What if we told you that it’s never been easier to prepare vegan food for your family? Enter Easy Vegan Home Cooking, which contains over 125 satisfying, simple-to-prepare, and healthy vegan and plant-based dishes including the one below perfect for holidays!
This rich-tasting pie makes the quintessential dessert for a winter holiday supper. Using pecans in the crust and to garnish the top of the pie gives this classic dessert a jazzy twist.
Pumpkin Pecan Pie
Makes 8 to 10 servings
Prep Time: 25 minutes / Bake Time: 70 to 80 minutes
Ingredients
For the crust
⅓ cup vegan buttery spread, plus more to coat pan
¾ cup pecan halves
1 cup gluten-free, quick cooking rolled oats
¼ cup vegan cane sugar
¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
For the filling
1½ blocks (22 to 24 ounces) extra-firm regular tofu (refrigerated tub) drained and crumbled
1 can (15 to 16 ounces) unsweetened pumpkin purée
⅔ cup vegan cane sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
¼ teaspoon salt
For the topping
26 to 30 pecan halves
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Liberally coat a 9-inch round springform pan with vegan buttery spread.
Making the Crust
Put the pecans in a blender or food processor and process into coarse crumbs. Transfer the pecan crumbs to a medium-sized bowl.
In the same bowl, add the rolled oats, ¼ cup sugar, and ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice and stir with a dry whisk to combine. Add ⅓ cup vegan buttery spread and blend together using a dough blender or clean hands, until the mixture resembles wet sand.
Firmly press the cookie crumb mixture into the bottom of the springform pan, using the base of a measuring cup to help compress the crust into a flat, even layer. Bake the crust for 10 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes.
Making the Filling
Put the tofu, pumpkin purée, ⅔ cup sugar, maple syrup, 1½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, and salt into a blender or food processor and process until smooth and creamy.
Assembly & Topping
Pour the filling into the crust and bake for 40 minutes. Decrease the heat to 325°F and bake for an additional 20 to 30 minutes, or until the center of the
filling is firm to the touch. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack.
Artfully arrange 26 to 30 pecan halves on top of the pie in a pleasing pattern. Cool for 15 minutes, then carefully run a table knife around the perimeter of the pie to ensure it does not stick to the side of the pan. Cool for 15 minutes more.
Release the side of the springform pan to unmold. Cover the pie very loosely and refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours before serving.
Serve with vegan whipped cream on the side, if desired. Covered tightly and stored in the refrigerator, leftover pie will keep for about 2 days.
LAURA THEODORE is a nationally recognized television personality, podcast radio host, celebrity PBS vegan chef, and renowned jazz singer. Laura is co-creator of the highly successful Jazzy Vegetarian cooking series on national public television and she is host of the Jazzy Vegetarian Podcast on Unity Online Radio. Laura has made guest appearances on The Talk on CBS, Insider/Entertainment Tonight, and the WCBS Radio Health Report. She has been featured in the New York Times, New York Daily News, Mother Earth Living, VegNews, Family Circle, Readers Digest, and PBS Food, among other highly respected news, food and lifestyle-related journals as well as been on the cover of American Vegan. She is an award-winning cookbook author with such titles as Jazzy Vegetarian’s Deliciously Vegan, Vegan for Everyone, and Easy Vegan Home Cooking.
