Chocolate Pumpkin Pie & Festive Chickpea Tart

Hi friends! I’m reintroducing you to two of my most popular recipes for the holidays.

Chocolate Pumpkin Pie & Festive Chickpea Tart

Two holiday pies: one savory, one sweet!

Shall we start with sweet? But of course.

Chocolate Pumpkin Pie

This Chocolate Pumpkin Pie is from one of my earlier books (eat, drink & be vegan) and is one of my all-time favorite recipes.

And it’s also one of yours! I hear from readers all the time about this pie. It’s tried and true, you can’t go wrong with it for the holidays.

Why such a hit?

1. Unexpected. We don’t often see pumpkin pie in chocolate form. It’s positively fabulous!
2. This Chocolate Pumpkin Pie is SO darn easy to make. Melt chocolate, puree with pumpkin filling and a couple other ingredients… done!
3. It doesn’t use vegan dairy replacements like vegan sour cream and vegan cream cheese (a lot of pumpkin pie recipes tend to).  Yet, it is incredibly rich and decadent.
4. Decadent! Did I mention it’s decadent? Really is, a little slice is very satisfying.

Print Pin

5 from 4 votes

Chocolate Pumpkin Pie

This pie is rich and decadent, so a little slice will do!

Course Dessert

Ingredients

Filling:

• 1 1/4 cups non-dairy chocolate chips
• 1 can 14-oz/415-ml organic pumpkin pie mix (I use Farmer’s Market Organic brand)
• 2 tbsp unrefined sugar
• 2 tsp arrowroot powder
• 1/8 tsp rounded sea salt
• 1 prepared pie crust of choice optional – this pie is so rich, you can really make it without any crust
• 2 tbsp non-dairy chocolate chips optional (for garnish)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425º F. Fit a metal or glass bowl over a saucepan on medium-low heat and filled with several inches of water (or use a double-boiler). Add 1¼ cups chocolate chips to bowl and stir occasionally as water simmers (not boils), letting chocolate melt. While chocolate is melting, in a food processor, add pumpkin pie mix (scraping out everything from can), sugar, arrowroot powder, and salt. Purée until very smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Once chocolate is melted, add to food processor and purée with pumpkin mixture, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Pour mixture into pie crust (scraping out all filling) and tip pie back and forth gently to evenly distribute filling. Sprinkle on 2 tablespoon chocolate chips. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees F, and bake for another 35 minutes, until pie is set (the center may be soft, but it will set further as it cools). Carefully remove from oven and place on cooling rack. Let cool completely before slicing, refrigerating if desired.

Notes

Notes:

You can use any pie crust of choice, including a storebought pastry crust or graham crust.

Try garnishing with “Macadamia Maple Cream” or “Celestial Cream” (both recipes in eat, drink, and be vegan). 

Next, our savory pie!

Festive Chickpea Tart

This Festive Chickpea Tart is from Let Them Eat Vegan. People often ask “what do you have as a main for the holidays?”… well this is it! At least, one of the options for a main.

I typically pick up a storebought crust to fill this pie, or I bake it without a crust (just shave off 5 or so minutes from the baking time). It’s quite easy to make, and has become such a reader favorite!

Definitely serve up with my Traditional Cranberry Sauce (below), and a great gravy. You can try the Rosemary Gravy in LTEV, or my new favorite HOMESTYLE GRAVY p. 108, .

Print Pin

5 from 4 votes

Festive Chickpea Tart

Move over faux turkeys! This savory tart takes center plate with its combination of chickpeas, crunchy walnuts, spinach, and seasonings nestled together. This dish is elegant enough to serve for holiday gatherings, but also easy enough to make for a family dinner any time of the year.

Course Main Course

Ingredients

• 1-2 tbsp water
• 1 cup onion diced
• 1/2 cup celery diced
• 4-5 medium-large garlic cloves minced
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• Few pinches freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups chickpeas reserve 1/3 cup
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tsp tamari
• 1/2 tsp ground sage
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 3/4 cup walnuts toasted, see note for nut-free
• 1/3 cup rolled oats optional, see note
• 1 – 10 oz pckg frozen chopped spinach thawed and squeezed to remove excess water (about 1 cup after squeezing)
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme chopped (or 1 tsp dried thyme added to puree)
• 1 prepared whole-wheat pastry pie crust thawed (see note)
• 1 tsp tamari
• 2 tbsp walnuts (see note for nut-free) chopped (for topping, no need to toast beforehand)

Instructions

• Add water, onion, celery, garlic, salt and pepper in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook 9-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and turning golden. In a food processor, add chickpeas (except reserved 1/3 cup), lemon juice, tamari, sage, salt, and sautéed mixture, and partially puree (not fully like hummus, but leaving some chunkier consistency). Add toasted walnuts and oats, and briefly pulse to lightly break up nuts. Transfer to a bowl, and stir in spinach, cranberries, parsley, thyme, and reserved chickpeas. Transfer mixture to pie shell (or lightly oiled pie plate, see note), smoothing to evenly distribute. Brush tamari over top. Sprinkle on walnuts. Bake in preheated oven at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes, until tart is golden on edges and top. Cool 5-10 minutes, then serve with cranberry sauce, a spoon drizzling of oil/balsamic vinegar slurry, or other sauce of choice.  Serves 4-5.

Notes

Oats Note: The rolled oats, while lending some structure to the tart, can easily be omitted.

Pie Shell Note: This tart can be made without the pastry crust, if needed.  If you want to make the tart without the crust, simply prepare the pie plate with a spray of oil (or wipe), and then bake for about 5 minutes less.

Nuts Note: For a nut-free option, use pumpkin seeds. You can reduce the amount in the filling if you prefer. 

Note: Serve with Traditional Cranberry Sauce (below), or a gravy. Try Rosemary Gravy from LTEV or HOMESTYLE GRAVY, Plant-Powered Families. This recipe is also a reader favorite, from eat, drink and be vegan.

I hope you enjoy this Chocolate Pumpkin Pie & Festive Chickpea Tart! x Dreena

What are your favorite vegan holiday recipes?