Ultimate Walnut Pie Crust with Pumpkin Filling
Traditions are a big part of the holiday season for many people, but if you find yourself doing something strictly out of tradition and not because you particularly enjoy it, then it’s time for a new tradition. Or maybe, just time for a new recipe. Take pumpkin pie – it’s hard to imagine Thanksgiving without one, but too often it’s a soggy, bland dessert that disappoints. Made with a cup of sugar and white flour crust, it’s an indulgence that’s not always worth it.
But what if you broke from the traditional recipe by taking the granulated sugar and flour out and it actually made the pie taste better? What if this new and slightly untraditional version of pumpkin pie had a buttery, crunchy crust and silky-smooth filling? Sure, you could call this new and improved version Primal Pumpkin Pie, or, you could just call it by another name: Damn Good Pie.
The best place to start the re-invention of pumpkin, or really any pie you’re serving, is with the crust. Nut-based crusts don’t have the exact same flavor or texture as a crust that you roll out from a flour-based dough. However, the buttery-crumbly texture and naturally sweet flavor of a nut crust will pair really well with any of your favorite pie fillings: pumpkin, apple, berry, other fruits and chocolate. The natural sweetness of nuts also means that you can add less sweetener to your pie filling. Also, nut-based crusts are filling, so a small slice of pie is likely to fill you up and satisfy.
Almonds and walnuts tend to make crusts that hold together better than other nuts and using a tart pan instead of a pie plate gives the crust better shape. To avoid a soggy bottom, pre-bake the crust, then add your filling and continue baking until the filling is done. Nut crusts are a little fragile, so let the pie cool completely before cutting into it and use care when removing the pie from the pan.
The filling of Primal Pumpkin Pie is made with coconut milk instead of heavy cream, which gives the pumpkin a silky texture but doesn’t impart any detectable coconut flavor. A little bit of arrowroot powder ensures that the coconut milk filling firms up, or, you can opt to use heavy cream instead of coconut milk and skip the arrowroot. However, the coconut milk also gives the pie just a hint of sweetness, so a scant 3 tablespoons of maple syrup for the entire pie is the only additional sweetener needed. Throw in a generous blend of baking spices and their aroma alone will have you salivating as the pie bakes.
When you, and even your non-Primal friends and family, take a bite of Primal Pumpkin Pie it will confirm that change is a good thing. There is, however, one pie tradition that’s worth keeping – a dollop of whipped cream on top (of course, you can always make it with coconut milk instead of whole cream).
This recipe for pumpkin pie is a way to indulge without straying too far from healthy eating goals, but just because a dessert is Primal doesn’t mean you have a free pass to eat the whole thing by yourself. Primal or not, dessert is still dessert, a treat to be savored in moderation and shared with those you love. Besides, pie isn’t the only thing on the table. Fill up on succulent turkey, holiday veggies and savory stuffing first. Then treat yourself to a bite of something sweet.
The Ultimate Walnut Crust:
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups walnuts
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
Instructions:
Blend walnuts, baking soda and salt in a food processor until finely ground. Add butter and pulse until butter is mixed in.
Scrape the batter into a 9-inch tart pan. You can use a rubber spatula to smooth the batter over the bottom and up the sides, but ultimately your fingers will be the best tool. Take your time smoothing and patting the batter out evenly. It’s better to spread the batter thinner across the bottom of the pan and thicker around the edges of the crust.
Place the pie on a cookie sheet (helps to keep the bottom from burning) and bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Remove the crust from the oven and pour your filling of choice inside. Bake again until filling is done.
Pumpkin Filling:
Ingredients:
- One 15-ounce can of pumpkin
- 1 cup canned coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- pinch of sea salt
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder (found the spice section of grocery stores)
- 3 eggs, whisked
Instructions:
Mix together all ingredients. Pour into the pre-baked crust. Don’t overfill the crust – you might have a little batter leftover.
