Chocolate Tofu Pie Recipe

Pie isn’t always a healthy dessert, especially with a rich, chocolaty filling. But our silken tofu chocolate pie is nutritious and delicious. It’s not quite vegan due to the inclusion of honey (you can easily use maple syrup instead), but it is packed with protein and dairy-free. Using silken tofu instead of eggs ensures a decadent, creamy texture that everyone desires from a chocolate dessert. Bring this to parties with health-conscious friends, or serve it at any time because it’s just that good.

Chocolate Tofu Pie Ingredients

• Pie pastry: You can use store-bought pie crust for this silken chocolate tofu pie, or you can make a classic butter pie pastry from scratch if it doesn’t need to be vegan.
• Firm silken tofu: For this pie, it’s essential to use silken tofu instead of block tofu. Silken tofu comes in different grades, from ultra-tender fresh silken tofu to extra-firm tofu, but any silken tofu is more delicate than block tofu. You don’t need to press silken tofu like you do with block tofu; when blended, it resembles a thick cream.
• Honey: Honey is not vegan, as it’s an animal product, so you can swap it out for another type of liquid sweetener, such as a syrup, if desired.
• Extracts: This recipe uses both vanilla and almond extracts. Look for the word “pure” on the label to ensure the most delicious product.
• Semisweet chocolate: Semisweet chocolate has a nice balance of bitterness and sweetness, but if you prefer, you could use bittersweet chocolate in this recipe instead.
• Garnishes: Garnish this pie with strawberry slices and whipped cream, or make coconut cream to keep it vegan.

Directions

Step 1: Prep the pie shell

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Roll out pastry to fit a 9-inch pie plate. Transfer the pastry to the pie plate. Trim the pastry to 1/2 inch beyond the edge of the plate and flute the edges. Line unpricked pastry with a double layer of heavy-duty foil. Fill with dried beans, uncooked rice or pie weights.

Editor’s Tip: When preparing a pie shell, it’s very common to prick the pastry with a fork before blind baking. In this case, you can skip that step. The dried beans or pie weights will keep the crust from moving around or bubbling up during the blind baking.

Step 2: Blind bake the crust

Bake for eight minutes. Remove the foil and weights, and bake five to seven minutes longer or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Step 3: Make the filling

In a blender or food processor, combine the tofu, honey, vanilla and almond extracts. Cover and process until smooth. Add the melted chocolate. Cover and process until blended.

Editor’s Tip: Make sure the tofu is room temperature before adding the melted chocolate. Otherwise, the chocolate could become granular when it hits the cold tofu.

Step 4: Fill and refrigerate the pie

Transfer the filling to the pie shell. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours. If desired, garnish with whipped cream and strawberries.

Chocolate Tofu Pie Variations

• Make it vegan: To make your tofu chocolate pie vegan, use a dairy-free pie shell and a vegan sweetener in place of the honey. Maple syrup would be a great choice, but you could also use agave nectar or brown rice syrup.
• Use cashew cream: A smooth cashew cream can replace silken tofu. If you make cashew cream from scratch, add enough liquid to mimic silken tofu (it should resemble cream).
• Bring in berries: For a nutritional boost and extra flavor, fold fresh berries into the tofu mixture before scooping it into the pie shell. Raspberries and chocolate are a classic combo, but blueberries or strawberry slices would be lovely, too. You can also puree the fruit right into the filling!
• Add peanut butter: To enhance the flavor of the tofu mixture, add 1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter to the blender.
• Add some flavor: In addition to or instead of the vanilla and almond extracts, try peppermint, orange or coconut extracts to flavor the pie.

How to Store Chocolate Tofu Pie

Store leftover chocolate tofu pie in the fridge, covered tightly. It will last up to five days, but the crust will start to get soggy after the first few days.

Can you freeze chocolate tofu pie?

You can, but it can change the texture of the filling. If you freeze some pie slices, consider eating them while they’re still partially frozen, as if they were an ice cream dessert.

Chocolate Tofu Pie Tips

Ellie Crowley for Taste of Home

How do you avoid a grainy or gritty texture in chocolate tofu pie?

Make sure to choose silken tofu for the recipe, and bring it up to room temperature before blending it and adding the chocolate. If the tofu is cold, the melted chocolate could harden as you blend it in.

Do you need to press the tofu before using it?

Nope! Silken tofu is very soft and doesn’t stand up to being pressed. Its texture is much more delicate than block tofu.