The Mischievous Vegan: Pumpkin Pie1

By Malloreigh

Pumpkin pie is a peculiarly North American tradition. I spent my October-November in Australia once and found, in the search to soothe my homesickness by making one, that “pumpkin” there means any kind of squash, and canned pumpkin puree simply doesn’t exist. Funnily enough, Halloween (to the degree that we indulge in it) is also a peculiarly North American tradition. Coincidence?

I assumed that pumpkin pie was a Thanksgiving dish – though my family eats it at Christmas too. But the correlation between pumpkin pie and Halloween was too strange for me to ignore this year. Either that, or I wanted an excuse to make a pumpkin pie with a spiderweb on top.

Here’s the recipe for vegan pumpkin pie with a spiderweb lattice crust. Incredibly, it doesn’t taste like tofu at all. I’ve had some pies that have been quite tofu-y in the past, but this one is incredible. If you choose to go soy-free you could try replacing the tofu in the filling with coconut cream or even cream cheese. Though I can’t guarantee that it’ll have the same texture!

The first thing you’ll want to do is prepare the crust, as follows:

Flaky Pie Crust

• 2 cups unbleached flour
• 1.5 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp (155 mL) Earth Balance or other vegan margarine, cold
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 tbsp cold water

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Cut in the margarine with a pastry cutter or a fork until the mixture is crumbly. In a separate container, combine the oil and water. Add to the flour mixture and mix until a dough forms. Wrap or cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill for 30min.

Spiced Pumkin Filling

• 2 cups (500mL, 16oz) pureed pumpkin
• 1/2 cup sugar (or more, if you prefer it sweeter)
• 1 block silken tofu (about 1.25 cups)
• 3 tbsp tapioca starch or corn starch
• 3 – 4 tsp total pumpkin pie spices – I didn’t have the typical ones (allspice and cinnamon) so I used 1.5 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp cloves, and 1 tsp ground cardamom – and it was excellent.
• 1/2 tsp salt

In a standing blender or with a hand blender, mix the pumpkin and sugar. Add the tofu; blend ’til partially incorporated. Add the starch and spices. Blend ’til smooth.

Putting You Pie Together

Preheat the oven to 450F. Take your dough out of the fridge and press about 2/3 of it into a pie pan to make your crust. Pour the filling into the crust.

Roll the other 1/3 of the dough out on a clean, dry surface. Use a knife to cut it into pieces to form a spiderweb or a more traditional lattice crust. I formed some of the dough with my fingers to make the spider. Place the lattice over the pie filling.

Bake the pie for 15 minutes at 450, then turn the oven down to 350 and bake for another 60 minutes. Let cool before serving, but preferably not on the windowsill of an open window where your neighbour might steal it.