I tasted & ranked every single type of vegan pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. These 5 are actually worth the hype

Two weeks before Thanksgiving, I turned on a K-pop playlist, fed my kombucha, and told myself I’d make “a couple” vegan pumpkin pies to compare.

Twelve crusts, eleven fillings, and one cinnamon-dusted disaster later, I had a ranking… and a living room of friends politely declining “just one more sliver.”

I tested tofu, cashew, coconut cream, oat milk, agar, even a no-bake freezer mousse. I pressed in nut crusts, blind-baked butter crusts, and ran a stealth trial with gingersnaps.

I learned that “vegan pumpkin pie” isn’t one thing; it’s a choreography of fat, starch, and water that either lands soft as a cloud—or jiggles like a middle-school science project.

Here’s the criteria I scored on (1–5): Flavor (pumpkin-forward + balanced spice), Texture (silky, not rubbery), Structure (clean slices), Make-ahead (24–48 hours), and Ease/Cost.

From twelve types, these five deserve the hype, with step-by-steps you can cook from tonight.

Pro tip before we start: roast your pumpkin (or canned pumpkin) for 15 minutes at 400°F/205°C on a sheet tray to caramelize excess moisture. It deepens flavor and prevents watery custard.

1) The weeknight winner: silken-tofu custard in a flaky vegan butter crust

Ultra-smooth, gently set, slices like a dream. It’s the pie I’d serve to relatives who “don’t like tofu” and watch them ask for seconds. The soy brings protein and a custardy body without heaviness.

Score: Flavor 4.5, Texture 5, Structure 5, Make-ahead 5, Ease/Cost 5.

You’ll need (9-inch / 23-cm pie):

Crust: 1½ cups (190 g) all-purpose flour, 10 Tbsp (140 g) cold vegan butter, ½ tsp salt, 2–4 Tbsp ice water.

Filling: 1 (12.3-oz / 349 g) box silken tofu, 1¾ cups (420 g) pumpkin purée (roasted as above), ¾ cup (150 g) brown sugar, ¼ cup (60 ml) maple syrup, 2 Tbsp cornstarch, 1 tsp vanilla, ½ tsp salt, spice blend (see below).

Step-by-step:

1. Make the crust. Cut butter into flour + salt until pea-sized. Drizzle ice water, toss, press into a disk. Chill 45 minutes.

2. Blind-bake. Roll, fit into pan, dock with a fork. Line with parchment, fill with beans, bake 12 minutes at 400°F/205°C; remove weights, bake 5 more.

3. Blend the filling. Everything goes into the blender; run until satin-smooth. Taste: you want spice warmth and a whisper of maple.

4. Bake. Pour into hot crust. Bake at 350°F/175°C for 40–45 minutes until 2-inch center wobble remains.

5. Set. Cool 2 hours, chill at least 4. Slices clean, holds 48 hours.

Spice blend (for every pie here): 2 tsp cinnamon, ¾ tsp ginger, ½ tsp nutmeg, ¼ tsp allspice, tiny pinch clove, or use 2½ tsp pumpkin pie spice and add ¼ tsp extra ginger.

Best with barely-sweet coconut whip and a sprinkle of flaky salt.

2) The crowd-pleaser: coconut-cream custard, gingersnap crust

Rich, bakery-vibe filling with a snappy, spicy crust you don’t have to baby. Gingersnaps amplify the spice profile so you can actually taste pumpkin against a holiday table full of loud flavors.

Score: Flavor 5, Texture 4.5, Structure 4.5, Make-ahead 5, Ease/Cost 4.5.

You’ll need:

Crust: 2 cups (220 g) vegan gingersnap crumbs, 5 Tbsp (70 g) melted vegan butter, pinch salt.

Filling: 1¾ cups (420 g) pumpkin, 1 (13.5-oz / 400 ml) can full-fat coconut milk, ⅔ cup (135 g) brown sugar, 3 Tbsp cornstarch or 2 Tbsp arrowroot, ¼ cup (60 ml) maple, 1 tsp vanilla, ½ tsp salt, spice blend.

Step-by-step:

1. Crust. Pulse cookies, stir with butter + salt, press firmly into pan, sides too. Bake 8 minutes at 350°F/175°C.

2. Cook the custard base. In a saucepan, whisk coconut milk, sugar, starch, and spices over medium heat until it thickens and burps (3–5 minutes). Off heat, whisk in pumpkin, maple, vanilla, salt.

3. Bake. Pour into warm crust; bake 25–30 minutes until edges are set and center still shimmies.

4. Chill. Cool completely, refrigerate 6 hours. The set comes from both starch gel and chill.

Pro move: Paint the warm crust with a thin layer of melted dark chocolate, let set 5 minutes, then fill. It waterproofs the crust and adds a whisper of bitter to balance sweet.

3) The gluten-free showstopper: maple-cashew crème, oat-almond press-in crust

Silkiest mouthfeel of the bunch and zero wheat. Cashews carry maple like a velvet jacket; the press-in crust saves your sanity. It’s the pie non-vegans asked me to print out.

Score: Flavor 4.5, Texture 5, Structure 4.5, Make-ahead 4.5, Ease/Cost 4.

You’ll need:

Crust (GF): 1 cup (100 g) almond flour, 1 cup (90 g) quick oats, 3 Tbsp (37 g) coconut sugar, ¼ tsp salt, 5 Tbsp (70 g) melted vegan butter or coconut oil.

Filling: 1½ cups (225 g) raw cashews (soaked 4–8 hours or boiled 15 min, drained), 1½ cups (360 g) pumpkin, ½ cup (120 ml) maple syrup, ½ cup (120 ml) unsweetened plant milk, 2 Tbsp tapioca starch, 2 Tbsp coconut oil, 1 tsp vanilla, ½ tsp salt, spice blend.

