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Best Ever Vegan Pumpkin Pie (Secretly Healthy + Easy!)

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This secretly vegan healthy pumpkin pie recipe is a family favorite that no one knows is vegan, eggless, and dairy free. With a flaky vegan crust and creamy and rich filling, this easy and healthy twist on a traditional pumpkin pie is full of pumpkin spice and the perfect pie recipe for your Thanksgiving table!

amazing vegan pumpkin pie

Unbelievably vegan pumpkin pie for all eaters

If you’re looking for the best pumpkin pie recipe of all time, vegan or not, this is it.

I’m not even joking, this healthy pumpkin pie will be the best dang pumpkin pie you’ll ever taste. And it’s easy! Yes, easy! You can have it all!

Lightly sweetened with maple syrup and full of those warming pumpkin spices, this pumpkin pie is smooth to slice into, holds its shape, and with a beautifully delicious and flaky homemade pie crust, it will be the showstopper at your Thanksgiving table!

Every year at Thanksgiving, someone always brings a store bought pumpkin pie even though I make a large one for everyone, and every year, my pumpkin pie is the only one completely gone!

If that doesn’t tell you that this is the best pumpkin pie recipe, then I don’t know what will!

sliced vegan pumpkin pie

Why this is the best healthy pumpkin pie

This pumpkin pie doesn’t taste healthy in the slightest, and yet it’s low in sugar, completely vegan, egg free, gluten free, dairy free, can be made Paleo, andddd packed with nutrient dense pumpkin puree.

You can’t even tell that it’s vegan nor even by looking at it (I feel like people think healthier desserts don’t look as good as the more traditional ones).

While I try to hit all of these various health markers so that everyone can have them, I always strive to have the dessert taste just like or better than the original or traditional version. This vegan pumpkin pie does just that.

Not that there’s anything wrong with a traditional pumpkin pie. But I believe that everyone deserves to enjoy something they love on Thanksgiving, and food is love and love is inclusive!

Every single person who tried this pie, even one of my mom’s friends who I didn’t even tell that I made the pie, was speechless and kept going back for another slice.

What is a substitute for eggs in pumpkin pie?

So this pumpkin pie that we’re making is actually naturally vegan and dairy free, but the kicker is that we’re using arrowroot to replace the eggs!

Arrowroot powder is a fantastic binding agent that is derived from the cassava root.

It’s very similar to cornstarch, so if you’d like to replace the arrowroot with cornstarch, you absolutely can, but for those that want to keep this pumpkin pie both corn-free, allergen-friendly and vegan, arrowroot powder is the move.

homemade pumpkin pie

How to make a vegan pumpkin pie (overview)

For the full written instructions and ingredient measurements, see the bottom of this post in the recipe card. You can also hit the “jump to recipe” button at the top of this post! Here, we’ll go over a brief overview of the steps, along with providing visuals for a better understanding of the recipe.

I know many people resort to buying their pumpkin pie because let’s be honest, you just cooked all that food, the last thing you want to think about is making a dessert for Thanksgiving.

Well, this happens to be an incredibly easy pumpkin pie.

Easy vegan pie crust:

First, we’ll start by preparing the vegan pie crust.

I also give the option for making a gluten-free pie crust as well.  All of the details on how to customize this pie crust all are in my Perfect Pie Crust Guide. We also have a new oat flour pie dough that makes a wonderful gluten free pie crust!

The full steps to making this crust are found below in the recipe card, but these are basics steps to making the flakiest vegan pie crust recipe:

  1. Pulse the flour and arrowroot starch (or tapioca starch or cornstarch)in a food processor until mixed.
  2. Add in the cubed vegan butter or coconut oil, and pulse again until it’s a grainy sand texture.
  3. While the food processor is blending, add in 5-7 tbsp of chilled water and continue to process the dough until it becomes a thick, smooth clump of dough.
vegan pie crust

Then you’ll form the dough into a disk and chill, much like you would a regular pie crust. Roll the pie crust out to be larger than the pie dish you’re using (I used a 9″ pie dish).

