Vegan Pecan Pie
A delicious pecan pie that happens to be vegan - egg-free and dairy-free!
Servings: 8
Ingredients
Crust
- ½ cup whole wheat pastry flour
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup Earth Balance Original Buttery Spread (although I used sticks here)
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ cup cold water
Filling
- 10 saltine crackers
- ½ cup + 1 tablespoon water
- 2 ½ tablespoons Earth Balance Original Buttery Spread (although I used sticks here)
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
- ¼ cup agave syrup, honey, or corn syrup (I used 3 tablespoons agave, and 1 tablespoon honey)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 ½ tablespoons applesauce
- 3 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 ½ cups pecan halves
Instructions
Crust
- To make the crust, combine flours, butter, salt, and baking powder in a food processor and pulse 7 times or more, until the butter disappears into the flour and makes crumbs. Add water and process on high until a dough forms.
- Sprinkle a surface with flour and roll out dough until it is about an inch wider in circumference than your pie pan. Lay gently in pie pan and shape. Tuck the overhanging edges of dough underneath themselves and crimp with your fingers to form a fluted edge. Prick dough with a fork and bake at 325F for 5 minutes.
Filling
- Crumble the saltine crackers and soak in water. Stir to combine after a few minutes to make sure everything is soaked well.
- Combine all ingredients except for pecan halves in the food processor. (I was lazy and didn't wash mine before this; a little flour from the crust didn't hurt anything!) Process until everything well combined, about a minute. It's okay if there's little specks of butter along the top.
- Pour mixture into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. The little butter specks will melt and the filling will become smooth. Pour into the pie shell and top with pecans (or mix the pecans in if you prefer).
- Bake at 325F for 55 minutes. Cover the crust if it begins to get too brown before the pie is done. (Mine did not get too brown.) Let cool for at least 3 hours before serving. Pie will be fine left on the counter for a few days.
Notes
Using vegan butter sticks, instead of spread, will reduce the sheen on the top, making the pie look more like a traditional pecan pie. This is an aesthetic consideration only.
Adapted from My Vegan Cookbook
