Vegan Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie ~
Pumpkin pie – the iconic, quintessential pie of Thanksgiving.
Rich, creamy, and loaded with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves; the classic spices of the season, this easy and comforting pie continues to be a family favorite year after year.
This post probably should have been titled something like, “Libby’s Pumpkin Pie Goes Vegan” because that’s really what’s going on here.
I made that pie for years and I think what I like about pumpkin pie, in addition to the taste, is that it’s not fussy like so many of the others on the Thanksgiving dessert table.
Pumpkin pie is not even trying to compete; it’s confident and humble at the same time. A classic.
I have had to make only two ingredient adjustments since going vegan almost 3 years ago.
I’ve swapped eggs for egg replacer and canned dairy-based evaporated milk for plant-based half-and-half.
That’s it.
Easy.
Ingredients for Vegan Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie:
You will need:
- deep-dish pie crust
- granulated sugar
- cornstarch
- ground cinnamon
- salt
- ground ginger
- ground cloves
- vegan half and half
- canned pumpkin
How to Make Vegan Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie:
STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
STEP TWO: Mix together dry ingredients. Into a large mixing bowl, add sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and cloves. Stir to combine.
STEP FOUR: Add the pumpkin.
STEP FIVE: Stir, or use a hand mixer set on low speed, just until combined.
STEP SIX: Add half-and-half. Continue mixing and slowly add in evaporated milk.
STEP SEVEN: Stir or mix until fully incorporated.
STEP EIGHT: Pour into the pie shell. Bake for 15 minutes.
STEP NINE: Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
STEP TEN: Continue baking 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
STEP ELEVEN Place on a wire rack to cool completely. Transfer to the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, and up to overnight to set.
STEP TWELVE: Garnish with dairy-free whipped cream and a sprinkling of nutmeg, if desired then serve.
Enjoy!
More Essential Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes!
- Vegan Thanksgiving Wellington
- Vegan Green Bean Casserole
- Thanksgiving Cranberry Sauce
- Vegan Evaporated Milk
- Vegan Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
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Vegan Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
- 9- inch deep dish pie crust unbaked
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 1/2 cup can pumpkin
- 1 cup vegan half and half
- Dairy-free whipped cream optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Into a large mixing bowl, add sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and cloves. Stir to combine.
- Add the pumpkin then stir, or use a hand mixer set on low speed, just until combined.
- Continue mixing and slowly add in half and half. Stir or mix until fully incorporated.
- Pour into pie shell. Bake for 15 minutes.
- Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Continue baking 50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool completely. Transfer to the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or up to overnight to set.
- Garnish with dairy-free whipped cream and a sprinkling of nutmeg, if desired, then serve.
Nutrition
thiswifecooks
Thank you! Enjoy! 🙂
Shelly Simon
So exciting to find a pumpkin pie recipe with only 2 swaps!! Question, will coconut evaporated milk (canned) work??
thiswifecooks
Hi Shelly ~ While I have not tried this particular recipe with coconut evaporated milk, I think it should work fine. If you go with coconut evaporated milk, let me know how it turns out!
Kaitlin
Hello! So far I have made this twice and I am clearly doing something wrong. It looks nothing like the beautiful picture. The first time I made, the custard boiled. It nearly boiled out of the pie plate. The top texture was kind of rough. The taste was FABULOUS but it looked awful. My first try I used the evaporated milk recipe with homemade soy milk. For my second attempt, I used store bought oat milk. And again, the flavor is delicious but it looks…funny. It is not smooth like the picture of this recipe. Any tips or suggestions on what could be happening? I WANT to say I followed the recipe exactly but since I bombed twice, I suspect I am doing something wrong. It is more…pudding-like an doesn’t really set up. And again, there is a bit of a rim on the side and then the middle sinks down a little. Now, my kids and husband are loving my failed attempts because the recipe is so delicious. Hah, but now I would like to try and nail the presentation. Thank you for the delicious recipe and any tips you might be able to offer.
thiswifecooks
Hi Kaitlin ~ I’m glad to hear the flavor is working but I’m not sure why the texture would be off… possibly over or under mixing? Try letting the pie cool down in the still-warm oven then, once it’s completely cooled, refrigerate – this should help with firming it up. I hope this is helpful!
Kaitlin
Thank you for the reply. I am currently making another batch of the evaporated milk to try again. The second attempt did set up quite a bit more after cooling. But, there was still a weird skin on the top of it. Is it possible I am doing something off with the egg replacement? I typically use flax eggs as replacements but got the Bob’s Red Mill because I didn’t want to deviate from the recipe at all.
thiswifecooks
I’ve only used Bob’s Red Mill with this recipe which makes me think that’s not it. Could you be baking the pie too close too the oven’s heating element? Sometimes that can cause “skin” or sinking.
Cindy
I love the vegan swaps to this pumpkin pie! Thanks for such a great recipe!
Kaitlin
Hello again! With the homemade evaporated milk–does it need to be chilled before using? I made this pie a third time and by lowering the oven rack, the texture was somewhat better. But the pie was very dark and still…just not quite right. BUT, I used the homemade evaporated milk straight off the stove–maybe it made the mixture too hot? Because when I was baking the pie, I saw that it was boiling in the over (350 degrees). My thought was that maybe the hot evaporated milk I made could be a problem.
thiswifecooks
Yes! The milk needs to be completely cooled prior to use and the pie should be completely cooled to set properly.
nancy
lovely classic pumpkin pie for this thanksgiving meal. I made this today to test it out and everyone loved it.
Julie
Gorgeous pumpkin pie recipe, thank you.
thiswifecooks
Thanks for the feedback, Julie!
May
This pumpkin pie turned out very nice! It’s so creamy and delicious. This is perfect for thanksgiving!
thiswifecooks
Wonderful! Thanks so much for letting me know – Happy Thanksgiving!
Tavo
Great recipe! I was super happy with the results with this vegan pumpkin pie. Thanks for the recipe!
Mary
Is this recipe missing the egg replacement or it just doesn’t take eggs at all like some?
thiswifecooks
Hi Mary ~ There are no eggs or egg replacer in this recipe. The cornstarch takes their place and acts as the binder. I hope this is helpful! 😊
Mary
One of my questions got answered above – corn starch instead of egg replacer. Your recipe states vegan 1/2 & 1/2 but talks about using your homemade evaporated milk recipe. Will one work better than the other? Do you think vegan heavy whipping cream would work as well in place of the 1/2 & 1/2 or evaporated milk? And have you ever tried using Just Egg to replace the eggs instead of the corn starch? And if so, did it work out? Thank You!!
thiswifecooks
Hi Mary ~ I used evaporated milk in the past and only switched to half-and-half last year. I’ve updated the post to reflect that update more clearly. I have not tried heavy cream although in theory that should work since it’s even thicker than the half-and-half. Sounds like a good idea; Let me know how it works if you try the heavy cream. As for JustEgg in this pie, yes, I have tried it and it was a disaster! The pie wouldn’t set and came out like pudding. Zero stars – do not recommend using JustEgg for this recipe. I’m making a Brown Sugar Pumpkin Pie today – Happy Thanksgiving!
https://thiswifecooks.com/brown-sugar-pumpkin-pie-easy-recipe/