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Pumpkin pie; I can’t get enough of it, and this healthy pumpkin pie recipe is so delicious, you won’t miss the gluten for a moment. I use almond flour for the base and the filling is mostly pumpkin, supplemented with egg and coconut cream. And of course the necessary spices! It’s pretty similar to a traditional pumpkin pie, just minus the sugar and gluten. It’s perfect for serving on thanksgiving day too!
Healthy Pumpkin Pie
Of course, this is not the first pumpkin pie to appear here on the site. It seems that almost every year I come up with a new twist on the old classic homemade pumpkin pie, but this time I decided to make a healthier pumpkin pie. The biggest difference is that there is less sugar used, the crust is made from almond flour and the pumpkin pie filling contains coconut milk instead of heavy cream. The only added sweetener is three teaspoons of pure maple syrup. If you want you can definitely substitute for brown sugar. In the end sugar is sugar.
Table of contents
Why I love this pumpkin pie
I didn’t really grow up with pumpkin pie as it wasn’t really a thing back in the days when I was a kid. We didn’t get any further than apple pie and rocky road. That was all the cake we ever got at our house. So when I first discovered pumpkin pie I wasn’t immediately blown away. I didn’t like it at all! Now I’m guessing it probably wasn’t the best pie and it took Jamie Oliver for me to get convinced about how delicious a pumpkin pie can be! And ever since that first one I made myself I am hooked. Just love it. I made this healthy pumpkin pie as an alternative to the classic pumpkin pie.
0% Gluten, 100% Flavor
Of course, I am by definition a huge fan of pumpkin, so even though I can find pumpkin all year round, I go crazy with pumpkin recipes every year around this time. By the way, I use canned pumpkin puree to make this cake. Depending on where you live you an either find canned pumpkin puree or use this recipe for homemade pumpkin puree. Also have a look at these high-protein vanilla cakes. So tasty!
What do you need for making this healthy pumpkin pie
The ingredients used are pretty simple and making the pumpkin pie is also pretty straightforward. For the gluten-free crust I used the below simple ingredients:
- Coconut flour
- Almond flour
- tapioca flour – you can replace the tapioca for arrowroot if you want
- coconut sugar – replace with brown sugar if you want or palm sugar
- coconut oil
- cinnamon
- egg
The tapioca is great for binding things together and obviously the egg helps with that as well. For the filling I have used:
- pumpkin puree – you need about a can of pumpkin puree
- spices – I used cardamom, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg but you can also use pumpkin pie spices already mixed
- eggs
- coconut cream – I like the thickness of coconut milk but you can also replace this for unsweetened almond milk or oat milk if you don’t want the coconut flavor in the pumpkin pie. There is also a bit of coconut flour in the crust but I don’t find that very overpowering in the end result.
Since the ingredients are pretty easy to mix you can use a hand mixer or just use a whisk. The only other thing you need is a large bowl and a pie plate to bake it in. I like to use a baking tin with a loose bottom for easy removal but I’ve also used fixed baking tins. As long as you properly brush the tin with butter or olive oil or something similar you should be fine. You can also use parchment paper but I find that works less than ideal for a gluten free crust. It breaks more easily so I like to not use parchment paper.
Baking blind
It’s not a requirement, but I always recommend baking the bottom of a pie (gluten-free or not) blind before adding the filling. That way you make sure the crust is cooked properly. There is nothing worse than a raw crust. At least I think so. You can skip it if you want, but I would definitely blind bake it for a while.
The advantage of this type of pie base is that you don’t need baking beans or pie weights. You can just put the base in the oven and let it brown lightly. You can bake the healthy pumpkin pie ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for 2-3 days until ready to use.
Sugar-free
Since pumpkin is pretty sweet on its own, I made this healthy pumpkin pie with (almost) no added sugar. The only sugar is in the crust, which has a tablespoon of coconut sugar added to it, but if you omit it, the pie will still taste the same.
The combination of the pumpkin with the spices and the coconut cream makes for an absolutely delicious flavor. You don’t need the sugar and you won’t miss it. I did add a tiny bit of maple syrup but to be honest, if you leave it out, it will still taste delicious.
The base is a bit more crumbly than a gluten-free version, but since the pumpkin itself is quite firm after baking, it doesn’t bother you as much as a loose cake like, say, the gluten-free apple pie. (But that one is also vegan, so that’s another story.)
Can you substitute the almond flour in the pumpkin pie?
How long can I keep the healthy pumpkin pie?
Of course, if you want to make the healthy pumpkin pie a little sweeter, you can always add a tablespoon or so of maple syrup or honey. I won’t tell anyone 😉
Healthy pumpkin pie
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 100 g almond flour
- 20 g coconut flour
- 70 g tapioca flour
- 120 ml coconut oil plus extra for greasing Valle del sole
- 1 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 egg
For the filling
- 435 g pumpkin puree
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 3 eggs
- 3 tsp maple syrup
- 200 ml coconut cream
- Pinch of salt
For the topping
- 90 g walnuts coarsely chopped
- 20 g coconut flakes
Equipment
- 22 cm baking tin with a loose bottom (8-9 inch)
How to make the healthy pumpkin pie
- First make the dough. Put all the ingredients for the dough, except the egg, in the food processor and process until you have coarse crumbs. Add the egg and mix to a dough. Pour onto a piece of plastic wrap, press together and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180˚C (350˚F). Grease a 22cm (9 inch) diameter loose-bottomed cake pan with coconut oil. Press the dough into the pan in an even layer, pressing well around the edges. Punch holes in the bottom and bake in the oven for about 10 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven and let the base cool while you make the filling. Mix all the filling ingredients together well with a whisk or mixer.
- Pour the filling evenly onto the crust and return the pan to the oven. Bake the pie for about 45 minutes or until the filling is set.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before removing from the pan. Sprinkle with the coarsely chopped walnuts and desiccated coconut before serving.
Nutrition Information per portion:
Disclaimer:
The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.
