Now that it’s warming up, it’s the perfect time to make quick and easy no bake desserts. Since April is National Soyfoods Month, why not make my easy Espresso Chocolate No Bake Pie recipe? That’s because this yummy no bake dessert uses silken tofu and chocolate soymilk instead of ice cream and cow’s milk. Not only will your vegan and vegetarian friends ask for the recipe, but so will anyone who can’t tolerate dairy products.
That’s right! This gorgeous and yummy chocolate no bake dessert has no dairy in it! Even folks who can tolerate dairy will rave how creamy and tasty this chocolate no bake pie is. In addition, Espresso Chocolate No Bake Pie is packed with plant-based protein. A small slice goes a long way to filling you up satisfying your sweet tooth. That what makes this Chocolate Espresso No Bake Pie an especially satisfying dessert!
The benefits of cooking with soy
Since April is National Soyfoods Month, I thought I’d share why I like cooking with soy. First, soyfoods like soymilk, soy yogurt, and silken tofu are a great substitute for dairy products. This is a big help if you have a dairy intolerance or if you’re vegan and wish to avoid animal food products.
Soy is also a lean protein and contains less saturated fat than most other protein sources and naturally has no cholesterol. It’s the only protein recognized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its role in reducing cardiovascular disease.
Soy is also a very eco-friendly protein source, since it’s 10 times more efficient than meat in terms of land usage. Soybeans offer 941 pounds of protein per acre of land. Compare this to eggs, another efficient land user, that produce only 212 pounds of protein per acre.
For more information on soyfoods, check out the Soyfoods Association of North America website. You can also connect with them on Facebook, Twitter @SocialSANA, and Pinterest.
This Mama’s tips for making Espresso Chocolate No Bake Pie
My grocery store carries Enjoy Life dairy free chocolate in the health food section. I’ve also found it at Target and online at Amazon. For the Espresso No Bake Pie recipe, use a double boiler to melt the chocolate chips.
I melted the chocolate chips with a Beka Bain Marie, which is a double boiler simmer pot. You pour water into the reservoir on the handle of the vessel which then heats up between the walls, and cooks food without burning or boiling over. If you find yourself needing to use a double boiler for melting chocolate or making sauces on a frequent basis, you may want to invest in one of these because they’re foolproof and you never scorch your chocolate!
You can also melt chocolate chips in a microwave. Place the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Place the bowl in the microwave. Heat the bowl on medium high for about 1 minute. Remove the bowl from the microwave and stir. Repeat heating at shorter intervals, 15 to 20 seconds, stirring in between, until the chocolate is completely melted and has a smooth consistency.
I used Silk’s chocolate soymilk in the Espresso Chocolate No Bake Pie recipe. If your store doesn’t carry it (or doesn’t have a chocolate soymilk store brand), buy the vanilla flavor and double the amount of chocolate chips.
For the Espresso Chocolate No Bake Pie recipe I chose House Foods soft tofu. Soft tofu is also called silken tofu. You can find tofu in two different places at your grocery store. In the health food aisle, you may find shelf stable tofu in valpaks. (Great for keeping tofu in the pantry to use as needed!) You’ll also find tofu in one of the refrigerated sections. It’s always interesting to find out where your store manager decides to stock the tofu!
To cut back a bit on the calories, I chose Monk Fruit in the Raw as I find stevia has a bitter aftertaste when used with chocolate. You could also use sugar, agave, honey or maple syrup instead in this chocolate no bake pie recipe.
For the instant espresso, I used the Café Bustelo brand. I found this brand both at my grocery store and at Target. You can also purchase Café Bustelo instant espresso online. I’ve used it in smoothies, too!
I used a premade gluten free pie crust made by Mi-Del, which makes truly makes this an easy chocolate no bake pie recipe. My grocery store just started carrying these in a variety of flavors. You can find these gluten and dairy free premade pie crusts online as well.
If you want to make your own pie crust for the Chocolate Espresso No Bake Pie, follow the crust directions in my Gluten Free Deep Dish Pumpkin & Coconut Cream Pie recipe. Use gluten free chocolate cookies instead of plain gluten free sugar cookies.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup dairy free semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 (14 ounce) package House Foods Premium Soft (Silken) Tofu
- 1 cup Silk Chocolate Soymilk
- 1/4 cup monk fruit
- 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 premade chocolate gluten free pie crust
- 1/4 cup dairy free dark chocolate chips, melted for drizzling
Directions
- Using a double boiler or a bain marie, over low heat melt the chocolate chips until they’re smooth and creamy. Remove from heat to allow chocolate to cool slightly.
- Place the tofu, chocolate soymilk, monk fruit, instant espresso, vanilla, and salt in a blender. Using the pulse function, blend until very smooth. (You should not see any chunks of tofu in the mixture.) Add melted chocolate to the blender and process until smooth. If needed, stop and scrape down side of jar and blend some more.
- Place the pie crust on a tray or cookie sheet. Carefully pour the tofu mixture into pie crust. Place the pie into the freezer for a minimum of four hours or overnight.
- When pie is completely frozen, remove from freezer. Drizzle melted dark chocolate over top of pie with a spoon or spatula. To set drizzle, place pie back in freezer for 5 minutes.
- To serve, set at room temperature for about 10-15 minutes until pie is just soft enough to be cut. Slice and serve.
- Serving size: 1 slice
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Soyfoods Association of North America in conjunction with Blog Meets Brand and I have been compensated for my participation. All opinions are my own.
