Raw Lemon Graham Cracker Pie
For the Crushed Cookie Base:
9oz (255g) Vegan Ginger Cookies (store-bought or homemade)*
1/2 cup (112g) Vegan Butter (Melted)*
For the Lemon Pie Filling:
1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) Homemade Vegan Condensed Milk*
1/2 cup (120ml) Lemon Juice (freshly squeezed)
2 Tbsp Lemon Zest
1/2 tsp Lemon Extract
Double Batch Vegan Whipped Coconut Cream
For Decorating:
Lemon Zest
INSTRUCTIONS
Prepare the crushed cookie base by crushing the ginger cookies in the food processor or by placing into a ziplock bag and rolling over it with a rolling pin until the cookies are crushed into small pieces.
Melt the vegan butter on the stove and then pour it over the crushed cookie pieces and mix in.
Pat down into a pie dish, working it up along the sides as best you can and then place into the freezer to set.
Prepare your vegan condensed milk as per the linked recipe.
Pour this out into a bowl and set aside.
Prepare your whipped coconut cream. At least the night before place two cans of coconut cream into the coldest part of your refrigerator. The next day carefully remove them from the refrigerator (be careful not to shake) and open them. The cream section will have risen to the top leaving the water at the bottom. Scoop off only the cream section of the two cans into the bowl of an electric mixer. Starting at low speed gradually increase speed until the cream is whipped. For a full tutorial including video see our how to make vegan whipped cream tutorial. After preparing the whipped cream set it aside.
Squeeze the lemons and grate the lemon zest.
Add the lemon juice, lemon extract and lemon zest to the bowl with the condensed milk and whisk with a hand whisk to combine. Then fold in the whipped coconut cream.
Pour this over the crushed cookie base and place into the fridge for a few hours to set. If it’s still a little on the soft side, let it firm up in the freezer for a bit before serving.
Decorate with lemon zest and serve.
NOTES
*If you’re using store-bought vegan ginger cookies, this would be around 30 small cookies. If you’re making homemade ginger cookies using our recipe, then this would use up the whole batch.
INGREDIENTS
crust
1 1/2 cups gluten free graham cracker crumbs*
1/4 cup cane sugar
5 tablespoons dairy free butter, melted
lemon cream filling
2/3 cup cane sugar
3 tablespoons corn starch or tapioca starch
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 1/2 cups canned coconut milk, stirred**
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
fresh lemon slices {optional}
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare 9-inch pie pan or tart pan by spraying with nonstick cooking spray.
Mix together gluten free graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted dairy free butter. Stir until well combined.
Pour graham cracker mixture into repared pie pan, pressing into bottom and up sides of pan.
Bake pie crust for 6-7 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool on cooling rack.
To make lemon cream pudding, whisk together sugar, cornstarch and salt in medium saucepan.
Over medium heat, whisk in coconut milk. While stirring constantly, cook until bubbly and thick {about 5 minutes}.
Remove pudding from heat and stir in lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla. Pour into pie crust.
Cover pudding with plastic wrap, touching top of pudding. Place in refrigerator to cool completely, 2-3 hours.
When pie is chilled, top with even layer of whipped topping. Add a few lemon slices to the center for garnish {if desired}. Serve immediately or keep chilled in refrigerator.
Graham Crust Variations
1/4 cup (56g) Vegan Butter
1/2 cup (100g) coconut Sugar
1/3 cup (100g) Unsulphured Molasses*
1 Flax Egg
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 cups (250g) GF Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
2 tsp Ground Ginger
2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Allspice
1/4 tsp Ground Cloves
For the Decorating Frosting:
1 cup (120g) Powdered (Icing) Sugar alternative
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Tbsp nut Milk
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C)
Add the vegan butter and brown sugar to an electric mixing bowl and cream together.
Prepare your flax egg by mixing 1 Tbsp Flaxseed Meal with 3 Tbsp Hot Water and allowing to sit for a minute.
Add the molasses, vanilla and flax egg to the electric mixer and beat together with the vegan butter and brown sugar.
Sift the flour into a bowl and add the baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice and cloves and mix together.
Add all the dry ingredients into the mixing bowl containing the wet ingredients and mix into a thick batter.
Flour a surface and your hands very generously and transfer the cookie dough onto the baking surface. Roll it into a ball, adding flour as needed so it doesn’t stick.
Roll out with a rolling pin to around a 1/4 inch thick and cut out some gingerbread men. Dip your cookie cutter in flour each time so it doesn’t stick. Move the gingerbread men to a parchment lined baking tray.
Gather the scraps of dough, form into a ball and roll out again, cutting out more men.
Don’t be shy to add more flour each time, this dough can be quite sticky and you need it not to be as you roll it, so add flour as needed. Any excess flour on the gingerbread cookies will bake off.
Repeat this process until you have used all the dough.
Place into the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes and then remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before decorating.
When you’re ready to decorate, mix the decorating frosting ingredients together. It should be quite thick, but when you stir it into a peak, it should hold it’s shape for a bit before melting back down and should be quite sticky.
Crushed GF Graham crust Ingredients
1 1/2 cups gluten free graham cracker crumbs (see notes)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
5 tablespoons butter, melted
pinch of salt (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Add the graham cracker crumbs, granulated sugar, butter, and a pinch of salt to a large bowl. Mix together until all of the crumbs are moistened. **If you are making your own graham cracker crumbs with a food processor, feel free mix the crumbs, sugar, butter, and salt together with the food processor.**
Use a flat bottomed measuring cup to firmly press the crumbs into a 9 inch pie dish or 9 inch spring-form pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes.
Cool before adding the filling.
Sweet & Salty Spiced Pecan Crust (Gluten-free)
Absolutely worth every calorie and then some! It’s a bit sweet, buttery, lightly spiced with cinnamon, and enhanced with a bit of salt to bring out the flavours. This crust goes so nicely with the pumpkin pie filling! This crust is very sensitive to changes, so I caution against changing things in the recipe. Inspired by Manifest Vegan.
Ingredients:
1 cup GF certified rolled oats, processed into a fine flour OR 1 cup GF oat flour
2 cups raw pecans
2 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp ground flax
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup brown rice syrup (acts as the binder, honey may work if you prefer that)
1 tbsp coconut oil or Earth Balance
Grease a 9-inch pie dish very well and preheat the oven to 350F. In a blender, process your oats into a very fine flour.
In a food processor, add 2 cups pecans and process until it starts to clump and oils start to release (about 35 secs), but don’t make pecan butter either. You should be able to make a ball with the pecan dough.
Melt earth balance with brown rice syrup for about 30 secs in microwave. Stir. Transfer clumpy pecan mixture into a large bowl and mix with the rest of the ingredients. Using your hands, squeeze the dough over and over to combine very well. You should be able to form a ball with it. If it's too dry add a bit of water.
Spoon the pecan dough onto pie dish and smooth out evenly. Press down firmly with fingers to form a crust, bringing it up along the sides. Press as firmly as you can. Prick base with fork 12-13 times. Prebake the crust at 350F for 9-12 minutes, watching closely so it doesn't burn. Remove and cool for 10 mins.
½ cup all-purpose gluten-free flour blend (I used Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 All Purpose Gluten Free Flour Blend)
½ cup gluten-free quick cooking oats
â…“ cup brown sugar, packed
ÂĽ teaspoon cinnamon
ÂĽ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup butter (½ stick), cold, cut into 1-inch cubes
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Position the oven rack in center of oven.
In a food processor, combine flour, quick oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and butter and process until finely chopped (Approximately 30 seconds).
Press pie crust mixture into the bottom of an 8” glass pie pan.
Bake for 10–12 minutes or until it starts to brown.
Remove from the oven. Crust will appear raised. It should flatten on its own. If it doesn’t, press the crust with a spoon until it is even and flat.
NOTES
If you don’t have a food processor, mix the dry crust ingredients in a bowl and cut butter in until it’s fine and resembles coarse crumbs.
Substitute the butter with a dairy-free butter to make this pie crust dairy-free!
This recipe doesn't use eggs. Substitute the butter with a vegan dairy-free butter to make this graham cracker crust vegan.
How to make a gluten free graham cracker crust with graham crackers: In a medium mixing bowl combine 2 cups of crushed gluten free graham crackers with two tablespoon of sugar. Mix until combined. Stir in 1/4 cup of melted unsalted butter. Pour the crumb mixture into a 8-inch or 9-inch pie pan and press the crumbs evenly into the bottom of the pie pan. For a baked crust, bake at 375F for 8-10 minutes. For a unbaked crust, chill for 1 hour before adding the filling in.
1 3/4 cup gluten-free oats
1/2 cup coconut sugar (or Sucanat or brown sugar)
1/4 tsp salt
7 tbsp refined coconut oil or vegan butter
Instructions
Put the gluten-free oats, coconut sugar, and salt, into a food processor.
Pulse a few times to get everything chopped up, then turn the food processor on low and slowly pour in the melted coconut oil.
Mix until it is all combined well and slightly moist and sticky. You may need to stop and stir the contents to get everything incorporated.
Pour the mixture into a springform pan or baking dish and use a flat-bottomed measuring cup to pack it down firmly.
Chill in the refrigerator to set while you make the no-bake pie filling of your choice.
Recipe Notes
You can use brown sugar if you don't have coconut sugar, however, coconut sugar gives it a graham cracker flavor.
This recipe fills the bottom of a 9-inch spring-form pan or makes about 24 mini cheesecakes.
Let your cheesecake or pie warm-up for a few minutes after taking it out of the refrigerator to allow the crust to release better from the pan.
