Description
This Vegan Pecan Pie is a classic holiday dessert for a reason – it’s perfectly sticky, rich, gooey, and complete with a buttery homemade crust. Make ahead instructions included!
Ingredients
Pie crust:
- 1½ (180g) all-purpose flour
- ½ tablespoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) vegan butter, cubed
- ¼ cup ice water
Filling:
- 2 cups chopped pecans
- 1 cup whole pecans (for on top)
- 1 cup dark corn syrup
- 1 cup (210g) light brown sugar
- ¼ cup vegan butter
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons (40g) cornstarch
- 12 oz firm silken tofu
Equipment Needed:
- Large bowl
- Pastry cutter
- Plastic wrap
- Rolling pin
- Pie dish
- Pie weights/dry beans
- Baking sheet
- Small saucepan
- High-speed blender
Instructions
- Prepare pie dough. Combine all-purpose flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl until uniform. Add the vegan butter, and use a pastry cutter or your fingertips to work the butter into the flour mixture until a sand-like consistency forms. It’s okay if there are some largers butter pieces.
- Mix in the ice water, one tablespoon at a time. You might not need all the water. The dough should still be crumbly but should hold together when squeezed.
- Dump onto a clean work surface, and use your hands to work the dough into a disc. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and set in the fridge to chill for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Blind bake pie crust. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Once the dough has chilled, sprinkle a work surface with flour. Roll out the dough to roughly a 12” circle, about ¼” thick. Transfer to a pie dish and carefully lift the edges to press the dough into the bottom of the dish. Cut off excess dough, leaving a 1” border hanging off the edge of the pie dish. Fold the dough under itself and use your fingers to pinch a fluted edge.
- Line the pie crust with crumpled parchment paper. Fill with pie weight or dry beans, ensuring they fill all crust edges. Place the pie crust in the oven for 15 minutes, until it begins to slightly brown. Remove from the oven and remove the parchment paper and pie weights. Set the crust aside while you make the filling.
- Toast the pecans. Roughly chop the pecans–they don’t have to be uniform. Add to a baking sheet and place in the oven for 5-7 minutes, until lightly toasted. Set aside when done.
- Prepare the pie filling. Add the corn syrup, brown sugar, and vegan butter to a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the vegan butter melts and everything is uniform. Once the mixture begins to bubble, remove from the heat. Stir in the vanilla extract and salt. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool slightly.
- Blend. Add the slightly cooled filling, cornstarch, and the silken tofu to a high-speed blender. Blend until completely smooth. Mix in the toasted pecans (either in the blender or in a bowl).
- Bake the pie. Pour the filling into the parbaked pie crust. Place additional raw pecans on top of the filling in a decorative pattern, if desired. Place the pie back in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes. The middle of the pie should be slightly wobbly, and the crust should be golden brown.
- Allow pie to cool. Place on a wire rack and cool for at least 2 hours or overnight before serving.
Notes
- Gluten-free: The pecan pie filling is naturally gluten-free, but the pie crust does contain flour. To make this pie fully gluten-free, we’d recommend swapping in your favorite homemade or store-bought vegan and gluten-free pie crust.
- Storage: Once baked, this pie can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Make-Ahead: This pie is a great Thanksgiving dessert to make in advance. The pie crust dough can be prepped 5 days in advance and kept in the refrigerator until ready to roll out and blind bake. The pie itself is best prepared 24-48 hours in advance (this gives it enough time to cool!). Then, tightly cover and store in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve.
- Prep Time: 4 hours
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven