A decade ago, a reader named June emailed me asking for a good dairy-free soy-free pumpkin pie recipe. Unfortunately, all of the tried-and-true recipes she found were vegan versions made with tofu.
I had received this request so many times during the holidays that I knew I had to come up with a reliable milk-free and soy-free recipe before the next Thanksgiving. And after several rounds of pumpkin pie trials, I created a recipe that my family thinks is one of the most delicious pumpkin pies they have ever tasted, dairy-free or not. And many of you agree! Since I first posted the recipe, way back in 2009, this dairy-free soy-free pumpkin pie has become a beloved recipe in so many households.
Today I’m giving this post a big update with some new photos that I recently took and several reader tips. But the time-tested recipe remains untouched.
This is The Best Dairy-Free Soy-Free Pumpkin Pie
This delicious recipe for dairy-free soy-free pumpkin pie uses everyday ingredients and is a great make-ahead option. We now consider it a staple on our Classic Dairy-Free Thanksgiving Menu.
As a kid, I remember how the famous Libby’s Pumpkin Pie recipe would leave a soggy crust when stored overnight. But this recipe keeps a nice firm crust, allowing the filling to firm up and the flavor to develop as it chills in the refrigerator. In fact, Tony and I actually prefer this pie after a night of refrigeration.
For additional dairy-free holiday dessert options, you can enjoy more of my recipes in Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook. Need it now? Go Dairy Free is also available in all major eBook formats.
Reader Feedback: Dairy-Free Soy-Free Pumpkin Pie
You can read tons of comments on this post, but many of you left feedback on our social media or on my other blog (where I originally posted this recipe). Here are some of those comments, which include answers to many of your questions!
How Does It Taste?
I have been making this recipe since I went dairy free over 5 years ago. I have had people who don’t like pumpkin pie love this recipe. ~ Anna
This is by far my family’s favorite! been using thus recipe for several years now. its amazing! ~ Summer
My daughter is severely allergic. We have this every Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Everyone can’t believe it is not dairy. ~ Michael-ann
THANK YOU!! Made this last night and it turned out absolutely amazing, it was my practice run before thanksgiving which this year will be entirely dairy/soy free so i can eat everything!!! Thanks again .. I’m headed for another slice right now! ~ Trinidy
Finally, a dairy free pumpkin pie that tastes great!! I tried three different dairy free recipes last year and they were all disasters. I used coconut cream instead of milk and it was perfect. ~ Susan
This is the best pumpkin pie I have ever had! ~ Katy
I have made your pumpkin pie recipe for the last two years and it’s a big hit! In fact, we prefer it to the traditional recipe! ~ Becky
I wanted to make a pumpkin pie that would also satisfy my guests who are not dairy-free, and this recipe was absolutely PERFECT. I will make this time and time again! For gluten-free, I did use the pecan crust recipe from the Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook though, which I thought was a great compliment. ~ Sharon
We made this pie, two of them actually, for a group of people. We are gluten and dairy free, and one of our friends sons is soy free as well. Every single person said it was the best pumpkin pie they ever tasted! I am back to make it for Thanksgiving today! ~ Lisa
But Can You Taste the Coconut?
Didn’t taste like coconut – all pumpkin pie. Making another one tomorrow to use my 2nd “Wholly Wholesome” pie crust (from Whole Foods). Thanks again for the recipe! ~ Amy
Can I Make It Sugar-Free?
I just want to say, “Thank you” AGAIN! This recipe is just AMAZING!!! I have made it 5 times in the last year! It’s past New Year’s, but, I don’t care. This pie is SOOO good and soo guiltless (I use xylitol sweetener). I also tried stevia. The taste was great, but it did cause the pie to pull away from the crust. ~ Adelaide
Did You Try Any Other Modifications?
For the first time ever my dairy allergic daughter was able to eat pumpkin pie! And she loved it, as did everyone else who ate it. I tweaked it just a bit by adding an extra egg white and about a 1/2 TBS of cornstarch. The texture was absolutely identical to traditional pumpkin pie. Can not wait to make this again (and again, and again, and again…)!!! ~ Kim
I have made these twice and rave reviews. And shared it with Kim who commented above! I too tweaked it some and subbed 3/4 cup coconut crystals for the white and brown sugar. And I used 3 large eggs in mine. ~ Deb
I tried this recipe with EnerG egg replacer, and it worked fine. I also used soymilk instead of coconut milk, since I am allergic to dairy and eggs, but not soy. Usually my pumpkin pies are a little watery, so I used just a little less milk than it called for (between 3/4 and 1 cup). I thought it was very flavorful pie, and although it didn’t stand up quite the way a pie with eggs does, it was close enough that the filling didn’t leave the crust when I served it. THANK YOU for this lovely recipe, I’ll probably use it for years to come. ~ Victoria
My daughter is 21 and never been able to enjoy pumpkin pie and that was her wish this Thanksgiving. Thanks to your recipe it made 2 pies. I used 3 eggs and 1/2 tsp of cornstarch. My husband said it was even better than “regular” pumpkin pie. ~ Carol
Special Diet Notes: Dairy-Free, Soy-Free Pumpkin Pie
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, optionally gluten-free, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, and vegetarian.
