Chocolate Hazelnut Pudding Pie (Vegan & Grain Free)

GFGluten Free

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This Chocolate Hazelnut Pudding Pie is Vegan, Gluten Free, and Grain Free…but tastes SO damn delicious. Plus you only need 6 Ingredients to make it!

Chocolate. Hazelnut. Pudding. Pie.

Four words, Six ingredients, and one damn delicious dessert.

Chocolate Hazelnut Pudding Pie on White Plate with Whipped Cream

I honestly can’t remember the first time I ever had Nutella, but I sure do remember eating a lot of it as a child. Kudos to the folks at Ferrero for mass producing the chocolate and hazelnut flavor combination that so many of us have come to know and love.

Unfortunately, most Chocolate Hazelnut spreads are not vegan. Not only to they contain milk (or milk powder), but they’re also loaded with oils and refined sugars. And as you know, I try to avoid all three of those things around here!

Chocolate Hazelnut Pudding Pie on White Plate with Whipped Cream

I (and my stomach) are very happy to say that this pie is Gluten, Oil, AND Sugar Free. Thanks to the natural sweetness of Medjool Dates, the thickening properties of a little Cornstarch, and a liiiiitle Silken Tofu (which I promise you cannot taste) to get that perfect consistency, everything comes together flawlessly — and deliciously!

Oh yeah, we’re also going to need some Hazelnuts and Cacao Powder too…but I figured that’s a given.

Chocolate Hazelnut Pudding Pie in pie pan

One quick aside — I test, taste, and eat all of the recipes here on the blog, but I often give leftovers to friends and family. (Let’s be honest, a girl should not be left alone with a whole tray of brownies). However, this Chocolate Hazelnut Pudding Pie was SO GOOD that I didn’t share it with anyone. You heard me, I ate the whole darn thing myself. And I have no regrets.

Chocolate Hazelnut Pudding Pie on white plate with whipped cream

A Few Final Thoughts:

  • This pie has more of a “dark chocolate” flavor to it than a “milk chocolate,” as I personally don’t like my desserts to be too sugary. If you’d like it to be sweeter though, I’ve included notes in the recipe! If you are making this for kids, I would probably increase the sweetness.
  • Hazelnuts can be pretty pricey, so if you can only spare a few, you can substitute the nuts in the crust for a more affordable nut of your choice.
  • This pie is best served immediately. If you have leftovers, I would recommend freezing individual slices after 1-2 days. Otherwise, the texture gets kind of funky.

If you’re looking for more chocolate recipes (uhm, who isn’t?!), you’ll also love these Cacao & Fig Bliss Balls and these Vegan Cosmic Brownies!

Finally, if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I love seeing your delicious recreations 🙂

Chocolate Hazelnut Pudding Pie on white plate with whipped cream

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Chocolate Hazelnut Pudding Pie

This Chocolate Hazelnut Pudding Pie is Vegan, Gluten Free, and Grain Free…but tastes SO damn delicious. Plus you only need 6 Ingredients to make it!

  • Author: Caitlin Shoemaker
  • Prep Time: 25 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 8 1x

Ingredients

Scale

For the Crust:

  • 1 1/2 cup Hazelnuts
  • 1/3 cup Medjool Dates, pitted

For the Chocolate Hazelnut Pudding:

  • 1 cup Hazelnuts
  • 1/2 cup Medjool Dates, pitted (see recipe notes for sweeter version)
  • 12 oz Silken Tofu
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1/2 cup Cacao Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1/2 cup Hot Water
  • 1/4 cup Cornstarch

Instructions

  1. First, preheat your oven to 350F.
  2. While the oven is preheating, prepare the Pie Crust. Add 1 1/2 cups of Raw Hazelnuts (with the skin on) and process them in a Food Processor or High Speed Blender until they have formed a fine meal.
  3. Add in the pitted Medjool Dates and a pinch of Salt. Process again until a sticky and uniform “dough” forms.
  4. Press the “dough” evenly into a 9″ pie pan, and poke a few holes in it with a fork. Set aside.
  5. Next, prepare the Pie Filling. Spread 1 cup of Hazelnuts evenly over a baking sheet and roast them in the oven at 350F for 12-15 minutes. They will be fragrant and golden when they are finished.
  6. Carefully transfer the Hazelnuts to the center of a large dish towel, fold the towel over them, and “rub” the nuts in between the layers to remove their skins. (Note: This does not have to be perfect!)
  7. Then, add the de-skinned Nuts to a food processor or high speed blender and process until a smooth Nut Butter forms. You may have to scrape down the sides of the device a few times, but be patient! This took about 8 minutes for my food processor.
  8. While you are making your Hazelnut Butter, pop the Pie Crust into the oven and bake for 12-13 minutes. Remove from the oven, and turn the oven off.
  9. Once your Hazelnut Butter has formed, add the pitted Dates, Silken Tofu, Vanilla, Cacao Powder, and Salt to the food processor. Blend until smooth and thick.
  10. Transfer the Chocolate Hazelnut mixture to a medium saucepan over NO heat. In a small bowl, mix together the Cornstarch and Water. Add the Cornstarch mixture to the saucepan, and mix well.
  11. Once the two mixtures have evenly combined, turn the burner on to a medium-low heat. Once the mixture begins to “bubble,” cook the pudding for 5-8 minutes, whisking continuously. If you do not whisk frequently, the cornstarch may clump together.
  12. Transfer the Chocolate Hazelnut Pudding to the baked Pie Crust and spread it out evenly. Let the pie cool completely at room temperature, or in the fridge. Serve at room temperature, and top as desired! This pie is best enjoyed within 2 days, otherwise I would recommend freezing the leftovers and thawing as needed.

