It’s not Thanksgiving without a pumpkin pie! But what do you do if you can’t have dairy or eggs? Or if you choose to not have dairy and eggs? I’ve got a solution and dang, it’s good!
And as a bonus: it’s free of soy and tree nuts and well, the top eight allergens. Plus it’s no-bake. Allow me to introduce you to Pumpkin Pie Filling for Everyone…
In the past, I’ve made dairy- and egg-free pumpkin pie fillings that used silken tofu. They were good, but didn’t work for everyone I share pie with. I also share pie with friends who avoid tree nuts, so had to work through the milk issue on this filling. And because I find oven space at a premium this time of year, I wanted a pie filling that didn’t have to bake for an hour.
With a bit of trial and error, I figured out hemp milk and tapioca starch were the secret ingredients to make this happen.
I made this with homemade hemp milk* and and then again with store bought hemp milk to make sure it would work with both varieties and it does!
*I like this recipe from Blender Girl for homemade hemp milk. I do not add vanilla and also omit the soy or sunflower lecithin and coconut butter. Hemp milk is one of the easiest and quickest of non-dairy milks to make, as the seeds do not need to be soaked like nuts.
I buy hemp seeds at my local grocery store and also online. Here’s my favorite brand. Sometimes I find this brand in cute little single-serve packets that are perfect for travel. I sprinkle hemp seeds on top of fruit, yogurt parfaits, salads…just about anything really. Hemp seeds (sometimes called hemp hearts) are a perfect protein and have a nice balance of Omega 3’s and Omega 6’s. Oh, and they taste good!
Below you’ll find my Pumpkin Pie Filling. If you are looking for the Perfect Pie Crust to go with this, just click here. I’ve got ya covered!
***Yesterday I shared my Perfect Pie Crust. You’ll find the recipe here, along with complete instructions on making a homemade pie crust you will be proud to share with your family!***
Pumpkin Pie Filling for Everyone! (Dairy-free, Vegan)
Ingredients
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1/4 cup tapioca starch
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (recipes to make your own here
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 2/3 cups hemp milk (unsweetened, unflavored or homemade)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
Instructions
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Have pre-baked pie crust ready to go. If you are using my Perfect Pie Crust, bake one 8" or 9" pie crust at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes until lightly browned.
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Whisk dry ingredients together in a medium saucepan.
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Add pumpkin and mix together well.
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Next stir in milk. You can whisk well at this point before heating to make sure there are no clumps of the dry ingredients.
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Place pan over medium heat, cooking to a low simmering bubble. (Not quite to a boil, you don't want to boil this as it would be like bubbling lava.) Stir occasionally.
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Turn heat down to low and begin to stir frequently. Mixture will begin to thicken. Continue cooking over low until mixture is very thick and pudding-like. Instead of dripping from your spoon or whisk, it needs to come off in large, thick ribbons.
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Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
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Allow to cool for 5-7 minutes. Pour into pre-baked pie crust. Allow to cool to room temperature before serving. Store in refrigerator.
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It's important to have your pie crust ready for the filling. Otherwise the filling will develop a skin, just like any homemade pudding or custard type filling does. If you cannot immediately fill a crust with the filling, you may press parchment paper flat across the surface of the filling until ready to use.
Drop by tomorrow. I’m going to share my no-fail whipped cream that is also dairy-free! Perfect for topping pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving.
I’m linking this post up with Gluten-Free Wednesday and Gluten-Free Fridays. Visit both for many more recipes!
cheryl harris says
That looks luscious!
Amber H says
Ok…looks like just the recipe I need…but what is pumpkin pie salt?? Can I just use regular salt?
Johnna says
Hi Amber. Thanks for dropping by. There is no pumpkin pie salt mentioned in this post. There is pumpkin pie spice blend and sea salt. Can you help me understand better how to answer your question?
Amber H says
Oh. Weird. When I look at the ingredients list is shows this:
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie salt
But I will disregard the “pumpkin pie” portion and just use sea salt. Haha. Maybe it has something to do with with the way my iPad formatted it or something strange.
Miranda says
It shows the same thing when I look at the ingredients also and I’m on a desktop computer. I was googling away trying to figure what it was. So it must just be a typo. Thanks for asking this question so I didn’t need to.
Johnna says
So very strange! I appreciate you both letting me know. We’ve tested it with Safari, Chrome and IE as well as from an Android, an iPhone and an iPad. We can’t get this to replicate at all. If you have info to share on what device and what browser you are using, it would be super helpful. Thanks!
Tim says
Hi Johnanna! I know this post is a year old but thought I would reply anyway. I am running a Windows 10 machine and viewed this recipe with Chrome version 54.0.2840.99 m, FireFox version 49.0.2 and Microsoft Edge. All had the same results – Pumpkin Pie Salt
Johnna says
This is the strangest thing maybe ever! I still have zero idea how to fix it and have even had my tech folks look into it. I guess at this point we will just have a good laugh about it. Since there is pumpkin pie spice everything, I guess why not salt? LOL
Sandra says
It is pumpkin pie spice. This is a blend of spices including cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg.
Anna says
Can I make this ahead and store in refrigerator??? Then let come to room temp before serving??
Johnna says
Absolutely! The recipe calls for refrigerating this pie.