Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pie
Posted Oct 18, 2018, Updated May 20, 2024
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This Homemade Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pie recipe is the best. Coconut milk pumpkin pie is creamy, perfectly sweet and loaded with cozy fall spices – a must-make Thanksgiving dessert.
This is the best pumpkin pie recipe you will ever eat, and it just so happens to be dairy-free!
Even better, you won’t find any processed ingredients (like sweetened condensed milk) in this from-scratch dairy-free pumpkin pie recipe!
The holidays can be tough for people who can’t eat dairy. Every creamy dreamy casserole and dessert is loaded with the white stuff – milk, half and half, cream, butter, etc.
And while some of us can throw caution to the wind and splurge one (or two) days out of the year, others who are severely allergic to dairy have to be vigilant , especially during the holidays.
Well, this recipe will make all your dairy-free pumpkin pie dreams come true. (Also check out this healthy sweet potato casserole, vegan pumpkin cheesecake and these cute mini vegan pumpkin pies)!
Dairy Free Pumpkin Pie Ingredients & Substitutions
- Coconut milk. I suggest full-fat coconut milk or cream for the best results. To make a regular pumpkin pie, use this recipe: classic pumpkin pie. Some have used dairy-free creamer with great results. I don’t suggest using almond milk because it’s very thin.
- Vegan butter. Vegetable shortening is a good substitute for the vegan butter. Coconut oil also works.
- All-purpose flour: for a gluten-free pie crust, substitute an all-purpose gluten-free flour for the regular all-purpose flour.
- Pumpkin puree. Use either a 15 ounce can of pumpkin puree or about 2 cups of homemade pumpkin puree. If using homemade, I recommend straining it in a coffee filter over a fine mesh strainer to remove any excess water.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice. Use store bought or make your own with this recipe: homemade pumpkin pie spice.
How to Make Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pie
Let’s start by breaking down how to make this coconut milk pumpkin pie recipe step-by-step! This dairy-free pumpkin pie is made completely from scratch, but don’t let that intimidate you! It’s super easy and is ready to toss into the oven in no time!
Make the Dairy-Free Pie Crust
When baking any pie recipe with homemade pie crust, it’s important to start by making the pie crust first, because it needs to chill. See this comprehensive post on making the best homemade pie crust – just use dairy-free ingredients.
Use cold ingredients. Prepare ice water by measuring out cold water and tossing an ice cube (or two) in it. Chop up the vegan butter and put it in the freezer while you measure out the rest of the ingredients. Using cold ingredients results in a flaky crust.
Begin by processing the dry ingredients together in the container of a food processor fitted with the “S” blade. Alternatively, you can make the crust by hand in a large bowl.
Then, add the cold vegan butter and ice water and process until the mixture just begins to clump together.
If making by hand, use a fork, pastry cutter or your hands to cut the butter into the dough. Then, add the water and mix until it forms a ball.
Once the crust ingredients form a ball in the food processor, remove the dough and shape it into a relatively thin, flat circle.
Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour, or overnight. If chilling overnight I recommend putting it in another airtight container like a plastic bag or storage contianer.
Roll the pie crust
After the crust has chilled for at least one hour, pull it out and put it on a well-floured surface. Here are a few tips to make rolling easier:
Use a heavy rolling pin to roll out the crust! I have had this marble rolling pin for 11 years and couldn’t live without it. It applies the perfect amount of pressure to the chilled crust to make it roll easily.
Measure the crust with the pie plate. As you see in the photo below, after I roll the crust out I like to be certain it will fit in my pie plate. So I recommend holding the pie plate over the crust circle just to be sure that it will fit. There needs to be a little extra dough overhang so that you can make a nice crust edge.
Pinch the edges. Start by folding the crust and making a nice edge around the pie dish. Then, use your thumb and pointer finger to pinch the edges of the crust and make a nice design.
Chill again (if the filling isn’t made). Next, it’s time to make the dairy-free pumpkin pie filling, and while that is happening wrap the crust in plastic wrap and return it to the refrigerator. If you already have the filling made before the crust is rolled, then you do not need to chill the crust again.
Make the Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pie Filling
This part is very easy. The filling is made in just one bowl with a whisk! There really aren’t any specific tips I can give you to make this process go more smoothly, except that you should definitely mix the wet ingredients together first, and then add the dry!
I do recommend using a wire whisk to make this dairy-free pumpkin pie filling to ensure that there are no lumps of brown sugar or spices left in the batter!
Bake
Once the filling is made, remove the crust from the refrigerator, pour it in and bake. I highly recommend using a pie crust shield, or a piece of tin foil that you cut to fit the edges of the pie. Otherwise the crust on the edges will almost definitely burn before the filling is cooked!
Cool
This coconut milk pumpkin pie needs to cool for at least two hours (preferably longer). If you like to serve your pumpkin pie cold, then after an hour or so, transfer the pie on a wire cooling rack to the refrigerator.
