Vegan Pecan Pie
Vegan pecan pie - this vegan version of the classic American dessert is rich, gooey, easy to make and utterly delicous! It is the perfect dessert for Thanksgiving or just for any Autumnal occasion.
Servings 10 people
Ingredients
Pastry:
- 250 g (2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 40 g (⅓ cup) icing (powdered) sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 130 g (½ cup + 1 Tablespoon) vegan block butter/margarine (NOT the spreadable kind. I use Naturli vegan block) cold and diced
- 1 tablespoon cold vodka (optional)
- ice water as needed
Filling:
- 180 ml (¾ cup) maple syrup
- 135 g (⅔ cup) dark brown soft sugar
- 90 g (6 ½ Tablespoons) vegan block butter (I use Naturli vegan block)
- 250 g (9 oz/1 cup) firm silken tofu (not regular tofu)* excess liquid drained off (no need to press it though)
- 30 g (3 Tablespoons) cornflour (cornstarch)
- 2 Tablespoons rum or bourbon (optional. Add an extra teaspoon of vanilla if omitting)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 200 g (7 oz / 1 ⅓ cups) roughly chopped pecans
- 120 g (4 oz / scant cup) pecan halves
Instructions
- Start by making the pastry. Place the plain flour, icing sugar and salt in a large bowl and whisk to mix or place in a food processor and pulse until combined.
- Add the cold diced vegan block butter and rub it in using your fingers or blend with the food processor until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs and no lumps of fat remain.
- Add the tablespoon of cold vodka (or water) and mix; drizzle in a little cold water as needed to bring the pastry together into a ball.
- Cover the pastry and pop it in the fridge for half an hour until it has firmed up a bit.
- Once the pastry has chilled, roll it out thinly on a floured surface until it is large enough to line a 25cm/10 inch round tart tin.
- Gently transfer the pastry to the dish and press it right into the corners. Trim off the excess pastry and prick the base all over with a fork.
- Place the pastry base in the freezer for twenty minutes while you preheat the oven to 200°C/180° fan/400°F/gas mark 6.
- When the pastry is nice and cold, line it with tin foil, making sure that you press it right into the corners, then fill it with baking beans or dried rice. Make sure you spread them right into the corners.
- Bake for 20 minutes then remove the tin foil and rice/beans and return the tart shell to the oven for 10-15 minutes, until it is pale golden. Turn the oven down to 180°C/160° fan/350°F/gas mark 4.
- To make the filling, place the maple syrup, dark brown soft sugar and vegan butter in a pan. Heat gently, stirring often, until it is melted and simmering. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool for 15 minutes.
- Once it has cooled a little, pour it into a blender and add the silken tofu, cornflour (cornstarch), rum or bourbon, vanilla extract, cinnamon and salt. Blend until smooth then pour it into a bowl and stir in the chopped pecans.
- Pour the filling into the prepared pastry case and decorate the top with pecan halves. Bake the pie for about 45 minutes on the middle shelf until it is set but still has a bit of a wobble in the middle.
- If the top starts to get too dark before the pie is ready, you can loosely cover it with tin foil.
- Let it cool at room temperature for about four hours before placing it in the fridge. It can be served either cold or at room temperature.
Notes
- For the best results make sure that you follow the recipe closely. As always, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup conversions. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough for baking and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.
- *You need to use firm silken tofu, NOT regular tofu. It is most commonly the shelf-stable kind, not the fridge kind. In the UK it can usually be found either in the ‘Asian’ section of the supermarket (by the soy sauce), or next to the tinned beans. I use Mori-Nu or Clearspring.
- To save time you can use store bought pastry if you prefer. Jus-Rol shortcrust pastry is vegan friendly, as are many other supermarket own brand versions.