Made with sweet and gooey pecan-studded filling inside flaky crust, this vegan pecan pie is the ultimate holiday treat!
My family tends to have too many pies at our holiday celebrations. You really need to cover all the bases when it comes to pie! All the teams need representation: pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie, apple pie...and now pecan pie!
It took me a while to get a classic vegan pecan pie recipe up on this site, even though pecan might just be my favorite holiday pie. Why? The idea of making an egg-free pecan pie can be a little intimidating at first, but fortunately, it's not that difficult. There are a couple of magic ingredients that are perfect when creating that gooey, caramelly filling that any good pecan pie has. (Hint: I borrowed some tricks from my vegan custard pie recipe.)
What I ended up creating was a pecan pie that's decadent and delicious, and pretty darn easy to make. It's perfect for Thanksgiving, holiday celebrations, or any time you're craving something sweet and indulgent!
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Vegan pie crust. Use my homemade vegan pie crust recipe or pick one up at the store. Be careful with store-bought, as many brands contain butter or lard. Always check the ingredients!
- Brown sugar. Use organic to keep the recipe vegan.
- Maple syrup. Another liquid sweetener like agave, corn syrup, or coconut nectar can be substituted, but maple adds a really nice flavor to the vegan pecan pie filling.
- Vegan butter. Look for brands like Miyoko's and Earth balance near where the regular butter is sold at your store.
- Silken tofu. Silken tofu comes in both refrigerated and shelf-stable varieties, and either will work with this recipe! You might also have a choice of firm or soft, and again, either will work, though firm is preferable.
- Non-dairy milk. Any unflavored and unsweetened variety will work, such as soy, almond, or oat milk. Check out my guide to dairy-free milks if you need help choosing one.
- Cornstarch. This is the magic ingredient for creating that custardy texture in our vegan pecan pie. It's super important, so don't skip or skimp on it.
- Cinnamon.
- Vanilla.
- Pecans.
How It's Made
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll to the bottom of the post if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
- Start by blind baking your crust. Poke some holes in the bottom of the crust or pie shell with a fork, line the inside with parchment paper or foil, and fill it with pie weights, or dried rice or beans if you don't have pie weights.
- Pop the crust into the oven and bake it for 15 minutes. This gets the crust baking process started and prevents it from turning out soggy.
- Blend up a few of the ingredients for the filling using a food processor or blender: silken tofu, non-dairy milk, cornstarch, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt. Set this mixture aside for a minute.
- Place maple syrup, brown sugar, and vegan butter into a small pot or medium saucepan on the stove.
- Heat everything up, bring it to a simmer, and let it cook over low heat for about 10 minutes, giving it a stir from time to time.
- It should be super bubbly and glossy when the time is up. Now pour the blended tofu mixture into the pot.
- Whisk everything together and let it simmer for just a minute to thicken up slightly.
- Fill your pie crust with roughly chopped pecans, then pour your liquid mixture over the pecans. The crust should be filled to the brim! I like to arrange a few whole pecans on top as well.
- Pop the pie into the oven. Be sure to place something under it to catch drips, which will probably occur.
- Bake the pie for about 40 minutes, then take it out of the oven and transfer it to a cooling rack. The pie will continue to set as it cools.
- Slice your pie and dig in!
Leftovers & Storage
Store any leftover pie in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Just use a vegan and gluten-free pie crust, like this one.
Did your filling come up to a simmer before you took it off the stove? This part is necessary in order for the pie to set. If it did and your pie is still runny, give it some time. It needs to cool in order to completely set.
I like mine with non-dairy whipped topping (Reddi-wip makes a good one), or a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream (So Delicious cashew ice cream is my favorite).
More Vegan Holiday Desserts
- Vegan Spice Cake
- Vegan Gingerbread Cookies
- Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
- Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Mini Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecakes
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!
Vegan Pecan Pie
Made with sweet and gooey pecan-studded filling inside flaky crust, this vegan pecan pie is the ultimate holiday treat!
Ingredients
- 1 vegan pie crust
- 8 ounces silken tofu
- ¾ cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup organic brown sugar
- ⅓ cup vegan butter
- 2 ¼ cups pecan halves
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350°F.
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Gently press your pie crust inside of a deep 9-inch pie pan* and poke a few holes in the bottom with a fork. Line the bottom with foil or parchment paper and fill it with pie weights, dried rice, or beans.
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Bake the crust for 15 minutes then remove it from the oven and place it on a cooling rack.
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While the crust bakes, place the tofu, milk, cornstarch, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt into a blender or food processor bowl fitted with an s-blade. Blend until smooth.
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Place the maple syrup, brown sugar, and butter into a medium pot and set it over medium heat.
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Heat the mixture, stirring frequently, until the butter and sugar melts and the mixture comes to a simmer.
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Lower the heat and allow the mixture to simmer for about 10 minutes, until it's very bubbly and glossy.
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Stir the tofu mixture into the pot. Bring it back to a simmer and let it cook for about 1 minute.
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Roughly chop 2 cups of the pecans and use them to fill the pie crust. Arrange the whole remaining pecans on top. Pour the maple syrup mixture over the pecans and into the pie crust. The crust should be very full.
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Place the pie into the oven. Place a rimmed baking sheet or large baking dish on a the lower rack to catch any drips.
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Bake the pie for 40 minutes. The filling should be bubbly and still pretty gooey when it's done.
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Place the pie on a cooling rack and let it cool completely. The filling will continue to set as it does.
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Slice and top with vegan vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Serve.
Recipe Notes
*If you use a smaller pie pan you'll probably have a bit too much filling. Scale back as needed.
Do you typically use the shelf stable silken tofu or refrigerated packages of silken tofu?
I usually use the shelf stable kind, just because it's easier to keep some on hand. Either will work just fine though!
Can you use regular tofu if you can't find silken?
You can! The texture will be a bit different, but it will work. I'd go for the softest variety you can find and avoid using extra firm or super firm.
I think I cooked the tofu mixture to long as it seemed thicker than your pictures and it stayed above the pecans instead of mixing into them. Either way, the pie was delicious, I will be trying it again to see if I can make it with more eye appeal next time!
Yea 😞 me too. It got really thick once I added the tofu to the maple syrup mixture. I wish I would have mixed the pecans into the pan first and arranged the ones for the top after filling the pie. I thought that direction seemed weird but I did it anyway. Absolutely delicious taste tho!
Do you use raw pecans or roasted?
I've only made the recipe with raw pecans, but I think roasted would be delicious.