Carefully transfer the pie crust into the pie dish and gently press the dough into the dish. You can do any design for the edges. I chose to simply mold them to the dish since I liked the pie dish ruffles!

Use any scraps of dough and create little pie crust designs. I used the pie cutters from William Sonoma for the pumpkin and leaves.

Blind bake the crust for 7-8 minutes (this will ensure we don’t have any soggy crusts!). Then we can make the filling while the crust is cooling!

Best ever vegan pumpkin pie filling

Now that you know the trick behind making pumpkin pie filling vegan, let’s actually get to making the filling.

All you’ll need is:

  • Pumpkin puree (see the next section for using fresh versus canned)
  • Maple syrup
  • Coconut sugar (a replacement for brown sugar)
  • Pumpkin pie spice: This is a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves! You can also make your own pumpkin spice blend!
  • Coconut milk or dairy free milk of your choice
  • Arrowroot powder
  • Vanilla (a must!)
how to make vegan pumpkin pie

Basically what you need to do is mix together all of the ingredients in a large bowl using a hand mixer. You can also whisk everything together or use a food processor to blend. Then pour the filling into your homemade pie crust, and bake!

How to keep pumpkin pie from cracking

This healthy vegan pumpkin pie recipe is foolproof to ensuring that your pumpkin pie won’t have any cracks in it.

Really, whether or not a pumpkin pie cracks is highly dependent on the recipe, and I’ve tested this one dozens of times, in a variety of ways to determine what’s the best way to avoid cracks.

However, there are a few tips that I want to go over to ensure that your pumpkin pie doesn’t crack.

  • Bake at the correct temperature: do not stick your pie into the oven until it is fully preheated. I would actually recommend waiting an extra 5 minutes after the initial “ding” that it’s preheated to ensure that it’s at the right temperature.
  • Bake the pumpkin pie on the middle or low rack. I personally have had great success baking on the middle rack, so that I can put a baking sheet below in case of any accidents of pie crust. However, if you know that your oven is more powerful than most, I would stick the pumpkin pie on the lower rack to be safe.
  • Look for the middle being “set”: what this means is that the pumpkin pie won’t be as glossy as it was when it first went in. The edges to the very middle should be mostly baked in place, but it will wiggle a bit when you remove it. It will also look darker at first. You didn’t burn it! This pumpkin pie recipe will need at least 4 hours (preferably overnight) to chill in the fridge after it has baked.

How to carefully transfer your pie dough to your pie dish

This was definitely the most intimidating part of making pumpkin pie when I first started. The trick is to work with really cold dough, though, and you’ll be absolutely fine!

Make sure that you’ve chilled your vegan pie dough for at least 30 minutes. Then when you’re rolling, make sure to pick up the edges every once in a while to ensure that your dough is easily moveable and not sticking.

When it comes time to transferring the dough to the pie pan, you should be able to easily just pick up the dough and place it over your pie dish!

classic vegan pumpkin pie

FAQ’s

  • Make sure you’re using pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling!
    •

  • I say this because I’ve been there, and I’ve seen other people go there! Always better to be safe than sorry!

  • Any dairy free milk will work!
    •

  • I recommend coconut milk or a creamy oat milk because I like to keep my vegan recipes as nut free as possible when I’m serving to other family members because of nut allergies. However, if it’s just for me, you can also use cashew milk or almond- go for whatever you prefer!

    • If you don’t have pie weights to blind bake the crust:

    You can also use either dried beans or even flour! Yes, you can use flour to par-bake your curst! Just make sure that the crust is lined with parchment paper and either the beans or the flour reach the top of the crust to prevent any sinking.

  • Can I use homemade pumpkin puree?
    •

  • Yes, you can! You can absolutely use your own fresh homemade pumpkin puree in this pie, and it works great. I recently tried this myself, and I was stunned by the results. Just make sure that you’re using a food processor to blend your pumpkin into a really fine puree. If you don’t, then the whole recipe won’t work so be sure you’re pureeing the pumpkin much like you would find in a can.

