Vegan Chocolate Pumpkin Pie
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
What’s not to absolutely adore about the warming spices of pumpkin pie combined with creamy chocolate and a toasted oatmeal crust! This vegan chocolate pumpkin pie will become a new holiday favorite, and not just for the vegan, gluten-free, and non-dairy members of your crew.
Pumpkin pie has a serious stronghold on the dessert selection on many fall and winter menus. And to that we say, move on over classic pumpkin and hello vegan chocolate pumpkin pie!
This is an easy and delicious way to depart – just a little – from the traditional. The good news is, you keep all the wonderful things about pumpkin pie and just add more goodness – like chocolate and a toasted oatmeal crust! Win-win!
- Chocolate and pumpkin is a downright delicious flavor combo. We’re talkin’ akin to apples and cinnamon or peanut butter and honey kind of delicious. If you haven’t tried chocolate and pumpkin yet, this is going to knock your sock off.
- Everyone around your table can enjoy this dessert. No one will be left out of the dessert selection this year when you have vegan chocolate pumpkin pie available. Your vegan, dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free, and vegetarian family and friends will sing your praises all the way home!
- There’s a secret ingredient in this vegan chocolate pumpkin pie. Any guesses?
Ingredients needed
To make the vegan chocolate pumpkin pie filling you will need a handful of ingredients, one of which will likely surprise you!
Vegan chocolate pumpkin pie filling:
- Canned pumpkin: This is pumpkin puree that you can find in the baking isle, if not year-round then usually during fall and winter months. You’re looking for a product that has just the one ingredient: pumpkin. If you can only find “pie filling” or “pumpkin pie mix” that have other ingredients besides pumpkin, this is not what you’re looking for.
- Silken tofu: You read that right! Silken tofu is added to the pie filling to provide a silky, creamy texture.
- Coconut sugar: You only need ¼ cup of coconut sugar for this dessert recipe. If you don’t have coconut sugar, you can substitute brown sugar.
- Spices: For this pie recipe you will need a combination of soul-warming spices that make up the classic taste of pumpkin pie. This includes cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, allspice, and sea salt. You can also use pumpkin pie spice.
- Vegan chocolate chips: You will melt the chocolate chips to be combine into the pie filling for that decadent chocolate flavor.
Why use tofu in dessert?
Don’t back out now! Perhaps you’ve never used tofu in a dessert before, but there’s a good reason why it’s included in this vegan chocolate pumpkin pie recipe!
Silken tofu is sometimes referred to as soft tofu and has a crumbly texture. It’s perfect for blending into dessert because it lends itself to a perfectly smooth, creamy texture. The pie filling, therefore, is still comparable to classic pumpkin pie. This is one way to remove eggs from the recipe and still achieve that desired velvet texture. It’s the same trick we use to make out vegan pots de creme!
The added bonus of using silken tofu (besides being vegan-friendly) is that this pie recipe has lots of protein in it!
Recipe FAQs
Can I use firm tofu instead of silken tofu?
Firm tofu will change the creamy texture of the pie and add a detectable flavor to it. If you can’t find silken tofu you can use medium tofu in a pinch, but avoid using firm tofu.
I’m allergic to soy, what can I use instead of the soy-based tofu?
To get that creamy texture, you can try substituting hemp tofu for the soy-based tofu. Please note that this recipe was only tested using soy tofu, so results may vary.
I can’t find canned pumpkin puree. What can I use instead?
If you can’t find pumpkin puree, then boiled and mashed yams or butternut squash would be a great alternative.
Is canned pumpkin the same as pumpkin pie filling?
Canned pumpkin is pureed pumpkin in a can. It only has one ingredient, and that should be pumpkin. Sometimes the can is labeled “pumpkin pie filling” or “pumpkin pie mix” in which case you should check the ingredients. For this vegan chocolate pumpkin pie, you want just the pureed pumpkin.
Do you serve vegan chocolate pumpkin pie warm or at room temperature?
If serving from the oven, let the pie cool for 1 hour before serving. It will still be warm and delightful. If you have made the pie in advance you can warm it up slightly before serving. This is not a pie to serve hot.
How should I store leftover pie?
Once the pie has completely cooled, you can wrap it in tin foil and store it in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Vegan Chocolate Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Ingredients
The Toasted Oatmeal Crust
- 1 ⅓ cups rolled oats
- ⅔ cup pecans
- ¼ cup coconut sugar (can sub brown sugar)
- ⅓ cup coconut oil (melted)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
The Chocolate Pumpkin Filling
- 15 ounce canned pumpkin
- 1 ½ cups silken tofu
- ¼ cup coconut sugar (can sub brown sugar)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup vegan chocolate chips (melted)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place the oats and the pecans on a baking sheet and toast them for 10 minutes, mixing halfway. Remove them from the oven and let them cool.1 ⅓ cups rolled oats, ⅔ cup pecans
- While the oats and nuts are cooling, prepare the pie filling. Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend on high until smooth.¼ cup coconut sugar, 15 ounce canned pumpkin, 1 ½ cups silken tofu, ¼ cup coconut sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, ¼ teaspoon allspice, ¼ teaspoon sea salt, ½ cup vegan chocolate chips
- Once the oats and nuts have cooled slightly put them into your food processor and pulse a few times till they are coarsely ground. If you don't have a food processor, you can chop the oats and nuts by hand. Pour the ground oats and pecans into a large bowl, add the remaining crust ingredients, and mix well.¼ cup coconut sugar, ⅓ cup coconut oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla, ½ teaspoon sea salt
- Transfer the crust ingredients into a 9-inch pie pan and press them firmly into the pan. Pour the chocolate vegan pumpkin filling into the pan and smooth out the top. Bake in the oven for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Let the pie cool for at least an hour before serving it. It will set as it cools.
