Believe it or not, Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and I’m already hard at work testing pies and casseroles and all sorts of pumpkin-related things.
I wanted to make sure you were prepared for the holiday with the best dairy free Thanksgiving recipes because I don’t want you to miss out on your favorite dishes just because they have dairy in them.
More dairy free pumpkin recipes: dairy free pumpkin cookies / roasted garlic pumpkin hummus /pumpkin chive scalloped potatoes / rosemary pumpkin dinner rolls
What is a dairy free substitute for evaporated milk?
Pumpkin pie has been a tricky one for me. Traditional recipes call for evaporated or sweetened, condensed milk, which tend to be hard to substitute with making your own condensed almond milk.
But, as you know, I like to keep things as simple as possible, and this was just not a step I was willing to add to my pumpkin pie recipe.
I decided to make my pumpkin pie with coconut milk in place of evaporated milk.. The full-fat, canned kind. It’s a little thinner, than evaporated milk, but since the base is a custard, I knew it would set just fine in the oven.
I did change the ratio of liquid-sugar-eggs just a little to make sure we didn’t end up with a soft, gooey mess when it came out of the oven. See also: are eggs dairy?
Here’s what you’ll need to make dairy free pumpkin pie
- Pie plate *affiliate link
- Rolling pin
- Hand mixer *affiliate link
- Mixing bowl *affiliate link
- Pie weights *affiliate link (optional, for blind baking)
Do I need to pre-bake the crust for pumpkin pie?
I should start by saying that I am a fan of store-bought crust. I don’t think it’s worth the energy to make your own, especially since dairy free cooking can be so complicated and time-consuming.
If you have a favorite pie crust recipe, than definitely use it. To give myself a little more crust to work with for the edge, I always roll mine out just a little.
You don’t need to blind bake your crust for this recipe, but it wouldn’t hurt. The process of blind baking just allows the crust to crisp up a little more, so you don’t end up with a soggy crust.
If you have the time, I would recommend it because Thanksgiving pies tend to get made in advance, and the added moisture of covering and storing the fridge can further affect the crust.
How to blind bake a crust for pumpkin pie
Preheat your oven to 375˚F. Place your crust into the pan and place a piece of parchment on top. Gently fill it with dried beans, rice or pie weights *affiliate link to keep the crust from bubbling up in the center.
Bake for 15 minutes. Then, let your crust full cool before adding your pumpkin pie filling and baking as the recipe instructs.
How to make dairy free pumpkin pie
Prepare your crust (see instructions above).
Mix your filling together in a large mixing bowl *affiliate link using an electric mixer *affiliate link until smooth. I recommend using a hand mixer *affiliate link for this, but you can use a stand mixer *affiliate link or whisk by hand.
Bake your pie. Pour the filling into your prepared crust and pop it into the oven for about 15 minutes at 425˚F, and then reduce the heat to 350˚F for the next 45 minutes.
Remove from oven and let your pie cool completely. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Tips for making the best dairy free pumpkin pie
- Choose the right coconut milk. I recommend using a full-fat, canned coconut milk that contains about 60% coconut. If your coconut milk contains too much water, you will end up with a soggy, mushy pie.
- If you have a pie crust shield, use it when baking your pie to prevent the crust from getting too brown.
- Check doneness by inserting a toothpick into the very center of the pie. If it comes out clean, it’s ready.
- Serve your pie with dairy free whipped cream or your favorite dairy free vanilla ice cream.
10 EASY DAIRY FREE SUBSTITUTIONS
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More dairy free Thanksgiving recipes: dairy free green bean casserole / homemade stuffing / vegan scalloped potatoes
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Dairy Free Pumpkin Pie
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 store bought pie crust
- 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup canned coconut milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425˚F. Roll your crust to fit your pie plate *affiliate link and trim or flute edges.
- Blind bake with pie weights *affiliate link for 15 minutes. Remove and allow crust to cool completely before filling.
- In a large bowl, mix remaining ingredients with an electric mixer *affiliate link until smooth. Pour into cooled pie crust and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350˚F and continue baking for 40 – 45 minutes, or until filling has set.
- Remove from oven and allow pie to cool completely. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Last Updated on November 22, 2020 by Melissa Belanger
Hi! I’m going to try this for our family in a few days. Is unsweetened coconut milk what I should use? Thanks!
Yes, but I you need to use the canned, full-fat kind, not the stuff you buy in the refrigerated section.
Does the pie taste like a pumpkin pie or more coconut pumpkin? wanted to try almond milk but seems like it will be too off in ratio.
I personally think it tastes like pumpkin pie, but we are probably a little more used to the taste of coconut, so if you aren’t normally dairy free, there might be a small hint of coconut for you. I wouldn’t try almond milk though because it won’t have the right fat-water content.
So glad your recipe came up when I searched for a dairy free pumpkin pie. My mother in law made this for my daughter for Thanksgiving. She ate the whole pie within three days, it is a GREAT recipe! Thank you so much for sharing and making my (dairy free) daughter so happy not to miss out on Pumpkin pie!
Whenever I get canned coconut milk there is always a semi-solid part and then a part that is more liquidy. Should I use the solid part or mix it all up together? Thanks!
