Chocolate… pudding… graham crackers… if that doesn’t sound like a delicious pie than I don’t know what does! This dairy-free éclair pie has all the sweet, creamy, decadent goodness of a regular éclair while still being allergy-friendly and I dare say healthy! I absolutely love both the rich flavor and the smooth, creamy texture of this pie. The pudding is no-fail and super easy to make. The chocolate topping is an amazing homemade chocolate ganache that is wonderful! And the graham crackers can easily be homemade or, to make the pie even easier, use an allergy-friendly store-bought graham cracker. Éclair pie is the perfect allergy-friendly dessert for modern pioneers of all ages!
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Modern Pioneer Recipe
Éclair pie is a modern pioneer recipe. While the early pioneers did like their sweets, they were more along the lines of donuts, cookies, and fruit pies. However, dairy-free éclair pie would make a great addition to any modern pioneer’s dessert recipes stash!
What makes this pie a modern pioneer recipe is the fact that it is super simple, can be made completely from scratch, uses wholesome ingredients, and is allergy-friendly. The pudding recipe for this pie is very easy, so don’t let making pudding for this pie sound intimidating! It’s an egg free, dairy-free, super reliable pudding recipe that I’m sure you will have success with!
All of the components of this pie are simple to make and easy to assemble! This pie is made with wholesome ingredients that are not just empty calories and are things that you probably already have stocked in your modern pioneer pantry.
This dairy-free éclair pie is perfectly allergy-friendly since it can be made so that it is…
- dairy-free
- grain-free
- gluten-free
- tree nut free
- egg free
- refined sugar free
- corn free
Ingredient Options
Okay, to make this éclair pie as allergy-friendly as possible, you should know about some ingredient substitutions for this recipe. The pudding, chocolate ganache, and graham crackers are all super flexible as far as accommodating different dietary needs.
For the pudding, you can use whatever dairy-free milk alternative you want. You can even use regular milk if you are far enough along in the modern pioneer homestead journey and have a dairy animal! However, if you are dairy intolerant, this pudding recipe works fantastic with a variety of dairy-free milk alternatives. I use full-fat canned coconut milk to make my pudding. Oat milk, hemp milk, almond milk, and soy milk might all work too!
For the whipped cream, I to use SoDelicious cocowhip. It is a dairy-free, coconut based substitute for regular whipped cream. However, you can also omit the whipped cream for a slightly heavier, but still delicious pie. You can also try substituting in homemade whipped coconut cream instead.
For the graham crackers, you have two options: make your own homemade graham crackers or buy allergy-friendly graham crackers. I often opt for cheating a little bit and buying allergy-friendly gluten-free graham crackers to use in my pie. Mainly because that is a quick and easy option, plus I haven’t been able to nail down a grain-free, tree nut free graham cracker recipe that comparable to regular graham crackers.
My two favorite brands of graham crackers are Kinnikinnick gluten-free graham crackers and Pamela’s gluten-free graham crackers. The Kinnikinnick graham crackers are the most allergy-friendly since they are also dairy-free, egg free, nut free, and corn free. Pamela’s graham crackers are nut free, corn free, and egg free.
For the chocolate ganache, you can use any dairy-free milk alternative in this recipe. I like to use coconut milk. You can also use a dairy-free butter substitute instead of the butter called for in the recipe. Coconut oil is a good option!
Pioneer Pies
Pies actually are a pioneer food, it just depends on what kinds of pies you are talking about! You may or may not have picked up on that I am a pie fanatic. Aside from all the pie recipes on this blog, I am constantly looking for new pies to try and sharing new allergy-friendly pie recipes. From dessert pies to meal pies to strange pies, I would love to try them all!
After you get done making this super simple dairy-free éclair pie, you may be ready to tackle some other easy pies. Check out these options!
Pioneer Pie Ideas:
These are recipes that the early pioneers may have whipped up when they wanted to enjoy a slice of pie!
- Gluten-free apple pie
- Vinegar pie
- Grain-free peach pie
- Grain-free sweet potato pie
- Red bean pie
Meal Pie Ideas:
Who said you can’t have pie for dinner? Or breakfast for that matter!
- Dairy-free cheesy ham quiche
- Grain-free taco pie
- Grain-free tamale pie
- Gluten-free venison pie
My Top Favorites:
These are some of my favorite pies that I have tried!
Serving & Storing
I can guarantee that this dairy-free éclair pie won’t last long, but in case you do have leftovers, or very good self-control, you should know how to store this pie to preserve it’s taste and texture.
To start with, don’t cover the pie until it is mostly cool. If you cover the pie before it is done cooling, condensation will form on the cover and the top of the pie. While the condensation is not bad, it just makes the pie look wet. Also, the chocolate ganache needs to be all set up before you cover the pie. I like to refrigerate my pie until it is completely cool before covering the pie to store it in the fridge.
Once cooled, the pie should be kept in air-tight container or covered with an air-tight lid. It will last like this in the fridge for 3-5 days.
For serving, you will want to ensure the pie has set up for at least 4 hours and has cooled for at least that long in the fridge. You don’t want to serve the pie before it has set up or else the pudding will squish out the sides!
Recipe Tips
Like I mentioned before, this recipe is super easy to make! Don’t get intimidated by the dairy-free pudding or the homemade ganache! Both are very easy recipes that are pretty much no-fail! Here are a few tips to help you along:
- For the pudding, make sure you use full-fat coconut milk. The full-fat helps the pie set up.
- If you choose to use a different dairy-free milk alternative that is not full-fat, increase the tapioca flour to 1/2 cup.
- It will take a few minutes for the pudding mixture to thicken. You will notice clumps clinging to the whisk, but keep whisking until the mixture is good and thick.
- I can usually tell when the pudding is ready by whisking until the mixture has started to boil. After it has boiled for a few minutes the pudding is usually thick enough.
- For the sugar, you can use powdered coconut sugar or maple sugar. The brown color will taint the white color of the pudding a little bit, but by powdering the coconut sugar or using light brown maple sugar you should minimize the color difference.
- The pudding doesn’t have to be completely cool before you fold in the cocowhip, however, it should be chilled.
- For the ganache, combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan before turning on the heat. Coconut sugar and butter/coconut oil don’t mix very well, so the other ingredients must be present for them to incorporate properly.
Dairy-free éclair pie is super easy and fun to make! I love whisking the pudding and watching it thicken before my eyes! This recipe creates an irresistible pie that every modern pioneer is bound to love!
Dairy-free Éclair Pie
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 10 allergy-friendly graham crackers
- 1/4 cup organic grass-fed butter or organic coconut oil melted
Vanilla Pudding
- 1 13 fl. oz. full fat canned coconut milk
- 5 T. tapioca flour
- 1/3 cup maple sugar or powder coconut sugar
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 9 oz. SoDelicious cocowhip
Chocolate Ganache
- 2 T. coconut milk
- 2.5 T. cacao powder
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1 T. organic, grass-fed butter or coconut oil
- 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 8 allergy-friendly graham crackers for topping the pie with
Instructions
- Lightly oil a 9" glass pie plate with coconut oil. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor. Add the melted butter and pulse until combined.
- Press the graham cracker crumbs into the pie plate. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
- In a large saucepan, combine all of the pudding ingredients. Heat the mixture over medium heat and whisk constantly.
- Whisk until a thick pudding forms, this may take about 10-15 minutes. The mixture should be boiling by the time the pudding thickens.
- Remove the pudding from the heat and transfer it to a glass bowl. Place the bowl in the fridge so that the pudding can cool. Meanwhile, put the cocowhip in the fridge as well to let it soften.
- Once the pudding has softened, fold or beat in the cocowhip. Pour the mixture into the cooled graham cracker crust. Place the remaining 8 graham crackers on top of the pie so that they cover the pudding. You may have to break some of the crackers to fit the round shape of the pie. Place the pie in the fridge while you make the ganache.
- In a small saucepan, combine all of the ganache ingredients. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly until everything is combined.
- Spread the ganache over the pie and place the pie in the fridge. Once the pie is completely cool, cover it with an airtight lid.
- Let the pie set up for 4 hours in the fridge before slicing and serving!
Where to Find the Ingredients
- Bob’s Red Mill tapioca flour
- Kinnikinnick gluten-free graham crackers
- Pamela’s gluten-free honey grahams
- Nutiva coconut sugar
- Maple sugar
- Native Forest coconut milk
- Pacific coconut milk beverage
- Simply Organic vanilla extract
- Navitas cacao powder
- Supplies: 9″ glass pie plate, stainless steel whisk, stainless steel saucepan, Cuisinart food processor
- SoDelicious cocowhip- I can find it at my local Meijer and co-op grocery store
Graham crackers, dairy-free vanilla pudding, dairy-free whipped cream, and homemade chocolate ganache make for the most amazing combination in this dairy-free éclair pie! This pie is allergy-friendly, uses wholesome ingredients, and is super simple to make and assemble. The layers of soft graham crackers along with the smooth, rich pudding topped with a sweet chocolate ganache make for an allergy-friendly dessert experience that is hard to rival! Bring this pie to family gatherings or whip it up to celebrate someone special in your life, everyone will love this pie!
Oh, and make sure you don’t miss any other modern pioneer recipes or heritage pioneer recipes! Get our weekly modern pioneer newsletter so you don’t miss out on any other chuckwagon recipes!
by Alexa
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