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, sweet potato, apple...and now pecan!
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.
What You'll Need
- Vegan pie crust
- Organic brown sugar
- Maple syrup
- Vegan butter
- Silken tofu
- Non-dairy milk
- Cornstarch
- Cinnamon
- Vanilla
- Pecans
How to Make Vegan Pecan Pie
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make vegan pecan pie. 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 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. (My vegan pumpkin pie post has a photo showing what this looks like.)
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.
Now grab a food processor or blender. We need to blend up a few of the ingredients for the filling: silken tofu, non-dairy milk, cornstarch, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt.
Set your blended mixture aside for a minute and place a pot on the stove. Add maple syrup, brown sugar, and vegan butter. 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 and whisk everything together. 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.
Top your pie with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream or non-dairy whipped cream.
Vegan Pecan Pie Tips & FAQ
- Can this pie be made gluten-free? Yup! Just use a vegan & gluten-free pie crust, like this one.
- Shelf life & storage: This pie is best stored in it's original dish, wrapped tightly in plastic. It will keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
- I've baked my pie for 40 minutes and the filling is still runny. Help! First, make sure your filling came up to a simmer before you took it off the stove. If it did and the filling is still runny after baking, be patient. Let the pie cool completely — the filling will continue to set as it does.
- Some silken tofu comes in firm and soft varieties. Either will work, but if you have the option, use firm.
- This recipe is designed for a 9-inch deep pie dish. You can use something smaller, but you'll probably have too much filling. Feel free to scale back as needed.
- Can I use a store-bought pie crust? Yup! Check the ingredients to ensure it's vegan, as many brands use lard or butter. Also keep in mind that many store-bought pie crusts come in pans that are smaller than what this recipe calls for, so you might not be able to fit all of the filling.
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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!