Well, dang it! Just as I started getting into all kinds of autumnal desserts it starts snowing! :P So I'm hurrying to let you in on one of my latest kitchen creations -- the fusion of a few of my most favorite things: chocolate and brownies, peanut butter, and pumpkin pie. Super simple recipe, but so, so good!
This pie is of course a no-bake treat, making it a breeze to make as always -- just blend and process some stuff and the rest is waiting time. But the result is a creamy, dreamy, lush pumpkin pie meets peanut butter pie sort of a deal.
For the crust here I borrowed the base from this equally tasty peanut butter cake I shared a recipe for a little while back. I used almond flour as the base here, but if you're not a fan of almonds for any reason, feel free to use another nut flour of your choice. Likewise feel free to replace the almond milk with another plant mylk of your choice. But I digress with boring technicalities here. Can we just take a moment to admire that tasty-looking brownie-like crust :) Amazing the infinite things that can be made from nuts and dates!
Pumpkin and peanut butter pair really well together. As does chocolate of course.. And anything peanut butter is always a winner in my books. That said, I know some will ask how the pb can be substituted in this pumpkin pie recipe. So answering per-emptively here: I'd probably go with cashew butter as my first choice. If not, then almond butter. If not then your choice of nut or seed butter from here on :) The only thing I'll say is that peanut butter is naturally very sweet and has a distinct strong flavor. So if you swap it with something else, you might need to add more sweetener to taste or adjust the flavors slightly.
And of course, last but not least -- if you're looking for more pumpkin recipes and recipes using pumpkin puree, you might be interested in some of the recipes featured here. And alternatively if you're interested in more peanut butter pie and other peanut butter deliciousness, type in peanut butter in the search box at the top of the site and enjoy all the pb goodness :)
No-Bake Peanut Butter Pumpkin Pie
A delicious creamy no-bake gluten-free and vegan peanut butter and pumpkin pie with a chocolatey brownie crust.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 7" pie
- Category: Pies & Tarts
- Method: No-Bake
- Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 cup almond flour
- ½ cup dates, pitted
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp pumpkin puree
- 1 tbsp smooth natural peanut butter
- ½ tbsp maple syrup
Filling:
- 10 tbsp pumpkin puree
- ½ cup smooth natural peanut butter
- ½ cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 6 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp allspice
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
Optional Toppings:
- cacao nibs, chocolate shavings, chocolate covered amaranth balls, blue cornflour petals
Instructions
1. Process all crust ingredients in a food processor until the mixture begins to stick together and form a ball. Transfer the mixture into a 7" tart pan with a removable bottom and press down into a thin even crust along the base and edges of the pan. Freeze while working on the next step.
2. Blend all filling ingredients in a power blender until smooth and creamy. Transfer into the prepared pie crust and smooth out the top with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle with desired toppings.
3. Freeze for 5-6 hours or overnight. When ready to eat, slice, thaw out lightly on the counter (5-10 mins) and enjoy!*
Notes
*Storage notes: keep leftovers frozen. Treat this pie like "ice cream" -- if you leave it out of the freezer too long it will begin to melt.
Keywords: peanut butter pumpkin pie (gluten-free vegan)
David O says
Made this for thanksgiving the whole family loved it going to make it Christmas since it finish so fast. Thank you for such amazing recipe
★★★★★
Audrey says
Oh, that's the best feedback ever! :) Thanks, David. I'm glad it was enjoyed by everyone.
E says
Love your site, discourse...I can’t try making this pie...IF you are willing ...
My body has become unaccustomed to strong sweet taste/elements ..... could you speak to variations which would deliver the flavor combination but might reduce the “sweet” ...e.g. I’d this much maple syrup necessary.
With gratitude
★★★★★
Audrey says
Hi E, that's interesting, but I can relate to a palate readjusting to tastes. It's a bit hard for me to make suggestions though since my palate is so attuned to liking sweet sweets, other than to just use a little less maple syrup and a little more of some other form of liquid (plant milk, or even just more peanut butter) to adjust to your own taste here. In the crust you can omit the maple altogether as well if you prefer.
Joe says
Hi Audrey,
Thank you for the wonderful recipes. What a wonderful site! I was wondering if I can substitute a different oil for coconut oil as it is high in saturated fat. I also was wondering if I could substitute another sweetener for maple syrup. Would stevia, xylitol or erythrol be a possible option. Thank you.
