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Vegan Strawberry Pie Recipe; Kid-Friendly and Truly Sugar-Free

Alina Petre, MSc. RD.

This week, my toddler son requested we bake a vegan strawberry pie together.

This brought back memories of the first ever vegan strawberry pie I baked two years ago, for my daughter’s fourth birthday.

I had never baked one before, but was definitely up for the challenge!

Back then, I remember going on Google and finding an interesting contender. The vegan strawberry pie recipe promised to be free of refined sugar, and the picture looked very appealing.

So I clicked on it and jumped straight to the ingredients list, only to find out that the author had simply switched out the white sugar for coconut sugar. Apparently, coconut sugar fit within her definition of unrefined sugar.

So what’s a vegan dietitian mom to do? I took it upon myself to modify the recipe myself!

For this French-inspired vegan tarte aux fraises, I ended up using dates – a naturally sweet whole food – instead of the processed coconut sugar.

The result was not only beautiful, but also a total hit with both kiddos and adults alike.

Table of contents

Vegan baking without sugar

Before we jump to my sugar-free, vegan strawberry pie recipe, please allow a mini-rant!

When baking, especially for my children, I have a preference for sugar-free recipes. But man are they difficult to find!

What qualifies as processed sugar?

Most recipes are like the one I initially came across. They promise to be sugar-free or free from refined sugars, but end up using raw sugar, coconut sugar, date syrup, or other similar ingredients instead.

I’m not sure why people consider these sources of sugar as unrefined. Have you ever seen coconut sugar grown in nature? No. It’s processed. From coconuts. Just like white sugar is processed from sugar cane or sugar beets.

The micronutrient content may vary a little, depending on the food the sugar is processed from. But the resulting sugar remains a processed food none the less. And it acts in the body just like white sugar would.

Can I just remove the sugar from any recipe to make it sugar-free?

Sometimes, I do stumble upon truly sugar-free baking recipes online.

The problem I have with them is that the sugar has simply been removed from the recipe, without being replaced by a sweet-tasting alternative.

What’s more, often nothing has been done to ensure the baked good remains moist and fluffy, which are two characteristics sugar contributes to.

This results in a baked good – be it a muffin, cake, tart, etc – that is flatter, drier, and doesn’t taste sweet at all.

I don’t know about you, but this doesn’t seem very appealing to me!

So when removing sugar, always make sure you replace it with an appropriate sweet-tasting alternative. I typically enjoy using dates or raisins for this. I find it easiest to blend them into the liquid portion of the recipe, and this seems to work for most recipes.

Then, play around with the baking time and amount of baking powder used for the fluffiest, moistest result!

In sum All sugar that’s been extracted from a plant; whether coconuts, beets, dates, or sugar cane is considered processed sugar. So don’t be fooled by “sugar-free” recipes using these ingredients. Instead, favor recipes that include naturally sweet whole foods instead.

Does sugar have its place in a balanced vegan diet?

I do believe that processed sugar can have its place in a well-balanced vegan diet. But it should be seen as the minority in the diet, rather than the majority. The 20% in the 80:20 ratio. Not the 80%.

Many health organizations have issued official statements regarding how to best handle sugar in your children’s diet. And while they have slight variaties in the exact amount of sugar deemed acceptable, they all agree that babies and toddlers should have very little, if any sugar before the age of two (1, 2, 3, 4).

Nowadays, most foods contain some form of processed sugar.

Children can get used to this sweet flavor very quickly and, the more they eat it, the more they start to request it. That’s why I try to cut back on the amount of processed sugar in their diet whenever possible.

Do they eat cakes, tarts, and cookies made with processed sugar? Of course.

But I try to counterbalance that by also offering them naturally-sweetened baked good recipes like this one as well.

Below, you’ll find the sugar-free, vegan strawberry pie recipe I used in case you want to make it yourself!

In sum: Coconut sugar, date sugar, maple syrup and their likes have a virtually identical effect to white sugar in your body. That’s why, whenever possible, it’s best to replace white sugar with a naturally sweet-flavored whole food instead.

Sugar-free vegan strawberry pie recipe

French-inspired tarte aux fraises. Perfect as a beautiful birthday party tart or a fresh summertime dessert. Naturally sweetened with whole foods and truly free of processed sugars.

Ingredients

Pastry

Creme patissiere

Topping

Preparation method

  1. Add solid coconut oil to flour. Using a pastry blender (or two butter knives) to cut your coconut oil into the flour until you have a lump-free mixture that resembles breadcrumbs.
  2. Progressively add cold water, a few tablespoons at a time, until you can form a firm, but not sticky ball of dough. The less you knead the dough, the lighter and fluffier your pastry will be.
  3. Cover your dough and let it chill in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes while you preheat your oven to 190 °C (375 °F).
  4. Meanwhile, begin your crème patissière by mixing one tablespoon (15 ml) of soy milk with the cornstarch until completely smooth.
  5. In a kitchen processor or blender, process the remaining soy milk together with the dates and vanilla extract until completely smooth. Then, heat in a saucepan until almost boiling.
  6. Remove your saucepan from the heat and add the cornstarch mixture while whisking vigorously to avoid any clumping.
  7. Return the saucepan to the stovetop, and continue to cook over low- to medium-heat for 10 minutes. Your mixture should gently bubble and start thickening. Just make sure to continuously check on it so that it doesn’t start sticking to the saucepan or burn.
  8. In a second saucepan, whisk in the coconut oil until it melts. Then set aside to cool, whisking occasionally to prevent clumping.
  9. Remove your dough from the refrigerator. Dust your kitchen counter and a rolling pin with flour and roll out the pastry ball until it’s slightly larger in diameter than a 9 inch (23 cm) tart dish.
  10. Drape your pastry over the rolling pin and transfer to your tart dish. Gently ease it into the sides, making sure not to stretch it. Trim the edges with scissors of a knife. Note that a tart dish with a removable base will make it easier to remove your baked pastry dough later on.
  11. Prick the pastry base and sides with a fork to avoid them from rising during baking.
  12. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.
  13. Once ready, remove your baked pastry dough from the oven and carefully remove it from your tart dish. Allow it to cool.
  14. Fill your pastry dough with the creme patissiere and top with your sliced strawberries.

To sum it all up

I hope you enjoy this vegan sugar-free strawberry tart as much as our family did.

What’s your strategy when it comes to sugar-free baking? Your tips are welcomed in the comments below so we can all learn from them!

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