November 25, 2013
(last updated September 2, 2020) 
The fussier my recipes get, the worse off they are. Perhaps this is the case with most cooks, and most food, but in my case the correlation between longer ingredient lists and more inconsistent recipe outcomes is striking. The best food I’ve created for this blog is definitely what I’d call simple food (of course, this is all a little subjective), and the recipes I’d call flops nearly always involved overreaching.
So it has been with me and pumpkin pie. This version, from two years ago, tastes absolutely lovely. But the whole Irish moss thing…well. It’s a nifty ingredient to play around with, but the honest truth is that it’s also kind of a pain. And while my “you won’t believe it’s vegan pumpkin pie” for Food52 last year is delicious–and the pie I’d recommend if you’re sharing with friends who have more traditional tastes–it involves making pie crust. Meh.
This year, I kept things super simple. And the result was a no bake, no fuss, high raw pumpkin pie with less ingredients than any other I’ve made. It was every bit as delicious, to me, as those versions, and it took less time. It’s my new go-to, and I’m sure I won’t need to use Thanksgiving, or any other holiday, as an excuse to make it often!
Easy No Bake Vegan Pumpkin Pie (Mostly Raw, Gluten Free, Soy Free)
Author -Ingredients
- 2 cups pecans
- 1 1/2 cups pitted dates
- 1 1/2 cups cashews soaked in water for several hours, then drained
- 1/2 cup coconut oil melted
- 1 1/2 cups cooked pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp maple syrup or agave
- Sea salt to taste
Instructions
- 1. To make the crust: Place the pecans and dates in a food processor, along with a pinch of sea salt. Process until the mixture is thoroughly broken down and sticks together when you squeeze a bit in the palm of your hand. If you'd like it to be a little sweeter, add a few more dates. Press mixture evenly onto the bottom and sides of a pie plate or into a 9" springform pan--I did the latter.
- 2. Place the cashews, coconut oil, pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, and maple syrup in a high speed blender or food processor, along with another pinch of sea salt. Blend till silky smooth (this may take a minute or two -- use the tamp attachment to keep things moving if you're working with a high speed blender). Once again, if the filling's not quite sweet enough for you, add some extra maple syrup or agave.
- 3. Pour the filling over the crust. Use an inverted spatula or a regular spatula to smooth everything over. Transfer it to the fridge, and let it set for about four hours, or overnight. Cut and serve!
- Makes 8-12 slices.
In the spirit of simplicity and un-fussiness, I’ll keep things short and sweet, and let images do the talking.
Yum!
I should note that this is not a traditional pumpkin pie–no flaky crust, no warm, lightly golden filling. The filling also isn’t as firm as a baked pie is. But if you keep it cool, it’ll hold its own. And the taste?
Just about perfect.
I hope you enjoy it. Tomorrow, I’ll return with a vegan recipe round up for Thanksgiving!
xo
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I tried your recipe but couldn’t get the same texture for the pumpkin layer. Mine is too wet and remained so even after leaving it in the fridge overnight. I steamed the uncooked pumpkin. How did you get the puree? The one in the picture on this page looks just right.
I made this yesterday and it was pretty simple and tastes good, thanks for the recipe. The base and topping needed quite long time in the food processor. I had to make my own pumpkin puree though as I don’t think it’s readily available in the UK. The only downside to this pie is that it is really quite expensive to make so it’s more of special treat. I also found that the base crumbled a little away when I sliced the pie but that might just be the way I did it
This is a great pumpkin pie! More like a cheesecake in texture. Mine turned out great – my first experience using a springform pan after many years of baking! Using ground dates and pecans as the crust is inspired. Not concerned about vegan (I substituted unsalted butter for the cocunut oil) but my husband is diabetic so we are avoiding pie crusts and too much sugar – this did not drive his blood sugar up.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Yep.. this is my kind of pumpkin pie… !
This looks perfect! As a pretty lazy cook, I find I have an unofficial ~8-ingredient limit. More than 8, and my eyes start to glaze over. This Thanksgiving my contribution was the stuffing, but I’m guessing I’ll make this pie before the holiday season is over!
It’s worth it, Laura! Hope you enjoy.
