Alton Brown Makes The Creamiest Vegan Chocolate Pie Using A Protein-Packed Secret Weapon

Creamy, vegan chocolate cake? And it's protein-packed? Nobody thought it was possible, but food scientist, author, and TV personality Alton Brown shared the way he does it himself in a Food Network recipe he calls "moo-less chocolate pie." Most of the ingredients used aren't much different than those found in your typical, moo-full chocolate pie — containing staples like coffee liqueur and semisweet chocolate chips, as well as vanilla extract, sugar, and, oddly, unsalted butter — but there is one that stands out in particular. Instead of using the usual heavy cream or milk and eggs, Brown's moo-less chocolate pie calls for the substitution of one plant-protein-packed ingredient: silken tofu.

While more common in your favorite Asian dishes than your desserts, silken tofu proves helpful in dairy-less dessert recipes like Michelle McGlinn'a chocolate caramel mousse or vegan tiramisu – and especially those like chocolate pie, which can lean on its light and silky yet sturdy texture for consistency. Combined with ingredients like honey, melted chocolate, and vanilla extract for flavor, Brown takes silken tofu's texture and uses it to recreate the taste and feel of a traditional chocolate pie. Blended in your blender or food processor, poured into your prepared pie crust, and left in the refrigerator for two hours or until the tofu-based filling is firm, all this pie needs is an extra sprinkle of sea salt or a shaving of the best vegan dark chocolate on top.

While Alton Brown's moo-less chocolate pie recipe calls for unsalted butter in the crust, there is an easy and simple way to extend the moo-less-ness of this pie's filling. In fact, there are many simple ways. Instead of the very much moo-full, dairy-based butter that Alton Brown uses in his "moo-less" recipe, you could reach for something as simple as coconut oil. Substituted at a 1:1 ratio, coconut oil is unique to any other dairy-free butter alternative because it melts and hardens at similar temperatures. Just know your crust will be much more crispy than flaky, which shouldn't be an issue if you're going for the graham cracker (or in Brown's case, wafer) style crust. 

While the chocolate wafers are another wonderful alternative for the crust base used in Brown's recipe, it's not the only one you can lean on – especially considering the fact that some store-bought varieties contain dairy. If you have a legitimate allergy to dairy or are choosing to eat dairy-free, you might want to consider using Oreo cookies instead. These treats are "moo-less" all on their own, and all you'll have to do is scrape out the icing from the middle (or lick it, depending on the way you like to eat your Oreos), then either blend them up with your dairy-free butter alternative or leave them whole, just like you a normal graham cracker crust, for a chocolate pie that's moo-less inside and out.