Making spirits bright: Christmas Tree Pie! This festive and colorful pie is perfect for the holidays! A chewy no-bake brownie crust and rich vanilla cream (plus a healthy twist!) that's free from dairy, gluten/grains and refined sugar.
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Christmas Traditions
Twinkling lights, the bright red and green, ... there's something so magical about decking the halls and trimming the tree. It really does make spirits bright. Every year on Christmas morning, my mom makes Christmas tree shaped French toast. With green sprinkles, a sausage link tree trunk, and a slice of star fruit for then top, it looks just like a tree! It's a special tradition the whole family looks forward to. Plus it's just so cute! I love making memories at Christmastime. Doing special things like driving to see Christmas lights, finding our Elf every morning, and baking cut-out cookies are all things my family looks forward to every year. And we always do a fancy dinner on Christmas Eve night. I feel so lucky my mom goes all out to make it extra special and memorable-- fine china, 4 course gourmet meal, getting all dressed up and enjoying time with our family around the beautifully decorated table. Now I'm thinking I'll add this Christmas Tree Pie to our list of traditions. Wouldn't this be so perfect for Christmas dessert? Sqeee! It just makes me so happy. =D
Dye Free Deliciousness
Can you believe this pie has no dye?! It makes me so giddy that there's no artificial food coloring! You, too?
No funky chemicals (and especially no chemical aftertaste). YAY. It's made with PLANTS (but it does NOT taste like plants lol, promise!) 100% natural and add tons of nutrients. Desserts with benefits 😉
Remember for Halloween I made a bright green pie. and told you I'd be making it year round because I was in love?? Here's Frankenstein Pie Part 2! It was so good that I had to make another one, but bigger to fit a standard pie plate. WHAT plant is it made of?? Spinach! A nutrient dense green that's neutral tasting, and able to blend in without anyone knowing. REALLY.
Healthy Brownies
This pie has a chewy chocolate brownie crust that has no flour, added sugar or butter! It's made with nuts, dates and raw cacao (hello, superfood!) Not only is it healthy, it's so easy. -- NO BAKE.
Just blend the ingredients in a food processor and press into your pie plate. It takes just minutes start to finish. In fact, I used my 
BUT WHAT DOES IT TASTE LIKE?
"Ok, Emily, you're telling me you can blend up 3 cups of spinach and some nuts, and it actually tastes GOOD?.. What even IS it??" LOL I hear ya. I would be slightly skeptical, too. It's hard to describe, but it's FRIGGIN' DELICIOUS.
It's a cross between a cream pie and a cheesecake (without the tang). So smooth and so rich. You'll taste the fragrant vanilla and hints of maple and coconut combined with the chocolatey chewy walnut crust.
For the cream filling - you can even add peppermint or almond extract not you like! Yum!
The fluffy festive whipped cream with juicy pomegranate ornaments adds another layer of sweetness with a tiny bit of crunch. It's a pure Christmas delight.
Pomegranate seeds (aka arils) also pack a nutritional punch. Not only are they a GORGEOUS shade of red, they are full of antioxidants, Vitamin K & C, and many other wonderful nutrients and health benefits
See how to easily remove the seeds here. 
Trim Your Tree
I got to share this pie with my family last night for dessert, and it was SUCH a hit! I couldn't believe everyone kept asking for seconds .. and thirds! I knew I loved it, but apparently, they really do, too. My hubby loved it so much he asked me to make one for his company's Christmas potluck. And I shall 🙂 Little Christmas trees for everyone! I hope you have a very Merry Christmas, friends!! Enjoy something special and delicious 🙂
Vanilla Cream Christmas Tree Pie
Ingredients
Brownie Crust
- 1 ½ cup walnuts
- 6 medjool dates - pitted
- ⅓ cup cacao
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ⅛ teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
Vanilla Cream Tree Filling
- 1 cup raw cashews - soaked
- 4 ½ Tbs maple syrup
- 3 ¼ cups fresh baby spinach - packed
- ½ cup + 2 Tbs coconut oil - melted
- 1 Tbs vanilla
- Pinch of pink salt
Garnish
- Whipped coconut cream
- pomegranate seeds
Instructions
To make the crust:
- Pulse all ingredients together in a food processor until finely ground. Add a splash of water to help it blend. When it starts to stick together, it's done.
- Press firmly into a pie plate (parchment optional, but helps with removal). Refrigerate while you prepare the filling.
To make the filling:
- (Use cashews that have been soaked either overnight in a bowl of water or 2 hours in a bowl of boiling water). Drain, rinse and shake dry. Blend cashews thoroughly in a food processor.
- Scrape down the sides. Add spinach and blend again.
- Add remaining ingredients and blend smooth. Taste and adjust for sweetness.
- Pour filling over crust and smooth with a spatula. Cover with a paper towel and wrap tightly in foil. Freeze until firm, then refrigerate until ready to garnish & serve.
- Garnish with whipped cream and pomegranate seeds (or whatever you like! - coconut shreds, pepitas, chocolate chips, dried cranberries or raspberries) Enjoy!
Notes
To make whipped coconut cream: Refrigerate a can of Thai Kitchen brand coconut milk to separate the cream. *Important- other brands do not always work, but this brand almost never fails* Scoop out the solid white cream into a mixing bowl. Beat with a hand mixer for about 30 seconds. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and 2 teaspoon maple syrup or 1 Tbs powdered coconut sugar. Whip again until light and fluffy. Transfer to a baggie and snip off the corner to pipe it on. To Store: Keep refrigerated for up to 5 days. Or this pie may be frozen (*without* the garnishes) tightly wrapped for 1-2 months. Great to make ahead then thaw just before Christmas.
