Vegan Chocolate Pie
This vegan chocolate pie is a layered pastry with a light, mousse-like chocolate and walnut filling made from aquafaba instead of eggs. It bakes into a crisp, buttery crust wrapped around a rich dark-chocolate center, and it comes together with pantry staples plus a can of chickpeas. If you want a dessert that feels special enough for a Sunday gathering but is forgiving enough for a weeknight, this is the one to make.
I want to make it clear right from the start that this pie is super easy to make, so there is no need to stress about how long it will take or whether it might flop. It is going to be a success, and a super delicious one, I might add! I usually make this type of layered pie with apples or apricots, but ever since I discovered how well the pastry goes with chocolate, I cannot stop making them. I adapted this treat so it is now completely vegan, ready for you to enjoy.
The ingredients that make it work
The pastry is a short crust: flour, a room-temperature vegan butter or spread, ice-cold water, and a pinch of salt. For the vegan version I use the Creamy spread from Violife, which behaves like butter once it warms to room temperature. Keeping the fat soft but not melted and the water properly ice-cold is what gives you a tender, flaky crust rather than a tough one.
The filling is where the magic happens. Instead of eggs, it uses aquafaba, the liquid left in a can of chickpeas, whipped with a little cream of tartar and sugar until it forms stiff peaks, then folded together with melted dark chocolate, crushed walnuts, vanilla extract, and fresh orange zest. Use a good dark chocolate you would happily eat on its own, and check that it is dairy-free if you want the pie fully vegan. The orange zest is not optional in my book — it lifts the whole thing and keeps the chocolate from feeling heavy.
Why aquafaba works in place of eggs
Aquafaba is the starchy, protein-rich water from cooked chickpeas, and those proteins behave much like egg whites: they trap air and hold it in a stable foam. The cream of tartar is a mild acid that helps the foam set firmer and hold its structure, which is exactly why it works in a classic meringue too. When you fold the whipped aquafaba into the melted chocolate, all those tiny air bubbles carry through into the baked filling, giving you that mousse-and-truffle-tart texture rather than a dense fudge. If you are skeptical about aquafaba in a dessert, trust me, the result tastes like the ultimate chocolate mousse and truffle tart combined.
How to get it right
A few small habits make the difference between a good pie and a great one. Rest the dough in the fridge for the full hour — chilled dough is easier to roll and shrinks less in the oven. Let the melted chocolate cool to room temperature before you fold it into the whipped aquafaba; chocolate that is still hot will deflate the foam and thin your filling. Whip the aquafaba all the way to stiff peaks, adding the sugar gradually only after it has already foamed up, the same way you would build a meringue.
When you fold, be gentle and go slowly, keeping as much air in the mixture as you can. Roll the two dough halves to roughly the size and shape of your tray so the top and bottom layers meet neatly. To check for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center — it should come out clean, which usually lands around 40 minutes at 180 degrees C.
Easy swaps and variations
- Swap the walnuts for pecans, hazelnuts, or almonds, or leave the nuts out entirely for a smoother filling.
- Use lemon zest instead of orange if that is what you have, or add a pinch of espresso powder to deepen the chocolate.
- Any room-temperature vegan butter or block-style spread will work in the crust in place of the Violife Creamy spread.
- The same layered pastry works beautifully with apples or apricots if you want a fruit version another day.
Serving and storing your chocolate pie
Let the pie cool before slicing so the filling can set — warm from the oven it will be very soft. It keeps well at room temperature for a day and in the fridge for up to three or four days in an airtight container; the crust stays crispest at room temperature. A slice is lovely on its own, but if you want to make it a proper dessert spread, serve it alongside an easy chocolate mousse or with a few raw almond chocolate truffles for a chocolate lover’s platter.
If you are on a chocolate kick, you will find plenty more to try in our collection of vegan chocolate recipes, and this pie fits right in with our other vegan desserts.
A pie that never disappoints
Get ready to be amazed by one of the best chocolate pies I have ever made. Between the crunchy pastry and the creamy chocolate center, it is the kind of dessert that makes a Sunday gathering feel like an occasion, or simply treats you well after a long week. I hope you enjoy this incredibly tasty vegan chocolate pie as much as I do.
If you make it, I would love to know how your aquafaba filling turned out and whether you kept the orange zest or tried a swap. Please rate the recipe and leave a comment below to tell me how it went!
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Vegan Chocolate Pie
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup butter room-temp. For vegan version I use the Creamy spread from Violife
- 4 Tbsp water ice cold
- 1 pinch salt
For the filling:
- 8 Tbsp aquafaba the liquid from a can of chickpeas
- 1 cup sugar
- 5 oz dark chocolate
- ½ cup walnuts crushed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar
- 1 orange, zested
Instructions
- Incorporate the margarine into the flour (you can do this by hand, in a bowl or a food processor), add a pinch of salt, and 4 Tbsp of ice-cold water (one at a time).
- Mix well until the dough is formed. Let it rest in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Melt the chocolate over a steamer or in the microwave and let it come to room temperature.
- Put the chickpea liquid into a separate bowl, add the cream of tartar and beat with a hand mixer.
- When it foams up, add the sugar a little at a time. Beat until stiff peaks.
- Add the vanilla and orange zest.
- Fold in the melted chocolate and crushed walnuts.
- Grease and line your baking tray.
- Split the dough into two equal parts.
- Roll the dough in the shape of your tray.
- Place one layer of dough on the bottom of your pan, top with your chocolate-walnut mixture, and cover with the second layer of dough.
- Bake at 180 degrees C for 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. It uses no eggs and no dairy: the filling is set with aquafaba (chickpea liquid) instead of egg whites, and the crust uses a vegan butter or spread such as Violife Creamy in place of dairy butter. Just make sure the dark chocolate you choose is dairy-free, since some brands contain milk.
Aquafaba is the starchy liquid left in a can of chickpeas, and it whips up like egg whites into a stable foam. Whipped with cream of tartar and sugar and folded into chocolate, it does not taste of chickpeas at all — the flavor is pure chocolate, with a light mousse-like texture.
Cream of tartar is a mild acid that helps the whipped aquafaba set into firmer, more stable peaks, the same way it stabilizes a classic meringue. It keeps the foam from collapsing so the baked filling stays airy rather than dense. If you do not have it, the filling will still work but may be a little softer.
Whip the aquafaba all the way to stiff peaks and add the sugar gradually only after it has foamed up. Let the melted chocolate cool to room temperature before folding it in, because hot chocolate will collapse the foam. Fold gently and slowly to keep as much air in the mixture as possible.
Bake at 180 degrees C for about 40 minutes, then insert a toothpick into the center — it should come out clean. The top crust should be set and lightly golden. Timing can vary with your oven and tray size, so use the toothpick as your main cue.
Let it cool completely before slicing so the filling can set. It keeps at room temperature for about a day and in the fridge in an airtight container for three to four days. The crust stays crispest at room temperature, so bring cold slices back to room temp before serving if you can.
This looks absolutely marvelous. I’d never have thought of mousse and flaky pastry, a distant relative of a Napoleon I suspect.
You say the aquafaba can be replaced by silken tofu but don’t give instructions. would it be 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp) and still whipped? Unfortunately for me, since it’s so versatile, I can taste the aquafaba and nothing but chickpeas all day long even if I don’t notice the taste while eating. Kinda like avocado except I can detect that right away so much for brilliant, healthy substitutions.
Beautiful recipe. Thank you.
Thank you, Laurel! 😀 Yes, same quantity and blended.
Yum! Simple and super yummy!