Transfer ground crumbs into a bowl, pour in melted vegan butter and mix until crumbs are evenly moistened.
Press the mixture onto the bottom and up the sides of an 8-inch (20cm) pie pan. Then place in the freezer (or fridge) for at least 15 minutes to firm up or bake it (*see recipe notes).
Chocolate Pudding
Pour 3/4 cup of the non-dairy milk into a measuring jar. Add the cornstarch, cocoa powder, sugar, and vanilla extract and stir until smooth.
Add the remaining 1 1/2 cup of the non-dairy milk into a pot and bring to a boil. Whisk in the cocoa cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil again while stirring constantly. Turn the heat down and cook it for one minute longer, continue stirring, while it becomes thicker.
Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate until well combined. (Taste and adjust sweetness as needed).
Pour the pudding into the prepared cookie pie crust and cover tightly with foil (to avoid the pudding from forming a skin). Chill at least two hours to firm the pudding.
Cream Topping
When the pudding is completely firm and well chilled, remove the pie from the fridge and take off the foil.
In a mixing bowl, whip up the chilled non-dairy whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla extract with an electric hand mixer, until stiff peaks form.
Top your pudding pie with the whipped cream and garnish with grated chocolate and cherries if you like. Enjoy!
Notes
You can basically use any (gluten-free) cookies of your choice to make the crust. If using graham cracker you may need adding a little sugar or syrup to sweeten, about 4 tbsp. Alternatively, you can also use sandwich cookies -> click here for the Oreo cookie crust recipe.
If you want a crisper and less soft crust, you can bake the cookie crust in a 350°F (175°C) preheated oven for about 10 minutes. Then let cool completely before adding the pudding filling.
I used soy milk to make the pudding but any non-dairy milk will do! Just keep in mind that a richer milk such as full-fat coconut milk will create a creamier pudding. So if you want a super-rich and creamy pudding you could also use just the cream part.
If you can’t find any non-dairy whipping cream or pure coconut cream in a store, you can make your own coconut cream by chilling 1 can full-fat coconut milk overnight. Next day, scrape the solid cream off the top, discarding the liquid for another use.
Please read my blogpost for additional information about this recipe, such as how to store the pie etc.