Audrey says
Hi Joe. Thanks very much :)
Are you thinking of a different recipe by chance? (No coconut oil in this one). If you're asking generally, the closest substitute to coconut oil is cacao butter in terms of function in most recipes -- though the flavor is quite different. That said, I have lots of oil-free recipes (like this pie) on the site you might enjoy -- just click on the "oil-free" tab at the top of the main recipes page here: https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/all-recipes/
The maple syrup would need to be replaced in most recipes with a liquid sweetener. I know there are liquid versions of stevia "honey", etc. out there, so you can always try something like that. I haven't tried them in a recipe like this, but imagine they should behave well in it :) I do love the flavor of maple syrup, so of course that would be lost. However I know some of my readers to substitute with the types of sweeteners you're asking about in the raw cakes and enjoy them, so I suppose it comes down to taste and what you're used to. Another idea, if you don't have access to a syrup, is to just use some powder + a bit of liquid like almond milk (since the maple syrup offers a thick liquid component and if you take it out of the recipe completely and only add a bit of powdered sugar substitute that would alter the recipe substantially. One last thing to keep in mind is that in some recipes the sugar in the maple syrup reacts with the nut butters in the blending process creating a very specific texture which might be lost with a sugar-free sweetener, but I don't think it's a big deal for a recipe like this.
Danae says
I just made it for Thanksgiving and I'm excited to try it tonight but I've had a quick bite and tastes amazing! Thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
Audrey says
Hi Danae, thanks so much for sharing -- so happy you liked the pie. Happy Thanksgiving!
Helen says
I doubled the recipe and used a 9” pie plate. I had a little extra crust and filling to make a small sample for myself. The sample tasted delicious. I can’t wait to serve the full size one tomorrow. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe.
★★★★★
Audrey says
Hi Helen, thanks so much for sharing. I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe! :)
Katja says
hi! can i use almond butter instead of peanut butter? will it taste good too, what do you think?
Audrey says
Hi Katja. I think that will work well with almond butter, but you might need to adjust the sweetness level some because peanut butter is usually a bit sweeter in flavor. And also of course be prepared for it to taste almondy instead of peanutty :) otherwise you should be good to go.
Rotem says
Hi, are you sure about only 10 tbsp pumpkin puree? Seems too little somehow... thanks!
Audrey says
Hi Rotem, yes 10 tbsp is correct. It's only a 7" tart pan, so you can't fit a whole lot in there. 10 tbsp = roughly 1/2 a cup + 2 tbsp of pumpkin puree in total, so it's a significant portion of the filling.
Agi says
Hi Audrey,
I just discovered your blog, it is fantastic! Good to know that I'm not the only one addicted to pumpkin! :-) This is going to be the first recipe I prepare from your page. It is too cold outside to eat an icecream cake, so I think I will put it into glasses with some crunchy puffed rice and eat it with a spoon.
Audrey says
Sounds like an interesting way to enjoy this, Agni :) Welcome to the blog.
Isadora Guidoni says
OMG this is perfect for short notice seasonal get togethers!
★★★★★
Audrey says
Agreed! :) Thanks Isadora.
Fionna says
Delicious! I never expected to like peanut butter and pumpkin so much. Thank you for all your recipes.
★★★★★
Audrey says
I'm glad you enjoyed it, Fionna! :) Thanks for the feedback.
Bridget says
Hi Audrey! Thank you for another amazing recipe! I also own your book. Still struggle to achieve precise cuts - any suggestions? Thank you <3 b.
★★★★★
Audrey says
Hi Bridget. You're welcome :)
To get the cuts, the best thing is to make sure the cake is at the right consistency (not frozen solid, but very firm -- I usually thaw them out about 5-10 mins before starting to slice). Something you can use to make your life easier is a warmer knife -- have a tall glass of warm water, dip your knife in it for a few seconds, then wipe dry with paper down and make a cut, then repeat the dipping process. This helps the knife to be warm (and cleaned up between slices so that any "gunk" from the previous slice is removed and doesn't transfer into your new cuts) which makes it easier to slice. Also use a larger, sturdy, sharp knife with a flat blade.
In the Unconventional Treats videos there's a video where I show slicing -- I believe it's in the how to assemble a raw cake video, towards the end. Check it out to see what I mean with the above explanation.
Hope that helps! :)
Bridget says
thank you for advice! and may I say, I totally love your work :)