My vegan butterscotch pie features a rich, creamy butterscotch custard nestled in a flaky crust and topped with a dollop of vegan whipped cream. It's surprisingly easy to make and tastes like pure nostalgia! The perfect treat for holidays and celebrations.
Butterscotch pie is one of those classic, old-fashioned desserts that I managed to miss out on early in life. I actually didn't realize it was even a thing until I started getting requests for a vegan butterscotch pie on my Facebook page. I sat on the idea for a while, as I often do with unfamiliar dishes, but then it occurred to me: I have a recipe for vegan butterscotch pudding and a vegan custard pie. Why not marry those two recipes and make a butterscotch pie?
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What I ended up with was delicious! Since I've never had traditional butterscotch pie, I'll just give you my impressions of this version. The texture was creamy but not too heavy — think a somewhat softer pumpkin pie filling (and I actually did use my vegan pumpkin pie recipe for some guidance). Butterscotch flavor, though, I'm very familiar with, and this was absolutely it! Mellow, sweet, buttery, and so nostalgic.
The pie is pretty easy to throw together, and the filling itself is actually no-bake! So if you're looking for a delicious dessert to add to your holiday table, this one deserves a spot. I'm sure it'll be a hit!
Ingredients You'll Need
Below you'll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
- Pie crust. You can use one of my homemade pie crusts, such as my coconut oil pie crust or easy vegan pie crust, or a store-bought crust — just check the ingredients to ensure it's vegan.
- Coconut milk. Stick with full-fat coconut milk from a can. Anything lighter, such as light coconut milk or the type sold in cartons, will result in a less creamy filling.
- Silken tofu. I used a 10.8 ounce package, but the recipe is forgiving enough that a 12-ounce package like some brands use will be fine. I've also tried the recipe with both firm and soft silken tofu, and both worked great. If you've got the option, choose based on how firm or soft you'd like your filling to be.
- Cornstarch.
- Salt.
- Vegan butter. Look for this in the refrigerated section at the grocery store, near the regular butter.
- Brown sugar. Use organic brown sugar, since conventional brown sugar is sometimes processed with animal bone char. Go for dark brown sugar if you can, as it will give you the most intense butterscotch flavor. If all you can find is light brown sugar, it'll be fine! Try adding a teaspoon or two of molasses if you have it.
- Water.
- Whiskey. This is optional, and you can skip it for an alcohol-free pie if you prefer.
- Vanilla extract.
- Vegan whipped topping. Most stores sell dairy-free whipped creams made from non-dairy milks, usually near the regular canned whipped cream.
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Blind bake the crust. Roll out your pie dough, place it in your pie plate, then poke ventilation holes all over with a fork. Crimp the edges if you'd like, then line the inside with foil or parchment paper, and fill it with pie weights. Bake it for 20 minutes, remove the foil or parchment paper and weights, and bake it 10 to 15 minutes longer.
Blend the thickener. Place your coconut milk, tofu, cornstarch, and salt into a blender and blend until smooth.
Cook the base. Start by melting your vegan butter in a pot, then whisk in the brown sugar and water. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then let it cook for about 4 minutes.
Thicken it. Pour the tofu mixture into the pot, and heat the mixture back up while whisking frequently. It will start to thicken. Remove the pot from heat when it gets to a pudding-like consistency, just shy of reaching a simmer.
Add flavors. Whisk in the whiskey, if you're using it, then the vanilla.
Pour, cool, and chill. Pour the butterscotch filling into the pie crust, then let it cool for about 20 minutes. Next, cover the pie and chill until the filling is fully set.
Serve. Your vegan butterscotch pie is ready to devour! Top each slice with some dairy-free whipped topping and enjoy!
Variations
- Butter rum pie. Replace the whiskey with dark or spiced rum. Or experiment with other boozy twists! Amaretto, Frangelico, brandy, coffee liqueur, and orange liqueur are all delicious possibilities.
- Top it. Drizzle each slice with my vegan caramel sauce or vegan chocolate ganache.
- Crust swaps. You can put this filling into just about any vegan pie crust. A graham cracker crust or cookie crust would be great! Just make sure you follow the baking instructions specifically for the crust you are using, as the recipe instructions may not translate here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Just use your favorite gluten-free pie crust.
I don't recommend it. The filling will be overly heavy and not very smooth if you do.
Nope! The tofu is just in there as a thickener. All the flavor comes from the butterscotch mixture.
Store your pie in an airtight container such as a pie keeper for up to 4 days in the fridge. I don't recommend freezing this one.
More Vegan Holiday Pies
Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
📖 Recipe
Vegan Butterscotch Pie
Ingredients
- 1 unbaked (9-inch) vegan pie crust (one batch of vegan pie crust or coconut oil crust, or a store-bought vegan crust)
- 1 ¼ cups full-fat coconut milk
- 1 (10.8 ounce/307 gram) package silken tofu (Note 1)
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup vegan butter
- 1 cup organic dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons whiskey (optional)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Vegan whipped topping, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- If you're not using a premade crust, roll out your dough and drape it into a 9-inch pie pan. Press it into the pan, trim the excess, and crimp the edges if desired. Use a fork to poke a few holes in the bottom and sides of the pie crust.
- Line the inside of the crust with a sheet of foil or parchment paper, then fill it with pie weights, dried beans, or rice.
- Place the crust into the oven and bake it for 20 minutes. Remove the pie weights and foil or parchment paper (careful, as everything will be hot), then bake the crust for 10 to 15 minutes longer, until the crust is lightly browned.
- Place the crust on a cooling rack and let it cool while you make the filling.
- Place the coconut milk, tofu, cornstarch, and salt into a blender and blend until smooth. Set this aside for now.
- Melt the vegan butter in a medium pot over medium heat. Whisk in the brown sugar and water. Heat the mixture to a simmer, then reduce the heat and let it cook at a low simmer for about 4 minutes, whisking frequently.
- Whisk the tofu mixture into the brown sugar mixture. Continue heating up the mixture until it almost comes back to a simmer, but avoid actually letting it bubble. It's ready when it reaches a thick, pudding-like consistency. Remove the pot from heat.
- Whisk in the whiskey, if using, and the vanilla.
- Transfer the mixture to the pie crust, smoothing out the top with a spatula.
- Let the pie cool for about 20 minutes, then cover it and transfer it to the refrigerator. Chill until fully set, at least 4 hours.
- Slice the pie and top each portion with vegan whipped topping. Serve.
Notes
- Silken tofu typically comes in packages containing between 10 and 12 ounces. Any size within this range will work. Some brands also sell it in different firmness varieties, and any of them will work, but you'll end up with a creamier custard if you use a soft variety, and a firmer custard with a firmer variety.
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is provided as an estimate only and may vary based on ingredients, brands, portion sizes, and preparation methods.
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