Pumpkin pie recipe using evaporated milk

If you’ve been following me for awhile, you know I realllllly don’t like using too many alternate ingredients in my cooking/baking. Rather, I prefer to take a non-vegan recipe and find ways to get the same result without the offending ingredient(s).

That being said, I decided to attempt the impossible using Libby’s Famous Pumpkin Pie recipe as my test recipe. This, in and of itself, presents a few challenges. The first being evaporated milk. Evaporated milk is nothing more than milk with 60% of its liquid evaporated. Condensed milk is evaporated milk with sugar added. Libby’s recipe calls for evaporated milk, but I chose to make the condensed version. I feel like the added sugar aided in the thickening process.

So my experiment began here. I used almond milk for it’s thicker consistency and overall complementary flavor. Not a huge coconut fan, but you could use coconut milk (or really any non-dairy alternative) if you prefer. I would stay away from rice milk as it is rather thin and watery to begin with. If you try it and it works, let me know!

To that, I add sugar and salt. Over a medium-high heat, whisking frequently, I reduced the mixture by 60%. This is the time consuming part, but I was already working around in the kitchen and just had to tend to it occasionally. The best part is that the now condensed milk can be refrigerated for up to two weeks. And it should be refrigerated for at least two hours prior to using to be sure it reaches the correct consistency. I was skeptical, but the end result? Pretty much identical to canned sweetened condensed milk!

The rest of the recipe (aside from the eggs) remains exactly the same. I prepared the entire recipe up to this point and equally distributed the filling between four bowls.

I chose to try this pie using four popular methods of egg-replacers.

1. 1/2 C Silken Tofu, pureed until very smooth. The only way I ever really eat tofu, is as an ingredient and rarely on it’s own. If you can’t find the silken tofu, use soft tofu and blend, blend, blend until smooth. If you puree it enough, it should look like yogurt!

2. 1/2 C Silken Tofu, pureed until very smooth COMBINED with 2 Tbl Cornstarch.

3. 2 Tbl Ground Flax Seeds plus 6 Tbl Cold Water, allowed to sit in the refrigerator for up to 30 minutes. It will be gelatinous similar to the consistency of an egg.

4. A Starch Mixture consisting of: 3 tsp Tapioca Starch, 3 tsp Potato Starch, 1/2 tsp Baking Powder, 1/4 tsp Xanthan Gum and 6 Tbl Water. Let rest in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to thicken and then whisk it until it appears lighter in color. It will also slightly increase in volume. The idea is to take advantage of the trapped air bubbles to aid in leavening in the same manner that eggs do.

While this one does require a few specialty ingrendents, they can easily be found in most grocery stores these days. Any Whole Foods, Trader, Joes, etc. and of course, my go to…Amazon.com

Each of these work in very different ways and I was unsure how they would work in this custard-like dessert. I was not only looking for consistency that resembled the original, but also taste.