You have to try this easy, vegan, pumpkin parfait
What do you think when someone says dessert? Baked goods? Ice cream? (I know I do.)
But those things don’t work for all of your holiday guests anymore.
Nowadays people have varied diets. Diets that often exclude the most basic ingredients in the majority of desserts.
That’s why we came up with this decadent pumpkin dessert that is both vegan and gluten free! We made it in our Vitamix, but really any mixer will do.
Go make them! No one will even notice they are missing dairy or flour.
Not ready? Let’s talk aesthetics for a second.
Pretty pumpkin parfaits
Let’s be honest. Parfaits are silly.
Their basic purpose is to look pretty.
And around here, we generally pass on things that are just for show.
But in this case, the parfait methodology helped us. We get that classic pumpkin pie flavor while skipping the crust (saving us both calories and complaints from our annoying gluten-free guests).
Not skimping on dessert was important to us when creating our 7 course gluten-free, vegan Thanksgiving menu. So we made these pretty little parfaits which taste just like the classic holiday dessert.
Recipe
Pumpkin Parfait
Layers of sweet vegan fall favorites
Ingredients:
- CREAM
- coconut cream - 14 oz can (414 mL)
- vanilla extract - 1 Tbsp. (15 mL)
- powdered sugar - 1/4 cup (25 g)
- PUMPKIN
- pumpkin puree - 15 oz can (425 g)
- pumpkin pie spice - 1 tsp. (5 mL)
- cinnamon - 1 tsp. (5 mL)
- brown sugar (or maple syrup) - 1/4 cup (45 g)
- vanilla extract - 1 tsp. (5 mL)
- salt - 1 tsp. (5 mL)
- TOPPING
- granola (gluten free) - 1 cup (240 mL)
Instructions:
PREP
- Put coconut cream in the refrigerator overnight
BLEND
- Scoop just the cream off the top of the can of coconut cream
– Should be most of the can (just don’t use the liquid at the bottom) - Add the cream, vanilla and powdered sugar to your Vitamix container
- Blend on high for 45 seconds until whipped cream consistency
- Put half of your whipped coconut cream into a bowl
- Add the pumpkin, spices, sugar, vanilla and salt to your other half of whipped coconut in the container
- Blend on high for 45 seconds
LAYER
- Alternate layers of pumpkin, coconut cream, and granola in a fancy cup
- Chill for at least an hour before serving
- Top with more granola right before serving (to keep it crunchy)
- Serve
- Snap a pic and tag #lifeisNOYOKE
- Enjoy!
Useful tips for Pumpkin Parfait
Making your own coconut cream is easy. We learned how to make vegan whipped cream from our friend, Blending With Henry. Watch his video demo starting at 16:35.
If you want to skip this step, there’s some great coconut based cool-whip alternatives at your local grocer. We’ve used So Delicious Coco Whip in the past.
The granola is substituting for the taste of crust. So, pick a simple flavor.
Make sure to save some granola to top your parfaits just before serving. That way it gives your dessert a nice crunch.
Also, don’t prepare these too far in advance. Over time, the coconut cream firms up; the perfect whipped cream consistency turns into dense cream within a few hours.
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