The Best Vegan Blueberry Pie

Perhaps you’re thinking that the name of this recipe a bit presumptuous, but honestly, this is the Best Blueberry Pie I’ve ever come up with, and I’ve made my share of blueberry pies!

As for the definition of a perfect blueberry pie, I’m not particularly fond of pies made with a bun dough base (like the kind of dough you’d use for cinnamon buns but without the filling). This type of blueberry pie base is very common in Finland but I’m not a fan. If that’s your idea of the perfect blueberry pie, this recipe might not be for you. ;) On the other hand, you might be pleasantly surprised so do read on! Personally, I love a blueberry pie made with a crumbly dough, where there’s enough blueberry filling without being too much, and in this pie, all these elements came together perfectly.

Vegan Vanilla CUSTARD Made from Cashews

I served the blueberry pie with a vanilla-cashew custard. A “normal” vanilla custard is made with eggs, but this cashew-based vanilla custard is delightful to my taste and adds a healthy dose of nuts without unnecessary additives, and of course, it’s vegan. It’s also really convenient because I usually have these ingredients in my pantry by default, making this custard a great option when you have unexpected guests or just a sudden urge to make something delicious :D

I use this vegan Crème Anglaise recipe that I found from Vitamix Finland’s Instagram feed a while back:

INGREDIENTS

• 150g cashew nuts (about 1 cup) soaked in water for 2-3 hours

• 150ml (about 2/3 cup) plant-based milk

• 1 Tbsp vanilla paste or extract

• 3 Tbsp maple syrup

• tiny pinch of salt (my addition, I think it makes the taste come together)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Soak the cashew nuts in water for 2-3 hours before preparing. Drain them and squeeze out any excess water from the nuts.

2. Place the cashews, plant-based milk, vanilla, and maple syrup into a Vitamix or high-speed blender.

3. Blend on high until the mixture is completely smooth, about 13 seconds. The blending time may vary depending on how long you soaked the nuts.

4. If you want to serve the sauce warm, you can continue blending until the mixture heats up, or gently warm it in a pan, stirring constantly for about 2-3 minutes.

The Best Vegan Blueberry Pie

Yield: 1 pie, ø 28 cm / 11 inches

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Ingredients

• 4 dl (1 2/3 cups) wheat flour

• 1.5 dl (2/3 cup) sugar

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp vanilla sugar

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 125g (1/2 cup or one US stick of butter would be the same amount) vegan butter or margarine

• 1 dl (1/3 cup) soy milk (or other plant milk)

• 4 dl (1 2/3 cups) frozen blueberries

• 2 tsp potato starch (also corn starch works fine!)

Instructions

1. In a bowl, mix together the wheat flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla sugar, and salt.

2. Melt the vegan butter or margarine and mix it into the dry ingredients until the mixture becomes crumbly. Set aside half of the mixture.

3. Add the soy milk to the remaining half of the dough and mix until smooth. Spread the mixture evenly over the bottom of a pie dish (about 11 inches/28 cm in diameter).

4. Mix the potato or corn starch with the blueberries and spread them evenly over the dough in the pie dish. The starch helps bind any moisture from the blueberries as they melt and if becomes a perfect part of the filling.

5. Crumble the reserved dough over the top of the blueberries. Bake the pie on the middle rack of the oven at 200°C (about 390°F) for 30 minutes, until the crumbled dough is beautifully golden.

6. Enjoy with vanilla ice cream or the vegan Crème Anglaise (recipe earlier in the article!)

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