For an egg-free and vegan soy-free pumpkin pie, several readers have had good luck substituting a powdered egg replacer like Ener-G for the eggs. I also recommend aquafaba as a substitute. The egg-free version rises up a little less.
- 1½ cups all-purpose or whole wheat pastry flour
- 1½ teaspoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons oil (your baking oil of choice)
- 3 tablespoons cold water
- ½ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg or allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs (see egg-free note above for vegan option)
- 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup regular, full-fat, canned coconut milk (see Notes below)
- Put the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl and whisk to combine. Make a well in the flour, add the oil and water, and stir until it forms dough.
- Press the dough into a 9-inch pie pan.
- Preheat your oven to 425ºF.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugars, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg or allspice, cloves and salt.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Beat in the sugar mixture, pumpkin, and vanilla until smooth. Fold in the coconut milk.
- Pour the filling into your unbaked pie crust and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350ºF and continue to bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a knife inserted comes out clean. It may be a bit wobbly still, but it will firm-up as it cools.
- Allow the pie to cool on a wire rack for 2 hours (Be patient! This is important). For the firmest pie, refrigerate it for 4 hours or more before serving.
Spice Cheat: In a pinch, you can substitute the spices with 1½ to 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice.
For More of My Recipes, Get Go Dairy Free!
257 Comments
There are many requests for dairy-free whipped cream equivalent. We have lots of food sensitivities in our family and we LOVE the tapioca-based whipped topping from Trader Joe’s. OR the Tru-Whip, which is soy-based in the can like Redi-whip when you need to be fancy! There is another brand as well that is tapioca-based and fairly easily found in Fred Meyer and other grocery stores. These are found in the freezer section and looks like Cool-Whip but the ingredients are healthier and we like the tapioca-based whip much better. Just remember to take it from the freezer and put it in the refrigerator the night before you need it. It can be re-frozen but we rarely have any left over!
Thanks so much for sharing! I haven’t seen a dairy-free alternative at TJ’s, but will take a look next time I shop. Unfortunately, Tru-Whip, Cool Whip and others do contain dairy. They are typically lactose-free, which is great for many, but do contain a small amount of milk protein (caseinate). Unfortunately, a product can be labeled as “non-dairy” specifically when it contains a small amount of milk protein. It sounds as though milk protein may not be a problem for your family, which makes it a suitable option!
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What about using coconut oil instead of coconut milk?
I don’t believe this would yield suitable results and could be quite dense/greasy.
I have a family member who is dairy-free and am planning to try this pumpkin pie recipe for Thanksgiving this year – thank you! Do you have or know of a good dairy-free, soy-free recipe for green bean casserole?
Hi Arh,
There is a recipe in my book, Go Dairy Free. It includes an easy and spot on condensed crème of mushroom soup recipe that is both dairy-free and soy-free 🙂
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Hi, this is such a great idea! One question about pre bakingthe dough. I cant have dairy or soy in my crust, so i was thinking about using this crust for a savory quiche type dish. The original recipes says that i need to pre bake the crust with weights for 20mins and then 10 mins without weights. but with your dairy/soy free crust…do you think I should still prebake it? Thanks for ur insight!
I wouldn’t think so, but I haven’t tested it with quiche.
I am also intolerant of eggs has anyone tried to replace eggs with flax meal? I thought I might try I’m not real keen on using fake egg replacement. I can’t tolerate sugar either so I will be using stievia too. I will let you know how it turns out. Any suggestions would be helpful? Its so hard to find anything to bake without dairy, eggs, sugar, soy, gluten, & corn. Usually I just don’t but am excited to try this one. Pumpkin is so good for you too and I don’t eat it because how else can you really eat pumpkin unless it in pie, lol.
Hi Rhonda, that might work. I haven’t tested it with flax. I would lean toward the egg replacer as the flax may weigh the pie down, but it could also work nicely. Not sure without testing.
I never cared much for pumpkin pie in the past but since I know I am now lactose intolerant, I thought I would try this one for Thanksgiving and not tell anyone until after they had eaten it that it was dairy-free. Everyone loved it. Said best pumpkin pie they had ever eaten and person who said she hated pumpkin pie also loved it and wanted seconds. I would like the recipe for dairy-free whipped “cream” and the nutritional values and calories of 1/8 of pie though everyone ended up eating 2 x 1/8 slices.
