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Do you love pecan? Or, I should probably ask: Who doesn’t? Here is my Vegan Pecan Pie which is naturally sweetened and made with a whole wheat pie crust. They are caramely yet not so sweet. With the holiday season arrives, you know you need this pie! 🙂
Vegan Pecan Pie
I know that I use walnuts more in my recipes, but that’s because they are more budget-friendly. If we put the price tag aside, I really would choose pecans over walnuts.
Why? Well, it might seem too simple to just say “I like it.” One reason for that is the caramely flavor of baked pecans. I mean, they are REALLY good.
The other reason is the color. I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it before that brown is my favorite color. And it does not conflict with any of my favorite food, such as chocolate and peanut butter. (It’s kind of in light brown, right?)
Anyway, let’s talk about this Vegan Pecan Pie.
First, it’s vegan. No cream, no butter, no dairy. Most of the caramel in a pecan pie is”burnt cream” and “burnt sugar,” literally.
Before I became a vegan, I made the “classic” caramel quite often for a period of time because I was learning French baking by reading books and experimenting. Hence, I remember the process and flavor very well. It’s very sweet and dense that most people wouldn’t eat too much in one go.
And this time we’re going to make the “special” caramel that is not only dairy-free (aka cruelty-free), but also more pleasant to our taste bud, in my opinion.
This vegan pecan pie is made of a whole wheat pie crust and date-sweetened caramel packed with pecans. Pecans are not very cheap, at least in Taiwan. But this is pie is worth a little splurge.
The filling is mostly made with dates with a small touch of maple syrup. I don’t recommend to skip maple syrup for this recipe because it really gives this pecan pie more depth of flavor.
The sweetness tastes more natural and not so sickly sweet compared to common “burnt-cream-and-sugar” pecan pie. I finish a slice and would like to have a second one if not for the other slice of a chocolate tart.
I use whole wheat flour and oats in the pie crust so the crust is firmer and carries a whole-grain flavor. You can use other pie crust recipes if that works for you. Or you could just use a store-bought vegan pie crust which is totally fine, too. That would make your life so much easier.
Pecans look so pretty in my eyes. They become more stunning when they join the “pie party.” This Vegan Pecan Pie is the one that you can make on any occasion because they are made of vegan and wholesome ingredients, and most of all, they are delicious without upsetting your palate.
If you love pecans as I do, you could also check out my Caramel Pecan Bars, Vegan Chocolate Pecan Cheesecake, and Pecan Tofu Mousse Cake. For now, shall we?
Something thoughts:
- I haven’t used other flour substitution yet, so I’m not sure if other flour would work well or not. You can try to use all-purpose flour or gluten-free all-purpose flour to replace the whole wheat flour. You can also use this gluten-free pie crust in this recipe.
- I’ve cut down the oil and maple syrup to the minimum amount and do not recommend to reduce them more.
- If you want a more prominent maple flavor, you can reduce the amounts of dates and add more maple syrup to your taste.
- This vegan pecan pie can be made ahead of time. Serve cold or warm it in the oven before serving.
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Vegan Pecan Pie 全植物焦糖核桃派
食材
crust
- 56 g (½+⅛ cup) rolled oats 傳統燕麥片
- 45 g (3/8 cup) whole wheat flour 全麥麵粉
- ¼ tsp baking powder 泡打粉
- A pinch of salt 鹽
- 2 Tbsp
coconut oil 椰子油 , plus some for greasing the pan - 2 Tbsp maple syrup 楓糖漿
- 1-2 Tbsp cold water 冰水
filling
- 85 g (3/8 cup) dates 椰棗, pitted 去籽*
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) water 水, *
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup 楓糖漿
- ½ Tbsp ground flaxseed 亞麻籽粉
- A pinch of salt 鹽, optional
- 62 g (1/2 +1/8 cup) pecans 胡桃, separated
作法
- First, soak the pitted dates in the water and set it aside.
To make the crust
- Preheat oven at 175 C / 350 F.
- In a food processor, add the rolled oats, wholewheat flour, baking powder, and salt. Process for about 10 seconds to break down the oats.
- Add maple syrup, coconut oil, and 1 Tbsp of cold water. Use "pulse" to bring them all together. The mixture should stick together when pressed between your fingers. Otherwise, add 1 tsp of water at a time to process again until it gets to the consistency. Be careful not to over blend.
- Grease a 6" pie pan with coconut oil. Transfer the mixture to the pan and press it to form the pie crust.
- Use a fork to poke a few holes on the crust. Then bake the pie crust at 175 C / 350 F for 10-12 minutes.
To make the pecan pie filling
- While the crust is in the oven, make the filling: In the same food processor, add the soaked dates along with the soaking water, maple syrup, ground flaxseed, and salt. Blend until smooth. Stop and scrape down the side if needed.
- Then add 50 g (½ cup) pecans in and "pulse" for 5-10 times to mix the pecans in.
- Carefully remove the half-baked crust from the oven. Keep the oven on.
- Transfer the caramel filling onto the crust and spread it out evenly. Then sprinkle the left 12 g (⅛ cup) pecans onto the top.
- Return it to the oven to bake for 25-30 minutes until the filling is firm.
- Transfer it onto a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Slice and eat!
中文版請見影片(有中文字慕)
Video
備註
- *If you have date paste at hand, you can use 145 g date paste instead of the dates and water.
- Storage: Store the pie in an air-tight container in the fridge for 4 days or 2 weeks in the freezer. You can serve it cooled or reheat it in the oven.
- This recipe starts at 3:07 in the video.
