The Perfect Vegan Pumpkin Pie (Cashew-Based!)
The only pumpkin pie recipe you’ll ever need, featuring a filling that combines pumpkin, cashews, brown sugar, warming spices, and vanilla to create the perfect pie texture!
There’s only one dish that every Thanksgiving meal needs. It’s not mashed potatoes (although I do love them!), it’s definitely not soggy green bean casseroles (what even are those 😵💫 - I’m sorry to @ you if you’re a fan!), and it’s absolutely not turkey (though I can get behind a vegan “turkey”-style alternative, especially if you’re cooking for non-vegans or this is your first vegan Thanksgiving). All these dishes can certainly be a part of a great Thanksgiving spread (except I’d swap out that green bean casserole for some sautéed blistered garlicky green beans 🤤), but they’re not strictly essential...at least to me.
There’s only ONE thing that every single Thanksgiving absolutely NEEDS. Only one dish that will make me absolutely lose it if it’s not a part of my Thanksgiving feast. And by now, you’ve probably guessed from the title of this post that it’s… pumpkin pie!
And although I’ve had a lot of decent pumpkin pies over the years, since we’re talking about ~the~ essential Thanksgiving dish, I had to develop my own take on the *perfect* classic pumpkin pie. The pumpkin pie that ends all conversations about pumpkin pie. The pumpkin pie that starts with one slice, then a second slice, and realistically, probably even a third slice. Look, I’ll let you decide for yourself, but trust me - the filling’s insanely delicious, its texture is perfect, and it actually incorporates a whole food cashew base (instead of coconut cream you’d find inside most pies!). This is truly the only pumpkin pie recipe you’ll ever need.
Why You’ll Love this Pumpkin Pie
Perfect flavors and texture. Just like my sweet potato pie recipe, this pumpkin pie uses cashews to create the most delicious tasting base! Combined with pumpkin, warming spices, vanilla, and molasses-y brown sugar, this filling is perfectly sweet, delightfully spiced, and super pumpkin-y, because you wouldn’t want anything less from a pumpkin pie! And, just as importantly, it’s got a silky smooth yet perfectly firm texture that holds its shape without being too dense or stodgy. I know I’m biased, but it’s truly the perfect pumpkin pie filling.
Made with nutritious cashews! While this pie is a delightful and very indulgent-tasting treat, the cashews do help add a few more nutrients without taking anything away from (and even actually enhancing) the flavor. Unlike other pie bases such as coconut cream, dairy, or eggs, cashews are rich in unsaturated fats (the ones that are good for you!), and they also add a bit of protein into the pie - in addition to other nutrients and vitamins like copper, magnesium, manganese, and zinc.
Super easy to make using a high-powered blender! One of the greatest things about this filing is that a blender does pretty much all the work for you! You’ll just need to add the ingredients in two separate steps (first just the cashews and water, then everything else) and after that, let the blender do its thing! However, note that you do absolutely need a high-powered blender, such as a Vitamix, to make this filling. See the “Tips” section below for more details, but basically, without one, you won’t be able to fully process the cashews, which is essential to create that perfectly smooth filling.
Ingredient Overview
Pumpkin purée. Can’t make pumpkin pie without pumpkin (obviously)! Unlike my sweet potato pie recipe, which calls for homemade sweet potato pureé, this pie is actually great with canned pumpkin purée! I used the Trader Joe’s canned pumpkin, which is on the thinner side. If you use a different canned brand that has a thicker purée (i.e. the pumpkin is super dense), you may need to use slightly less pumpkin and add a splash of extra water to account for the difference in textures (see the notes below the recipe for more details).
Raw cashews and water. Blended together to form a cashew cream that gives the pie its creamy base! No other ingredient can create such a deliciously rich flavor for the pie base, while also upping the nutritional content, like cashews. They pair wonderfully with pumpkin as they add that essential amount of creaminess needed to balance the flavor of the filling! (And not just in pie - cashew butter is the ingredient that absolutely makes my pumpkin pie overnight oats!)
Light brown sugar. To sweeten the pie! Because brown sugar contains molasses, it has a more robust flavor than plain cane sugar, so it adds extra depth while pairing perfectly with pumpkin.
Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. To infuse the pie with delicious warming spices!
Vanilla extract. For warmth.
