Vegan Praline Pecan Pumpkin Pie (Gluten-Free)

Buttery pecan crust filled with a smooth and spicy pumpkin pie filling make this Praline Pecan Pumpkin Pie a dessert your guests will remember and request every Thanksgiving. My favorite holiday moments include children playing together, feeling grateful to sit down to a full spread of compassionate foods, and the smell of delicious dishes and fresh pumpkin pie. Recipe by Allison Rivers Samson. Photo by Allyson Kramer.

It’s taken me years to perfect my pumpkin pie recipe and I’ve finally gotten it! Blind-baking the crust (baking it empty) and cooking the filling on the stovetop gives a reliable crack-free pumpkin pie every time. A couple of secret ingredients as thickeners (instead of the ubiquitous tofu that gives a chalky mouthfeel), presents a luscious texture to allow the flavors of warming spices to shine through. And using the alternative sweetener, coconut sugar, makes it so that those who are sensitive to refined sugars can delight in dessert too!

Serves: 6

• 4 ½ teaspoons agar agar flakes
• ½ cup hot water
• 1 ½ cups raw pecans
• 1 ⅓ cups coconut sugar, divided
• 1 ¼ cups canned full-fat coconut milk, divided
• 2 tablespoons brown rice flour
• 2 tablespoons vanilla, divided
• ¾ teaspoon salt, divided
• 2 cups pumpkin purée
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for garnish
• ½ teaspoon ginger powder
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
• 4 ½ teaspoons kuzu root starch
• ¼ cup cold water

Preheat oven to 375º F. In a small bowl, soak agar in hot water, stir, and set aside. On a sheet pan, spread pecans and toast for 12 to 15 minutes or until fragrant and browned.

In a food processor, process pecans, ⅓ cup coconut sugar, ¼ cup coconut milk, brown rice flour, 1 tablespoon vanilla, and ¼ teaspoon salt until fine.

Into a 9-inch pie pan, press pecan mixture evenly into bottom and sides. Bake for 10 minutes.

In a blender, add soaked agar mixture, remaining 1 cup coconut sugar, remaining 1 cup coconut milk, remaining 1 tablespoon vanilla, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, pumpkin

purée, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. Blend until completely smooth. In a small bowl, add kuzu and cold water and stir until completely dissolved. Set aside.

Into a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat, pour pumpkin mixture and bring to a boil, whisking occasionally.

Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, then stir kuzu mixture again and add to pumpkin mixture, whisking continuously. Simmer and continue to whisk for 2 to 4 minutes until mixture reaches a pudding-like texture.

Pour pumpkin filling into baked crust and let cool completely to set up. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Top with Homemade Coconut Whipped Cream (video; or see another recipe for vegan whipped cream here on VegKitchen) and garnish with a dusting of cinnamon.

Allison Rivers Samson, HHC, AADP is a Holistic Health & Lifestyle Coach and Maven of Mmmm ... at Allison's Gourmet: Organic Vegan Bakery, Confectionary, & Chocolaterie. She is the author of the cookbook: Comfortably Yum.

• See VegKitchen's entire array of Vegan Thanksgiving Dinner recipes.
• Here are more Easy Vegan Cakes and Pies.