Vegan Pecan Pie

This is my plant-based version of the traditional southern US pecan pie. It’s perfect for serving in the festive season. It’s easy to make, but sure to impress your guests. You can use shop-bought pastry if you wish, but I promise you that it’s easy to make from scratch.

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Hands-on time 30

Total Time 2 30

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings

Ingredients

Pastry

90 g / ⅔ cup white spelt flour or plain (all purpose) flour
90 g / ⅔ cup fine wholemeal (whole wheat pastry) flour or chapatti flour
75 g / scant ½ cup aroma-free coconut cooking butter* (or substitute with dairy-free spread/vegan butter)
2 TBSP golden caster (unrefined cane) sugar
pinch of salt
2½ – 4 TBSP orange juice

Filling

15 g / 2 TBSP ground linseed (flaxseed)
90 ml / 6 TBSP warm water
160 g / 1½ cups pecans divided
100 g / ½ cup extra virgin coconut oil
75 ml / ¼ cup maple syrup
125 g / ¾ cup coconut sugar or golden caster (unrefined cane) sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
60 ml / 4 TBSP non-dairy milk
15 g / 2 TBSP fine wholemeal (whole wheat pastry) flour or chapatti flour
15 g / 2 TBSP corn flour (corn starch)

Instructions

Lightly grease an 20cm / 8 inch pie dish (or quiche tin) with oil. (I use a loose-bottomed tin for easy removal).
Prepare the pastry: Place the flour, coconut cooking butter (or dairy-free spread), sugar and salt in a food processor. Whiz until combined. While the machine is running, add orange juice a little at a time until the mixture starts to come together (I find I need about 3½-4 TBSP when using coconut butter and 2½ TBSP when using dairy-free spread). Scoop the mixture into a ball. Wrap in cling film (plastic wrap) and chill for 15-20 minutes.
Once the pastry has rested, place it on a lightly floured pastry mat and lay the cling film (plastic wrap) on top. Roll out the pastry into a circle large enough to fill the tin and the sides. Place the pastry in the tin and press it into the edges and up the sides. Slice off any excess pastry. If you have any holes in the pastry, you can patch it up using the scraps.
While the pastry is resting, prepare the filling. First, make the flax ‘egg’. Place the ground linseed in a small bowl with 90ml / 6 TBSP warm water. Whisk together with a fork then set aside for 10 minutes to gel up.
Set aside half of the pecan halves for decorating the top of the pie. Roughly chop the remaining pecans.
Preheat the oven to 190C (170C fan) / 375F.
Place the coconut oil, maple syrup, coconut sugar, vanilla extract and pinch of salt in a small saucepan over very low heat. As the oil melts, whisk to combine. When fully melted, remove from the heat.
In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, flour and corn flour until smooth. Pour it into the pan. Add the flax ‘egg’ and whisk until fully combined. Stir in the chopped pecans. Pour the mixture onto the pie crust (it will be very runny, but this is normal). Arrange the pecan halves on top.
Carefully place the pie on a baking sheet in the centre of the oven. Bake for 20 minutes at 190C (170C fan) / 375F. Reduce the heat to 130C (130C fan also) / 275F and bake for a further 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely. (It will firm up as it cools).

Notes

* I used Tiana Organic Pure Coconut Cooking Butter

Storage Instructions: Stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, the pie will keep for five days. I’m pretty confident this pie will freeze well but I haven’t tried it yet. As soon as I do, I’ll report back.

Keyword Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Vegan Baking, Vegan Pecan Pie