Notes

  • If you would like to toast the Hazelnuts for the Pie Crust as well, you may do so (I did not). However, I would recommend toasting the Nuts for the Crust and Filling separately, as you want the Nuts to be warm when you make the Hazelnut Butter.
  • This pie has more of a “dark chocolate” flavor to it. If you’d like it to be sweeter, use 2/3 cup of pitted Medjool Dates instead of 1/2 cup. You do not need to make any other modifications to the recipe.
  • Hazelnuts can be expensive, so if you can only spare a few, you can substitute the nuts in the crust for a more affordable nut of your choice. Alternatively, if you have Unsweetened Hazelnut Butter on hand, you can use a heaping 1/2 cup of it in place of the Hazelnuts for the pie filling.
  • Thank you to Minimalist Baker for the tips on how to make Hazelnut Butter. You can find her recipe here!

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Chocolate Hazelnut Pudding Pie

About the Author

Hey there, I’m Caitlin! I make easy-to-follow, wholesome, and budget-friendly vegan recipes that are mostly gluten-free and refined sugar-free. I’m also an avid yogi, love the great outdoors, am chocolate-obsessed, and enjoy eating almond butter straight off of the spoon.

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Comments

  1. So good! Been making this recipe for years and it’s always a favourite with the family 🙂 love to make the pudding as a sweet breakfast too!

  2. Man that pie was a pain to make, but SOO GOOD. It took forever to blend in our vitamix. It was so thick, we had to add more hot water. Also, there was liquid from the nut-date mixture for the crust, but it ended up cooking just fine. Thank you for the amazing recipe

    1. Blenders can definitely get the job done (eventually) but if you have a food processor they usually do a better job with the task! Glad it worked out for you though! Thanks!

  3. Hi 🙂 was just wondering what kind of pan I should use for this- is it meant to be sliced and served in the pan, or should I remove it first (so maybe a springform would be better)? thanks so much!

  4. this recipe is AMAZINGG!!! like serrrrrrriously SO GUD. it just proves an oil free vegan diet can be incedibly nourishing annnd delishhhus. Unfortunately i ended up adding some extra sugar and accientally added quite a bit of extra sugar which made it too sweet for my tastes. but the chocolateiness….. mmh its just amazing slightly overwhelming but so luscious and mmmmh. i feel abit sick though now lmao bc ive eaten loadsssss of it bc its so sooooo gud:) thankyou caitlin sm!!!! sending ma love xxx

  5. Hi!
    So this looked delicious, but I tried it and something went really wrong, but I cant figure out wjat. After making a really amazing and thin nutbutter, o added all the ingredients for the pudding, and instead got a very thick dough consistancy. I tried to cook it woth water thinking that will thin it down but it didn’t really do much. I can’t figure out where I went wrong! I added about 2/3 cup dates, 300 grams of tofu (I triple checked that that’s about 12 oz!!). Any ideas?

    1. Hi Maayan – your dates may be very dry! I would blend with more hot water until the consistency is thinner

  6. Hi Caitlin
    Do you think this pie would be good served cold? It’s so hot where I live now and I don’t think it would be nice to have a warm pie for dessert!

    I hope you’ll reply!
    Mathilde

  7. Hi Caitlin!
    When you say the pie is best served immediately, does that mean when it is still warm or just the same day as it is made? It is very hot where.I live right now, and I wonder if the pie would be good if it is served cold, from the fridge?
    – Mathilde (from Denmark)

  8. Hey Caitlin! 🙂 Looking forward to trying this for Easter this weekend! Do you recommend a certain nut to substitute for the hazelnuts in the crust? Thanks so much!

      1. Thanks
        One more question
        Did u put the nuts for the crust in the oven ?

    1. Hi Jenn! I have not tested this so I cannot guarantee results, but I think you could use mashed squash or sweet potato instead

  9. Amazing deliiiiicious recipe!!???????? Can’t wait to try!! Tho! I’m out of cornstarch!! Can I substitute with something else? Or jut leave it out?
    Thanks again!

    1. You can use Arrowroot Powder if you have that instead! You need some sort of thickener. I suppose flour would work as well

  10. Hi Caitlin! Did you freeze the slices individually or can I put the whole pie (less and few eaten slices) in the freezer? Going to try making this weekend but it’s just me haha

    1. Hi Jessie, I would freeze the slices individually! Or at least cut the pie before you freeze it in one container x

  11. What if I already have hazelnut butter, how much of it should I substitute for hazelnuts in the filling? Can’t wait to try this!

    1. If it is made without any sweetener, you can definitely sub it! I would use a heaping 1/2 cup for the recipe. I will also add this to the recipe notes in case anyone has the same question x