This chocolate hazelnut pie is a vegan and gluten free treat that is perfect for the holidays. It’s like a classic pecan pie made vegan and with hazelnuts and chocolate instead – an instant holiday favorite!
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.
This post was sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill. All opinions are mine.
Pie is one of the highlights of my family’s holiday table. Sure, pumpkin, apple, or pecan pie might be a tradition for many, but at my house, we love this chocolate hazelnut pie.
The Northwest is known for our hazelnuts. In fact, Oregon is one of only 3 places in the world that hazelnuts are grown. It is one of our claims to fame and I love to celebrate the amazing place I call home by using local ingredients whenever I can.
What better way to do this than by putting a Pacific Northwest spin on a classic pecan pie?
And of course, to keep with my family’s lifestyle, this hazelnut pie recipe is vegan and gluten-free. But, worry not! It’s rich, indulgent, full of bold flavors, and perfect for everyone this holiday season.
Ingredients & Substitutions
This recipe uses ingredients from Bob’s Red Mill. You can easily find Bob’s Red Mill product in most grocery stores in the baking aisle or on their website. You can also use their convenient store finder to find their product at your local stores.
Here is everything you need.
Ingredient Notes
- Hazelnut Flour – Bob’s Red Mill Hazelnut Flour is made with one simple ingredient: hazelnuts. The hazelnuts are high-quality, finely ground, and perfect for this gluten-free pie crust. For a more traditional pie crust, use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Pie Crust mix.
- Brown Sugar – Check out my guide to vegan sugars and healthy sugar alternatives.
- Bourbon – This is optional. Feel free to omit.
- Vegan Butter – Look for a high-quality non-hydrogenated vegan butter and make sure to check ingredients. Some margarines contain animal products.
- Egg Replacer – I have attempted to make this pecan or hazelnut pie many times. It wasn’t until discovering Bob’s Red Mill’s Egg Replacer that I finally had success. It is the only egg replacer I recommend using.
Why I Choose Bob’s Red Mill
I use Bob’s Red Mill products in almost all of my baked goods. They offer the largest selection of vegan, paleo, and gluten free flours that fit well with everyone’s dietary needs.
Bob’s Red Mill is an employee-owned company with the largest lines of organic, whole grain foods in the country. For over three decades, the company has been committed to providing people everywhere with the best quality foods available. All of their products are certified Kosher and made with ingredients grown from non-GMO seeds. And their products are minimally processed which means the grains are about as close to nature as possible before hitting your table.
And you can taste the difference! Find Bob’s Red Mill at your local grocery store and you’ll see why I am such a huge fan!
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step One – Blanch the Hazelnuts
Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F.
Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Slowly add in the baking powder. Once the baking powder has dissolved, add the hazelnuts and boil them for 3 minutes.
As they cook, prepare an ice bath. Once the hazelnuts are ready, carefully pour them through a colander. Use a spoon to transfer the boiled hazelnuts to the ice bath. Once the nuts are cool, peel them by rubbing the nuts through your fingers. The skin should shed off easily.
Place the peeled nuts on a kitchen towel and pat them dry. Finally, toast the nuts for 12-15 minutes or until they turn slightly brown and fragrant.
Step Two – Make the Crust
Combine the hazelnut flour, maple syrup, and salt in a food processor. Process until the ingredients are well combined and hold together when pressed between your fingers. If it’s still crumbly, add 1 to 2 teaspoons of water until it begins sticking together.
Generously spray a pie pan with non-stick spray. Transfer the crust into the prepared pie pan and spread evenly on the bottom and up the sides. Place the crust in the refrigerator.
As the crust cools, melt your chocolate in a double boiler.
Pro Tip: You can easily make a double boiler by placing a metal bowl over a pot of boiling water. Just make sure that the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water because it will cause your chocolate to burn.
Once your chocolate is melted, pour it onto the prepared pie crust and spread evenly. Return the crust to the refrigerator to let the chocolate set.
Step Three – Make the Vegan “Eggs”
Combine 3 tablespoons of Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer with 6 tablespoons of water. Whisk it together with a small whisk or fork until all the powder has dissolved and the mixture is thick and creamy.
Step Four – Make the Filling
Heat the maple syrup, brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt over medium heat in a small pot. Bring the mixture to a boil and boil for one minute.
Remove the pot from the heat and add bourbon and butter. Stir until the butter has completely melted. Finally, whisk in the vegan eggs and vanilla extract until the eggs are completely incorporated into the custard.
Step Five – Assemble and Bake
When the chocolate has hardened, add your toasted hazelnuts. They should fill your pie crust about 3/4 of the way full.
Carefully add the maple custard.
Bake the pie for 50 minutes. The filling will bubble up but shouldn’t overflow. Your pie is done when the filling is only slightly wobbly.
Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool for about 1 hour before transferring it to the refrigerator and letting it chill completely. This will take about 4 hours. Once it is thoroughly chilled, slice, and serve.
