Vegan grasshopper pie with a crunchy chocolate cookie crust and a fluffy creamy mint filling. This refreshing dessert is easy to make and uses less than 10 ingredients!
What is grasshopper pie? Is it vegan?
Grasshopper pie normally has a light and fluffy mint mousse filling and chocolate crumb crust. It is sometimes enjoyed frozen and often enjoyed in the Spring or at Easter!
Traditionally, grasshopper pie is not vegan because the filling usually contains marshmallows and the crust is made with conventional butter.
Rather than using expensive vegan marshmallows, we can obtain a fluffy and light texture by combining whipped cream and vegan white chocolate. This vegan grasshopper pie is egg-free, dairy-free, nut-free and can be made coconut free!
Ingredients you'll need
Ingredient notes and substitutions
Dairy-free whipping cream. I used coconut whipping cream as it's quite sturdy when whipped. You may use other types of whipping cream, though your filling might be a little softer and pudding-like depending on your cream.
Dairy-free white chocolate adds sweetness and helps the filling set. Alternatively, you may use the same amount of coconut oil OR cacao butter. If you use the alternatives, I'd recommend adding extra sweetener to taste.
Avocado adds color and a rich creamy mouthfeel. If you'd like a stronger green color, you can add some green food coloring.
Granulated sugar. Alternatively, you may use a liquid sweetener such as maple syrup. Your filling will be softer but it will still set.
Vegan chocolate cookies. Alternatively, you may use plain cookies (plus cocoa powder), oreo cookies or graham crackers. I've listed the exact amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Melted vegan butter, though vegan spreadable margarine or coconut oil will work.
Mint extract as the main flavor. If you prefer to use fresh mint leaves, you'll need to steep some of your whipping cream in mint then chill the cream before you whip it. However, keep in mind that some coconut or whipping creams don't whip up after you heat them.
A complete list of ingredients, quantities and instructions are in the gray recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Making the chocolate cookie crust
This vegan grasshopper pie has an easy press-in crust made with just chocolate cookies and vegan butter.
First, add all your cookies to a food processor and pulse until it forms small crumbs. If you don't have a food processor, you can also use a blender, mortar and pestle or smash the cookies in a bag.
Then simply add your melted vegan butter to the processor and pulse until the mixture resembles wet sand!
My biggest tip for the crust is to press it FIRMLY into your pie pan. This will ensure the crust is sturdy and won't crumble when you cut into it.
To press the crust, you can use a spoon or the bottom of a measuring cup.
The crust needs to be baked to help it set! If you skip this, your pie will likely collapse when you serve it.
Making the creamy mint filling
First, blend the avocado, melted white chocolate, sugar and mint extract until as smooth as possible. Make sure your avocado is fully pureed, otherwise you'll get chunks of avocado in your filling!
The final mixture should be a sweet and strong minty ganache-like mixture. It may be runnier or thicker than pictured, depending on the temperature of your home.
Then, whip your cream in a large mixing bowl until it reaches firm peaks.
Some whipping creams expand a lot more than coconut cream so you may have excess pie filling (it's a great stand-alone mousse).
Finally, add your green avocado mixture to your whipped cream and fold it in. If you're in a cold environment, your green mixture may have thickened up at this stage. If so, so just pop it in the microwave or on the stovetop for a few seconds until it's runny again.
For this step, it's important to FOLD rather than stir the mixture. Folding helps keep the air in the cream for a fluffier filling.
If you'd like a more vibrant green color, add some green food coloring before you've fully folded your mixture.
The final mixture should be fluffy, mousse-like and minty!
Assembling and decorating vegan grasshopper pie
Finally, pour or scoop the mint filling into your cooled pie crust. It should be a thick mixture which you will need to 'flatten' with the back of a spoon!
The pie needs to be chilled for around 4 hours before serving, depending on the brand of cream that you use. I prefer to decorate the pie after it's been chilled and just before serving, in case the decorations move around in the fridge.
I decorated my pie with extra whipped cream, shaved chocolate and mint leaves. However, you can also decorate your pie with:
- crushed cookies
- melted chocolate
- mini marshmallows
Expert tips and customizations
To make a gluten-free vegan grasshopper pie, simply use gluten-free chocolate cookies or an equivalent.
For a refined sugar-free grasshopper pie, you can use maple syrup in the filling, instead of sugar, and use an appropriate vegan white chocolate.
I haven't tried this myself so can't vouch for results. However, the filling is high in cream which doesn't always freeze very well.
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Vegan Grasshopper Pie
Ingredients
Crust
- 250 g (8.8 oz) vegan-friendly chocolate cookies, gluten-free if needed (note 1 for alternatives)
- ⅓ cup (75 g) melted vegan butter or margarine or coconut oil
Mint Filling
- 1 large avocado, flesh only (about 190 g)
- 120 g (4.2 oz) melted dairy-free white chocolate
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar, (note 2)
- 2 tablespoons mint extract, or to taste (note 3)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
- Few drops green food coloring, optional
- 600 g (21 oz) dairy free whipping cream
To decorate
- Extra dairy free whipping cream
- dark chocolate chips, chocolate shavings or cookie crumbs
- fresh mint leaves
Instructions
Make the crust:
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease an 8-inch pie pan.
- Add the cookies to a food processor and pulse until it forms fine crumbs. Add the melted vegan butter and pulse until combined.
- Firmly press the mixture into your pie pan. Bake the crust for 10 minutes.
- If the crust has collapsed in any areas, simply use a spoon to press it back again. Allow the crust to cool then place it in the freezer to quickly set.
Make the filling:
- Blend the avocado, melted chocolate, sugar and mint extract until it's as smooth as possible. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to whip the cream until it reaches firm peaks.
- Add the avocado mixture to the whipped cream. Fold until just combined. If you'd like to add green food coloring or extra mint extract, do this right before the mixture is fully combined.
- Scoop the creamy mint mixture into your pie crust. Smooth the surface with a spoon. Chill the pie for 4 hours or until set.
Decorate and serve:
- If desired, use a piping bag to pipe whipped cream onto your pie. Top with shaved chocolate and mint.
- Use a sharp knife to slice the pie and serve chilled or at room temperature!
Notes
- For an oreo cookie crust, use 24 oreo cookies (~270g) including the cream filling and ¼ cup melted vegan butter. For a graham cracker crust, use 225 g chocolate graham crackers and 25 g cane, brown or coconut sugar. If you only have access to plain sweet cookies, use 225 g cookies and 25 g cocoa powder.
- Alternatively, you may use maple syrup. Your pie filling will be slightly softer but will still set.
- Alternatively, you may use 2 tablespoons of creme de menthe liqueur.
Nutrition
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