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 2/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1-2 tbsp cold water
Pumpkin Filling
- 2 cups pumpkin puree
- 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 4 tbsp arrowroot powder
- 2 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup full fat coconut milk
To Serve
- 1 recipe Cinnamon Whip
Instructions
Make the Vegan Pie Crust
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Mix the Dough: Preheat the oven to 425°F. In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the oil and mix until the dough comes together. Mix in 1 tbsp of the cold water, then using your hands, press the dough together into a ball. If the dough seems dry or is not holding together, add another tbsp of water.
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Form the pie crust: Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the deep dish pie plate and up the sides to about 1/4" or1/3" wide, depending on how thick you like your crust. Neatly crimp the edge of the pie dough as desired.
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Dock & Blind Bake: Using a fork, poke holes in the bottom of the dough and up the sides. Line the pie crust with parchment paper or aluminum foil and add enough pie weights (or dried beans) to fill the cavity. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-18 minutes or until just starting to turn golden.
Remove the pie crust from the oven and carefully remove the parchment and weights. Set aside.
Prepare the Pumpkin Filling
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Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
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To a medium bowl, add the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, arrowroot powder, salt, vanilla and coconut milk. Beat until smooth and the arrowroot powder has been fully incorporated.
Bake the Pie
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Pour the filling into the pie crust, making sure to fill to just under the edge of the crust (the filling will puff up once baked). Smooth the top of the filling and bake in a 350°F oven for 45-50 minutes or until the filling is set (see notes). Remove the pie from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack before serving.
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Serve with cinnamon whip or non-dairy whipping cream.
Recipe Notes
The filling is set when it no longer wobbles. Give the pie a little shake and if the filling stay in place, it’s set. Cornstarch can be used in exchange for arrowroot powder. Coconut sugar can be used in a 1:1 ratio for brown sugar.
I think there is something wrong with the crust portion of this recipe, there is wayyyyy too much liquid for 2 cups of flour. The dough looks like a giant yellow ball immediately when adding that much olive oil to flour, there wasn’t a stage of coming together in pea size amounts.
Hi Ashley! Thank you so much for the feedback. The dough is supposed to come together into a solid ball which it sounds like it did for you. Did you find the ball was too wet, or that it didn’t hold it’s shape when you were pressing it into the pie plate? Let me know. Thanks, again!