Baking a vegan gluten-free pumpkin pie can be challenging especially if you don’t know which ingredients to use and their ratios. The key challenge with vegan pies is usually the crust. That is where all the calories and gluten rest. If you are in a rush, you can use the store bought vegan piecrusts. However, in this recipe, I will share with you the healthy version.
This recipe serves eight, but you can double the ingredients for a larger serving. And we are using a 9″ round pie tin.
To Make the Piecrust
Most piecrusts use any form of fat and flour plus a little liquid to tie it all together. Non-vegans use lard, butter, and milk. In this vegan gluten-free pumpkin pie recipe, we will use vegetable shortening, gluten-free flour, and almond milk. You can, however, substitute the milk with any non-dairy milk, and use other healthier flour options like a combination of cassava flour with oats flour.
The Ingredients
1½-cup gluten-free all-purpose flour
½ cup vegetable shortening
¼ cup almond milk
A pinch of sugar and salt to taste
The Procedure
Just like with any other piecrust, chill the vegetable shortening, bowl, spoons, rolling pin, and any other tool you will be using in the fridge a few hours before prep.
Sift in all the dry ingredients in the cold bowl.
Add the shortening and using a fork, break it down in the flour to form a crumbly texture.
Add the milk and use your hands to knead until well combined. Because our flour lacks the binding gluten, the dough will not hold or stretch for long. So you have to work with it carefully but quickly.
Let the dough rest for 15 minutes in the fridge.
Then roll it out into a circle. If you like a crisp piecrust, then roll it thin and precook before adding the pumpkin filling. If you prefer the thick, chewy piecrust, roll out thick. I prefer medium sized piecrusts because even without pre-cooking they cook fully without burning in a short time.
Transfer to the baking tin. Cut the excess pastry and firm the edges using a fork or your fingers.
Put it back in the fridge as you prepare the pumpkin filling.
To Make the Pumpkin Filling
The Ingredients
2-cups pumpkin
½-cup coconut milk
¼-cup maple syrup
1-tablespoon pumpkin pie spice – You can use the store-bought ones or make yours from scratch
A pinch of salt
The Procedure
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 F)
In a blender, puree all the ingredients until they form a thick but smooth consistency
Pour this mixture into the piecrust and bake for an hour or until the vegan gluten-free pumpkin pie is well done.
The pie will be a bit delicate once you remove from the oven. Let it cool and then chill overnight to set firmly.
To Serve
Whip up some coconut cream until it forms soft peaks. If it’s too thick, add a little coconut milk to get your desired consistency.
Pipe this cream over the vegan gluten-free pumpkin pie, Portion into eight slices and enjoy.