This vegan crown prince pumpkin galette recipe captures the spirit of autumn: Comforting, warming and homely. It celebrates the beautiful crown prince pumpkin with its deep orange flesh and subtle sweetness, which, combined with the buttery, homemade savoury flaky pastry, creamy butterbean puree, and rocket pesto, gives an elegant yet rustic crowd-pleasing vegan centrepiece for autumn gatherings.
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Why Use Crown Prince Pumpkin?
Crown Prince pumpkin hits a sweet spot for a savoury galette with pumpkin, providing flavour, form and texture. It has a dense, velvety flesh that holds up well when roasted, giving a buttery texture, and does not turn mushy like some other pumpkin varieties. Its flavour is rich, slightly nutty, with a gentle sweetness. Here is a comparison of different types of pumpkin, in case you want to try other varieties in this recipe.
| Pumpkin Variety | Texture | Flavour | Best For |
| Crown Prince | Firm, velvety, holds shape | Nutty, subtly sweet | Roasting, galettes, tarts, gratins |
| Butternut Squash | Soft, creamy | Sweet, mild | Soups |
| Kabocha (Japanese Pumpkin) | Dense, slightly dry | Sweet, nutty | Curries, baking |
| Muscat de Provence | Moist, fibrous | aromatic sweetness | Soups, Purees |
| Hokkaido (Red Kuri) | Smooth, soft | Earthy | Soups, roasts |
| Jack O'Lantern | watery, stringy | bland | Decorative only, not good for cooking |
Key Ingredients & Notes
I have split the ingredients used into three groups: For the homemade savoury dough, for the nut-free rocket pesto, and for the galette filling.
Galette Filling
- Crown Prince Pumpkin: Gently sweet and melt-in-the-mouth when roasted.
- Garlic: Adds depth to the butter bean puree, so it is not too plain.
- White onion: A Milder onion for the mild flavour of the butter beans.
- Black cumin powder & Oregano: Black cumin is less earthy than ordinary cumin, giving a lighter, more delicate flavour. You can use ordinary cumin of course. Together with the oregano, it provides a savoury balance to the sweet pumpkin.
- Butter beans: I used tinned butter beans.
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Bay leaf
Homemade Savoury Pastry
- Plain flour
- Butter
- Salt
- Water
Rocket Pesto (arugula pesto)
- Olive oil
- Rocket: Gives the pesto a peppery taste.
- Black pepper
- Pumpkin seeds: Adds body and creaminess to the pesto and help to emulsify with the oil.
- Salt
- Garlic
- Parmesan: Adds an umami element.
- Lemon Juice: Adds brightness to the taste and helps maintain the green colour of the pesto.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Step-by-Step Photos
This recipe needs a little bit of planning in its execution so elements are ready at the right time. First, we prepare the galette dough. While it rests in the fridge for an hour, we then prepare the butter bean puree and pumpkin filling for the Galette. Finally, while the Galette is cooking, we prepare the rocket pesto.
Prepare the Dough
- Cut the butter into cubes.
- Then add the butter to a bowl containing the plain flour and salt. Rub together between your fingers until it resembles breadcrumbs.
- Add water and combine to form a dough.
- Pat the dough into a disc, cover with parchment paper, and refrigerate for an hour until firm.
Prepare the Butter bean Puree
- Peel and cut the white onion in half. Slice each half to a thickness no greater than a coin.
- Roughly chop the garlic.
- In a pan, heat the olive oil. Once hot, add the bay leaf and the onion and gently caramelise over a low heat.
- When the onion is browned, add the garlic and cook until the garlic is soft.
- Next, add the butter beans and the liquid from the can.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Cook until the butterbeans are soft and break up when pressed with the back of a spoon.
- Set aside to cool.
- Once cooled, puree in a blender. Set aside.
Prepare the Pumpkin
- Preheat the oven to 180ยบC
- Peel the pumpkin and remove the seeds.
- Cut the pumpkin into slices no thicker than a coin.
- Then transfer the slices to a baking tray. Season with salt and add the oregano and cumin powder. Add olive oil and mix.
- Cover the tray with an identical tray and cook in the oven for 10 minutes. Set aside.
Prepare the Rocket Pesto
- In a blender, add the garlic, parmesan and pumpkin seeds. Blend until roughly chopped.
- Add the rocket leaves, salt, and olive oil. Blend together.
- Finally, add the lemon juice from half a lemon. Set aside.
Assemble the pumpkin Galette and Bake
- Remove the dough from the fridge after one hour and roll it into a rectangle on a floured surface.
- Gently roll the pastry onto a rolling pin and transfer to a baking tray.
- The pastry should be larger than the base of the baking tray so it can be folded over onto the filling. It does not need to look neat - remember this is a rustic recipe!
- Add a layer of butter bean puree onto the pastry.
- Arrange the sliced pumpkin on top of the butter bean puree, again leaving an inch of pastry all around the edge.
- Now fold the edges of the pastry over.
- Chill in the fridge for 10 minutes.
- Add some turmeric to plant-based milk to create an "egg wash" (if your galette is not vegan, you can use egg).
- Brush the pastry with the "egg wash".
- Bake in the oven at 180ยบC for 40 minutes.
- Turn the tray around 180 degrees after 20 minutes to ensure an even colour after cooking.
- When ready to serve, add the rocket pesto and serve the galette hot.
Ingredient Substitutions
Take a look at the table explaining the different types of pumpkin and the variety of flavours and textures. Experiment with the filling of this pumpkin galette!
You can swap the rocket pesto for other types of pesto. How does a basil pesto sound? You can find this nut-free pesto alternative in my bread & butter pudding with feta & pesto recipe card. While we are talking about herb-based green sauce, I want to give a shout-out to my coriander chutney!
The butter bean puree has a mild taste. If you prefer a more distinctive flavour, then replace the butter bean puree with either cannelloni or haricot beans. Alternatively you can go a completely different route and use either sundried tomatoes and/or peppers. I chose butterbeans to add protein, so you can choose any other form of protein.
Ready-made shortcrust or puff pastry can be used instead of making your own homemade pastry, to reduce time.
Equipment
You will need the following equipment for this crown prince pumpkin galette recipe.
- Baking trays.
- Blender or food processor.
- Parchment paper.
Storage
You can store the crown prince pumpkin galette in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. Reheat in an oven.
Top Tip
If you are reheating the galette, use the oven and not the microwave. The microwave makes the pastry soft and chewy.
When making the dough, chilling and resting it for an hour in the fridge relaxes the gluten formed when mixing the dough, making it easier to roll and reduces shrinking when cooking.
The chilling just before cooking keeps the butter in the dough solid. When it hits the hot oven, the water in the butter evaporates, creates steam and lifts the layers, giving the flakiness. If the butter melts too early, the dough will turn out dense.
When transferring the pastry from your work surface to the baking tray, gently roll it onto your rolling pin, then roll it out onto the baking tray. Don't try to transfer it by hand; it will not end well! This is because the warmth from your hand will make the pastry soft again.
FAQ
I like to use the Crown Prince pumpkin because of its texture and taste when cooked. Roast crown prince squash holds together well but melts in the mouth, and it has a lovely, nutty sweetness.
Yes, definitely you can! It all depends on the texture and flavour you would like. I don't recommend Jack O'Lantern, though, as it's bland and stringy. If you do use it, you will need to support it with flavour additions like cumin or perhaps harissa.
You can prepare the puree, the galette dough and pesto, and refrigerate or freeze them. All components can be frozen individually.
You can also set the galette with everything and refrigerate it for a day or two before baking. I would not recommend freezing the set tart.
All butter shortcrust pie dough, or as the French call it, patรฉ Brisรฉe, works best. It gives flaky layers but holds its shape and is easy to handle. The flakiness comes from bits of butter left intact when mixing the dough ingredients together. You can also use puff pastry dough or sheets, however they will be more flaky and delicate.
The skin of the crown prince pumpkin is indeed edible. It softens and slightly caramelises when roasted, so you can certainly keep the skin on. It gives an earthly flavour. If you are using pumpkin in a recipe like a dip, you should peel it to achieve a smooth texture.
