Vegan Chocolate Pie with Gluten-Free Graham Cracker Crust

This vegan chocolate pie combines a silky-smooth cocoa and nut butter filling softly set in a crunchy gluten-free graham cracker crust. The 6-ingredient chocolate pie filling has a peanut butter base (you can easily substitute other nut or seed butters) and uses no tofu or coconut milk. All components – crust, filling, and topping – can be made in a blender or food processor with minimal mess in minutes of active time.

This decadent plant-based dessert doesn’t taste gluten-free, vegan, or naturally sweetened, but it happily is!

A Better Chocolate Pie

This is not your traditional chocolate cream pie. I promise it's even better!

Most chocolate pies start with a traditional pie crust made with flour, butter, and water. There's nothing wrong with a flaky gluten-free pie crust, but for this kind of custard pie that's stored in the fridge, this type of crust tends to become hard and tough.

I've found it preferable to use a more tender type of crust, so here I've paired the luscious chocolate filling with a crunchy gluten-free graham cracker crust. This crust stands up well to the moisture in the chocolate pie filling, staying tender even when chilled for several days.

Next up, the chocolate pie filling. Most chocolate pies use a stovetop custard made with milk, eggs, sugar, butter, and chocolate. But my vegan chocolate pie filling is even simpler – just whizz the ingredients in a blender, no cooking or baking required. The filling, which I adapted from this paleo chocolate pudding recipe, contains just cocoa powder, coconut oil, water, nut butter, and maple syrup, but it sets into the most luxuriously silky filling. As a bonus, it keeps this chocolate pie dairy-free, egg-free, and refined sugar-free – though you'd never know it!

If you're looking for a gluten-free, dairy-free, and eggless dessert recipe, you're going to love this rich, smooth chocolate pie. Just like this happy reader:

Components

This recipe is an amalgam of three favorite recipes that I've shared previously on TBG:

• Gluten-free graham cracker crust: This gluten-free vegan pie crust (made from homemade GF graham crackers) makes a tender base loaded with the comforting flavors of whole-grain flours, cinnamon, honey, and vanilla. 
• Paleo chocolate pudding, adapted slightly for a firmer slice, is thick with nut or seed butter, sweetened with maple syrup, and set with coconut oil. 
• Pipe a pretty topping with extra chocolate filling and creamy cashew frosting, or use whipped coconut cream or rich coconut yogurt. 

All components can be made in a blender or food processor in just minutes of active time, plus a little baking time for the crust (which is optional) and some chilling time for the filling and topping. The crust and topping can be made ahead of time to ease day-of prep too.

Ingredients and Substitution Suggestions

Gluten-Free Vegan Pie Crust

A gluten-free graham cracker pie crust forms the base of this chocolate pie. I like to make my own graham crackers which takes a little extra time but can be done ahead. Store-bought grahams work just as well.

Vegan Chocolate Pie Filling

This smooth and creamy filling uses just 6 ingredients (8 if you count water and salt) and it's made in a blender in minutes.

• Nut or seed butter forms the base of this luscious filling. I use peanut butter for its silky-smooth texture and because it's a classic with chocolate. But any creamy nut or seed butter will work. Cashew butter would make a neutral base, while almond or hazelnut butter would add delicious complimentary flavors. Or go with tahini or sunbutter for a nut-free version. If your nut butter is runnier than peanut butter, add another tablespoon or two of coconut oil to make sure it sets up firmly enough to slice.
• Cacao or cocoa powder adds body and rich chocolate flavor. I like using raw cacao powder, but natural cocoa powder works too. I haven't tested this with dutch-process cocoa powder, which is treated with alkali to make it less acidic, so I'm not sure how it would work here. 
• Water blends with the nut butter and cocoa powder to form a thick base.
• Maple syrup sweetens the pudding naturally. I used a dark amber syrup, but any grade will work, so use what you've got. Other liquid sweeteners will work here as well, just add them to your taste since they can vary in sweetness. 
• Vanilla and salt add flavor. 
• Coconut oil sets the pudding into a sliceable texture that melts in your mouth. Extra-virgin coconut oil is full of good things and I don't find it to have a coconut flavor here at all. But you can use refined coconut oil if you want an even more neutral flavor. If you need a coconut substitute, try palm oil, melted ghee (for non-vegan), or cacao butter, which are all solid when cold.

How to Make Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Chocolate Cream Pie

This vegan gluten-free pie is foolproof, making it suitable to bakers of all levels, even beginners!

While traditional chocolate pies use a cooked stovetop custard thickened with cornstarch, this vegan dessert recipe is even easier. Nut or seed butter gives it creamy body while coconut oil thickens and sets the filling as it chills.

This recipe makes 1 (9-inch) pie, about 12 small but rich servings. It takes about 20 minutes of prep time, no cooking time (aside from a quick bake for the graham cracker crust, which is optional) and at least 1 hour to chill the pie in the freezer. Or chill it overnight in the refrigerator.

Variations

This vegan pie recipe takes well to variations. Try any of the following!

Go Nuts: Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie or Chocolate Hazelnut Pie

Use your favorite nut butter for a different flavor profile. Try hazelnut butter for a Nutella vibe, cashew butter for a neutral flavor, or almond butter for chocolate-almond combo.

Nut-Free Chocolate Cream Pie

Swap the nut butter for tahini or sunflower seed butter (a.k.a. sunbutter) for a nut-free version.

