Vegan GF Pumpkin Pie Parfait, Easy To Make Ahead!

This make ahead friendly vegan pumpkin pie parfait is such a fun dessert! I wanted to make a pumpkin pie with a gluten-free nut crust and my tests were just not co-operating in the oven. All the components tasted great but I couldn't get it right in time for this post so... Bryan suggested a parfait! And well... it was a pretty great suggestion! These personal deconstructed pumpkin pie parfaits are:

Easy To Make Ahead
Rich, Creamy, And Crunchy
Full Of Pumpkin Fall Flavour
Gluten-Free
And Entirely Made From Pantry Friendly Ingredients!

Making Vegan Pumpkin Pie Parfaits

There are three components to these individual deconstructed pumpkin pies:

1. The crust - the granola and pie crust cookies
2. Filling - a creamy pumpkin mousse
3. And of course - the whipped cream topping

The Nut & Oat Crust

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
• Pulse the walnuts, pecans, and oats into a coarse meal in your food processor.
  • If you don't have a food processor you can chop your nuts by hand.
• Transfer to a bowl and stir in the sea salt, cinnamon, maple syrup, and vegan butter.
• To make the pie crust cookies, return ½ cup of the granola to your food processor and grind into a finer, sticky dough.
• Shape the dough into 6 pie shaped cookies and lay to one side on a prepared baking sheet.
• Scoop the granola onto the other side of the baking sheet, press it down into an even layer, but keep it tightly packed to encourage clumping.

• Bake for 12 minutes.
• Remove the cookies; they should be browned around the edges. Stir the granola to break up the centre a bit and encourage it to get as crispy as the edges. Still keep it as tightly packed as possible and return to the oven for another 6-8 minutes until golden brown.
• Allow the granola to cool without stirring it if possible (this will encourage it to clump more as well).

*If you don't have a food processor and can chop the nuts quite small, you should still be able to make the pie crust cookies. You may need to add a bit more butter or maple syrup to make the dough sticky enough to hold together. Let me know in the comments below if you give that a try and how you make out! Using all oats or oats and almond flour could work as well.

The Pumpkin Mousse Filling

• Combine all the ingredients in your blender.
• Blend until smooth.
• If possible, allow the mousse to chill in the fridge so it can firm up even more.
  • You can however, serve the mousse right away if you are tight on time.

*If you wish to make your own pumpkin puree you can check out Love & Lemons Homemade Pumpkin Puree instructions.

The Whip

We love using our Fluffiest 5 Minute Whipped Cream In The World recipe. All you need is refrigerated coconut cream, icing sugar, and a dash of vanilla extract.

Although the homemade coconut whipped cream is really quick and easy, feel free to use a store-bought whip if that's more convenient.

What Is Coconut Cream

This recipe calls for coconut cream to be used in the pumpkin mousse and the coconut whip. If you're wondering what coconut cream is... prepare to have your eyes opened to the potential of coconut milk!

If you refrigerate a can of full fat coconut milk for 24 hours, the full fat cream rises to the top of the can. The cream hardens and the coconut water sinks to the bottom.

As long as you don't tilt or shake the can as you remove it from the fridge and open it... you can scoop that hardened cream off the top.

That "coconut cream" is what you will be using for this recipe BUT make sure to reserve the coconut water for another use. We love pouring it into a jar and saving it for a smoothie the next morning. In the summertime, it's perfect in our Tropical Jackfruit Smoothie Bowl. If smoothies aren't your preferred breakfast in the colder months try sneaking it into oatmeal instead of using regular water!

Canned Coconut Milk vs. Canned Coconut Cream

You might notice that your grocery store has both; coconut milk AND coconut cream.

Cans of coconut cream have a higher concentration of the full fat cream and less coconut water. They can be a great option to ensure you get a good amount of cream in your can.

One thing to keep in mind if you're buying coconut cream or coconut whipping cream...

• Take a look at the can to see if there are specific instructions for use!
  • I tried this recipe with a can of coconut whipping cream. I refrigerated it and scooped the hardened cream off the top. BUT for that particular brand I was supposed to use the entire can; including the water. Once I realized it wasn't whipping properly and something was clearly wrong, I added the water to my mixing bowl but the cream was already over-whipped and it never fluffed up. Lesson learned and hopefully this will help you avoid any similar frustration!

Recipe Cost For Vegan Pumpkin Pie Parfait

This vegan pumpkin pie parfait recipe makes 6 4oz servings and costs us approximately: CAD $8.68 or $1.45/serving!

I find that the 4oz portions are a great size because the coconut cream makes the mousse and the whip quite rich. The walnut, pecan "crust" also packs in a good amount of heft and is quite filling.

But, feel free to make a bit extra of each component and make larger portions!

Let us know in the comments below if you try these make ahead friendly personal sized desserts and how you like your deconstructed pumpkin pie parfaits!

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