When it comes to vegan cooking, it’s important to consider the vast array of delicious plant-based ingredients available to you instead of focusing on the few ingredients you can’t use. Vegan cooking offers endless possibilities for delicious recipes. One vegan recipe that was a huge hit in our house was Vegan Chocolate Pie with Aquafaba (a whipped cream made with chickpeas.) No need to say that it was love at first bite! People couldn’t believe this silky, chocolaty dessert had tofu in it!
Why Cook Vegan Recipes?
Vegan cuisine calls for only plant-based foods and avoids animal products such as meat, dairy and eggs. Some popular proteins in vegan cuisine are quinoa, beans, nuts and seeds and tofu. Research shows over and over again that eating a diet rich in plant-based foods reduces the risk of cancer and other diseases and may help you live a longer, healthier life, according to the American Cancer Society.
What Unique Vegan Ingredients Does This Recipe Call For?
In this Vegan Chocolate Pie recipe, I used tofu as the main filling. While a chocolate pie recipe would typically include some kind of pudding or whipped cream, silky smooth tofu is packed with protein and makes an excellent conduit for the chocolate filling. I sweetened this with maple syrup, which is lower on the glycemic index than sugar and contains many minerals our bodies need such as calcium, potassium and manganese. Finally, I topped this with aquafaba, a vegan alternative to whipped cream made with chickpeas.
Aquafaba has more uses beyond just being a whipped cream substitute – it can be used as an alternative to really anything that is creamy such as sour cream or mayonnaise. It can even be used in salad dressing recipes! Plus, you can find so many recipes for chickpeas here on the blog to make with the rest of the can of chickpeas!
I used a pre-made graham cracker crust, but if you are feeling up to the challenge you can always make one from scratch. The filling itself is not overly sweet, but don’t worry, the graham cracker crust, raspberries and white chocolate shavings make it sweet enough!
Vegan Chocolate Pie
Ingredients
- 1 (9 inch) Graham cracker pie crust
- 2 4oz pkg. emi-Sweet or Sweet Chocolate
- 1 Tsp. Vanilla extract
- 1 12.3 oz pkg Silky tofu
- White chocolate shavings (for garnish)
- Fresh raspberries
- Aquafaba
Instructions:
- In a glass bowl, melt the chocolate in the microwave for one minute. Stir and add one minute till it melts.
- Using an electric mixer, blend the vanilla, maple syrup and tofu into the melted chocolate until smooth and creamy.
- Allow it to set in the refrigerator for a minimum of 6 hours or overnight.
- Garnish with raspberries and shaved white chocolate.
- Add aquafaba to substitute whipped cream.
- Yum! Enjoy!
Aquafaba
Ingredients
- 1 15 oz can chickpeas (liquid reserved)
- 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
Instructions
- Drain the liquid from the can of chickpeas into the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Add the cream of tartar. Whisk on medium to high speed for 3-5 minutes until stiff peaks form.
- If desired, add vanilla extract or maple syrup for flavor and sweetness.
