Vegan Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie

I am so excited to share this recipe with you today! It's my favorite pumpkin pie recipe by far.  I've been baking traditional pumpkin pie for the past five years (at least!) and I'm not kidding when I say that I like this new version better than anything I've made in the past.  It's easy to make, much easier than a traditional pie.  It's definitely healthier and has super clean ingredients.  It's definitely not a traditional pie crust, but if you like nuts and dates you will absolutely love it!

The crust consists of a combination of almonds and pecans.  I love the combination of these two, but you can essentially use any of your favorite nuts and seeds.  I like almonds and pecans because they taste great in combination and they are highly nutritious.  But I've tried this with a combination of walnuts as well and it tasted just as good. The crust is held together by dates, coconut oil as well as coconut nectar.  I recommend you use coconut nectar and not maple syrup as the nectar keeps the crust more stiff.  Honey will also work, but I personally prefer to work with coconut nectar.

So to get started with the crust, lightly toast almonds and pecans for approximately 30 minutes in a preheated oven (250) oven. You'll want to check that they are toasting evenly and give them a quick toss a few times during the baking process to make sure they toast evenly.  You'll want them lightly toasted and you'll know they're done when they begin smell aromatic. Once they are toasted to your liking, remove from the oven, set aside and allow to cool.

While the nuts are toasting, place pitted dates in food processor and process until smooth. If the dates are quite hard, you can place them in hot water for a few minutes to soften them up. Then strain, and squeeze out the excess water and place the soaked dates in a food processor. Next, place the pureed dates in a shallow pot and add in coconut oil and coconut nectar. Warm over medium heat until the coconut oil melts and the mixture becomes a nice paste.Once the nuts have cooled. Place in a food processor and pulse until the mixture is coarsely ground to your desired consistency. I like mine coarse, as I like to texture of the larger pieces of nuts. Stir the pulsed nuts into the pasty date mixture. Stir until well combined. Place in a pie dish and pat down until firmly pressed at the bottom of the pan. You can use parchment paper or waxed paper to help you flatten it out without having the mixture stick to your hands. Once it's patted down, place in the fridge as you prepare the filling.

For the filling, you'll start by placing the pumpkin puree in a deep pot. Add to this the cream from one can of full fat coconut cream. Discard the liquid and only use the creamy part of the canned product. Refrigerating the can ahead of time can help with this. Also add in the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and sea salt. Bring the pumpkin mixture to a boil over medium/high heat, stirring frequently. Then add in the agar agar and allow it to boil for another minute, stirring periodically.

The agar agar can't be skipped! It's the key ingredient to thicken the pie and allow it to set. Agar or agar-agar is a jelly-like substance, obtained from red algae.  It's frequently used in food processing as a thickening agent.  It's a natural substance and has been used traditionally in Asian cuisine.  Agar agar mainly consists of polysaccharides which are actually prebiotics  beneficial for your gut bacteria! They are essential for this recipe and cannot be skipped otherwise the pie will not set.

Finally, place the cooked mixture over the pressed down crust and refrigerate immediately. Refrigerate for a minimum of 3 hours and then serve. I like to prepare this a day in advance so it has plenty of time to set.

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Vegan Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie

Yield: 1 pie

Author: Lara

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 35 Min

An easy NO BAKE pumpkin pie that is delicious and takes no time to whip up!

Ingredients

• Crust
• 5 cup of raw almonds
• 1 cup of pecans
• 15 dates neglet noor or 6 medjool
• 2 tbsp coconut nectar
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• Filling
• 5 cups of pumpkin puree
• 1 can coconut cream (the fatty part only, liquid discarded)
• 1 cup of coconut sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• grated nutmeg to taste
• pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp of agar agar (MUST ingredient)

Instructions

1. Crust
2. Lightly toast almonds and pecans (approx. 30 minutes) in 250 oven checking frequently to make sure they toast evenly. You'll want them lightly toasted and you'll know they're done when they begin smell aromatic.
3. Meanwhile, place pitted dates in food processor and process until smooth. If the dates are quite hard, you can place them in hot water for a few minutes to soften them up. Then strain, squeeze out the excess water and place in a food processor. Place the pureed dates in a shallow pot and add in coconut oil and coconut nectar. Warm over medium heat until the coconut oil melts and the mixture becomes a nice paste.
4. Once the nuts have cooled. Place in a food processor and pulse until the mixture is coarsely ground to your desired consistency. I like mine coarse, as I like to texture of the larger pieces of nuts. Stir the pulsed nuts into the pasty date mixture. Stir until well combined. Place in a pie dish and pat down until firmly pressed at the bottom of the pan. You can use parchment paper or waxed paper to help you flatten it out without having the mixture stick to your hands.
5. Filling
6. Place pumpkin puree in a deep pot. Add to this the cream from one can of full fat coconut cream. Discard the liquid and only use the creamy part of the canned product. Refrigerating the can ahead of time can help with this. Add the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and sea salt.
7. Bring to a boil over medium/high heat, stirring frequently. Then add in the agar agar and allow it to boil for another minute, stirring periodically. The agar agar can't be skipped! It's the key ingredient to thicken the pie and allow it to set.
8. Place the boiled mixture over the pressed down crust and refrigerate immediately. Refrigerate for a minimum of 3 hours and then serve.
9. I like to prepare this a day in advance so it has plenty of time to set.

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