You should try to mix it all together, but if you don’t, I would opt for the thicker semi-solid part. You definitely don’t want the liquidy part, which is actually coconut water that has separated from the coconut milk.
It DEFINITELY tastes like coconut, even if you only use half the can of coconut milk and double your spices.
Mine has been baking for about an hour and it’s still runny~ what did I do wrong?
Did you make changes to the recipe at all?
Great recipe! Do you think I can use sweetened condensed coconut milk instead of regular canned coconut milk? Thank you so much!
You definitely could, but your pie will be sweeter than if you used regular coconut milk.
Melissa, thank you so much for this recipe! Since discovering my dairy allergy, I thought my pumpkin pie eating days were forever in my past – until now! This is the best pumpkin pie I have ever had, dairy or no dairy. I made two in a matter of four days, and there are only two of us in the house. Then over the next six days we also made your dairy free green bean casserole and your dairy free hamburger stroganoff. So good, and again, even better than the originals with dairy! My husband and I thank you, thank you, thank you for all the effort you put into perfecting your recipes and sharing them with us. We will definitely be trying more!
★★★★★
I made this as pumpkin pudding in custard cups. The grandchildren loved it.
I used a half-cup of sugar and it was still plenty sweet.
★★★★★
Ionly need dairy free for one, could I cut in half and use a 4 in pan, suggestion on baking time???
That’s a good question! I don’t have 4 inch pans to test it in, but I would guess about 30 minutes, give or take a bit? I would also recommend trying it out ahead of time so you aren’t let without pie for the dairy free guest. If you try it, I would love to know how they turn out!
Has anyone tried this with Trader Joe’s Coconut Cream? It’s very thick … maybe too thick?
I think it would be ok! It’s better to use something thicker than something thinner! If you try it, I would love to know how it turns out.
I have-& It’s very good!!
★★★★★
I’m very excited to make this pie! My daughter recently become dairy/ Lactose intolerant and she has been so disappointed.
I like to use fresh pumpkin, what would the exchange be for canned pumpkin?.
Yes. Just make sure you really get the excess water out of it or the pie will be soggy!
Is it better to use canned coconut MILK or canned coconut CREAM? Excited to make this for Thanksgiving, thanks for the recipe!
You could honestly use either as long as they are mixed together well and not separated.
Can i make this a few days before serving? Will the crust be soggy even if I bake the crust blond before filling it ?
You can make it a day or two in advance, but the crust might lose its crispness a bit.
When mixing up the solid and liquid parts of the canned coconut milk, did you do it with a mixer or a spoon. And are you suggesting we try to mix it together first before mixing with other ingredients? Or just use the solid parts only from the start. It seems the amount would be variable and may not work out. Thanks
I just shake the can really well before opening it, and if it’s still separated, I will whisk it until smooth.
It’s baking now, and my crust is burning, yikes! I made a makeshift foil ring to cover the crust but I’m afraid I checked on it too late. I also see lots of “glossy dots” in the pie, and I’m wondering if it is because I did grab some of the liquid from the coconut milk can.
Is this a regular or deep dish pie?
I have made this twice. Just confused because the printed copy of the recipe contains different instructions for prebaking the crust than the body of the recipe write up includes. Should give us one or the other, not two ways to do it The pie is beyond delicious.
This recipe was excellent. I actually substituted the brown sugar with Splenda brown sugar. To me it tasted like traditional pumpkin pie. I will definitely be making this again. Thank you!!!
★★★★★
Why are the instructions for blind baking the crust different up above than in the recipe itself?
Would like to make this, but wondering if it could be frozen? Have you ever tried?
My daughter is dairy free and I needed a quick recipe for Thanksgiving. It was perfect. I used a stand mixer on low just for a few seconds to make sure it wasn’t too runny. I also added Hershey’s chocolate syrup for deeper flavor. It set perfectly in the oven for suggested time. Thank you for the awesome recipe.
★★★★★
This is amazing! Have made it twice in less than a week! Thank you!!
I just made it and it’s excellent. I followed exactly your wonderful recipe, except I substitute brown sugar to coconut sugar and it’s divine. Will definitely make this again. Thanks for sharing it.
★★★★★
I made it with a ready-made, gluten-free graham cracker crust and it was excellent! And there was enough extra filling – even after I filled the pie crust full – for me to fill a small ceramic tart cup with the remainder – about a cup. I will definitely make this again.
★★★★★
I’m making this for the second time this week! I like to double the recipe because I buy the crust, and the store bought crust always comes in packs of two. It’s delicious – I can’t taste the coconut at all (I’m neutral about that because I enjoy the taste) and not too sweet. Thank you so much for this simple recipe. I will be dropping my second pie off with a dear friend tomorrow and I’m sure she will be overjoyed. Love this so much, thank you!
Forgot to rate this 5 stars when I submitted my comment! Absolutely delicious, thank you so much for the recipe! I use coconut cream (from the can) instead of coconut milk and it’s heavenly.
★★★★★
My family loves this pie. It taste so much better than regular pumpkin pie. I try and make it a couple times a month. Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★