Vegan Chocolate S’mores Pie

This delicious s’mores pie has an easy 2-ingredient, no-bake filling that’s high in protein and low in fat thanks to a secret ingredient. With a homemade graham cracker crust and billowy marshmallow meringue, no one will believe this take on a campfire classic in pie form is entirely plant-based!

This vegan s’mores pie takes its inspiration from my vegan lemon meringue pie from years ago. When I recently retested the recipe, I found it no longer suits my palate as the tofu-based filling just doesn’t hit the way a lemon custard should. (But I’m leaving the recipe up for the people who have said they love it!)

As I was eating it, I kept thinking that a chocolate tofu pudding would work so much better than lemon and tofu. All you’d have to do is swap out the lemon filling for chocolate and you’d have a gorgeous s’mores pie. And that’s how this recipe was born!

Why you’ll love this recipe

• Quick to make: This easy recipe takes only 10 ingredients. The crust bakes in under half an hour and the filling can be blended up in under 5 minutes. The hardest part might just be whipping the aquafaba to stiff peaks and waiting for the entire pie to chill before eating.
• Protein-rich and low in fat: With an entire 16 oz block of tofu in the filling, this pie contains more protein and less fat than a typical recipe made with heavy cream.
• Easy homemade cookie crust: I love graham cracker crumb crusts, but I hate having to buy packs of graham crackers to make them. With just 4 ingredients, you have a press-in cookie crust that doesn’t get as soggy as a crumb crust. The whole wheat gives it a nice graham cracker-adjacent flavor without being overly sweet!

Ingredient notes

• Whole wheat pastry flour: I used whole wheat pastry flour in the crust to lend more of a graham cracker-esque flavor. Whole wheat flour will also work. In a pinch, you can sub in white whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour, but I recommend whole wheat for the best flavor.
• Light brown sugar: I have only tested this recipe using light brown sugar, but dark brown sugar should also work in a pinch.
• Refined coconut oil: I used coconut oil to keep this pie vegan (you can also use unrefined coconut oil if you don’t mind a stronger coconut flavor). Butter is a great replacement if you’re not plant-based. Vegetable or canola oil may also be used.
• Soft or silken tofu: I’ve tried this with both soft and silken tofu and either will work.
• Semisweet chocolate: You can adjust the chocolate according to your preference–for a lighter chocolate flavor, use your favorite milk chocolate. I liked the darker flavor of semisweet chocolate chips (I used Trader Joe’s semisweet chocolate chips, which are around 55-60%). I found using dark chocolate up to 72% (the Trader Joe’s pound plus bar) was too dark for my taste. Make sure to taste and adjust the filling to your preference. If the flavor feels too dark to you, you can always add a few tablespoons of sugar or maple syrup to adjust!
• Aquafaba: Aquafaba is the brine that you typically drain out of a can of beans (I typically use chickpeas). While I prefer using it fresh from the can, you can also freeze aquafaba until you’re ready to use it. Aquafaba can vary quite a bit in viscosity and saltiness from brand to brand, so make sure to taste the final meringue and adjust for sugar or salt if needed. I typically buy regular chickpeas (not low sodium), though either will work.
• Cream of tartar: This is an acidic ingredient that helps stabilize the structure of the aquafaba as you whip it into meringue. Aquafaba is more delicate than egg whites, so it’s especially important to use it in aquafaba meringue. You’ll get a stronger meringue that will last longer and minimize weeping.

Recipe notes

Although this vegan chocolate pie looks simple, it took a few iterations to develop.

• The first iteration used the crust from this lemon meringue pie which I found a bit too thick and heavy in tandem with the silky chocolate pudding. I also used 72% dark chocolate in this filling and had to add 3 tablespoons of sugar to help balance the sweetness.
• The second iteration used a traditional graham crust, which was delightful for the initial few hours, but quickly got soggy and fell apart under the weight of the tofu filling. I used semisweet chips for the filling and thought the sweetness level was perfect.
• For the third iteration, I tried a press-in cookie crust inspired by homemade graham crackers. This yielded a crust that was sturdy enough to stand up to the tofu filling for multiple days. With a nice crunch, it was nearly perfect–tasters just commented it needed slightly less salt, a little more sweetness, and I thought it needed to be just a tiny bit thicker.
• On the fourth iteration, we nailed it! Tweaks to the crust yielded a balanced flavor underneath a perfectly sweet (to me) dark chocolate filling and meringue.

Notes on aquafaba

• Does it taste like beans? Some people find the taste of aquafaba meringue a little “bean-y.” I find that using a decent amount of vanilla helps mask the flavor sufficiently for me. However, if you’re sensitive, you can try using the aquafaba from cannellini beans, which some people say have a milder flavor.
• My preferred aquafaba brand: I almost always buy chickpeas from Trader Joe’s and thus this is my preferred brand of aquafaba. It’s on the more viscous side and I’ve never had issues with this aquafaba whipping up into meringue.

Storage

This pie is best the day it’s made as the meringue starts to weep after being stored overnight in the fridge. However, it can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. (The meringue will be looking pretty rough by day 2.)

While you can bake the crust a day ahead and cover it with plastic wrap until ready to assemble, I recommend blending the filling and whipping the aquafaba right before you plan to serve it.

If you liked this vegan s’mores pie, you may also like:

• This high-protein flourless black bean chocolate cake
• A high-protein cottage cheese cheesecake
• This aquafaba-topped vegan lemon meringue pie