No-Bake Vegan Strawberry Pie

No-Bake Vegan Strawberry Pie is made with vegan gelatin and a gluten-free almond oat crust. Serve with coconut whipped cream for the ultimate spring or summer dessert!

No-Bake Strawberry Pie in a Toasted Almond Crust. A deliciously light dessert that's perfect for summer! Vegan and gluten-free.

Berry season is officially in swing in Northern California and I can hardly help myself! Two for eight dollar pints of locally grown organic strawberries and blueberries have found their way into my shopping bag more than I can count over the past several weeks.

Outside of randomly snacking on them, I’ve been layering them with plain yogurt in mini mason jars to have for on-the-go breakfasts during the week. Believe it or not, it’s actually less expensive than buying the individual containers. Plus it’s lower in sugar and it’s better for the environment too. It’s a win-win situation, my friends.

Vegan-Strawberry-Pie-5_thumb.jpg

I love a good parfait but the first thing that comes to mind whenever I see a pint of red juicy strawberries is pie. One of my best girlfriends made it for me years ago back in Texas and I’ve been hooked on it ever since. It’s light and refreshing, yet sweet enough to satisfy your taste buds without making you feel overly full.

I actually posted the recipe almost two years ago and that one was much closer to the original (which uses Jell-O) and used boxed vegan gelatin and a store bought crust. This time around I tried to make it entirely from whole food ingredients and used agar agar flakes and fruit juice for the filling.

agar_thumb.jpg

If you’re new to agar agar, they’re basically just seaweed flakes that have thickening properties similar to gelatin. They’re also virtually flavorless making it a great substitute for vegetarians and vegans to bake with.

For the crust, I followed Angela’s recipe which is not only wholesome and gluten-free, but incredibly delicious.

Vegan-Strawberry-Pie-11_thumb.jpg

Vegan-Strawberry-Pie-8.jpg

No-Bake Strawberry Pie in a Toasted Almond Crust. A deliciously light dessert that's perfect for summer! Vegan and gluten-free.

I was really impressed by how well it held together and the subtle nutty flavor tastes amazing with the strawberries and whipped cream.  Because you can’t have strawberry pie without whipped cream, right?

It’s truly the perfect spring or summer dessert. I can’t let a year pass without making it and I’m confident that once you try it, you’ll feel the same way.

Okay friends, I hope you all have a great weekend and happy Mother’s Day to all of the mamas out there!

No-Bake Strawberry Pie in a Toasted Almond Crust. A deliciously light dessert that's perfect for summer! Vegan and gluten-free.

No-Bake Strawberry Pie in a Toasted Almond Crust. A deliciously light dessert that's perfect for summer! Vegan and gluten-free.

No-Bake Strawberry Pie in a Toasted Almond Crust. A deliciously light dessert that's perfect for summer! Vegan and gluten-free.

No-Bake Vegan Strawberry Pie

Yield: 12

Ingredients

Strawberry Filling

1 pint strawberries, hulled and roughly chopped

1 cup unsweetened apple juice

2 tablespoons beet juice (optional/for red color)

1/4 cup organic cane sugar

2 tablespoons agar agar flakes

Gluten-free Almond Oat Crust

adapted from Oh She Glows

3/4 cup raw almonds

1 cup oat flour

1/4 cup unrefined coconut oil

3 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup rolled oats

whipped coconut cream for topping

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and then grease a 9-inch pie dish with coconut oil. Place the almonds in a food processor and blend until a fine crumb forms then add the coconut oil, maple syrup, salt and oat flour and pulse until the mixture resembles a dough. Add the rolled oats last and blend until finely chopped. At this point the dough should stick together between your fingers. 
  2. Next transfer the mixture to the prepared pie dish. Starting from the middle, use your fingers to firmly and evenly press it down into the dish as you work your way towards the outer edge and up the sides. Try to press it down as firmly as you can as this will help it hold together better.
  3. Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork 4-5 times and then bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes, until it’s a light golden color. Set aside to cool while you prepare the filling.
  4. To make the filling, combine the apple and beet juice in a small sauce pan and place over medium to high heat. Add the sugar and agar agar flakes then bring to a boil. Stir together and cook at a low boil for about 20 minutes, until the flakes and the sugar have completely dissolved. Set aside to cool for about 5-10 minutes.
  5. Arrange the strawberries inside of the crust so that the majority of them are facing down then pour the filling on top. Allow to cool at room temperature for at least 30 minutes then refrigerate for a few hours until it’s set. Serve chilled with coconut whipped cream and store leftovers for up to 2 days in an airtight container.
https://www.makingthymeforhealth.com/no-bake-vegan-strawberry-pie/