vegan thanksgiving: no-bake chocolate pumpkin pie
it’s the day before thanksgiving and you know what that means, time to make the pumpkin pie and stick it in the fridge so you don’t have to think about it along with the million other things you have to think about cooking tomorrow. the great thing about this recipe is that it requires no bake time, so even if you put it off until the last minute, it won’t take up any of your precious oven space.
but be forewarned that this is not your grandma’s pumpkin pie. this is a decadent, melt in your mouth pumpkin pie with a crumbly cookie crust. the rich chocolate flavor is the first thing you notice. it doesn’t strike you immediately that it’s a pumpkin pie until the smooth consistency melts in your mouth and hints of cinnamon, ginger and cloves pop up.
cookie crust
16 oreos or newman’s organic chocolate cream cookies
1/3 c earth balance
1/3 c flour
filling
1/2 c water
1 tsp agar agar
1 c sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 1/2 cans of pumpkin (about 22 oz)
1 c dark chocolate chunks or chips
start by breaking up the cookies into the smallest bits you can. i started with a hand masher and moved onto a fork for the tough pieces. then add in the earth balance, which will leave it gooey and soft, adding the flour will help to give it a thicker consistency that will hold it together. when completely blended put in the refrigerator to harden.
i found the only way to work with the crust was when it’s cold. so once it hardened i began pushing it into a buttered pie pan with the bottom of a glass. if it began to melt and stick to the glass i would return it to the fridge to harden again. in the end you should have a pie pan evenly coated with a cookie crumb crust.
while you are preparing the crust, add the agar agar to the water and let sit to make sure it is fully dissolved. agar agar is a gelatin substitute derived from seaweed. it will help the pie become firm without baking.
after the crust is finished, start preparing the filling by heating up the agar agar solution, sugar and spices in a large sauce pan until they begin to bubble. reduce the heat to prevent it from bubbling up too much.
add the pumpkin and let cook for about a minute.
then turn off the heat and add the chocolate. it will melt completely in since the mixture is still very hot.
pour the contents of the pan into the pie crust and smooth the top. garnish if you’d like with cookie crumbs, a cookie in the center, chocolate chips, or if you’d like you can melt the chocolate separately and swirl it in with the filling.
refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. it will become firm upon cooling, even more so than is pictured above, since i was a bit impatient.
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Recipe by Jacqueline Gabardy, L.Ac. of Pivot Acupuncture & Herbs
I tasted the pie you see in the pictures, and I can say without any exaggeration that it was honestly the best pie I’ve ever tasted in my entire life.
thanks justin!
A chocolate pumpkin pie sounds so good!
oh man, it’s the perfect way to end a great thanksgiving dinner
What is “earth Balance”?
it’s a vegan margarine, but any kind of vegan margarine will do!
and what is agar agar?
this looks delicious and sounds exactly like how i’d like to end thanksgiving this year!
agar agar is a replacement for gelatin, it’s a little expensive in your natural foods market, but a little goes a very long way.
I replaced cornstarch for the agar with good results. I also upped the amount of spice in the filling– I added ground cardamon, black peppercorns and red chili pepper. Thanks for the splendid idea.
sounds good!
This is the pie.
Why would you make anything else? It’s easy. It’s delicious. And it’s something you can be proud to share with your family because it won’t slowly kill them.
Thanks for the great recipe. It was just in time.
thanks! glad you liked it.
Wow, what a great idea! I am gluten-intolerant so I don’t have oreos, but I bet the filling would just be good on it’s own…..
VEGirl
vegirlblog.blogspot.com
Mmm this looks so good! How come I haven’t made it yet?? Since I missed making it for Thanksgiving, maybe it’s perfect for Christmas dinner!
made this last year and we LOVED it. so much that i’d like to make it again this year. still have agar agar. now i’m wondering if i can cut the sugar by half, using 1/2 cup rather than a whole. any insight?
try it out! if your pumpkin is sweet enough it’s usually fine. try using butternut squash puree – it’s much sweeter on its own!
Hi, I’m new at cooking and I was wondering if it’s safe to eat the crust even if the flour is not cooked? Sorry if this seems like a dumb question.
Thanks for the recipe, btw!
sonia- yes the flour is fine to eat raw, especially in this small amount you won’t taste that raw flour taste.
That’s good to know! I was also curious to know what do you do with the cookies’ filling cream? Do you toss it or can I use it as the butter substitute for the crust? If not, can I use it for the filling with pumpkin?
Thanks again!
When you mean agar agar, do you mean flakes or powder…?
powder