How to Make Chocolate Pie Creamy

Many classic chocolate pie recipes use a cooked stovetop custard made with milk or plant milk for creaminess. And many plant-based chocolate pie recipes rely on tofu for thickness. I love tofu, but I dislike that beany flavor in chocolate pies. I can *always* taste it, no matter what the recipe claims.

For this no-bake pie recipe, peanut butter (or other nut or seed butter) blended with the other ingredients makes the filling silky smooth and creamy. No dairy, tofu, or plant milk needed.

How to Thicken Chocolate Pie Filling

Most chocolate pudding pie recipes are thickened on the stovetop using cornstarch. But this recipe is starch-free. Instead, I blend melted coconut oil into the filling. The fats in the coconut oil firm up as the pie chills. This gives the chocolate filling a soft set that's firm enough to slice but has a melt-in-the-mouth texture.

Vegan Chocolate Cream Pie for Everyone

With a decadent chocolate pudding filling, cinnamon-kissed graham cracker crust, and creamy topping, this plant-based dessert recipe is a true crowd-pleaser. I hope you find it as habit-forming as we do!

Bojon appétit, my sweets! If you make this, I’d love to know. Please leave a comment and rating below, and tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet.

5 from 13 reviews

Vegan Chocolate Pie with Gluten-Free Graham Cracker Crust

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This vegan chocolate pie combines a silky-smooth cocoa and nut butter filling softly set in a crunchy gluten-free graham cracker crust. The 6-ingredient chocolate pie filling has a peanut butter base (you can easily substitute other nut or seed butters) and uses no tofu or coconut milk. All components – crust, filling, and topping – can be made in a blender or food processor with minimal mess in minutes of active time.

This decadent plant-based dessert doesn’t taste gluten-free, vegan, or naturally sweetened, but it happily is!

Alanna Taylor-Tobin

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Chilling time: 1 hour hour

Total: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 small but rich servings

Ingredients

Crust & Topping

• 1 9- inch gluten-free graham cracker crust, baked and cooled*
• ½ batch paleo cream cheese frosting or whipped coconut cream**
• chocolate shavings and/or graham cracker crumbles, for decorating

Chocolate Filling

• 1 ¾ cups (415 ml) filtered water
• 1 ½ cups (130 g) raw cacao powder or natural cocoa powder
• ¾ cup (180 g) well-stirred creamy peanut butter (or other creamy nut or seed butter, such as tahini or cashew butter)***
• ½ cup + 2 tablespoons (195 g) maple syrup
• 1 ½ teaspoons GF vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon fine sea or kosher salt
• ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons (80 g) melted extra-virgin coconut oil****

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Equipment

• blender

Instructions

• Make the crust and let it cool. Make and chill the paleo frosting or whipped coconut cream, if using.

Filling

• In a blender, combine the water, cacao/cocoa powder, nut butter, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt. Blend on medium until combined, scraping down the sides of the blender once or twice.
• Add the melted coconut oil and blend until combined. Increase the speed to medium high and blend for 20 seconds to incorporate a little air. You will have about 36 ounces of filling.

Assemble

• Pour as much filling as will fit into the baked and cooled crust. Pour the remaining filling into a jar. Carefully transfer both to the fridge and chill until set, 3-4 hours or overnight. Or freeze for 1 hour to speed this up.
• When the pie is set, decorate the top with the paleo cream cheese frosting, whipped coconut cream, and/or extra chocolate filling if using. I used three piping bags fitted with different sized star tips. Dust with chocolate shavings and graham cracker crumbles, if using.

Serve & Store

• Serve right away or chill again to firm up the toppings. To cut clean slices, use a sharp knife dipped in hot water and wiped clean between cuts. Keep the pie chilled until you’re ready to cut and serve; it will get soft and gooey at room temperature.
• The pie is best within a day or two of being made when the crust is crisp, but extras will keep well, refrigerated, for up to 4 days. This pie also freezes well.

Notes

Depending on how deep your pie plate is, you should have about a cup of chocolate filling left over which you can chill and pipe over the top as I did here, or eat it like a pudding once set. See the post above for more substitution suggestions. Note that this pie should be kept chilled until served as it softens up at room temperature.

*If you prefer, make this pie with any of the gluten-free crust options listed in the post above.

**If using paleo cream cheese frosting, make half of this recipe, omitting the lemon juice. If using whipped coconut cream, make this recipe (you'll need to chill the cream overnight before you whip it). Or use a thick coconut yogurt instead, such as Cocojune, or Culina, flavored with vanilla if you like.

***If your nut or seed butter is more thin or runny than peanut butter, add 2 more tablespoons of coconut oil to help the filling set to a sliceably firm consistency.

****This pie doesn’t taste like coconut, but you can use refined coconut oil if you prefer. For coconut allergies, sub palm oil or try using melted cacao butter, which may have a firmer set.

Make-Ahead: 

• The graham cracker crust can be made ahead. Wrap it tightly and store at room temperature for up to 2 days, refrigerate for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 1 month. 
• The pie can be filled and chilled overnight (for best results) or up to 2 days (though the crust will soften a little). 
• The pie can be frozen until solid, then wrapped tightly and stored in the freezer for up to 1 month. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight before serving. 

Nutrition values are for 1 of 12 servings of filling and topping only (excluding crust). 

Nutrition

Calories: 229kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 6gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 175mgPotassium: 313mgFiber: 5gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 34IUCalcium: 43mgIron: 2mg

Making this? I'd love to see!Tag your snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet!