Easy Vegan Banana Pie

ABOUT THE RECIPE:

This creamy Vegan Banana Pie is full of fresh banana flavor. The delicious filling is cradled in a tasty, oil-free date-nut pie crust, then baked to dreamy perfection! It's a yummy, sweet treat to serve for a snack or at the close of any family supper.

Make 8 servings

INGREDIENTS:

CRUST

• 2/3 cups raisins
• 1 cup rolled oats (use gluten-free if needed)
• 1/2 cup raw or roasted pumpkin seeds
• 4 Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

FILLING

• 2 medium bananas
• 14 to 16 ounces soft silken or extra-firm silken tofu, drained
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons sesame tahini (see note)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

TOPPING

• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, plus more as needed
• 1/2 vegan dark chocolate bar, cut into curls, for garnish, optional (snack bar, NOT unsweetened baking chocolate)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9-inch round pie plate.

Put the raisins, oats, pumpkin seeds, dates, and ground cinnamon in a high-performance blender or food processor, and process on medium until a dough forms. Transfer the dough to a large bowl and form it into a ball. Put the ball of dough on a parchment lined cutting board and roll it out (using a rolling pin) into a 9- to 10-inch round. (This is a rustic pie so it does not need to be perfect!) Transfer the dough to the prepared pie plate, then press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the pan to form a crust (see note). Peel and slice each banana into 10 to 12 slices and arrange the slices on top of the crust in an overlapping layer.

Put the tofu, maple syrup, tahini, and vanilla extract in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Pour the filling over the banana slices and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Dust the top of the pie with the cocoa powder. Bake the pie for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the edges are firm. Center of the pie will still be slightly soft. Put the pan on a wire rack and cool for 15 minutes. While pie is still warm, mound chocolate curls (if using) into the center of the pie. Let cool an additional 15 to 30 minutes.

Serve the pie warm (it will be quite soft when warm), or loosely cover the pie and refrigerate for several hours and serve cold. Covered tightly and stored in the refrigerator, leftover pie will keep up to 24 hours.

CHEF'S NOTE: If preferred, you may use sunflower seed butter, almond butter, peanut butter (or any type of nut or seed butter) in place of the tahini. 

CHEF'S NOTE: Alternately, if you do not have a rolling pin, you can transfer the ball of dough directly into the prepared pie pan, then using clean hands, press it into the pan.