It's Pumpkin Pie Time (and this one's dairy free and egg free)

Celebrate the autumn colours with a rich and delicious gluten free, dairy free, and egg free pumpkin pie (in case you have to cook for loved ones with allergies). It tastes so good you can't even tell the difference! (Skip to recipe.)

This year the fall colours are spectacularly, wonderfully, orange-and-gold-ly beautiful! It's been a while since we've had such a stunning autumn in our area. I am just glorying in all that colour and light.

Fall has always been my favourite season of the year. Maybe it's because the rich luminescence of the sun lighting the trees on gilded fire excites my artist's soul. Maybe it's because the rich bounty of harvest from garden, orchard, and field inspires my foodie soul. And maybe it's because fall encompasses all the best celebrations. From my birthday at the end of August (when I always spy the first yellow leaf of the season), through the start of school, to Thanksgiving - the season just builds with a steady simmer of anticipation, to culminate in the most special holiday of the year to me - Christmas!!!

My favourite memories of the fall from growing up are those from helping with the harvest, both from the farm and from the garden. It was always such a deeply satisfying feeling to bring in the crops and store them for the winter. The air has the rich, musky, fullness - almost a spiciness - that comes from decaying leaves, ripening fruits, and drying grasses. I love it.

I remember going hunting with my dad in the fall (probably only a handful of times in my life, but so sharp in my memory). We'd walk through the stillness of the golden forest on a sunny autumn day, following trails for hours, and I'd have to make sure I walked ever-so-silently behind him, keeping my footfalls soundless and trying not to step on crunching leaves. In this stillness, the sensations of nature around me became immensely large and magnified - the twinkling of the sunlight flickering between trees, the musical rustle of the wind sighing among dry leaves and bare branches, the earthy smell of forest, rotting leaf, and damp soil, and that invigorating fall crispness in the air, underlying even the warmest of days.

Yes it's pumpkin time. Fall isn't even fall unless it also comes with that full, rich, spiciness of pumpkin, whether dressing up a crunchy granola, starring in a soup, stirred into a comforting porridge, carved with seeds roasted, or simply and silkily baked in a pie.

This recipe is my dairy free and egg free pumpkin pie version of Libby's famous pie recipe, adorning cans of pumpkin since the 1950s. I've adapted it for all my loved ones who have food allergies, but still crave that slice of smooth, sweet and spicy, luscious pumpkin pie at this time of year. Silken tofu replaces the liquid and the eggs, for a protein-packed alternative that is indistinguishable from the egg version, according to all my taste testers. (And they have good taste!)

I experimented with a lot of different variations of egg free pumpkin pie before I came up with this one. (Thanks to my sister-in-law, Connie, for the use of her kitchen for the experimentation of the final two versions - we had fun playing around with them 🙂 )

*I've also included one of the versions I came up with that is soy free, for those with a soy allergy. Its texture is not quite as close to a regular pumpkin pie as the one with tofu, but it tastes great and works well for those with a soy allergy.

Try serving either of these versions of pumpkin pie with silky smooth, rich and creamy Maple Ginger Cashew Cream for a special treat.

* * * * *

Kitchen Frau Notes:  Make sure to use pure pumpkin purée (it should say 100% pure pumpkin on the can), not pumpkin pie filling, which is already mixed with spices and other ingredients. Or grab a pumpkin and make your own pumpkin purée.

For this recipe it is important to use silken or smooth tofu, it has a different texture than regular soft tofu. Silken soft tofu is often sold in tetrapacks in the Asian section of the grocery store. Here in Alberta I can find smooth tofu, which comes with two blocks packed in water in 700 gram packages, at Superstore. One of the blocks is just enough for one pie. Store the other block covered in water in an airtight container in the fridge for two to three days, or make two pies and give one to a friend!

You can substitute coconut sugar for the granulated sugar, but your pie will be more brown than orange. It still tastes wonderful, just looks different.

The original recipe uses ground cloves. If you prefer a milder flavor, you can substitute in nutmeg.

Use your favourite pastry crust recipe, or use this gluten-free pie crust recipe or this one.

Absolutely Delicious and Super Easy Pumpkin Pie

gluten free, dairy free, egg free, vegan

• Single crust for a 9 or 9½ inch (23-24cm) pie dish, your favourite regular or gluten-free recipe (see above)
• 350 gms (12oz) smooth or silken soft tofu, drained
• ¾ cup (150gms) evaporated cane sugar (or granulated sugar)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves or nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 can (398ml/14oz) pure pumpkin purée, or 1¾ cups+2 tablespoons homemade pumpkin purée

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Roll out the pastry crust and fit it into the pie plate, crimping the edges decoratively if you like. Chill the crust while you make the filling.

Place the tofu, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla into the container of a blender or food processor. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides if necessary.

Scrape the tofu mixture into a bowl, and stir in the pumpkin purée until evenly mixed in. You want to stir the pumpkin in by hand so it retains its texture. Pour the filling into the prepared chilled crust and smooth the top.

Bake for 15 minutes. Turn the oven down to 350°F. Bake for 40 to 50 more minutes, until the center of the pie is wobbly, but semi-firm to touch with your fingertip, and the crust is golden brown.

Allow to cool completely, and chill for several hours before serving.

Serve with a dollop of coconut whipped cream (whip up the thick cream from the top of a can of full-fat premium coconut milk), or a scoop of (dairy free) vanilla ice cream.

*This pie can also be made crustless - pour the filling into a greased 9-inch pie pan, bake as for the pie above, but it only needs 15 minutes at 425°F and then 30 -35 minutes at 350°F baking time. Chill well before cutting.

Serves 6 to 8.

 

OR:

Soy Free Recipe for Pumpkin Pie

gluten free, dairy free, egg free, soy free, vegan

• Single crust for a 9½ or 10 inch (24 or 25cm) pie dish, your favourite regular or gluten-free recipe (see above)
• 3 cups (720ml, from 2 small or 1 large can) pumpkin purée, canned or homemade
• ¾ cup (150gms) sugar (natural, evaporated cane sugar)
• 5 tablespoons sweet rice flour, cornstarch, or potato starch
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup (60ml) melted coconut oil
• ¾ cup non-dairy milk (nut milk, coconut milk)

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

In a bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, sugar, spices, and salt. Stir in the melted coconut oil, then add the milk last (so it doesn't chill the coconut oil and cause it to solidify into little lumps.) Pour into the prepared pie shell.

Bake for 15 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 350°F. Bake for a further 40 to 50 minutes, until the filling is bubbling around the edges. It will be more liquid than a regular pumpkin pie, but will thicken up as it cools.

Cool completely, then chill before serving.

Serves 6 to 8.

Guten Appetit!

 

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For an easy-crust version of pumpkin pie, try this egg free Pumpkin Slab Pie - just press the crust into the pan with your fingers and have the same spicy pumpkin flavour! Great for feeding a crowd.

You might also like:

Sour Cherry Pie

Gingered Pear Tart

Pumpkin Pie Granola (and How to Bake a Pumpkin)

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix