How To Make a Decadent Vegan S’Mores Pie—No Baking (Or Fire) Necessary

Not to get all mushy, but s'mores are the summer treat memories are made of. Other warm-weather desserts, like strawberry shortcake and key lime pie, taste delicious and all, but there's something really special about s'mores. Getting your lips sticky with melted marshmallows, the gooeyness of the chocolate oozing through the graham crackers... s'mores are more than a dessert—they're an experience.

It's the spirit of making memories in these last precious days of summer that baker, nutrition coach, and fitness instructor Sashah Handal brings to the latest episode of Alt-Baking Bootcamp. She gives her personal recipe for s'mores pie and it's just as chocolatey and melty as you'd expect—only her version is both vegan and gluten-free. Oh, and it doesn't require any baking whatsoever. "It's perfect for entry-level bakers and all types of eaters," she says.

To give the gluten-free crust a true graham cracker feel and taste, Handal uses almond meal, coconut flour, maple syrup, vegan butter, and a lot of cinnamon. "What's really going to bring out that graham-like flavor is toasting the almond meal, coconut flour, and cinnamon over a low flame in a skillet on the stove," she says. It takes less than five minutes it's about the extent of actual cooking involved in making this dessert. Once they're toasted, she transfers them to a big bowl, adding in the vegan butter and maple syrup. Once everything is blended together, Handal puts it into a baking dish, ready to be topped with the vegan s'mores pie filling. "When you think about when you're eating a s'more, the graham cracker is just the vessel for the marshmallow and the ooey, gooey chocolate," Handal points out.

Next comes the main event, which is the deliciously decadent (and dairy-free) chocolate filling. Here's a run-down of what you need: coconut cream, almond milk, cornstarch, cocoa powder, coconut sugar, and vegan chocolate chips. The ingredients are whisked together in a pot on the stove over a low flame until they get a thick, pudding-like consistency. After it cools, you pour it right onto the pie crust. After a sleepover in the fridge, the last step is adding vegan marshmallows on top. Handal says most marshmallows aren't vegan (animal products are used as a binder), but she found her vegan marshmallows at Trader Joe's. And with that, your vegan s'mores pie is ready to be devoured!

Watch the episode above to see the pie come together and get the recipe below. Go ahead and cut yourself a slice and get ready to make (ahem) s'more summer memories—chocolatey fingers and marshmallow sticky lips included.

Vegan s'mores pie recipe

Ingredients
For the crust:
1/2 cup almond meal
1/4 cup coconut flour
2 heaping tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp vegan butter (melted)
1/4 cup maple syrup

For the filling:
1 1/2 cup coconut cream
1 1/2 cup almond milk
6 Tbsp cornstarch
3 Tbsp cocoa powder
1/2  cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips

To top:
Vegan marshmallows

Instructions
1. Make the crust by combining the almond meal, coconut flour, and cinnamon in a skillet on the stove. Toast them under a low flame for about five minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Add the vegan butter and maple syrup. Mix them all together and transfer to a baking pan. Pat it together, forming a flat crust.

2. Make the filling by combining the coconut cream, almond milk, cocoa powder, and cornstarch in a pot on the stove. Make sure the cocoa powder and cornstarch are sifted and have no clumps. Whisk the ingredients together over a low flame for 10 minutes. Add the coconut sugar and vegan chocolate chips. Whisk everything together for 10 more minutes. The mixture should be thick.

3. Pour the mixture into a bowl and let it cool for 10 minutes. Pour the chocolate filling on top of the crust and stick it in the fridge for about eight hours, or overnight.

4. Add the vegan marshmallows. Enjoy!

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