The best vegan gluten-free pumpkin pie recipe would only be the best if it was made with under 10 ingredients or less, right? Lucky for you, that’s exactly how many ingredients are needed to make this delicious pumpkin pie.
Out of all the pies, pumpkin pie is my favorite. This became quite the conundrum when I went vegan and gluten-free. And while I have gone down the path of creating raw vegan pumpkin pie (you can find that on my old blog, here), I really wanted to try a revamp of a traditional baked pie.
Coming up with a recipe for the best vegan gluten-free pumpkin pie wasn’t easy. But after some trial and error, I discovered what would soon become a family favorite.
How To Make Gluten-Free Pastry
Making gluten-free pastry can be trying at best, but the gluten-free pie crust mentioned in this recipe is easy to make, sticks together, and bakes very well.
Almond flour seems to be a winner in all things pastry related. I’ve been experimenting with it more and more, and the crumbly texture and nutty, decadent flavors make it perfect for gluten-free pastry making.
Of course, combining it with a natural binder like tapioca or arrowroot flour really allows it to stick in scenarios like rolling out a pumpkin pie crust.
For this recipe, the gluten-free almond flour crust is supposed to be damp, but not sticky. So if it sticks to your fingers as you compact it into a ball, you need to add small amounts of flour until you hit the desired damp consistency.
Aside from potential stickiness, this pie crust recipe holds together very well; even better than a traditional pie crust made from wheat flour.
I’ve also never really liked pie crusts to start, but this almond flour crust is to die for. I’m no longer peeling back the crust to avoid eating it, but instead savoring every bite!
The Best Vegan Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie
The reason this vegan gluten-free pumpkin pie is so delicious is that it is made from butternut squash.
Now, you might be thinking, “why did you call this recipe a pumpkin pie if it isn’t actually made from pumpkin?!”. Well, contrary to popular belief, many pumpkin pies (canned fillings, or the pie themselves) are made from one or more types of winter squash.
Butternut, Hubbard, Boston Marrow, and Golden Delicious are popular squashes often used in place of pumpkin in pumpkin pie. This is because they are sweeter, less stringy, and have a much more vibrant orange hue than pumpkins do. If you’ve ever roasted a pumpkin before, you’d know that the flesh is much more yellow than orange.
The pumpkin pie filling made from butternut is a serious gamechanger. I’ve made pumpkin pies from actual pumpkin before, and believe you me, they did not taste as good as the ones I made from butternut. Butternut and pumpkin actually taste very similar once cooked, but butternut is sweeter and creamier. Who doesn’t want a sweeter and creamier pie, made 100% from nature herself?
The filling is also super easy to make, too. All you need to do is add the roasted squash, some maple syrup, coconut milk, arrowroot flour, and pumpkin pie spice to a blender. Blend, and you’ve got your filling!
My mother and sister have told me this is the best pumpkin pie they’ve had. And trust me, they’re pumpkin pie fanatics just like myself.
If you do end up making this recipe, be sure to tag #livelovefruit on Instagram or leave a comment below!
The Best Vegan Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 1/4 cups fine almond flour (I like Anthony’s Organic)
- 1/3 cup tapioca flour
- 2 tbsp. ground flax + 5 tbsp. water
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
Filling:
- 1 medium butternut squash (about 3 cups roasted)
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/3 cup coconut milk
- 2 tbsp. arrowroot powder
- 1 3/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 tsp. sea salt
Coconut Whipping Cream:
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1/4 cup organic cane sugar
- 1 tsp. tapioca flour
- 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
- Turn on the oven to 370ºF. Put a bowl in the freezer for the coconut whipping cream.
- Cut the butternut squash in half, scoop out the seeds, and place in the oven in a glass dish with a little bit of water, face down. Let roast for 45 minutes.
- In the meantime, for the crust, combine the ground flax with water in a bowl and let sit for 5 minutes to thicken.
- Add almond flour, tapioca flour, and salt into a bowl, and whisk until well combined.
- Add in the flax/water mixture until a dough forms. The dough should not stick to your fingers, so if it is, add in a couple more teaspoons of almond flour until you hit the desired texture (damp, but not sticky).
- Place the ball of dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll out until it is the side of a 9-inch round pie pan. Remove the top parchment paper, and then place the pie pan on top of the almond crust. Flip over, and then remove the other sheet of parchment, which should now be on top.
- Press down the crust until it covers the entire surface area of the pie pan. Poke a few holes on the bottom of the crust.
- Cover the dough with parchment paper and add some dried beans or pie weights to help weigh down the pie crust as it cooks. If the butternut squash is not done roasting, just put the pie crust right beside it in the oven. Cook for 15 minutes, and remove and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Once the butternut squash is done roasting, measure out 3 cups and add it to a high-speed blender or food processor. Turn down the oven to 350ºF.
- Add the rest of the filling ingredients, and then blend on high until the texture is smooth.
- Pour the filling into the freshly baked pie crust, and then bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Once finished baking, let cool in the fridge for 1-2 hours so that the filling can set.
- While the pie is baking, the coconut whipping cream can be prepared. To do this, add the cane sugar and tapioca flour to a coffee grinder to make your own confectioner’s sugar.
- Take the bowl out of the freezer, and add the coconut milk, sugar, and vanilla. Whip with a hand mixer until peaks start to form.
- Cut a piece of pumpkin pie and add a dollop of coconut whipped cream on top. Enjoy!
Notes
Hi! This recipe sounds delicious! I have a friend who has multiple food allergies–gluten, milk, egg, nut, etc. Is there a substitute for the almond flour for the crust? Might coconut flour work?
Hey Erika! I think buckwheat flour might hold up a little better, but it might be a bit too firm. You could try coconut flour, but it isn’t as rich as almond flour, so you might need to add a bit of coconut oil to increase the fat content! I think the structure of almond flour really helps it hold together, but you never know, coconut flour just might work!
Sounds great, but why butternut squash instead of pumpkin?
I explain in the body of the article! Most pumpkin pies are not made with pumpkin, because it is too stringy and not sweet enough. Many cans of pumpkin pie filling, or pies you find in store are made with other winter squashes that are sweeter and richer like butternut, and Hubbards.