Serving And Storing
Serving – This pie is best served cool from the fridge. Serve with vegan whipped cream or non-dairy vanilla ice cream. Serve it alongside other holiday pies like this Vegan Apple Pie and Pumpkin Pie.
Storing – Cover leftover pie tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for about 3 to 5 days. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months. Let it thaw at room temperature before serving.
Tips and Tricks
- When making a double boiler for the chocolate, make sure you use a metal bowl that will not touch the boiling water. If it touches the water, you can easily burn your chocolate.
- I only recommend Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer for this recipe. I have attempted this recipe many times with other egg replacers and never had success until I found Bob’s Red Mill’s Egg Replacer.
- Keep an eye on the toasting hazelnuts, they can quickly turn from perfectly toasted to burnt. If you accidentally burn the hazelnuts, it is best to throw them out and start over. Burnt nuts will ruin the taste of the overall pie.
- Don’t over bake the pie! It will set fully in the fridge, which means it will wobble a little bit and won’t pass a toothpick test like a cake would.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use vegan white chocolate instead of dark chocolate. This will change the flavor but should taste just as good. The process would be the same, you will need to melt it using a double boiler.
Yes, this pie is made with Bob’s Red Mill Hazelnut Flour for a nutty, gluten-free crust. For a more traditional pie crust, use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Pie Crust mix.
Yes! You can make this recipe up to 2 days in advance. Once it cools, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months. Let it thaw at room temperature before serving.
More Vegan Pie Recipes
- Vegan Apple Pie
- Salted Turtle Tart
- Creamy Vegan Chocolate Pie (Gluten-Free!)
- Classic Vegan Pumpkin Pie Recipe
- Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
For more inspiration, check out all my vegan pie and tart recipes.
Chocolate Hazelnut Pie
Ingredients
Hazelnut Crust
- 2 cups Bob's Red Mill Hazelnut Flour
- 3 tbsp. maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp. salt
Hazelnut Filling
- 3 cups hazelnuts
- 3 tbsp. baking powder
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 3/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup corn syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon bourbon, optional
- 1/4 cup vegan butter
- 3 tbsp Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer
- 6 tbsp water
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Generously spray a pie pan with oil and set aside.
- Begin by blanching the hazelnuts. In a medium saucepan, bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Slowly add 3 tablespoons of baking powder and the hazelnuts. Boil for 3 minutes. Meanwhile prepare an ice bath. Once the hazelnuts are ready, pour them through a colander. Transfer the boiled hazelnuts to the ice bath and peel them by rubbing the nuts through your fingers. Place the peeled nuts on a kitchen towel and pat them dry. Toast the nuts at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes, until lightly brown and fragrant.
- Next, make the crust. In a food processor, combine the hazelnut flour, maple syrup, and salt and process until well combined. The crust should hold together when pressed between your fingers. If it's still crumbly, add 1-2 teaspoons of water until it begins holding together. Transfer the crust into the prepared pie pan and spread evenly on the tops and sides. Place in the refrigerator.
- In a double boiler, melt your chocolate. You can make a double boiler by placing a metal bowl over a pot of boiling water. Make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water or your chocolate will burn. Once your chocolate is melted, pour it onto your prepared pie crust, creating a thin bottom. Return to the refrigerator to let the chocolate set up.
- To make the filling, first make the vegan egg replacers. Combine 3 tablespoons of egg replacer with 6 tablespoons of water, stirring it together until all the powder has dissolved and the mixture is thick and creamy. Set aside.
- In a small saucepot over medium heat, heat maple syrup, brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Bring to a boil and boil for one minute. Remove from heat and add bourbon and butter, stirring until the butter has completely melted. Whisk in the vegan eggs and vanilla extract until the eggs are completely incorporated into the custard.
- Once the chocolate has hardened, add your toasted hazelnuts. They should nearly fill the top. Top with you maple custard and bake for 50 minutes. The filling will bubble up but it shouldn't overflow. Your pie is done when the filling is only slightly wobbly. Remove from the oven. Let it cool for 1 hour before transferring it to the refrigerator and letting it chill completely. Let the pie chill at least 4 hours in the refrigerator before slicing and serving.
Notes
- When making a double boiler for the chocolate, make sure you use a metal bowl that will not touch the boiling water. If it touches the water, you can easily burn your chocolate.
- Keep an eye on the toasting hazelnuts, they can quickly turn from perfectly toasted to burnt. If you accidentally burn the hazelnuts, it is best to throw them out and start over than to try to use any of the nuts.
- Don’t over bake the pie! It will set fully in the fridge, which means it will wobble a little bit and won’t pass a toothpick test as a cake would.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the
Annie says
I never eat anything with corn syrup. What can I substitute for it in this recipe?
Beth Fisher says
What kind of chocolate chips did you use that are vegan?
Sarah McMinn says
My go to brand is 365 chocolate chips but most grocery stores carry at least one brand.