Related Recipes
Looking for more pumpkin recipes? Try these:
Pairing Suggesitons
These are my favourite dishes to serve with Crown Prince pumpkin galette, all giving that autumnal vibe.
๐ Recipe
Rustic Vegan Crown Prince Pumpkin Galette With Butter Bean Puree & Rocket Pesto
Equipment
- 2 Baking tray
- Blender or Food processor
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 800 g Crown prince pumpkin
- ยฝ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon Oregano
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
Gallette Dough
- 220 g Plain flour
- 110 g Butter
- ยฝ teaspoon Salt
- 30 ml Water
Butter bean puree
- 260 g Butter beans From a tin, with liquid
- 150 g White onion
- 25 g Garlic
- 1 Bay leaf
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil
- ยฝ teaspoon Salt
- ยฝ teaspoon Black pepper
Rocket pesto
- 60 g Rocket leaves
- 30 g Pumpkin seeds
- 1 clove Garlic
- 25 g Parmesan
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil
- ยฝ Lemon
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ยผ teaspoon Ground black pepper
Instructions
Galette dough
- Cut the butter into cubes.
- In a bowl, add the flour, salt and butter. Rub together until the flour resembles breadcrumbs.
- Then add the water and combine to form a dough. Pat into a disc, cover with parchment paper, and refrigerate for at least an hour, until firm.
Butter bean puree
- Peel and cut the onions in half, removing both ends. Slice evenly - no thicker than a coin.
- Peel and roughly chop the garlic.
- In a pan, add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the bay leaf and sliced onions. Gently caramalise the onions over a low heat.
- Once the onions are golden brown, add the chopped garlic and continue frying until the garlic is soft.
- Now add the butter beans, along with the liquid.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Cook the butter beans until they are soft and break when pressed with the back of a spoon.
- Set aside to cool. Once cooled, puree the butterbeans and set aside.
Pumpkin preparation
- Preheat the oven to 180ยบC
- Peel and remove the seeds from the pumpkin. You can leave the skin on if you prefer.
- Cut the pumpkin into slices a little bit thicker than a coin.
- Transfer to a baking tray, and season with salt. Add the oregano and cumin. Drizzle over the olive oil and mix to coat the pumpkin slices.
- Cover the baking tray with another baking tray and bake the pumpkin for ten minutes in the oven. Once done, remove the cover and setaside.
Rocket Pesto
- Wash and pat dry the rocket leaves.
- In a food processor, add the garlic, parmesan and pumpkin seeds and blend until roughly chopped.
- Then add the rocket leaves, salt and Olive oil, and blend until the pesto comes together.
- Finally, add the juice of half a lemon and set aside.
Assemble the galette
- Remove the dough from the Fridge and roll out onto a floured surface, in a rectangular shape. The rolled out pastry must be larger than the inside of your baking tray. Refrigerate again for about ten minutes to make it easier to work with.
- Roll the dough gently onto your rolling pin and transfer onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
- Add the butter bean puree onto the pastry and spread evenly, leaving one inch space on the sides.
- Carefully arrange the pumpkin slices on top of the butterbean puree, again leaving a one inch space on all sides.
- Now, carefully fold up the sides of the pastry, encasing the filling, and chill for ten minutes in the fridge.
- Add some turmeric to a plant-based milk for 'egg wash'. You can also use egg if your galette is not vegan.
- Brush the turmeric milk "egg wash" on all the edges of the tart and bake in the oven for about 40 minutes. Turn the tray so the front is at the back (180 degrees). This is so that the gallette achieves an even colour.
- Once the galette is cooked, add dollops of rocket pesto and serve hot.
Nutrition
NOTES
Kitchen Safety
- Wash your hands regularly while preparing, handling and cooking food.
- Wipe down countertops and high-contact points regularly.
- If you cook meat and fish, do not use the same utensils on cooked food that previously touched raw meat. Use separate chopping boards for meat and fish. Wash your chopping boards immediately after use.
- Thoroughly cook food to a minimum temperature of 165 ยฐF (74 ยฐC).
- Don't leave food at room temperature for extended periods (more than 2 hours).
- Store food correctly.
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