  • This vegan pumpkin pie needs to set in the fridge overnight!

  • When you first bake it, it will appear very dark and might not have that glossy look to it, like you normally see with pumpkin pies. This is normal and don’t fret! When you let it set in the fridge overnight, it develops the glossy look.

    • If you don’t have a hand mixer for the pumpkin pie filling:

    Guess what? You can easily use a blender, whisk, or a food processor!

  • Top with coconut whipped cream or ice cream!

  • Not really a trick, but definitely an eating tip!
    • I recommend either purchasing Forager Project coconut whipped cream alternative (tastes just like classic whipped cream!) or you can make your own homemade coconut whipped cream!

    For a vegan “egg wash”

    Use a combination of soy milk and maple syrup. You can use any dairy free milk, even coconut cream or full fat coconut milk in a can, but I’ve found the best results to be with soy milk!

    You are just going to absolutely love this super easy vegan pumpkin pie!! It honestly tastes just like traditional pumpkin pie- no one will know it’s vegan, eggless, and dairy free!

    If you make this pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, let me know in the comments below! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations, so be sure to tag me on Instagram and Pinterest 🙂

    Happy Pumpkin Pie Eating!

    best vegan pumpkin pie

    More Vegan Thanksgiving Desserts:

    Healthy Apple Pie

    Paleo Pecan Pie

    Vegan Sweet Potato Pie

    Paleo Vegan Chocolate Cream Pie

    Pumpkin Swirl Brownies

    Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

    Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!

    Best Ever Vegan Pumpkin Pie (Secretly Healthy + Easy!)

    Watch how to make the best vegan pumpkin pie:

    If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!

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    amazing vegan pumpkin pie

    Best Ever Vegan Pumpkin Pie (Secretly Healthy + Easy!)

    ★★★★★ 5 from 8 reviews
    • Author: thebananadiaries
    • Prep Time: 30
    • Cook Time: 60
    • Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
    • Yield: 10 1x
    • Category: Dessert
    • Method: Baking
    • Cuisine: American
    • Diet: Vegan
    Print Recipe

    Description

    This secretly vegan healthy pumpkin pie recipe is truly my favorite. With a flaky vegan crust and creamy and rich filling, this healthy twist on a traditional pumpkin pie is full of pumpkin spice and the perfect pie vegan recipe for your Thanksgiving table!

    Ingredients

    Units Scale

    Pumpkin Pie Crust (see pie crust guide for a customizable pie crust or an oat flour crust)

    • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, or gluten free 1-to-1 baking flour
    • 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp vegan butter or coconut oil, cubed and frozen
    • 3 tbsp arrowroot powder
    • 2 tbsp maple syrup
    • 5–7 tbsp chilled water

    Pumpkin Pie Filling:

    • 1 1/2 (15 oz) cans pumpkin puree (22.5 oz total- not pumpkin pie filling)
    • 1/3 cup maple syrup
    • 1/3 cup coconut sugar
    • 1/2 cup coconut milk
    • 1/4 cup arrowroot powder
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    • 2 tbsp pumpkin pie spice

    Instructions

     

    1. Please read through all instructions before beginning.
    2. Prep: Measure out all ingredients for the pie crust and the pumpkin pie. 
    3. Make the pie crust first: In a food processor, pulse together the flour and arrowroot powder. Add the coconut oil/vegan butter into the food processor and pulse until it becomes a grainy sand texture. Add in the maple syrup and chilled water, and continue processing until it’s a thick and smooth dough.
    4. Chill the pie dough: Form the dough into a large disc, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
    5. Roll out the pie dough: When it’s ready to be rolled into a 9-10″ pie dish, let the dough sit on the table for 15 minutes to come to room temperature, then dust a clean surface with extra flour and roll the dough out to be 14″ in diameter. Carefully transfer the dough into the pie dish and lightly press the dough to meet the bottom edges of the dish. Use your fingers to gently crimp the edges of the pie crust. Any leftover dough can be used to make pie cut-outs. Place the pie dish back into the fridge to chill for 15 minutes while the oven preheats to 425F. Place the pie cut-outs onto a piece of parchment paper and into the fridge to chill. You’ll bake the pie cut-outs with the pumpkin pie (but towards the end). 
    6. Bake the pie crust: Once the oven is preheated, remove the pie crust from the fridge and place a piece of parchment paper into the middle of the crust, along with pie weights or dried beans or flour. Bake the crust for 12 minutes then remove from the oven and lower the temperature to 350F. Let the crust cool while you prepare the filling.
    7. Make the pumpkin pie filling In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to mix together pumpkin puree, maple syrup, coconut sugar, coconut milk, arrowroot powder, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice until smooth and there are no clumps of arrowroot. 
    8. Pour the filling into the pie crust: Pour filling into the pie crust and cover the edges of the pie crust with either a pie crust saver or tin foil. If you have cut outs, place the parchment paper with the cut outs on a baking sheet and not onto the pie to decorate it just yet. Bake the cutouts only for 7-8 minutes then remove from the oven. I recommend baking them towards the end of the pumpkin pie baking time.
    9. Bake the pumpkin pie: Place the pie into the oven and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the tinfoil, and continue to bake for another 20 more minutes.
    10. Allow the pie to cool: Remove from the oven and allow the pie to cool for 15 minutes at room temperature. Then transfer the pie set overnight or for a minimum of 4 hours.
    11. Serve and enjoy: When ready to serve, decorate with the pumpkin pie cut outs and serve. Enjoy!

    Notes

    Gluten free: Use gluten-free 1:1 baking flour in the pie crust for an all gluten free vegan pumpkin pie. You can also use this amazing oat flour pie crust.

    Homemade pumpkin puree: I recently tried this, and it totally works! This recipe will work great with homemade fresh pumpkin puree. Just make sure you’re weighing out how much pumpkin you’ve made (aiming for 22.5 ounces total).

    Keywords: vegan pumpkin pie, healthy pumpkin pie, healthy pumpkin pie recipe, vegan pie crust, vegan pumpkin pie recipe

    Did you make this recipe?

    Be sure to leave a rating and a review in the section below, and tag @the_bananadiaries on Instagram and hashtag it #thebananadiaries so we can see!

    Keep in touch

    and subscribe to receive my free vegan pantry staples guide and how to bake vegan guide!

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    Comments

    1. jacquie says

      The filling looks yummy but i have to admit I am not a big fan of the typical regular pie crust. Do you think I could you a gingersnap crust instead? Or it be too moist for that?

      Thanks.

      Reply

    2. J says

      This is the BEST pumpkin pie I’ve ever had! HANDS DOWN! I could seriously eat this all year round 🙂

      ★★★★★

      Reply

    4. Chloe says

      The recipe looks great!
      is the coconut milk the milk from a can or is it regular milk that can be subbed for any type of milk?

      Reply

      • thebananadiaries says

        Hi Chloe!

        Aw thank you so much!! And you can use regular coconut milk (or any type of milk!), but I will say slightly higher in fat tastes best! Enjoy!

        Reply

    5. Nadine says

      This pie looks divine 🙂 and your pie crust cutouts are adorable! For the pumpkin puree, the recipe says 1 1/2 cans. What size/amount are the cans you use?

      Reply

      • thebananadiaries says

        Aw I’m so happy to hear it, thank you!! For the cans, you’ll need two 15-ounce cans! But you’ll only use 1.5 of the cans! You can save extra pumpkin puree for another treat 🙂

        Reply

    6. Lauren says

      Yum! Would the filling still work nicely if I wanted to use an egg instead of the arrowroot? do you think 1 egg would suffice?

      Reply

      • thebananadiaries says

        Hi Lauren! So I actually haven’t tried this with an egg- I know it might make the filling bake a bit differently (i.e. I’m not sure if it will crack!). I would try using just 1 but again I can’t promise results!

        Reply

    7. Kimberly says

      Hi Britt –

      This pie sounds wonderful. I’m excited to try it. One question: I am actually wanting to make a crustless pumpkin pie. Do you think this pie filling will set up without the crust part?

      Thanks,
      Kim

      Reply

      • thebananadiaries says

        Hi Kim! So excited for you to try this!! I’ve actually never tried this as a crustless pumpkin pie- I would imagine it would work, as many pumpkin pies can actually be made as crustless pumpkin pies, but I can’t guarantee the results, as I have not tried this myself!

        Reply

    11. Celeste says

      Hi, so excited to make this! The recipe says to cool for 15 minutes then to “transfer pie set overnight” not sure what that means?! Transfer to refrigerator? Sorry to ask, I’ve never made one ☺️ Thanks!

      Reply

      • thebananadiaries says

        Hi Celeste!! Oh so sorry, not a problem!! Yes, it means transfer to the fridge 🙂 I’ll make that more clear! Enjoy!!

        Reply

    12. Rachel says

      When making the crust, what would you recommend to use if you don’t have a food processor? I have a ninja blender, but didn’t know if that would work or not.

      Reply

    15. Liz says

      I made this for Thanksgiving as a replacement to the classic Libby’s recipe and it was amazing! The color is obviously different than Libby’s but in a more rustic way and the flavor is identical. My family loved it! I bought too little of arrowroot so ended up using cornstarch in the filling with no issues. Recipe otherwise was followed to a T. Love!!

      ★★★★★

      Reply

    16. Britney says

      Amazing!!! I’m allergic to eggs and I’ve tried a few pumpkin pie recipes over the years and have always been disappointed. But this was amazing!!! I used tapioca starch because it’s what I had, and I used a different crust but the filling (which is the important part) was absolutely delicious!!! My kids all said it was better than their traditional pumpkin pie. Thanks for a great recipe!!

      ★★★★★

      Reply

      • thebananadiaries says

        Oh my goodness!! So so wonderful to hear!! Truly thank you so much, and so elated that your kids loved it as well!! Enjoy!

        Reply

        • ERIN says

          This pie was PERFECTION. as someone else said, the crust is amazing!! It was like a cookie crust. Anyways, the spices in the pie were just enough and not too overwhelming. Definitely making again!!

          ★★★★★

          Reply

    18. Yara says

      My rating is for the pie crust. I used your recipe for a pumpkin pie at “Friendsgiving”. The crust was incredibly simple — a key for me, someone who had never made her own pie crust before — and the perfect companion with the pumpkin filling. I used cornstarch instead of arrowroot powder. This is the pie crust recipe I will be making again!!

      ★★★★★

      Reply

      • thebananadiaries says

        Oh my goodness!! Just the sweetest!! So happy to hear that and so glad it went so well with your friends!! Happy holidays!

        Reply

    19. Abbey says

      I made this for thanksgiving and everyone loved it. I used eggs instead of arrowroot, however. Great recipe 🙂

      ★★★★★

      Reply

    20. J9 says

      I made this pie with a different crust & it was really good, although I neglected to read that it needs to set in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight so our first piece was more like pumpkin pudding! But very tasty!
      I do have a question about cooking time. My pie plates are extra big & deep, taking about 1.75 x the filling recipe. What would you recommend for cooking time? I did 60 min with a pie crust saver on & then another 20min, but I wasn’t sure how to tell if it was done. I would say it was still a little soft after setting overnight.

      ★★★★★

      Reply

      • thebananadiaries says

        This is wonderful!! Thank you so much for this review!! For being able to tell if it’s done, I’m guessing it was a bit trickier because of how deep your pie dish is- more filling means longer in the oven! You’ll look for when most of the pie is set, a little bit of the middle of the pie can still be a bit wobbly. Then transfer to the fridge after cooling at room temperature for 10-15 minutes. If it’s still too soft overnight, I’m wondering how fresh your arrowroot starch was? I’ve had that happen to me when the arrowroot is a bit past it’s prime, and I notice my cheesecakes, pies, custards etc. aren’t thickening as well!

        Reply

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