Serve
I recommend serving this dairy-free pumpkin pie with some dairy-free whipped cream, whipped topping, or vanilla ice cream. I added a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice on top and a little pie crust cutout for fun!
Store
Store any leftover pie in an airtight container int he refrigerator for 5-7 days.
Freeze
This pie freezes really well! There are 2 ways to freeze this recipe:
Freeze the entire pie. bake and chill the pie, then wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and foil and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before cutting and serving.
Freeze individual slices. If you have a few leftover slices you want to freeze, place them on a baking sheet and put them in the freezer to flash-freeze them. Then, once they’re frozen, wrap them in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for about 6 hours.
Dairy Free Pumpkin Pie Recipe FAQs
Some people may be concerned that the coconut milk willย cause this dairy-free pumpkin pie to taste likeย coconut…but that is not the case! Most recently, I served this pie to 8 adults and 4 kids and no one suspected a thing.
Even my husband, who has a serious super-taster gene for coconut (I amย not joking it’s insane) couldn’t taste a hint of coconut flavor! There are a few ways you can adapt this pie…
I recommend serving this dairy-free pumpkin pie with some dairy-free whipped cream, whipped topping, or vanilla ice cream. I added a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice on top and a little pie crust cutout for fun!
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Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
Filling
- 3 large eggs
- 15 ounces pumpkin puree (or 2 cups fresh pumpkin puree)
- 1 cup full fat coconut milk*
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ยพ cup light brown sugar
- ยฝ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 ยฝ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
Pie Crust
- 1 ยผ cups all-purpose flour
- ยฝ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- ยฝ cup vegan butter sticks chilled, and cut into 1 inch pieces**
- ยผ cup ice cold water
Instructions
Make the Crust
- Place the flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor fitted with an โSโ blade and pulse to combine.
- Add the vegan butter and cold water and process until the mixture resembles a coarse meal, begins to stick together, and holds together when pinched.ย
- Remove dough from the food processor (will be crumbly) and form into a round disc.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 60 minutes or overnight
Make the Filling
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs.ย
- Whisk in the pumpkin, coconut milk and vanilla extract until combined.
- Add sugar, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice and mix until completely combined.
Assemble
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
- Lightly grease a pie plate and set aside.
- Roll out your pie dough on a well-floured surface (or pastry cloth) to fit the size of your pie plate.
- Carefully transfer the dough to the pie plate and shape the crust how you want it to look.
- Pour the filling into the unbaked pie crust and cover the crust with a pastry shield.
- Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees F.ย
- Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F and continue to bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a knife inserted comes out clean.ย It may be a bit wobbly still, but it willย firm-up as it cools.
- Allow the pie to coolย on a wire rack for 2 hours (Be patient! This is important).ย Serve or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Video
Notes
- Coconut milk:ย You can substitute coconut milk withย dairy-free creamer (unsweetened). I do not recommend using almond milk because it is much thinner and less rich than coconut milk.
- Vegan butter:ย If you don’t have access to vegan butter, substitute it with vegetable shortening.
- All-purpose flour:ย for a gluten-free pie crust, substitute an all-purpose gluten-free flour for the regular all-purpose flour!
- Pumpkin Pie Spice.ย Use store bought or make your own!
- 1 ยฝ tsp cinnamon
- ยฝ tsp nutmeg
- ยฝ tsp cloves
- ยฝ tsp allspice
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Just tried this recipe and very happy with how it turned out! I plan on also making it when I go home for Christmas -thank you!
Thank you, Addy!
I have made this pie three years in a row. My daughter-in-law is allergic to dairy protein. You absolutely cannot tell that it has coconut milk in it.
I stopped making pumpkin pie with evaporated milk because this one is so good thereโs no need to make any other.
It is perfectly spiced and I love it!
I just had a slice for breakfast!๐
It means so much to me to know that this pie has been part of your holiday celebration for three years!!! What an honor! I’m so happy you love it!
I made two pies for Thanksgiving following this recipe. Honestly, I was really sad this year about all the dairy food I wouldn’t be able to have since my baby has a cow’s milk protein intolerance, so I wasn’t expecting much from these. They turned out fantastic. My food processor met an unfortunate end, so I just did the crust by hand. This was my first time making pie crust. My husband who is a brutally honest pie snob said that the pie was excellent, and even ate the crust which he usually tosses. I will definitely be keeping this recipe even after we are able to have dairy again!
I’m so glad you were able to enjoy pumpkin pie with your dietary changes, Nicole!!
This is an excellent vegan/non-dairy pumpkin pie recipe! My family loved it! Saving for next time!
Thank you, Paula!
I’m fairly new to a dairy free life. I was a little nervous about making this, but I was so needing some pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. This was almost better than the”normal” pumpkin pie! I accidently put in a little too much pumpkin so it was a little mushy, but still delicious! The crust was amazingly flaky and tasty. I used country crock avocado butter. Thank you for helping us out like this!
Thank you so much Becky! I’m so glad you were still able to enjoy pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving!