Vegan Cold Brew Coffee Pecan Pie

This Vegan Pecan Pie tastes just like the traditional pie momma-used-to-make, except this pie has a secret ingredient: cold brew coffee! The cold brew is added to the crust to provide a subtle richness and coffeehouse aroma that can’t be found in a traditional crust. The sweet pecan filling is warm, flavorful, and rich. A cup of coffee and a slice of pie and you have yourself a winning combination that will satisfy any guest at your holiday table.

Hello, friends.

When I think of the holidays back home, I think of my families old-as-dirt Christmas tree that Father had when he was a kid, its flimsy branches holding up the lights and various handmade ornaments.  The wonky treestand at the base holding all of it together. I think of the whole family coming together, lounging in the living room to watch a Charlie Brown Christmas, attending candlelight church service on Christmas Eve, and opening gifts on Christmas morning. The holidays to me are a time where I can get back in the kitchen with Momma Crawford and bake whatever my little food blogging heart desires. Her at the stove and me rolling out crust on the counter. We talk, laugh, sing along to Christmas music, and simply enjoy each other’s company. For this post, I’m inspired by family tradition once again. In my family, we always had a pecan pie for dessert after the Christmas dinner. So I’m back at it again this week with both a vegan AND cold brew coffee inspired recipe, and this time things are about to get nuts (get it…nuts…pecans…never mind). I’ve done one other vegan recipe on the blog and I really enjoyed it. That’s why I’m working with Califia Farms again to develop this recipe that you wouldn’t even know was vegan.  

I was a tad hesitant about trying this recipe because of the tofu in the filling. I had only ever tried tofu a handful of times in my life and I can’t explicitly say if I’ve enjoyed the experiences or blocked each one out of my memory due to the psychological scarring it left on my being. The world will never know. Though I took a risk and tried it out anyways. What I got was something I didn’t expect….a delicious piece of pie! The crust was buttery, flaky, and so flavorful from the cold brew added to it. The coffee gave the dough a nice richness and full body aroma. The filling, with its tofu and all, tasted divine. Dare I say, it was even better than traditional pecan pie?! The filling was warm and sweet which was perfectly balanced between the bourbon + coffee and the toasted pecan flavors. I decided I was going to be super fancy and hand place each pecan half around the top of the pie for decoration. I was really pleased with how it turned out! #sofancy.

What I think I love most about this recipe is how simple it is. Just a few short steps and you are on your way to pie lover’s paradise. This pie can definitely be made a day or so ahead and stored covered in the refrigerator. Top it off with vegan whipped cream or perhaps some no-churn ice cream (well that isn’t really vegan, but hey! It would taste good!). 

Vegan Coffee Pie Crust
Original recipe adapted from Namely Marly

Ingredients

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon espresso powder

8 tablespoons vegan butter, cubed and chilled

4 tablespoons shortening, chilled

¼ cup cold water + 2 tablespoons cold brew coffee

Pinch of cinnamon

Directions

Place the cubed butter and shortening in a bowl and store in the fridge 15 minutes before starting the recipe so it can properly chill. In a food processor or large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, sugar, and espresso powder. Add in the chilled butter and shortening and pulse or cut the fats into the dough until a coarse meals begins to form. Add the cold water and cold brew coffee and pulse or stir until the dough begins to come together. Add a little bit more flour, one tablespoon at a time, if the dough is too sticky to work with.

Transfer dough onto a lightly floured work surface and form into a 1-inch disk. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.  Note: If you want thinner layers of pie crust, divide this dough in half before forming and chilling. 

Vegan Cold Brew Coffee Pecan Pie

Original recipe adapted from Namely Marly

Ingredients

One sheet of vegan pie crust*

5 tablespoons vegan butter

1 cup brown sugar

½ cup corn syrup

1/4 cup honey or maple syrup (if you're wanting to stay true vegan)

4 tablespoons cornstarch

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon bourbon

1 tablespoon cold brew coffee

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup extra firm silken tofu

¼ teaspoon espresso powder

2 cups whole pecans

Directions

For the crust. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Roll the prepared pie disk(s) out on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8 inch thickness and place in a 9-inch pie pan. Crimp the edges of the pie and prick the bottom of the crust several times with a fork. Bake the crust for 20 minutes or until slightly golden brown. Remove crust from the oven and set aside to cool while you make the filling.

For the filling. In a medium saucepan combine the vegan butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, honey, and cornstarch. Stir and cook mixture over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for another minute. Add the salt, bourbon, cold brew coffee, and vanilla and stir to combine.

In a food processor, add the silken tofu and pulse until smooth paste forms. Add the corn syrup mixture and the espresso powder before pulsing again until everything is combined. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl and stir in the pecans (reserving about 20 - 50 for the top). Arrange the reserved pecans on top of the pie however your heart desires.

Place your pie on the cookie sheet and bake in the oven for about one hour, until the edges of the pie are set. Note: add pie guards to the edges of your crust so they don’t burn. Remove the pie from the oven and allow to cool before serving (I covered mine and put it in the fridge to chill before I served it). 

Huge thanks to Califia Farms for sponsoring this recipe. Be sure to share your baking creations with the hashtag #TKbakes so we can obsess about coffee and baking together. And as always, all opinions, ramblings, stories, and recipe/adaptations are my own.

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If you liked this post, check out these related ones! 

Blackberry, Blueberry & Honey Lattice Pie 

Gluten-Free Quinoa & Dried Blueberry Granola

Deep Dish Lemon Meringue Cream Pie