Smooth, sweet butternut puree tastes just as good as sugar pumpkin in the classic pumpkin pie (vegan style)—perhaps even better! Once you’ve got the squash or pumpkin baked, which I do ahead of time, making this nourishing pie is a snap. It contains no eggs or dairy, of course, but no one will notice the difference. Photos by Hannah Kaminsky.
Easy Vegan Pumpkin or Squash Pie
Smooth, sweet butternut puree tastes just as good as sugar pumpkin in the classic pumpkin pie (vegan style)—perhaps even better!
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Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 2 cups well-baked and mashed butternut squash or sugar pumpkin see Notes
- 3/4 cup firm or extra-firm silken tofu about half of a 12.3-ounce aseptic package
- 1/2 cup natural granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or equivalent of nutmeg, allspice, and ginger
- 9- inch good quality graham cracker or whole grain pie crust
- Vegan Whipped Cream for topping optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Combine the pumpkin or squash pulp in a food processor with the remaining ingredients (except the crust, of course). Process until velvety smooth.
- Pour the mixture into the crust. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the mixture is set and the crust is golden. Let the pie cool completely.
- To serve, cut the pie into 8 wedges; if you'd like, top each with a swirl of Vegan Whipped Cream.
Notes:
- To make butternut squash or sugar pumpkin easier to handle, you can wrap the whole thing (raw) in foil, put in a baking pan, and bake at 375 degrees F. for 45 to 60 minutes — or until you can pierce all the way through easily with a long knife. Once it cools, you can cut the squash or pumpkin in half, and scoop out the seeds and fibers. Then, cut into thick slices and pare away the skin, or if the flesh is really soft, just scoop it out with a large spoon.
- If you want to make this in a hurry, you can use a 16-ounce can of pureed pumpkin—but it won’t taste as good or fresh!
- Here are more recipes to enjoy a Vegetarian and Vegan Friendly Thanksgiving.
- Find more ways to make Special Occasions and Entertaining easier and healthier.
- Explore more of VegKitchen’s Easy Vegan Cakes and Pies.
- Sweet tooth still craving? Here are more Vegan Baking and Sweets.
30 Comments
Heather
September 1, 2011 at 1:17 pmHi! This looks amazing! Do you need to refrigerate any leftovers?
Nava
September 1, 2011 at 1:37 pmYes, you do, since it’s made from fresh squash or pumpkin–if indeed there are any leftovers!
Kerstin La Cross
December 26, 2013 at 1:04 amThis was the first pumpkin pie I ever made, vegan or not! It’s amazing! It blows my non-vegan, fat, sugar and salt loving family’s mind! I’m making it a second time right now and I think I actually used too much tofu, but I tried it before baking and it tastes just fine, so all I have to worry about is it setting up properly.
However, comma, I did double the spices and raised the sugar to 2/3 this time. Very good!
Nava
December 26, 2013 at 7:54 amThanks, Kerstin — so glad that you and yours enjoyed this!
Kay Hebb
January 24, 2014 at 8:14 amWhat is the difference in natural granulated sugar and just plain sugar…I can’t have sugar on my vegan diet…
Nava
January 24, 2014 at 8:33 amKay, where I call for natural granulated sugar, you can use organic cane sugar, coconut sugar, date sugar, Sucanat, etc. — as opposed to the very processed, bleached white sugar (that is sometimes refined with bone char). I keep it general so that readers can use what they prefer. Hope that helps!
Melissa
February 16, 2014 at 3:22 pmCan you use maple syrup?
Nava
February 16, 2014 at 6:09 pmMelissa, the maple syrup would make the filling too runny, and it won’t set up well. Try one of the natural sugars suggested in my reply to Kay — coconut sugar, date sugar, or Sucanat.
Angel
October 7, 2014 at 1:30 pmCan I substitute with sweet potato?
Nava
October 7, 2014 at 1:45 pmDefinitely! Use the same amount as recommended for the squash or pumpkin. It will be delicious!
Debbie
November 3, 2014 at 4:43 pmNava, do you use firm tofu? I was told that silken does not hold up and the pie becomes runny. Thanks
Nava
November 3, 2014 at 4:47 pmDebbie, I do use firm or extra-firm silken tofu. I just love the texture and how smooth it is. And I’ve never had an issue with the pie being runny — so long as it’s allowed sufficient time to cool once it’s out of the oven.
Debbie
November 4, 2014 at 6:45 amThanks Nava, I’ll look for firm silken, hopefully I can find it. Thank you for all of your delicious recipes, you’re very generous.
Leanne
November 26, 2014 at 8:10 pmHi there…I was trying to get to the video that shows how to cook the fresh pumpkin but it isn’t there….can you please advise how I should cook it? Thank you 🙂
Nava
November 26, 2014 at 10:07 pmHi Leanne, I’m so glad you let me know that the video isn’t there — I don’t know where it disappeared to! I edited the recipe so you can see my lazy way of preparing butternut squash or sugar pumpkin, see the first Note after the instructions.
KW
November 29, 2014 at 5:26 pmI cooked my pie for over 50min and I had to take it out because it was going to burn on top if I left it any longer but it never did set. It tastes good… but it’s pumpkin pudding, not pumpkin pie. Not sure what I did wrong? My crust was a bit smaller than 9 inches, maybe that’s it?
Nava
November 30, 2014 at 1:34 pmHI KW — not sure what might have been amiss; sometimes oven temps aren’t accurate; or it may be that there was too much filling for the smaller crust. This pie has come out perfectly for me many, many times. It does need to cool completely before being cut. So I’m sorry that it didn’t set up for you and perhaps you’ll have better luck next time!
Another thought; maybe it was the silken tofu. It should be firm or extra-firm. I’ll add that to the recipe.
Chen Fung
December 4, 2014 at 11:23 amThis recipe is so amazing! I made one for this past Thanksgiving and had to make another one upon hubby’s request. I used ‘Farmer’s Market’ canned organic pumpkin puree and added a tablespoon of cornstarch. It firmed it up just perfectly. Served it with whipped cream using Trader Joe’s coconut cream. Oh my goodness gracious, unbelievably delicious. I love your recipes Nava, thank you so very much! <3
Nava
December 4, 2014 at 10:46 pmSo glad you enjoyed this, Chen Fung! What a good idea to make whipped cream from TJ’s coconut cream. And thanks for your kind thoughts as well!
KW
December 21, 2014 at 10:31 amI tried the again with tinned pumpkin instead of fresh and it turned out perfectly! I think my fresh pumpkin the first time I made this was too watery and that’s why it didn’t set up.
Nava
December 21, 2014 at 9:57 pmI’m glad it worked out better this time, KW. Come to think of it, I made this with sugar pumpkin recently and it wasn’t as firm as usual. More often, I use butternut squash which is definitely denser. So let’s blame the pumpkin, and now you can enjoy the pie!
Alicia
November 4, 2015 at 12:28 amWhat if I can’t find firm silken tofu? Can I use regular tofu?
Nava
November 4, 2015 at 2:35 pmHi Alicia, regular firm tofu should be fine, though it may not be quite as silky in texture. Make sure to drain and blot it very well!
Miranda
November 11, 2015 at 8:52 amI am not a tofu eater, would avocado work?
Nava
November 11, 2015 at 2:25 pmMiranda, that’s an interesting thought, but I’m not sure the avocado would set up, or keep well. If you’re not allergic to soy, I highly recommend you try the silken tofu; you really don’t taste it!
Maddie
December 30, 2015 at 5:51 pmLOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe!!!! Tastes amazing and without all the butter and sugar of other recipes. My family loved it and we will definitely be making this again!!
Nava
December 31, 2015 at 2:04 pmThanks, Maddie! So glad you and yours love this. It’s amazing how good plant-based versions of classic recipes can be. And these versions are healthier too!
Anonymous
January 30, 2017 at 12:34 amThe tofu makes this absolutely disgusting. What a waste of otherwise good ingredients. I have 30 cups of mealy “pie.” Tastes horrible.
Nava
January 30, 2017 at 11:28 amHello, you’re the first to have gotten bad results from this pie, and so you must have misread something about the recipe. There’s only 3/4 cup of silken tofu in it, so you wouldn’t be able to taste it at all. Not sure how you wound up with 30 (!) cups of anything!
William Latham
October 9, 2020 at 7:37 pmCan you boil the squash instead of bake?