Vegan Pumpkin Pie

‘Tis pumpkin season. Thanksgiving is moving our way, and one of the only things I feel like I make well for Thanksgiving, is pumpkin pie.
I actually made my first pumpkin pie when I was living in Russia way back when.
Some friends and I decided we were going to do Thanksgiving dinner, and somehow I got voluntold to make a couple of pies.
Walking through the market on the way home I saw a pumpkin for sale, and instantly decided on pumpkin pie. The other was an apple pie, but I’ll save that post for another day.
Since then, I have modified my recipe several times. But with the discovery that dairy and I don’t actually get along very well, I was a little distraught. I thought I was going to have to make pumpkin pie and not be able to enjoy it.
Until I found a vegan recipe I could incorporate with mine.
So, now I get to make my pumpkin pie and am still able to enjoy it.
And you can too.

Vegan Pumpkin Pie:

Ingredients:

For the crust:

I borrowed this from Food52, but I had to change it a bit because the first time I made it, it was as hard as an adobe brick.
I love coconut oil as much as the next person, but that, the water and the flour create something almost too solid to eat.

• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 cup coconut oil – cool enough to be solid
• 1/3 – 1/2 cups ice water. Here is where I swapped out half the water for vodka.
  The alcohol cooks out, and doesn’t activate the gluten in the flour.

For the filling:

• 2 cups pureed pumpkin, I used fresh pumpkin. I like telling people the pie was a pumpkin yesterday. But you are welcome to use canned.
  • See the note below if you need some tips for roasting your pumpkin for puree
• 1 cup almond milk, although rice, soy or coconut will work too.
• 1/2 cup sugar. I generally go easy on the sugar. I think generally these recipes call for more
• 3 tablespoons corn starch
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• AND my personal favorite, yet a little unorthodox:
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne. it gives your pie, just a touch of a bite. I’m giving away one of my huge secrets here, so use it wisely.

The Method:

For the crust:

In a bowl, mix the flour, salt and sugar.

Cut in the coconut oil until the mixture is crumbly and will stick together when you squeeze it. You can use a pastry cutter or even your food processor. I went old school and used a fork, for the forearm work out. Okay, really, we just don’t have either of the above.

Mix in your water and vodka mixture slowly, you don’t want your dough to turn into batter.

Once you get a nice texture, meaning the dough holds together when balled up, it’s okay for it to still be a little crumbly here, think flaky crust, but if it doesn’t hold together, your filling won’t have anything solid to sit on.

If you aren’t ready to use the dough now, ball it up, wrap it in plastic wrap and let it chill in the fridge.
If you are ready, on a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough. Roll it out into a circle large enough to easily cover your pie pan. Once it is sufficiently spread, carefully pick it up and put it into the pie pan. Fix any tears if you need to, and trim the edges. You are welcome to make a pretty puckered pattern on the crust edges if you want. I usually go for the utilitarian look. Because really, I’m more concerned with how it tastes.

Prick the crust a handful of times with a fork, and fill it with your filling of choice.

For the filling:

Preheat the oven to 425

Mix all the ingredients together in your food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into your pie crust.

Bake for 45 to 50 ish minutes, depending on your oven.
Check it every 10 to 15 minutes, if it is starting to brown to much, turn the heat down to 350.

Once the filling is set, and the crust is golden brown and super tasty looking, pull it out and let it cool on a cooling rack for 30 to 40 minutes.

Ideally, if you can manage,  you want to chill it in the fridge for a couple of hours.  I only manage this when the pie is for a family dinner or something.

Top it with your favorite pumpkin pie topping if you like and enjoy.

Making your own pumpkin puree:

To bake your pumpkin, put it on a baking sheet, throw it in an oven pre-heated to 425 and let it roast for 45 minutes, or until you can easily pierce the skin with a fork.
Cut it open, scoop out the seeds, and save them for later.  The skin will just peel off at this point, and you have fresh pumpkin for your pie. It will be hot, so be careful.

Greg