This is a vegan version of the classic America’s thanksgiving dessert. Filled with sweet pumpkin and warming spice, and maple coated pecans on top.
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan.
Peel and cube the pumpkin and place on a baking tray. Roast for 40 mins or until soft enough to squash with the back of a fork. Take out of the oven and set aside to completely cool. Keep the oven on.
While the pumpkin is roasting, on a lightly floured work surface, roll out the pastry to the thickness of a £1 coin (4mm). Drape it over your rolling pin and lift into a 25cm fluted tart tin. Push the pastry into the corners of the tin, without stretching the pastry, trim the excess pastry, but leaving about 1cm hanging over the edge of the tin. Chill in the fridge for 20 mins.
Now blind bake the pastry by lining the tart case with a sheet of baking paper then fill with baking beans. Bake for 15 mins or until the sides look golden, then remove the parchment and beans. continue baking for another 5-10 mins or until the base looks biscuity and dry. Remove from the oven. Keep the oven on.
Mash the roasted pumpkin and allow to drain off the excess water in a sieve.
Now prep the filling – Put the drained pumpkin mash into a high powered food processor or soup maker with the maple syrup, sugar, cinnamon, mixed spice, the grated nutmeg, cornflour, coconut milk and milk and blitz until smooth.
If you want smooth texture to the pie filling, pass the mixture through a sieve.
Now prep the pecan topping – Put the pecans in a bowl and sprinkle 2 teaspoons of cornflour over them and mix well. Now drizzle a tablespoon of Maple syrup and mix until all the pecans are coated.
Now Assemble the pie ready to cook. – Fill the tart case with the pumpkin filling and smooth the top. Now place the pecans gently on top starting on the outside and round and then moving into the centre.
Loosely cover the tart with cooking foil ( to stop it burning) and place it back in the oven. Bake for 45 mins or until the filling is set.
Remove from the oven and Cool for 25-35 mins. Dust with icing sugar and serve warm, or chill in the fridge for a few hours and serve within two days.
main ingredients 
peel and deseed the pumpkin 
put on a baking tray and roast for 30mins 
roll out the pastry and chill 
fill with baking beans and bake 
remove the beans and bake for another 10 mins 
remove and let cool 
roasted pumpkin allowed to cool 
mash the pumpkin 
allow to drain 
remove the excess liquid 
spices 
add spices, sugar, cornflour and coconut milk 
blend together 
blend the pumpkin and spices 
coat the pecans in cornflower 
dress in maple syrup 
pour in the pumpkin mix into the case and smooth 
carefully place the pecans 
loosely cover with cooking foil and bake for 45 mins 
allow to cool 
can be served warm or chilled 
Pumpkin Pie with pecan top
Pumpkin pie with a pecan topping
Equipment
- blender
Ingredients
- 1200 g peeled and cored pumpkin – I just did a whole pumpkin and had some left over
- 300 g short crust pastry – a packet of vegan ready made
- 120 ml Maple syrup
- 250 ml coconut milk half a tin, just the solid part
- 4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp grated nutmeg
- 2 tsp mixed spice
- 200 g soft brown sugar
- 100 g pecans
- 4 tbsp cornflour
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Method
- Heat oven to 180C/160C fan.
- Peel and cube the pumpkin and place on a baking tray. Roast for 40 mins or until soft enough to squash with the back of a fork. Take out of the oven and set aside to completely cool. Keep the oven on.
- While the pumpkin is roasting, on a lightly floured work surface, roll out the pastry to the thickness of a £1 coin (4mm). Drape it over your rolling pin and lift into a 25cm fluted tart tin. Push the pastry into the corners of the tin, trim the excess pastry, but leaving about 1cm hanging over the edge of the tin. Chill in the fridge for 20 mins.
- Now blind bake the pastry by lining the tart case with a sheet of baking paper then fill with baking beans. Bake for 15 mins or until the sides look golden, then remove the parchment and beans. continue baking for another 5-10 mins or until the base looks biscuity and dry. Remove from the oven. Keep the oven on.
- Mash the roasted pumpkin and then drain off the excess water by leaving it in a sieve over a bowl.
- Put the drain pumpkin mash into a high powered food processor with the maple syrup, sugar, cinnamon, mixed spice, the grated nutmeg, cornflour, coconut milk and milk, salt and blitz until smooth.
- If you want very smooth texture to the pie filling, pass the mixture through a sieve.
- now prep the pecan topping – Put the pecans in a bowl and sprinkle 2 teaspoons of cornflour over and mix well. now drizzle a tablespoon of Maple syrup and mix until all the pecans are coated.
- Fill the tart case with the pumpkin filling and smooth the top. Now place the pecans gently on top starting on the outside and round and then moving into the centre.
- loosely cover with cooking foil
- Now place the tart back in the oven. Bake for 45 mins.
- Cool for 25-35 mins. Dust with icing sugar and serve warm, or chill for a few hours and then serve. Keeps up to two days in the fridge
Nutrition
(All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more).