- Roasting a whole butternut pumpkin gives a deeper flavour than canned purée and helps control the texture (*See notes)
- After blending, strain the purée through muslin or a clean tea towel to remove excess water. This keeps the filling thick and stops the base from going soggy.
- Pricking the skin before roasting helps steam escape and softens the flesh more evenly.
- Rye flour in the crust gives the pastry a slightly nutty, savoury edge that balances the sweet filling.
- Pre-baking the pie shell with baking weights stops it from puffing up and ensures a crisp, even base.
- Chilling the lined pie dish in the freezer helps prevent shrinkage while blind-baking.
- Lightly whisk the chickpea brine before folding it into the filling, for a silkier, more aerated texture.
- The pie is done when the centre has a slight wobble; it will continue to firm as it cools.
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- 1½ cup (250g) rye flour
- ¾ cup (120g) plain flour
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- ¾ cup (180g) vegan butter, chilled
- 3-4 tablespoons cold water
- 3 cups (800g) pumpkin puree *see note
- ¼ cup (60ml) maple syrup
- ½ cup (110g) brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon chickpea flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 tablespoons cornflour
- 1 teaspoon salt flakes
- ½ cup (125ml) aqua faba (reserved from a can of chickpeas)
- Vegan cream, to serve
- , place both flours into a large bowl with the salt and mix together with a wooden spoon. Add the butter and, using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Slowly add in the water 1 tablespoon at a time, bringing it together with your hands to make a dough ball. (The pastry can also be made in a food processor if you prefer!) Pat the dough into a disk about 2cm thick and wrap in baking paper. Place in the fridge to rest and chill for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C conventional and lightly grease a 25cm pie dish. Remove the pastry from the fridge and using a rolling pin, roll out into a circle with a thickness of about 5mm. Place the pastry into the greased pie dish and press down gently to mould it into the dish. Trim off the excess pastry from the edges to neaten it up and crimp the edges, if your pie dish has straight edges. Use a fork to pierce holes in the bottom of the pastry to allow steam to escape and place the pie dish in the freezer for 20 minutes – this will assist your pastry from shrinking when it bakes!
- Remove the pie dish from the freezer and place a piece of baking paper over the pastry and fill with baking beads. Place in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, then remove the baking paper and beads, return to the oven and continue to bake for a further 10—15 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and cooked through.
- Meanwhile, , place the pumpkin purée in a large bowl and add in the maple syrup, brown sugar, chickpea flour and ground spices, mixing well to blend all the ingredients together. Add in the cornflour and salt flakes and mix well to combine. Lightly whisk the aqua faba in a separate bowl until light and fluffy, then fold through the pumpkin mixture.
- When the pastry is cooked, remove from the oven and place on your bench – there's no need to cool before adding in the filling, so spoon in the pumpkin filling and smooth out the top. Turn the oven down to 170°C. Place the pie back into the oven for another 40—45 minutes. When cooked, the filling should have a slight wobble, and it will firm up more when it cools down. Cool slightly on the bench, then place in the fridge to set for at least 4 hours.
- Serve with your favourite vegan cream.