Amanda Cook One of my very first experiments in altering a tried-and-true family recipe was this refined sugar-free pumpkin pie. I was on an elimination diet that didn’t allow refined sugar or milk products, but I couldn’t imagine Thanksgiving dinner without a slice of pumpkin pie. Fortunately, pumpkin pie filling is a loose custard, so it ended up being fairly easy to adjust the total liquid content to account for liquid sweeteners — in this case, pure maple syrup.
In addition to organic pumpkin puree, maple syrup, and eggs, the base of this custard is rounded out with coconut cream, which replaces evaporated milk. You can purchase actual coconut cream, or you can skim the solid white part off the top of a can of full fat coconut milk. (To find a can with a high concentration of coconut cream, shake the can and listen for the liquid content. The less liquid, the better!)
For most of my pies, I use Martha Stewart’s Easy Pie Crust recipe (omitting the 1 tsp of sugar). You will only need one pie crust for this sugar-free pumpkin pie, so you can cut the recipe in half. I do tend to need a bit more water than this recipe calls for in order to get the dough to start coming together. I would also definitely recommend watching the video on that recipe page for some very helpful tips!
Because this is a very wet custard, you will need to partially blind bake the crust in order to avoid the dreaded soggy bottom. (Any fellow Bake-Off fans out there? Our house is very much #TeamJürgen this season.) After rolling out your dough and transferring it to a 9-inch pie plate, trim to a 1-inch overhang, fold the ends under, and crimp the edges. Line the pie dough with parchment paper, fill with dry beans or pie weights, and bake at 375°F for 30 minutes.
You can also use the trimmings from your pie dough to create leaf designs to top your pie. Cut out leaf shapes and score the dough to add dimension, then bake the decorations on a baking sheet while you are blind baking the crust. But watch your decorations carefully, because they burn quickly!
Refined Sugar-Free Pumpkin Pie (and Dairy-Free!)
Ingredients
- 15 oz organic pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup coconut cream
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Prepare a single pie crust according to separate instructions. Chill for at least one hour.
- Roll out the pie crust and place in a 9-inch pie plate. Line with parchment paper and baking beans/pie weights and blind bake at 375°F for 30 minutes.
- While the crust is blind baking, combine all filling ingredients in a stand mixer or large mixing bowl. Blend all ingredients together until smooth and combined.
- Pour the filling mixture into the pre-cooked pie crust, reduce oven temperature to 350°F, and bake for 50-60 minutes. When a toothpick comes out clean one inch from the edge, your pie is done.
- Turn off the oven and crack the oven door to cool the pie slowly. This will reduce the chances of your pie filling cracking.
- Once oven heat has dissipated, remove the pie from the oven, cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours to firm up.
You would have no idea that this recipe was sugar free and lactose free. I thought it would taste like coconut but it doesn’t. Tastes just like regular pumpkin pie!