Step-by-step:

1. Crust. Stir drys, add fat, press into pan (bottom + sides), bake 10–12 minutes at 350°F/175°C.

2. Blend filling. Blitz everything 60–90 seconds until it’s silk. Scrape sides; blitz again. Taste and adjust salt/spice.

3. Bake. Pour into hot crust; bake 35–40 minutes until edges puff slightly and center trembles.

4. Cool + chill. Two hours on the counter, then 6+ hours in the fridge. It needs the chill to fully thicken.

Cashew fat + tapioca give a dairy-level creaminess—don’t skip the chill or you’ll think it’s too soft.

4) The no-bake, make-ahead MVP: frozen pumpkin-mousse pie with date-pecan crust

Zero oven time and it survives transport like a champ. It’s a mousse dressed as pie—cloud-light but sliceable. The freezer set means you can make it a week ahead and coast.

Score: Flavor 4.5, Texture 4.5 (mousse-light), Structure 5, Make-ahead 5, Ease/Cost 4.

You’ll need:

Crust: 1½ cups (150 g) pecans, 10 soft Medjool dates (pitted), ¼ tsp salt.

Filling: 1¼ cups (300 g) pumpkin, 1 (13.5-oz / 400 ml) can chilled coconut cream (scoop solids), ⅓ cup (80 ml) maple, 2 Tbsp powdered sugar, 1½ tsp vanilla, 2 Tbsp melted cocoa butter or 3 Tbsp melted coconut oil, spice blend.

Step-by-step:

1. Crust. Pulse pecans + dates + salt until it clumps. Press into pan firmly. Freeze 10 minutes.

2. Whip + fold. Beat cold coconut cream with powdered sugar to soft peaks. In another bowl, whisk pumpkin, maple, vanilla, spices, warm fat. Fold the whipped cream into pumpkin gently.

3. Set. Pour into crust; freeze 3–4 hours. Move to fridge 45 minutes before serving for perfect texture.

Grate dark chocolate on top. Texture lands somewhere between ice-box cake and mousse—holiday-table applause guaranteed.

5) The flavor-forward hybrid: roasted kabocha-pumpkin pie, classic crust, aquafaba cloud

Kabocha (Japanese pumpkin) brings concentrated squash sweetness and almost chestnutty depth. Paired with pumpkin, you get a technicolor flavor that survives whipped cream and loud side dishes. Topped with a light aquafaba “cloud,” it’s the most photogenic plate in the lineup.

Score: Flavor 5, Texture 4.5, Structure 4.5, Make-ahead 4.5, Ease/Cost 4.

You’ll need:

Crust: same as Pie #1 (vegan-butter flaky).

Filling: 1 cup (240 g) roasted, mashed kabocha (very dry), 1 cup (240 g) pumpkin, ⅔ cup (135 g) brown sugar, ¼ cup (60 ml) maple, ¾ cup (180 ml) oat milk, 3 Tbsp cornstarch, 1 Tbsp almond butter (body), 1 tsp vanilla, ½ tsp salt, spice blend (go heavy on ginger).

Aquafaba cloud: ½ cup (120 ml) chilled aquafaba (liquid from unsalted chickpeas), ½ tsp cream of tartar, 3 Tbsp superfine sugar, ½ tsp vanilla.

Step-by-step:

1. Crust. Blind-bake as in Pie #1.

2. Filling. Whisk everything smooth; sieve if needed. Bake at 350°F/175°C 35–40 minutes until set at edges + jiggly center. Cool completely.

3. Cloud. Whip aquafaba + cream of tartar to soft peaks, rain in sugar until glossy, fold in vanilla.

4. Top + torch (optional). Spoon on billows, kiss with a torch or broiler for 20–30 seconds.

Note: Kabocha is drier than pumpkin — that’s the secret sauce. If using only canned pumpkin, strain 30 minutes in a fine sieve.

Ranking recap (from my 12-pie gauntlet)

Top to bottom:

1. Silken-tofu custard, flaky crust — the anytime classic.

2. Coconut-cream custard, gingersnap crust — loud spice, bakery finish.

3. Maple-cashew crème, GF oat-almond crust — lush and wheat-free.

4. No-bake frozen mousse, date-pecan crust — make-ahead hero.

5. Kabocha-pumpkin hybrid, aquafaba cloud — flavor fireworks + photo gold.

Honorable but not for me:

Agar-set no-bake (too jellied), all-oat-milk cornstarch pie (pleasant but thin), oil-only press-in crust (crumbly under custard weight), evaporated-oat “hack” (tasted a bit cereal-y).

If you love a denser, almost flan-like vibe, you might enjoy agar—just go easy (½–¾ tsp powder per pie) and pour while hot.

Troubleshooting cheatsheet

• Cracks down the middle? You overbaked. Pull when the very center still wobbles; carryover heat finishes the set.

• Wet bottom crust? Blind-bake longer and brush with a little melted chocolate or aquafaba before filling.

• “Why does mine taste flat?” Add ¼ tsp extra salt and ½ tsp fresh ginger; salt is a flavor amp for sweet pies.

• Grainy custard? Blend longer and sieve; cashew and tofu bases should be glossy before they ever see the oven.

Final crumbs

Baking all twelve pies taught me two things.

First, vegan pumpkin pie doesn’t need apologies — it just needs the right set—fat + starch + water in balance, with spices that dance in sync like a good chorus line.

Second, “worth the hype” isn’t about novelty — it’s about the slice that makes everyone at the table go quiet for three seconds.

Pick one of the five, follow the steps, and let the pie do the convincing.

If my living room taste panel is any clue, you’ll be fighting over the last piece while the playlist loops for the third time.