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What would Thanksgiving (or fall!) be without something pumpkin? Whether it is a spiced pumpkin latte or pumpkin pie, the taste and scent of pumpkin are the perfect companions to cool fall weather.
I was never actually a big pumpkin pie fan in the past. But in the past couple of years, I’ve fallen in love with the combination of coconut and pumpkin together. So I decided to create a pumpkin pie recipe that uses those flavors. It turned out great!
A Better Pumpkin Pie
If your family considers pumpkin pie a part of the Thanksgiving feast, consider this healthier option this year! It has all the same flavors as traditional pumpkin pie but can accommodate those who avoid dairy and gluten.
For the Crust
I have an almond flour pie crust recipe that I use for most of my pies. It’s a press-in pie crust rather than a roll-out crust, which actually is a lot easier to use. You’ll need to pre-bake the crust for about 10 minutes before pouring in the filling.
For the Filling
I don’t use a lot of refined sweeteners like white sugar or corn syrup. So in this pumpkin pie, I use honey or maple syrup. Just whisk it together with pureed pumpkin, eggs, and spices, and the filling is done! I make my own pumpkin pie spice, so it’s always on hand.
For the Topping
Some of my kids claim that pumpkin pie simply can’t be eaten without whipped cream. If you agree, then I recommend making your own. That way you avoid all the mystery ingredients in store-bought versions. It’s also super easy and fast to do (provided you have an electric mixer!).
Just add heavy cream to a bowl and whisk with a hand mixer or stand mixer at high speed until fluffy. I like to add a little vanilla extract to mine. You can also add a little honey or maple syrup while it’s whisking to make it sweet.
If you don’t do dairy, you can make whipped coconut cream. In fact, even if you do eat dairy I recommend the coconut whipped cream. That coconut/pumpkin combination is so tasty.
More Thanksgiving Favorites
We have a lot of other Thanksgiving recipes that we’ve modified to fit our lifestyle. In fact, I wrote a whole post about it. It includes everything from appetizers, to sides, to additional dessert ideas. I also wrote out step-by-step instructions for pulling it all together and included a printable to hang on the fridge while you work.
Grain-Free Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Equipment
- Pie pan
Ingredients
For Crust
- 1 batch pie crust
For Filling
- 15 oz canned pumpkin (or 2 cups homemade pureed pumpkin with excess liquid drained)
- 3 eggs
- ¼ cup honey (or maple syrup)
- 1 TBSP pumpkin pie spice (or 2 tsp cinnamon and ¼ tsp each of cloves, ginger, and nutmeg)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- coconut milk (to thin)
Instructions
- Lightly grease a 9-inch pie pan with coconut oil.
- Prepare pie crust according to the pie crust recipe instructions.
- While the pie crust is baking, use the pie crust bowl (no need for extra dishes!) to combine all the filling ingredients except coconut milk.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Use an immersion blender or food processor and mix the pumpkin filling thoroughly. A hand-mixer will not get it as smooth! The pie filling should be smooth and spreadable.
- Add a small amount of coconut milk if needed to thin slightly.
- Spoon the filling over the baked crust and smooth and bake for about an hour or until center is no longer jiggly. It will set more as it cools.
- Cool completely.
- Top with coconut cream or whipped heavy cream and some chopped pecans.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Feel free to tweak the spice and sweetness levels to your family's liking! You can also substitute stevia, but the honey helps the pie hold together better.
Nutrition
I saw these pumpkin bars the other day and it reminded me of a recipe a friend was telling me about. She says that her husband’s family didn’t like pie crust so they grew up eating a crustless pumpkin pie that was more like a bar. Maybe I’ll do some experimenting…
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What is your favorite Thanksgiving dessert? Any other recipes you want healthy versions of? Tell me below!
You have to watch baking with honey. It will burn. I’d like to know what to substitute for coconut oil and coconut milk? I’m allergic to coconut.
My filling was not pourable but spread easily into the pie dish so I did not use any coconut milk, it baked up great. I would try it without coconut milk even if the filling seems too thick or maybe a little bit of almond milk, if I didn’t have those things in my kitchen I would have used water.
If I could not use coconut oil in my crust I would have tried ghee, when I used it in a muffin recipe it was a lot like the oil.
Butter or ghee works well, that what i used. And i didnt need any milk.
hi! thanks for this recipe! They are baking now, and wow, does it smell delightful in here! I’m a bit concerned because the filling isn’t sticky and I’ve got 29 minutes left to bake. I used coconut flour for crusts,. and I hope I’m not burning them.
I’ll let you know, but i’m tempted to yank out of the oven now.
I used thick, tasty maple syrup instead of honey. Delish!
This would most definitely be a great variation from “standard” winter squash pies. I’ll have to give this recipe a try with some of the squash I raised this year. The only thing I’d have to really add to this recipe is that the crust and the custard filling would both need some salt so as to keep the taste from being flat. Is there any reason that the recipe doesn’t include the addition of salt? Just curious.
Thank ye! 🙂
Can this be made without honey or stevia? I’m thinking maybe adding some coconut butter & agar agar might help it stick together?
Well anyways- just so you are aware people – Don go burnin down yur house…
Um…Because instructions says preheat oven to 325. I must assume this is Farenheit as in
325 F?
In that case it would be about 160 C (celsius)
I´ve seen some other pie recipes saying set oven to 400F but that was not gluten free..
(Don´t know if that makes a difference though)
Cake with nutbased- bottom are generally not exposed to too severe temperatures..
Didn´t try this yet but will – looks straight-forward on ingredients as in not to much weird expensive or regional stuff. Easy to find in most of western world cities at least.
Looks yummy by the way. I love halloween, but this year i´m going to EAT the pumpkin. Not waste a perfectly healty and tasty vegetable. So.. candles in pumpkin jars pumpkin in stomach.
Can’t wait to try this. Thanks for sharing.
Have you ever tried maple syrup instead of honey? Just wondering if you did, what you thought.
I have not, but I bet it would be really good!
Could substituting applesause for the eggs work at all? Also, could I use a can of pumpkin pie mix?
No, apple saucr won’t work, the eggs turn it into a custard, therfore setting the mixture
Try this, 1/2 applesauce, 1/2 chia seeds. Be sure to wash the seeds or you’ll end up with a bad taste!
THANK YOU!!! I haven’t been able to have pumpkin pie (my favorite) for years and years! Thank you for this low sugar wheat free DELICIOUS recipe!! I have been so thankful this Thanksgiving!
Wow! That’s how I’ve been making my pumpkin pie filling for years and I’ve never seen the recipe online before now! 😀 So good to know that it’s as good for us as I thought it was. I will be giving your pie crust a go this year though, it looks so yummy and a great exchange for my flour based recipe!