Vegan Southern Bourbon Pecan Pie

5 from 15 votes

Pecan pie needs no introduction--It is one of the most popular desserts of the Thanksgiving season. Now, imagine a twist with the Vegan Southern Bourbon Pecan Pie – a revamped, plant-based version that maintains that irresistible sweetness and nuttiness, all wrapped in a homemade crust infused with the warm and inviting essence of orange, making it a perfect choice for a cozy holiday season. Gluten-free + Make Ahead option.

Prep Time15

Cook Time1

Chill Time:4

Total Time1 15

Course: Dessert

Keyword: baked, classic, crust, dairy-free, dessert, easy, fall recipe, gluten-free, healthy, holiday, holidays, homemade, orange, pecans, pie, plant-based, recipe, southern, spices, sweet, thanksgiving, vegan

Servings: Servings

Calories: 1025kcal

Author: Shanika

Ingredients

ORANGE-INFUSED CRUST:

1 ½ cups organic all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon orange zest
2 Tbsps organic cane sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of sea salt
½ cup vegan butter, COLD!
½ cup Almond milk + 2 Tbsps, very cold (You can also use water, if preferred!)
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

PECAN FILLING:

6 cups Halved pecans, toasted + cooled (See Notes!)
2 flax 'eggs' (2 Tbsps flaxseed meal + 6 Tbsps warm water)
1 ½ cups canned full-fat coconut cream (You can also use canned full-fat coconut milk)
2 Tbsps Bourbon
¼ cup pure maple syrup (See Notes!)
1 cup organic brown sugar
2 tsps vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon sea salt
3 Tbsps Arrowroot starch

OPTIONAL TOPPING:

Coconut whipped cream

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

FOR THE CRUST:

In a measuring cup, add the milk and apple cider vinegar, stir and set aside.
In a large bowl, add the all-purpose flour, cinnamon, salt, orange zest, and cane sugar, whisking them all together.
Add the cubed vegan butter sticks (or regular vegan butter) and using a pastry blender, blend butter into dry ingredients until the mixture becomes “peas-like” and crumbly.
Pour the cold apple cider vinegar-milk mixture (slowly) and stir (working it together with one hand) until the dry ingredients are moistened. NOTE: If the ingredients feels a little too dry, add 1 tablespoon of milk at a time, until it’s moistened BUT not too wet!
Once you’re able to form it into a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour (minimum), up to 1 and a half hours or of course overnight.
In the meantime, make the Pie Filling.

FOR THE FILLING:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and lightly grease a standard pie dish with vegan butter.
Meanwhile, add the flaxseed meal and warm water together and stir until well combined. Let sit for 5-7 minutes until it appears thick like paste. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together the coconut cream/milk, flaxseed mixture, maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, Bourbon, salt, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, arrowroot, stirring everything together until completely smooth and combined. Fold in the cooled toasted pecans.

ASSEMBLY:

Remove dough ball from the refrigerator and place it onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out dough ball using a rolling pin (not making it too thin), about ½-inch thick and gently placing it in your pie dish; working it around evenly. Be sure to do any folding or tucking of any excess pie crust.
Pour/scoop pie filling mixture over crust and evenly spread and lightly brush the top of pie crust with melted vegan butter.
Bake for 60-65 minutes, until crust becomes golden brown and the center of the filling is only‘ slightly jiggly’ if not fully set. **NOTE: If the crust begins to get too dark quickly, cover around the pie’s crust with foil paper or a pie crust shield halfway through, leaving the middle opened and exposed.**
Once done, remove from the the oven and let cool completely, about 30-45 minutes. When cooled, place pie in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before serving and slicing.
To serve, slice the pie, top with Coconut whipped cream (optional), and enjoy!
Bon Appetit!

Notes

STORAGE: Keep leftover pie tightly wrapped with heavy duty plastic wrap or foil and refrigerated for 3-4 days. Re-heat each slice when serving.
FOOD PROCESSOR FOR CRUST: If using a food processor to incorporate water (or milk) to flour/butter mixture, ONLY ADD ¼ cup of water/milk AT A TIME to your dough, keeping it on “pulse” to avoid the dough from breaking down too much and it becoming “watery”. With this method, you may not need the entire 1 cup of water/milk.
GLUTEN-FREE VERSION: To make these GF, simply substitute All-Purpose Flour with 2 cups Gluten-Free Flour or GF All-Purpose Flour (Bob’s Red Mill has a great one!) and the Pastry Flour with ½ cup coconut flour. If your GF Flour doesn’t have Xanthan Gum included, add 1tsp in recipe. Also, reduce vegan butter to 1 ¾ sticks instead of 2. Continue all other steps!
ARROWROOT: If you don’t have arrowroot starch, feel free to substitute with regular starch or all-purpose flour, which both act as a thickening agent. Simply mix starch into WARM water until it becomes 'milky' and liquified.
COCONUT CREAM: If you don't have Thai Kitchen's Coconut Cream on hand, you can use canned Coconut Milk and refrigerate it overnight so that it thickens into a cream.

TOASTED NUTS: Add chopped pecans to a baking sheet and toasting them in the oven (400 degrees Fahrenheit) for 5-10 minutes, tossing them halfway to avoid browning on one side.

Nutrition