Arrowroot starch. To firm up the pie and help it set!
Prepared pie crust. This recipe calls for your choice of a pre-made pie crust. Feel free to use any store bought or homemade option you like!
Tips for Making this Pumpkin Pie
Make or buy your choice of crust. I don’t include a crust recipe for this pie, so you can use your favorite (there are lots of vegan pie crust recipes out there!) or simply buy one - use whatever version suits your needs! I needed something easy, so I used these store bought whole wheat pie shells from Wholly Wholesome.
Use a high-powered blender. Since this pie uses raw cashews (plus water) for its cream base, you’ll need a high-powered blender, like a Vitamix, to make it. Regular blenders simply aren’t powerful enough to fully pulverize the cashews, leaving little tiny cashew bits behind (not what you want in a pie!). But with the help of that high-powered blender, the cashews will combine with the rest of the ingredients to create a silky smooth filling. (And as a bonus, the blender pretty much does all the work for you!)
Bake it the night before the day you plan to serve it. For the perfect pie, you’ll want to let this pie sit in the fridge for at least 8 hours (or, ideally, overnight) in the fridge after cooling at room temp for about 2-3 hours. So, all in, that’s at least 10-11 hours of total cooling time - a lot, I know! My best tip is to bake the pie the night before the day when you actually plan to serve it. Not only does this actually help with meal prep (if, say, you plan on serving this for Thanksgiving dessert), but cooling it overnight is actually key to helping the filling set into the perfect texture and best possible flavors. (A pie that hasn’t cooled enough will have less than ideal flavors and textures!)
More Vegan Pumpkin Recipes
If you need some inspiration for how to use up that leftover canned pumpkin purée, or if you just want more pumpkin-flavored goodies, here are some more recipes to try:
The Ultimate Pumpkin Bread (you’ll need more pumpkin than what’s leftovers from the pie for this one)
The Perfect Pumpkin Pie
Vegan
Yields one 9-inch pie to serve ~8 slices
Ingredients
For the pie:
¾ cup (104 grams) raw cashews*
⅓ cup water
2 cups pumpkin purée** (from two 15-ounce cans (see ideas for how to use leftover purée in blog post above); I used organic canned pumpkin from Trader Joe’s)
1 cup (lightly packed) (192 grams) light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons arrowroot starch
1 prepared 9-inch vegan pie crust (either homemade or store bought - I used this whole wheat one)
To serve:
Vegan whipped cream
Directions
Cover the cashews in boiling water and allow them to soak for at least 30 minutes so they can soften. Drain the cashews before using.
Pre-heat the oven to 350°F. At this point, make sure you’ve either prepped your homemade pie crust or have a store bought version ready to go!
In a high-powered blender (such as a Vitamix), combine the soaked/drained cashews and water and blend on high until mostly broken down, about 30-45 seconds.
Add the pumpkin purée, brown sugar, spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves), salt, vanilla extract, and arrowroot starch. Blend on high until very creamy, about 60-90 more seconds, using a tamper to help the blender incorporate all the ingredients, and pausing to scrape the sides as needed.
Add the blended filling to your prepared pie crust and use a spatula to smooth out the top.
Transfer the pie to the oven and bake for 55-60 minutes, until the outside edges look darker and the middle has mostly set (a bit of wobble is ok!) - the filling will continue to set as it cools. Once you remove the pie from the oven, it will look like it has inflated slightly during baking - this is normal and expected! It will flatten out as it cools.
Place the pie dish on a cooling rack and allow the pie cool completely at room temperature, about 3 hours. Then, transfer it to the fridge and chill it for at least 8 hours (or preferably overnight) to allow it to fully set before serving.
Serve topped with a dollop of your favorite vegan whipped cream!
Notes:
*Because the recipe calls for cashews, you’ll need a high-powered blender, such as a Vitamix, to make this filling. A regular blender isn’t powerful enough to fully break down cashews and will leave little bits of unprocessed cashews, instead of yielding a smooth creamy filling.
**The Trader Joe’s pumpkin purée is on the thinner side. If you use a different brand that’s much thicker (as in the pumpkin is quite dense and scoopable and doesn’t seem to much water content at all), I would consider using about 1 tablespoon less of pumpkin purée, and then also adding in1 extra tablespoon of water to account for the difference in textures.
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