So glad you enjoyed it Xenia! The whipped cream recipe I use is in my book – Go Dairy Free. It is coconut based, too 🙂
Hi Alisa,
This is the first time I have ever left a comment on a recipe! Just wanted to say how much we enjoyed this delicious pie…it was surprising that the pie did not have a coconut flavour 🙂 My family could not guess what was used in place of the milk. I used a fresh pumpkin straight from the garden, steamed. i made this recipe in my blender first adding the eggs, than the fresh cooked pumpkin, dry ingredients, and lastly the coconut cream (lazy way!) It turned out amazingly! I will definitely be adding this to our favourites book. Thanks so much for sharing!
This is a delicous recipe. Thank you so much for posting it. I’m happy to have a dessert to eat for Christmas! My husband and son who both take dairy each had a slice and also really enjoyed it. One would never guess there isn’t dairy in it. Very very good!
we are a relatively new dairy soy and gluten free family – this is not our first GF/DF/SF thanksgiving but was our first G/D/SF pumpkin pie and it was transcendent – our non-G/D/SF relatives swore it was the best they’d had! We can hardly wait for the opportunity to make another!
thanks again for posting the recipe
That’s awesome Dan! It’s so great to hear when non-dairy-free people love my recipes, too! That’s the goal! Happy holidays!
Thank you SO much for this recipe – it was a total hit with all family members even those with no problems with dairy!! Next time I make it, I may beat the egg whites separately, then fold in…just a thought. But the taste was wonderful! Do you by any chance have a recipe for a gf nut crust that stays crisp? Thank you again – Karen
Karen, I don’t off hand. I haven’t experimented a lot with nut crusts. But if I do find one, I’ll definitely share!
I haven’t eaten pumpkin pie in about 6 years and this Thanksgiving I was determined to make one that I could eat. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much but this pie turned out AMAZING!! It was the best pumpkin pie there and I ended up hiding it so I could bring some home. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!
Now that is high praise indeed! So happy to hear you loved it as much as we do Bri!
Alisa, I’m still making this pie and it’s my absolute favorite!! I too find that it tastes better after spending a night in the fridge. Thank you again and Happy Thanksgiving!
So happy you like it and thank you for the feedback!
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Do you think you can use Egg Replacer instead of eggs and get the same results? Thanks!
April, several people have made it with egg replacer. See the comments on this post and on my other post with this recipe: http://www.alisacooks.com/2009/11/05/dairy-free-soy-free-pumpkin-pie/. I haven’t tested it myself, so I have to defer to those who have tested it and given feedback in the comments.
Just had to send you a note of THANKS!!! My 4 year old has had an urge to try pumpkin pie, and I keep forgetting to pick up just a slice from a bakery for her. We had all the ingredients and made it today, hoping it would be tasty, as her first taste of what pumpkin pie can be. (We searched for a dairy-free recipe so Dad could help Mom eat it!!) I have enjoyed regular pumpkin pie all these years, and I should’ve been making this one instead!
Use the full-fat coconut milk. Skimp on the sugar, if that’s an issue or concern. This pie is amazing. And we haven’t even had time to refrigerate it (which you said made it taste better or the texture was smoother). So excited to taste it in the morning and make it again for our Sunday family Thanksgiving!! Thank you Thank you Thank you!!
Thank you for the sweet feedback Sonia! I hope everyone in your family loves the pie as much as you and your little one!
I usually make my pumpkin pies with no crust (a preference of my family) Do you think the baking time would change since you use an unbaked pie crust in yours?
Good question. I haven’t tested it that way to confirm, but I would say that you would probably need the full baking time still. Maybe check in a little early.
Do you “shake” the can of coconut milk first, or would it work to just use the thin coconut milk. Curious if you think it would set, as I was thinking the cream left in can could then be used for whipped “cream”. Also, for your whipped cream recipes- do you know if coconut creamer would work to make it (do you have a recipe?)? I find that I don’t ever have enough of the thick cream from the can leftover to make enough whipped cream (it’s sooo delicious!)
Hi Suzi, yes, shake or stir the milk. The cream is what helps it set up and have a more indulgent taste. I do not recommend just using the watery part, that is pretty much just coconut water.
A friend of mine just posted a coconut creamer based whip, but she hasn’t sent me the link yet. I’ll post it here once she does.
Thank you, I look forward to trying the coconut creamer based whip. My dairy-free son devoured the whipped cream I made a couple weeks ago. Know we need LOADS more for our Thankgiving feast!
Hi Alisa,
For the coconut milk, do you refrigerate and skim off the top to use the creamy part, or just shake, open room-temp can, and use 1 cup of the mixed coconut milk?
Thanks,
Kelly
Hi Kelly, give it a shake as this recipe uses coconut milk. If it was for coconut cream specifically, I would specify. Enjoy!