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
any way to substitute cacao powder for the chocolate chips?
I would think that you may be able to make a paste out of cocoa powder by mixing it with some milk (almond, coconut, etc) until it is the consistency of melted chocolate. I haven’t tried this though so I can’t say 100% if it will work.
I would never have imagined that tofu could be used in a chocolate dessert. Thanks for the recipe ! I will give it a try.
It’s incredible how versatile tofu can be. I’ve actually used silken tofu in a few chocolatey desserts before and it blends in so well that you’d never know it was in there. 🙂
This looks wonderful. Is it possible to tell me the weight of the pumpkin and tofu instead of how many “cups” or “cans” …. ?? It’s really a mess moving silken tofu around and I’d prefer to just buy a package in the closest weight. In Europe cups are not used – grams are used for most dry ingredients and ml for liquid. Also we don’t have canned pumpkin here – we have to cook it from fresh so knowing the weight of the pumpkin flesh would be a real bonus …. I have no idea how much a “can” is ? Does your can have a weight on it in grams by chance ?
Thank you !
Hi Gen,
The cans of pumpkin I buy are 15 ounces, which is 425 grams. I’m going to put that in the recipe, as even cans can vary. Such a shame it’s not available in a can for you. It’s one of the few canned goods that really is just as good as making it yourself.
As far as the silken tofu goes, 1 1/2 cups should weigh 12 ounces or 340 grams. The brand I buy comes in a funny tube and I have to cut off the end a squeeze it out. You’re right about it being a mess to work with. 🙂
Hope that helps!
What a gorgeous pie!!! I’ve never had a chocolate pumpkin pie. Such a good idea!
Thanks, Melanie! 🙂
Hello! Bit of a controversial question but could I leave out the chocolate without adjusting any of the other ingredients? I really love the idea of using tofu in the filling and oats in the crust! <3
Hi Helena,
My guess is that you could, but I haven’t tried it myself so I can’t say 100% The tofu is what helps the filling set so I think it would work just fine without the chocolate. Hope that helps!
This is just gorgeous. I’ve never used tofu in a sweet dish!
Thanks, Becky! It’s amazing how well silken tofu incorporates into sweets. It has almost no flavour on it’s own so it’s super versatile.
What an amazing looking pie, my mouth is watering!! Wish I had a slice right now!!
Thanks, Tara!
It looks absolutely delicious and I really want to try it, but I have no idea how to get hold of a can of pumpkin. I live in the UK and have never seen it in the shops. I suppose I could just use a butternut squash and boil it until soft, but not sure how much I would need in relation to the other measurements (if it would work at all, that it.)
Any tips?
Hi Markus,
In the shops here I always seem to find it around the baking stuff this time of year. You might want to begin by looking there cause until a couple years ago I had never seen it either.
If you can’t find it there then boiled and mashed yams or butternut squash would be a great alternative. The cans of pumpkin here are 15 ounces, so just shy of 2 cups.
Hope that helps!
Thanks, I’ll have a go at it VERY soon.
Hi Kristen – this looks amazing! I’m really excited to try it out 🙂 I’ve recently fallen in love with tofu and have been looking at all the different ways to incorporate into cooking. Can’t wait to try!
It’s so great, isn’t it?! I love how versatile it is. Hope you love the pie as much as I do!!
How did you know that not 2 days ago I had a block of tofu in my hand and thought “Chocolate pie?”. Since being pregnant I’ve rediscovered a love for tofu, mostly in Thai food 😉 But pie form is totally acceptable!
That”s crazy! Great minds think alike. 🙂
Pretty awesome that you’ve been craving such good food during your pregnancy. Tofu is so great for you!
This pie looks amazing! Great flavors! Love that it is vegan! Pinned!
Thanks for the pin!!
Ooooh this looks incredible! I love that it’s made from tofu, you’d never tell from looking at it 🙂
You’d never tell by eating it either. It really was delicious! 🙂
Tofu was definitely a surprise ingredient, but the pie looks delicious.
It sounds strange, but I promise it’s delicious!
Oh my goodness, what a gorgeous pie!! I’ve never seen chocolate pumpkin pie before, but it looks so dreamy and perfect.
It really was dreamy. So silky and chocolaty. 🙂
Hi Kristen what a lovely recipe and beautiful photos . I really want to try this as soon as I get time.
Thank you so much, Tania!!
Oh my goodness that looks divine!!! I can’t wait to try it.
Thanks, Gina!