Healthy Vegan Pumpkin Pie

Happy Thanksgiving! Try a healthy, vegan pumpkin pie this year with Zain Saraswati Jamal as she whips up a delicious dessert that rivals any you’ll find show-stopping on tabletops this holiday season. Oats, walnuts, coconut oil, and flax seeds make an amazing crumbly crust, while baked pumpkin, medjool dates, coconut butter, maple, and almond milk come together to form a soft and tasty filling. Spice it up with soul-warming cinnamon, vanilla, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice. This pumpkin pie recipe will not disappoint even the pickiest pie connoisseur while cutting out the refined sugars, preservatives, and less healthy fats you’ll find elsewhere and not sacrificing even an ounce of flavor.

Vegan Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:

Classic Baked Crust

• 1 cup ground oats
• 1 ½ cups walnuts
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon organic flax seeds
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup or 10–15 drops liquid vanilla crème stevia
• Pinch Himalayan crystal salt (optional)

Pumpkin Pie Filling

• 2 ½ cups baked sugar pumpkin
• ½ cup medjool dates, soaked and pitted
• 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup (*optional)
• 1 teaspoon coconut butter (*optional)
• ¼ teaspoon all spice
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon fresh ginger
• ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 teaspoon natural vanilla
• 2 teaspoons arrowroot powder

Method:

Classic Baked Crust

Preheat oven to 350° F.

In food processor add all crust ingredients and blend until you get crumbly consistency that clumps together. If it doesn’t stick, add another teaspoon of coconut oil. Empty crust mixture into pie pan and press the crust evenly into the pan. Bake crust for about 8–10 minutes, until lightly browned.

Pumpkin Pie Filling

Blend pumpkin and dates for a few seconds then add all other filling ingredients, except arrowroot powder, and blend until smooth. Scrape down sides, add arrowroot powder, and blend 15 to 30 seconds longer. Take a taste and make sure it’s coming out according to your preference. If not, adjust to your taste.

Once blended, pour filling into baked crust and smooth evenly into the pan. Cover with tin foil and bake for 50–55 minutes. Let cool about 30 minutes and decorate with your favorite nut before serving.