Best Vegan Pecan Pie
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep time:  
Cook time:  
Total time:  
Serves: 8
 
Ingredients
  • 1¼ c flour
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 6 Tbsp shortening, chilled
  • 1.5 Tbsp vegan butter, chilled
  • 3-5 Tbsp ice water
  • 1.5 c pecan halves
  • ½ Tbsp vegan butter
  • pinch of salt
  • 10 saltines, crumbled
  • ½ c water
  • 2½ Tbsp vegan butter
  • 1¼ c sugar
  • ¼ c light corn syrup
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 3 Tbsp applesauce or pumpkin puree
  • 3 Tbsp corn or tapioca starch
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
  2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour and salt.
  3. Using a pastry cutter, cut in shortening and butter until pea-sized.
  4. Sprinkle with 3 Tbsp ice water and stir until dough comes together in a ball, adding more ice water as needed. (Use as little water as possible and handle the dough as little as possible, so as not to end up with a tough crust!)
  5. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface.
  6. Transfer to 9" pie plate; trim and shape edges as desired.
  7. Prick crust with a fork and fill with pie weights; bake for 5 minutes.
  8. Remove pie plate from oven and set aside.
  9. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.
  10. In a heavy skillet on medium heat, melt butter.
  11. Add pecan halves and salt and toss, stirring occasionally until pecans are toasted. Take care not to burn them!
  12. Turn off heat and set aside.
  13. In a small bowl, stir together crackers and water.
  14. Let water absorb, then put mixture in a food processor with vegan butter, sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, applesauce or pumpkin puree, and starch.
  15. Process until mixture is relatively smooth.
  16. Pour mixture into saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
  17. When mixture boils, lower heat slightly and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring to make sure nothing burns to the bottom of the pan.
  18. Fold in pecans.
  19. Remove pie weights from crust, then pour filling into crust.
  20. Bake for 50 minutes.
  21. Cool fully, a couple of hours, before slicing and serving.