~ Agar powder is a crucial ingredient here for getting the perfect texture. It’s similar to a vegan gelatin, but made from seaweed, not whatever gross stuff gelatin is made from. It comes in flakes and powder form, but I prefer the powder because it is so fool-proof and easy to work. Check your local Asian market for Telephone brand, or you can order it from Amazon or Vegan Essentials . One small jar will get you through dozens of pies, so it’s a worthwhile ingredient to have on hand.

Ingredients

Single pastry crust, fit into a 9 inch pie plate3 cups cooked pumpkin or other sweet winter squash

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1/2 cup plain unsweetened soy milk (or your favorite non-dairy milk)

4 teaspoons canola oil

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 /4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Pinch ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon agar powder

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a blender, pulse together pumpkin, maple syrup, soy milk, canola oil, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt, cornstarch and agar powder until very smooth. Pour into the pie shell and bake for 60 to 65 minutes until the center looks semi-firm not liquidy. Check the edges of the crust after baking for 40 minutes; if the edges appear to be browning too rapidly carefully remove the pie and apply crust protectors to the edges to keep from getting too dark.Remove from oven and onto a cooling rack for 30 minutes, then chill for at least 4 hours before slicing. Serve with Rad Whip, vegan whipped topping or your favorite vegan vanilla ice cream. In the photo, we piped cream around the edges of the pie with a large decorating tip.