Vegan French Silk Pie
A nutty chocolate crust is filled with silky smooth dairy free chocolate filling for this scrumptious Vegan French Silk Pie. Spread over some vegan whipped topping and you will not miss the original. Seriously I can’t say enough about this pie!
So, funny thing. French silk pie was my ex husband’s absolute favorite, and to be honest, I made a pretty dang good one back in my day. I used a butter pie crust and the filling was silky cream and sugar. Definitely how this pie made a name for itself back who knows when. I still may make that recipe every great once in a while for a non-vegan gathering, but nowadays I have found a way to enjoy my pie without all the animal fat and refined sugar spikes.
It took some tweaking to perfect this Vegan French Silk Pie. Even the most popular “vegan” recipes were not where I wanted to be from a “healthier” standpoint. For example, I don’t really see a point in replacing butter with a refined seed oil counterfeit. As with most of my recipes, I wanted to feel good about adding some nutrition to the dish, even though I would still classify this as a dessert. The challenge was on! Here’s what I did:
For The Crust:
I used walnuts and almond butter for the fat and replaced oil with applesauce. I wanted a chocolate crust so with the cocoa I added date paste and maple syrup rather than refined white sugar. All au nat-ur-al!
For The Filling:
Don’t let me loose you here. I had thought about adding avocado as my filling as I do with my chocolate pudding, but I just can’t get over the perfect texture of…. silken tofu. Plus, I liked the protein content paired with healthy isoflavones. Do not be scared of tofu in your pie! Try it before you deny it! I used vegan chocolate chips that use dried cane sugar, unsweetened chocolate, and dairy-free cocoa butter. Not my fav on the sugar, but ok for a dessert!
These Chocolate Chipsadd most of the sweetness but I threw in an extra tablespoon of maple syrup to get just the right mix of sweetness to offset the bitter cocoa. Soy milk gives it just enough moisture and when blended all together it is the absolute silkiest filling around! Way less on the calories too!
Coconut Whipped Topping:
I use the can of full fat coconut to make the whipped topping. It does give off a slight coconut flavor so if you are adverse to this, you may wish to make it differently. I am working on a whipped topping recipe using aquafaba so stay tuned! I find that the slight coconut flavor makes this pie delicious and the coconut milk makes the creamiest topping! I throw in 1/4 cup of organic powdered sugar (organic to ensure it is vegan for those of you out there who need that) and a teaspoon of vanilla extract. When it is all whipped together it is my favorite go to whipped topping! Don’t forget to add some chocolate curls or shavings overtop for a nice presentation!
Is Vegan French Silk Pie Healthy?
Vegan French Silk Pie is a dessert. If you are wondering if it is healthy, I would say compared to what? If you would compare this pie to some fresh fruit, then no, this would not be a healthy option. If however, you would compare this pie to say, most other pies out there, then yes, Vegan French Silk Pie is a healthy alternative. The truth is that there are some drawbacks to eating anything that is going to be sweet and lucious.
Most desserts, and really most food in general under the standard American diet, puts you in what Dr. Doug Lisle called the “pleasure trap”. The pleasure trap is just the right amount of fat, sugar, and salt to put you into food bliss. The foods that are engineered to contain this combination, keep you coming back for more.
I can’t say wether or not my Vegan French Silk Pie would throw you into the pleasure trap, but I can say that the difference is, the majority of fats in this pie are healthy fats, such as walnuts and tofu. These fats are low in saturated fat and have no cholesterol. Plus the Omega-3 fatty acids in walnuts actually work to lower inflammation in the body.
Why Mine Is Better For You
The majority of sugars in this pie are derived from natural sources. I like putting date paste into desserts because while it is high in natural sugar, it is also the whole date ground up, meaning it is also high in fiber. The fiber works to slow the glucose absorption.
Lastly, there is no dairy in this pie. No artery clogging heavy cream. No butter. This makes for a lower calorie dessert. This does not mean that if I were actively trying to loose weight I could give myself permission to eat this pie. It is still a higher calorie food that will not help with weight loss. However, while this pie is still classified as dessert, it is a better for you option.
Tips For A Successful Pie
My biggest tip for making this pie is THINK COLD. Keeping all of your ingredients cold helps them set up correctly and not get runny. I cool my crust after baking and before adding the filling. I refrigerate the pie immediately after adding the filling even though I have not added the whipped topping layer yet. I chill my can of full fat coconut milk in the refrigerator before making into whipped cream. I even chill the bowl that I will whip the cream in before whipping it!
You can safely serve this pie once it has been chilling for about 4 hours. The filling and whipped topping will be nice and firm by then. My best practice is to make it the night before serving and allow it to chill overnight. The next day I can add my chocolate shavings to the top of the whipped cream and everything is set up perfectly!
I have not frozen this pie for an extended period of time and then taken it out to thaw. If I ever do I will be the first to let you know how it turned out! I have heard of other bloggers freezing their pies. If you have done it before let me know!
Leave a comment to let me know how this pie turned out for you! Happy pie making!
~Lora
Vegan French Silk Pie
Ingredients
For The Crust
- 1 cup walnuts
- ½ cup almond or seed butter
- 1/4 cup date paste
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1 cup coconut flour
- ½ cup applesauce
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For The Filling
- 1 7oz bag vegan dark chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup plant milk of choice
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1 block silken tofu, drained
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For The Coconut Whipped Cream
- 1 can full fat coconut milk refrigerated (do not shake)
- ¼ cup organic powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- For The Crust
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Place walnuts and date paste and almond or seed butter in a food processor and process until nuts are finely chopped.
- Add the remainder of the crust ingredients and blitz until a dough forms. Dough should be soft like cookie dough.
- Press dough on the bottom and up the sides of a 9½ inch pie plate. Pierce the bottom with a fork.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
For The Filling
- Place the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 3-4, 30 second intervals stirring between each interval until chocolate is melted.
- Pour into a food processor and add remainder of ingredients. Blend until very smooth and silky.
- Pour filling into cooled pie crust and place pie in fridge for 4 hours or overnight.
For The Coconut Whipped Topping
- Scoop out the thick, coconut cream from the top of the coconut milk can. Whip cream with powdered sugar and vanilla extract until thick soft peaks form.
- Spread on top of pie and sprinkle with shaved chocolate. Refrigerate before serving. *
Notes
Nutrition
Some of my other better for you desserts include:
