Rich Vegan Chocolate Pie with Aquafaba

on July 31, 2020

last updated April 17, 2023

5 from 3 votes

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This Rich Vegan Chocolate Pie with Aquafaba is a sustainable alternative to a classic mousse-filled pie with a cookies-n-cream crust with a rich chocolate taste and creamy mousse-like texture.

This Rich Vegan Chocolate Pie with Aquafaba is a sustainable alternative to a classic mousse-filled pie with cookies-n-cream crust that utilizes ingredients with a lower environmental impact, and combats food waste without skimping on flavor or texture.

Think of it as a layer of light and airy dark chocolate mousse resting on top of a pile of buttery crushed Oreos. Except with no dairy or animal products. Yes, there is a chocolatey mousse pie WITHOUT CREAM. And yes, that’s something to celebrate.

Because regardless of any allergens or dietary restrictions you may (or may not) have, if you love chocolate, you’ll love this vegan chocolate pie. Period.

Plus, with just 6 ingredients and no need for the oven, this no-bake chocolate pie recipe is as easy to whip up as it is to scarf down.

Vegan Chocolate Pie with Aquafaba and Oreo Crust

So what sorcery is this? A creamy, airy mousse that requires no heavy cream and combats food waste? Well, the secret lies in one special secret ingredient—aquafaba, also known as chickpea water.

In this recipe, you will learn to transform the water from a can of chickpeas, that you may typically flush down the drain, into essentially a vegan whipped cream that acts as the base for the delicious filling in this chocolate Oreo mousse pie.

Green tip: Industrial dairy production has a huge impact on the environment, especially because of the amount of land it takes to sustain and its high amount of greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing your dairy consumption is one great way to reduce your ecological footprint.

Vegan Chocolate Pie with Aquafaba Ingredients

Here’s everything you need:

Oreos. To make a super easy cookie crust base.
Vegan butter. Melted, to bind the oreo pie crust together.
Aquafaba. Aka the water from a can of soaked chickpeas. One can of chickpeas should give you just the right amount of water.
Cream of tartar. To help stabilize your whipped aquafaba.
Powdered sugar. To sweeten and thicken your vegan chocolate mousse filling.
Chocolate chips. Vegan dark chocolate chips specifically. One bag usually comes in 10 ounces, which is just the right amount for this recipe.

All ingredients for Vegan Chocolate Pie with Aquafaba including cream of tartar, aquafaba, vegan chocolate chips, powdered sugar, Oreos, and vegan butter

What is cream of tartar?

Cream of tartar is a white powder used in baking to help stabilize the structure of something whipped—usually egg whites, but in this case, our aquafaba!

It is naturally vegan and is actually a byproduct of wine making. This ingredient is upcycled from wine making, helping to minimize waste in the grape fermenting process.

In this recipe, it helps the aquafaba whip into a thicker texture and helps stabilize your mousse.

Green tip: The production of food contributes to deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, and toxic runoff, and only about 60% of it is consumed. Additionally, uneaten food that goes to landfills produces methane and toxic sludge.

Vegan Chocolate Mousse Pie Tips & Tricks

Start by Making Your Crust

First things first—melt your vegan butter! Add it to a microwave-safe dish, and microwave on high in 20-second intervals, stirring in between, until the butter is completely liquified. Then, set it aside to cool.

To a food processor or high-powered blender, add the Oreos and blend on high until it turns into a fine dust. Then, with the blender or food processor on, add the melted butter and blend until combined.

Next, pour your Oreo and butter mixture into a 9-inch pie dish. Use your hands to press down on the mixture, spreading it throughout the pie dish until you have a thin, even layer.

Use your thumbs and forefingers to push the crust up the sides of the dish. Set your crust aside until you’re ready to fill it.

Adding Oreos to a food processor to make crust — Blend the Oreos and melted butter in a food processor

Using hands to push Oreo crust into pie dish — Use clean hands to push the crushed Oreos and butter into a pie dish

Drain Your Chickpeas

I LOVE chickpeas! Whether I’m using them to make homemade hummus, this Buffalo Chickpea Wrap, Chickpea Meatballs or adding them to a delicious salad or quinoa bowl, I always make sure to save the water it’s soaking in.

This chickpea water is called aquafaba, and makes for a very useful ingredient in baking, like in this Vegan Chocolate Oreo Pie.

Open up your can of chickpeas, place a bowl underneath a sieve, and pour it through, catching the chickpeas in the sieve and the aquafaba in the bowl underneath.

Aquafaba will last in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days or can be frozen for up to 4 months.

Draining chickpeas and catching aquafaba in a bowl

How to Perfectly Melt Chocolate

The most effective way to melt chocolate chips without burning them is to fashion yourself a double boiler. Grab a heat-safe glass or metal mixing bowl and find a pot that fits underneath. You should be able to set the bowl on top of the pot without it falling in.

Fill the pot about halfway with water and bring the water to a boil. Set the mixing bowl on top and add your chocolate chips. Whisk occasionally and continue to heat, allowing the heat from the boiling water to melt the chocolate.

Since the chocolate isn’t resting directly on the heat, the chocolate will melt without overheating and burning.

If you would rather melt the chocolate in the microwave, that’s an option, too! Add your chocolate chips to a microwave-safe bowl. Then, microwave on high for 30 seconds.

Whisk and then continue to heat in 15-second increments, whisking in between until melted and smooth.

After you melt your chocolate, remove it from heat and allow it to cool down before adding it to your aquafaba mixture.

Green tip: Make sure your chocolate is sustainably sourced. Look for Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance, or UTZ certifications as opposed to self-proclaimed sustainability labels that sometimes falsely advertise “sustainably sourced”.

How to Whip Aquafaba

The key to getting the perfect mousse-like texture is whipping the aquafaba into a thick, whipped cream-like consistency.

When you start, the aquafaba will have a yellowish tan color and will be a thin viscous liquid. First, use a hand mixer on high to whip until foamy, bubbly, and white.

Then, add the cream of tartar and whip again until the mixture thickens and peaks start to form. This process may take up to 5 whole minutes.

Finally, add the powdered sugar and whip one final time until the aquafaba is light and airy. Stiff peaks should form and it should resemble cool whip.

Phase 1 of makign whipped aquafaba — Whip the aquafaba until it starts to bubble and turns white

Whipped cream of tartar and aquafaba — Then, add the cream of tartar and whip again until thickens

Whipped aquafaba, cream of tartar, and powdered sugar — Finally, add the whipped cream and whip until stiff peaks form

Gently Fold Your Filling Together

Once your chocolate has some time to cool and you’ve whipped up your aquafaba, it’s time to combine them to make your chocolate aquafaba mousse filling.

The best way to do so is to add the whipped aquafaba to the melted chocolate and to slowly fold it together.

Folding is just stirring softly in a “J” motion, lifting the contents of the bottom of the bowl to the top, in a direction away from you. Slow and steady is best here!

This will ensure that the denseness of the melted chocolate doesn’t weigh down the whipped aquafaba. We want it to retain its lightness and airy-ness.

Using a spatula to fold whipped aquafaba into melted chocolate

Add the Filling to the Crust

Now that both your crust and your filling are all prepped and ready, all that’s left to do is assemble your pie!

It’s as easy as turning your filling out into the center of the pie crust and using a spatula to smooth it out in an even layer.

I like to garnish one side with crushed Oreo to add some decoration, but this is totally optional! You can also add some dairy-free whipped cream on top!

Adding chocolate aquafaba mousse filling to Oreo pie crust

Storing Your Vegan Aquafaba Mousse Pie

Leftovers of this vegan chocolate pie will last for about 5-7 days in the refrigerator. It’s best to just leave it in the pie dish and cover it with aluminum foil or beeswax. If you have just a few slices left, you could also opt to transfer and store those in an airtight container.

This pie with chocolate aquafaba mousse can also be frozen! It will last frozen in an airtight freezer-safe container for about 4 months.

When freshly made, it will last at room temperature for about 4 hours.

Slice of Vegan Chocolate Pie with Aquafaba on a white plate

Why You Should Make this Rich Vegan Chocolate Pie with Aquafaba

It’s sustainable! Free from dairy and other high environmental impact animal ingredients and combats waste by using leftover aquafaba and cream of tartar, which is a byproduct of making wine.
The texture. Creamy, light, and airy mousse inside crunchy, buttery, cookie crust.
It’s rich. Deep chocolatey flavors and smooth texture, plus so much flavor from the Oreo cookie crust.

If you’re loving this Rich Vegan Chocolate Pie with Aquafaba with Oreo crust and want more Oreo recipes, check out this Chocolate Oreo Mug Cake and this Epic Oreo French Toast.