Makes one 9-inch pie
photo by Hannah Kaminsky
This vegan chocolate hazelnut ganache pie was created as a vegan Passover dessert, but really, it’s for all fans of chocolate and hazelnut AKA everyone.
When I was a teenager, I was introduced to Nutella by my Russian best friend’s mother. Well. That’s not exactly true. I introduced it to myself by eating the entire jar from her fridge like it was chocolate pudding. Little did I know you were supposed to spread it on bread. And apparently it was like 50 servings, not one. I still agree to disagree on that. But I did learn how to say “I’m sorry” in Russian, so.
This pie is basically that jar of Nutella in dessert form and so easy to make. Only 6 ingredients go into the filling, and one of them is salt so like, 5 really. Hazelnuts are toasted and ground into paste, then melted with chocolate and coconut milk for a rich ganache. It’s creamy and goopy, but good goopy. You could honestly serve the filling in pudding cups and just scoop it out of them, just like I stole the Nutella. But you wouldn’t be sneaking it because you are an adult now.
We use the Matzoh Graham Cracker Crust here because it fits right in on a Passover table, but any parbaked crust works — a standard graham cracker or chocolate cookie crust would be great too. No baking the filling, no fussing. Refrigerate for a few hours and done. Also, the pic shows a slice for 8, but really, you can cut it into 10. It is really rich!
VEGAN HAZELNUT GANACHE PIE FAQ
Is this kosher for Passover? The filling is naturally Passover-friendly. Just use the Matzoh Graham Cracker Crust and you’re good to go.
Can I use a store-bought crust? For sure. A graham cracker or chocolate cookie crust from the store is totally fine here — just make sure it’s kosher for Passover if that applies to you.
Can I make this gluten-free? The filling is already gluten-free — just swap in a gluten-free crust and you’re set.
Do I have to remove the hazelnut skins? Not every last one, no. Just rub them off as best you can — a few stragglers won’t ruin anything.
Can I make this ahead? Oh yes, do. It needs a few hours to set anyway, so making it at least the day before is ideal. It keeps well for up to 5 days in the fridge, wrapped tightly.
How long does it keep? Up to 5 days covered in the fridge.
Can I use a different nut? You could try cashews or almonds but it’s going to be a different pie. The hazelnut is kind of the whole point.
Can I serve the filling as pudding? Yes! These are great as a set pudding or custard or mousse and Passover perfect.
How did I end up here? You were probably searching for “vegan Passover dessert,” “no-bake vegan pie,” “matzoh pie crust,” or “vegan hazelnut chocolate pie.” This is a rich, creamy hazelnut ganache pie with a no-bake filling and a matzoh graham cracker crust. It’s the dessert people will ask for every year. You’re in the right place.
Hazelnut Ganache Pie
Ingredients
For the graham cracker matzoh crust:
- 1½ cups matzoh meal
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup coconut oil melted
- 2 to 3 tablespoons water
For the chocolate hazelnut filling:
- 2 cups hazelnuts divided
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon refined coconut oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Make the crust. Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large mixing bowl, combine the matzoh meal, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Drizzle in the coconut oil and mix well with your fingertips. Add water by the tablespoon just until the crust holds together. Press into a 9-inch pie pan and bake for 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Now start the filling (you can put these in the oven with the crust). Spread the hazelnuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast for 10 to 15 minutes, tossing halfway through, until fragrant. Transfer to a clean kitchen towel, wrap, and rub to remove most of the skins.
- Place 1½ cups of the hazelnuts in a food processor and reserve the remaining ½ cup. Process until a thick paste forms, scraping down the sides as needed, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add a tablespoon or two of oil if needed to help the mixture blend.
- Heat the coconut milk in a small saucepan until just steaming. Place the chocolate chips in a large bowl and pour the hot coconut milk over them. Let sit for 2 to 3 minutes, then stir until smooth. Stir in the hazelnut paste, vanilla extract, oil, and salt.
- Spread the filling into the prepared crust. Chop the reserved hazelnuts and sprinkle over the top. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or until set. You can make up to 5 days ahead and wrap tightly when set.
What temperature should the crust (and hazelnuts) be baked at?
350 <3
Hi! I made this yesterday and I see it is very solid. Should I be removing it from the fridge for awhile before serving to soften a bit? And if so, how long?
yeah if it’s hard let it sit out for a bit. I don’t know the exact time, it depends on the temp of fridge and temp of your house, but see how things look after an hour. Let me know how it goes!
I made this pie for Easter. I followed the recipe as written, except for using breadcrumbs in place of matzoh meal, as I could not find that in my relatively rural Midwestern region. The flavor was great. Like the previous reviewer said, it is very dense. More like a solid chocolate bar than a chocolate pudding pie. I even left it out on the counter for four hours ahead of serving, but it did not soften. It ended up suiting our purposes because we served 14 people and only finished about 2/3 of the pie–a bit of a loaves and fishes scenario, I suppose! Since it is so dense, a small sliver feels like eating a chcolate bar, so no one wanted more than that. Like I said…it’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I do feel like the photo that accompanies this recipe is a bit misleading because it definitely looks more pudding-ish. I usually don’t have this issue with your recipes (I use many!), so I am a bit surprised by this.
The photo is the exact recipe as written so I don’t think it’s misleading. But sorry it wasn’t what you expected!
It’s very good, but definitely more like a dense fudge than a pudding…so strange.
Well, it’s definitely denser than a pudding. Maybe I shouldn’t have said you could use it as a pudding, I just meant in that you don’t need a crust for it, you can spoon it up. Maybe it needs to be set out longer. I’ll look at rephrasing. Thanks!