Vegan Pumpkin Tart with Ginger Crust

Skip the pie for this creamy vegan pumpkin tart with spiced gluten-free “gingersnap” crust and salted caramel drizzle. The perfect Thanksgiving dessert!

Every year I post a new pumpkin pie recipe because a) its the classic-est of thanksgiving dessert classics and every table deserves one b) I adore pumpkin pie eating, so testing a new one every year is the opposite of a chore and c) I like the creative challenge of coming up with a new spin that still does tradition justice.

But this year I made a pie adjacent move to the pumpkin TART – she’s unique, she’s elevated, she’s classy, she’s 10x easier to photograph than those dang lopsided triangular slices. And (I may or may not say this every year but) this is easily my favorite pumpkin pie/tart recipe to date!

Better than Pumpkin Pie?

No shade to pumpkin pie, but this vegan pumpkin tart is my new favorite because:

• ULTRA silky pumpkin filling.
• Also a no-bake filling, so you get to skip the anxiety of carrying a filled to the tippy top pie pan to the oven.
• The ginger crust that could be a dessert all it’s own.
• The sneaky (not a gingersnap!) gluten-free ingredient that makes this crust so easy – buttery, perfectly crumbly, heavily spiced!
• The salted caramel drizzle, no explanation required.

The Gluten-Free “Gingersnap” Crust

This crust has a little secret and that secret is: CEREAL. Because gluten-free gingersnap cookies are too hard to find and too much work to make when you already got pie to do, so crispy brown rice cereal is the perfect stand in that still creates that same graham-cracker reminiscent crust texture. Of course you can use other cereals too, just make sure they are toasted not puffed.

To create that gingersnap flavor we are also using:

• molasses
• maple syrup
• almond butter (to bind and keep it oil-free!)
• cinnamon
• ginger
• and a pinch of salt

This crust comes together so easily in the food processor. Just make sure to press it in very firmly to your tart pan so it’s not too crumbly after baking. I like to place a piece of wax paper on top of the crust and use the bottom of a measuring cup to apply even pressure. Then bake the crust until golden and cool completely while you prep the filling.

The Creamy Pumpkin Filling

Photos truly don’t do the texture of this stuff justice, it’s just so. damn. silky. Made with:

• Pumpkin puree, of course
• Coconut milk, and yes I do recommend the full-fat canned kind here, can’t vouch for how lower fat milks will work
• Medjool dates to sweeten and thicken
• Pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, allspice)
• Vanilla extract
• And – the one semi curveball ingredient – agar agar powder

The agar agar is what makes the filling set without having to use raw cashews or coconut oil, and it allows for the tart to be out at room temp for for short periods of time without melting immediately like many cashew based desserts. I did include an alternative filling option if you can’t find it!

More Vegan Thanksgiving Desserts You’ll Love

• SunButter Pumpkin Pie (my favorite no-tart recipe!)
• Date-Sweetened Pumpkin Pie
• Vegan Paleo Pecan Pie Bars (date-sweetened!)
• Beet Sweet Potato Pie
• Apple Crisp Bars

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