Ashley
I love this concept so, so much!
Emily
Thank you Ashley! I love it, too!
Brunella
seems so easy to make. looks lovely.
Emily
Thank you! Yes it's super easy to make
Saskia
Dear Emily,
I will try this recipy! Can you give a clou about the weight of the spinanch. How much gram is 3 cup and 1/4 spinach? Due to the Christmas pie....
Thank you so much for your lovely and Healthy pies!
It changes my life in eating no longer pies Made of sugar, flour and other unhealthy ingridience.
Best regards Saskia
Emily
It's about 4 1/2 ounces. Does that help? I'm sorry I don't have the gram equivalent. Perhaps you could google it?
Thank you so much! So happy to hear you're inspired to eat healthy pies I hope you enjoy!
Saskia
Yes! I know now. It is 130 grams.
It is possible to convert ounces into grams on the internet.
Thanks for the ounces measurement.
I will start right away!
Emily
Great! Let me know how it turns out
Melissa
That is just the prettiest pie! This would be perfect for my holiday table. Thank you for sharing 🙂
Emily
Thank you, Melissa!
Sophia | Veggies Don't Bite
Holy moly this is awesome!!! I love how healthy this is and how festive!
Emily
Thank you so much, Sophia! I love hiding veggies wherever I can
Linnea
I made it!! And I love it! I made it in a store bought graham crust (accidentally vegan) just to try. Honestly, I couldn't for the life of me fathom that it was going to turn out tasting good. I was SO wrong! It is delicious and unbelievably easy. Had my omni husband and 11 yr vegan daughter as taste testers... and it's a definite winner. I will post a picture on instagram (@unlikely_vegan)... it's not pretty, but like a said... this was just the tester. Thank you so much for posting this recipe!!
TO NOTE: My food processor did not work to make this smooth. Ended up transferring it to my vitamix. Highly recommend using a high speed blender. As a bonus the blender makes it very frothy, so almost a mousse like texture. I also just covered it with saran wrap for the freezer. I smoothed it along the top and it peeled right off once set.
Emily
Yay!!!
Lol I get what you mean -- it's surprising how good it is, right?! I mean who expects spinach to taste like a delicious cream pie?! So glad to hear you all liked it!
I am surprised your food processor didn't get it smooth, though. Mine worked great! I use a Cuisinart 7 cup classic. But the mousse version from your vitamix sounds amazing, too!
Thanks for taking the time to comment. Enjoy your trees! Merry Christmas
Donna
This pie was amazing! Sooo pretty and delicious as well as healthy not to mention how impressed my family was! My pie wasn’t as pretty as yours but it was my first try and each piece had its own personality! Thanks for sharing! Merry Christmas!
Emily
Yay!!! So happy to hear that! Merry Christmas to you!
Jennifer
I just wanted to let you know that I made this pie sugar free by substituting coconut oil and stevia for the dates in the crust, and used stevia instead of maple syrup in the filling, and it was delicious! Everyone loved it and couldn't believe it was sugar free. Thanks for another amazing recipe!
Emily
Yay! That's great, Jennifer!
Good to know it works well with stevia. Did you add any liquid to the filling to compensate for the syrup? I usually replace the maple syrup with coconut milk.
I'm so glad everyone loved it You are welcome! Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Jennifer
I didn't add any additional liquid to the filling. I just added 1/2 tsp of stevia instead of the maple syrup.
Tomorrow we will be making your Grinch pops!
Lara
Would love to know if possible to make this nut free and get the same great results??
Emily
Yes, I think you could adapt this recipe: https://prettypies.com/recipe/cake-batter-pie-rainbow-sprinkles/ if you're ok with coconut and seeds.
For the crust, you can sub any mixture of seeds and coconut shreds for the nuts.
For the filling, I would try this:
2/3 cup sunbutter
3/4 cup coconut cream
1/4 cup maple syrup, to taste
2 Tbs coconut oil, melted
1 Tbs vanilla
Pinch of Himalayan pink salt
Big handful of spinach or natural green food coloring (blended with the sunbutter in a food processor first) Then whisk together all remaining ingredients and pour over crust.
Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any questions 🙂
Lara
Wow, that's really helpful! When you say whisk together all remaining ingredients - what are you referring to? Is the above everything you would put in the filling?
Emily
Yes, remaining in the list above after making the spinach/sunbutter mixture 🙂 Let me know how it turns out if you try it! Remember to taste & adjust before chilling.
Helen
Any ideas for something else I could use for the base instead of chocolate please?
Emily
You can simply leave out the cacao powder for no chocolate flavor 🙂 Or use one of my baked crusts, like this one: https://prettypies.com/secret-ingredient-chocolate-silk-pie/
Let me know if you try it! Hope you enjoy
yamini
Love this “Vanilla Cream Christmas Tree Pie” , and decoration is awesome , will definitely gonna try this one. Thanks for sharing this
Jeannette
I was wondering how many calories per slice? It looks gorgeous 🙂
DBCPL
Super excited to try this Vanilla Cream Christmas Tree Pie , seems amazing. Thanks for sharing this with us.