Just made this for an impromptu dish to bring to non-vegan. My spring-form was already occupied with a yet to be tasted vegan cheesecake (first-time attempt) — so I used a pie pan.
The crust was more than enough and the filling was quite a bit more than picture above but it is still almost as beautiful as pictured above.
While I have not cut and served it yet, the crust tasted amazing and the filling was the perfect off-set to the crust. I did use almond meal instead of pecans for the crust (allergy) and just 1 cup almond mill with 1 cup GF Oats finely ground to make less dense. The substitutions worked well in my opinion.
I also added vanilla extract and additional spice to the pie filling. I think I will put in the freezer for an hour before we travel.
With these additions it tasted great and is visually pleasing.
I have high hopes that this will be a hit.
I hope it’s a hit Mikelle!!! Happy Thanksgiving.
This blog posting is absolutely great. I appreciate your all written articles just because it is sensible enough and it never waste my time ๏
Yes.
I made this pie last night and brought it to work today. Everyone is raving about it! When I tell them it is raw and vegan, their jaws drop hahaha. Thanks for the great pie. My coworkers thank you too ๐
Im definitely bringing this bad boy to Thanksgiving.
This looks so good Gena! And simple is always a godsend. One quick question though–what’s the tamp attachment you mention for your food processor? Mine only has an S-blade and a grater attachment.
Hi Marissa! I meant that for high speed blenders, which come with a large tamp to help facilitate blending — sorry it was confusing. I amended the recipe to make that clear.
Sorry if I missed something along the way, but are you using cooked pumpkin flesh or raw? It looks like you are using cooked, right?
Sorry it was confusing, Francoise! Yes, it’s cooked pumpkin puree. I updated the recipe.
This looks so good! What if you used a bit of agar agar flakes in this? Think that would help stiffen the filling a bit?
Maria, I think agar would work for sure. It’s really OK with the coconut oil — you just have to keep the pie cold. Hope it turns out ๐
I’ve also found that simple is usually best–this recipe definitely looks like proof of that maxim. I love the colorful addition of the pomegranate seeds!
um yes. NO BAKE?! perfect. i am all about the pom arils lately anyhow! i’ve got a ton in my fridge for my raw vegan cranberry relish. if this snow quits, i might even be able to hoof it to the store after work to get some more nuts for this ๐
Is there any other sweeter that I could use …like fresh squeezed OJ or honey?
*sweetener
Sheila,
OJ won’t work — it won’t be sweet enough, and the pie will get too watery. Honey will work fine, but in that case the pie won’t be vegan anymore. Hope you like it!
G
I love raw deserts! This one seems super easy too! Definitely might be making this on Thursday.
I am all for simple ingredient lists – especially when they result in things that look as good as this does ๐
I’m totally with you on simple recipes. Whenever I look at an ingredient list, once it reaches a certain length, I’m likeโฆokayyy so I’m not making this one. Haha. This looks awesome. Definitely something I would actually make, not something I would just SAY I’d make. Is the pumpkin in this recipe pumpkin puree?
Great recipe! I love how the coconut oil keeps it firm!:) I might try this with melted coconut butter too;) Happy Thanksgiving Gena!:)
This looks delicious Gena. I’m planning to make a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving and was going to try a version with coconut milk and a nut based crust like this one. I love pumpkin pie so I’ll have to try this version sometime soon too.
This looks amazing! I agree on simple recipes, the simpler the better and this reminds me of one of my favorite raw pumpkin pie recipes, so simple and quick. I need to try this recipe too, thanks!
Perfect!
I’m with you–the simpler the ingredient list, many times, the better.
Also, my eyes start to glaze over if there are more than say, a dozen ingredients. And I start panicking–like, I’m not sure I have all that stuff & I don’t want to run to the store…
And Irish moss? Oh boy. I bought some when I first dabbled a lot in raw foods (as a new vegan), thinking, this is great! Then I tried using it. And it was a complete fail. Needless to say, I only bought Irish Moss once. So, glad this version doesn’t use Irish moss!
It’s one of those “if you’re in the mood for a project” ingredients, you know? Not glad I’ve tried it, but…can’t say I’ll try it often!
Happy early Thanksgiving, dear friend. xx