Recipe from Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero
Adapted by Tara Parker-Pope
- Total Time
- 1 hour 15 minutes, plus chilling
- Rating
- 4(465)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This is your grandma’s puddin’ pie, only it’s vegan — a smooth, cool and creamy pudding in a classic graham cracker shell. To make life even easier, you can use a store-bought crust. For added grandma love, serve with vegan whipped cream and shaved chocolate. (This recipe is an adaptation of one found in “Vegan Pie in the Sky: 75 Out-of-This-World Recipes for Pies, Tarts, Cobblers and More” by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero.) —Tara Parker-Pope
Featured in: Can You Bake a Vegan Pie?
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Ingredients
Yield:One 9-inch pie
- 1¾cups finely ground graham crackers (made from 10 ounces of whole graham crackers)
- 3tablespoons sugar
- 4tablespoons melted nonhydrogenated margarine, melted coconut oil or canola oil
- 1tablespoon plain soy milk or almond milk
- 3cups almond milk
- ¼cup cornstarch
- ⅓cup sugar
- 3tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- Big pinch of salt
- ¼cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the Crust
For the Filling
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Preparation
Step
1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly spray a 9-inch pie plate with nonstick cooking spray.
Step
2
In a mixing bowl, combine the graham crumbs and sugar. Drizzle in the oil or melted margarine. Use a spoon to blend the mixture thoroughly to moisten the crumbs, then drizzle in the soy milk and stir again to form a crumbly dough.
Step
3
Pour the crumbs into the pie plate. Press crumbs into the sides of the plate first, then work your way down to the bottom. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until firm. Let the crust cool before filling.
Step
4
In a small (2-quart) saucepan off the heat, combine 1 cup of the almond milk and the cornstarch. Use a fork to whisk until the cornstarch is good and dissolved. Whisk in the remaining almond milk, the sugar, cocoa powder and salt. It’s O.K. if the cocoa is a bit clumpy at first; it will dissolve eventually.
Step
5
Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking occasionally. Keep a close eye because once boiling, you want to lower the heat and bring it to a slow rolling boil. Whisk consistently until the mixture is thickened, which should be about 7 minutes.
Step
6
Add the chocolate chips and mix to melt. Stir in the vanilla extract. Pour the pudding into the prepared pie shell and let cool for about 15 minutes on the counter, just until it stops steaming like mad. To keep a skin from forming, place a circle of parchment paper over the filling. Refrigerate and let set for at least 3 hours.
Ratings
4
out of 5
465
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Cooking Notes
JT
3T of cocoa and 1/4 cup of semisweet chips? I'm not a fan of decadently chocolatey deserts, but I had to double the amount of both--and add more sugar--for the pudding to register as chocolate.
John Gordon
The picture shows a deep, dark chocolate pie -- a far cry from what I got following the recipe. Definitely more chocolate next time.
WhyS
I don't consider this to be "This is your grandma’s puddin’ pie"....by any stretch of the imagination. Properly calling it Vegan Chocolate Pie would be less of a let down. Try doubling down on the chips, add tiny dash of cinnamon to enrich the taste, and lastly a dash of rum wouldn't hurt...for the cook, at least.
blisssu
Some are made with milk; some are not. You must read the label on the package or bulk bin to know for sure. Dark, bittersweet, or semi-sweet chips are often, but not always, vegan. The label will tell, but be aware that other milk products, such as whey, may be listed. Milk chocolate chips are never vegan, and It's rare to find vegan white chocolate, butterscotch, or peanut butter chips, but there are recipes to make vegan versions at home.
angelika
Very chocolate-y and delicious if you double the amount of cocoa and choc. chips. Made cool whip-like topping by beating chickpea cooking water with cream of tartar and powdered sugar.
SophieM
Fantastic - met my cravings for creamy chocolate pudding without dairy, or complex recipe! I didn’t have enough almond milk so subbed coconut milk. Not great for the saturated fat content but delicious! More than enough sugar for me, but I did double the choc chips for flavor. Trader Joe’s chocolate chips are dairy and soy free, happily.
peggy
Seems odd to bake and cool the crust twice before filling
CW
I think I prefer a non-vegan version that is made more custardy with egg yolk rather than this gelatinous pudding. That being said, this was a good recipe to use up a lot of almond milk- with the adjustments as recommended to increase the chocolate or sub Dutch cocoa. I wouldn't make it without the crust or some other topping.
Jo L.
Definitely more chocolate needed! Also, I found that 10 oz of crust material was too much (used a combination of graham crackers and Nilla wafers, because I needed to use them up). I cooled the pudding in the pan, rather than in the shell. And last, I lined the bottom of the cooled shell with caramel left over from thumbprints with salted caramel (from Sunset Magazine; https://www.sunset.com/recipe/chocolate-thumbprints-caramel-sea-salt, no paywall), then added the cooled pudding.
HW
I used oat milk and it is rich and delicious.
Teragram
I've made this pie thrice now, and it is SO good. But - some experiential advice: double the sugar, double the cocoa powder, double the chocolate chips, and add a dash of cinnamon. Used a pre-made vegan graham cracker crust and store bought coconut whipped topping each time. My son - who is 12, picky, and not vegan like myself - loves it. It's easy and delightful this way.
Natasha
This recipe doesn’t actually say how long to bake it for. Advice, anyone?
Dale
Get that strawberry off the top of this beautiful pie!!! I’m in the chocolate and fruit never got together camp :). Other than whipped cream, the only thing chocolate needs is more chocolate.
Sinyee
I used two bags of graham crackers to make the crust which turned out to be wayyy more than needed. Therefore proportions were off and so crust was more of a crumble.. Still delicious thoughI also strained the pudding to get rid of clumps which there definitely was given the chocolate chips.
less butter
Use cashew milk
Stephen
Just want to point out that this recipe is not vegan if made with most store-bought graham crackers, which typically include honey. If that is important to you, be sure to check the ingredients of the graham crackers.
angelika
Very chocolate-y and delicious if you double the amount of cocoa and choc. chips. Made cool whip-like topping by beating chickpea cooking water with cream of tartar and powdered sugar.
Gretchen
Thoughts on use of oat milk as an alternative to almond or soy?
Rebecca P.
I made this with Trader Joe’s brownie thins in the crust instead of graham crackers. It made the dessert gluten-free as well as vegan... and gave the chocolate another bump (on top of doubling the cocoa and the chocolate chips as other readers suggest). Combined with vanilla cashew cream, this was a super impressive vegan dessert!
LO
The texture ended up kinda rubbery, not very appetizing. Will not be making again.
Amy
Did you ever try soft tofu and melted chocolate chips? Vegan, no cook and so easy...I wonder about the difference in taste...might have to do a taste off!
Robert
I never made this pie but I agree with those guys below who would double or triple or quadruple, ad infinitum, the chocolate
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