Bake for 50 minutes. The center of the pie should be fairly firm and only jiggle a tiny bit if you shake the pan. Let the pie cool completely before cutting into it. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.
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Posted By: Worker Bee
What about a BPA and Guar gum free coconut milk option. If I make my own coconut milk do you think it will work in this recipe?
I made this pie yesterday with a few modifications, I don’t have maple in my pantry so used stevia instead, also did not have arrowroot, but the pie was delicious and a huge success for my guests.
Thanks!!
Pumpkin comes in a can?! No pumpkin seed homemade snacks, no carved scary faces, no pumpkin slices that look like melon?
Thats no fun.
There’s nothing wrong with canned pumpkin. It ain’t the pumpkin, but what you do to it that really counts. Case in point, we had a taste test at Thanksgiving–two pies, one with canned pumpkin and one from fresh sugar pumpkins. The one made from the canned stuff one was the winner, hands down. Don’t become pumpkin snobs, folks.
If you think this recipe tastes as good as standard pumpkin pie you are delusional. The crust is excellent but the filling is completely bland and nowhere near sweet enough. I recommend doubling down on the spices as well as the maple syrup to get more sweetness and flavor into the filling.
Made the pie tonight for Boxing Day desert. I don’t have a food processor so smashed the nuts as well as I could. Followed the recipe but forgot to put the cookie sheet under the pie pan. I used a glass pie dish and when the pie set, I realized that the nut crust had burned…boo hoo hoo. The filling was good, but I would add more spices. My son thought it was not sweet enough..he’s only eaten store bought pumpkin pie. I will definitely try it again and tweak it a bit. It was a very expensive crust to burn.
i used this walnut crust with sweet potato filling. it was delicious but i think i overcooked the crust a bit. will try again
When I made this it was so salty we couldn’t eat it. Shame to waste so many walnuts. Is this supposed to be made with UNSALTED butter? If so,the recipe should say so.
Wonderful! I used coconut oil instead of butter in the crust, and coconut cream whipped cream for a topping. Also for extra sweetness reduced grade b maple syrup and a cinnamon stick with orang and lemon zest and drizzled over whipped coconut cream. Yum!
I’ve been reading over the recipe and was wondering- are you suppose to separate the coconut cream from the milk in this recipe or use it all together?
Sounds delicious. Would substituting the ground walnut for ground pecan be acceptable, or would my pie crust be too crumbly?
I just made this the other day, and it was delicious! I like the level of sweetness, but for those not used to a Primal diet and/or low-sugar desserts, I might add a bit more sweetener. Otherwise, it was delicious and I’ll definitely be making it again!
I want to try this as we have started eating Paleo. We tried another before that called for coconut milk and instead I used cocnut cream. Is this ok? Still primal?
Wondering if butter can be substituted for something else: olive oil, perhaps?
I guess paleo doesn’t take into account the dairy-intolerant among the cavemen (nor those allergic to eggs). Well, no diet’s perfect I guess, and all diets should be tailored to the individual rather than a rule book of religious doctrine that one should follow. Just as aside.
Try ghee instead. We’re dairy free and we use ghee 1:1 to butter
An easier pie crust that is dairy free is to use 1 part nuts to 1 part dates. You could also use the recipe here, but sub coconut oil and an egg for the butter.
The filling was delicious with wonderful texture, but I didn’t care for the crust. I followed the recipe exactly but mine was almost burnt. When I put in the filling I covered the edges with tinfoil to try to prevent it from browning even more but it didn’t help. I also found it tasted a bit salty and no sweetness at all. I would make it again, but next time I think I would use almonds (something lighter in colour and flavour) and mix in some shredded coconut.
Made today, without butter, used 1/2-1 cup pecans also.
Too much salt in crust as walnuts abit bitter aswell, the crust was not crisp enough also maybe I added 2 much coco oil, the filling was okay, baked ony for 40mins and was set!
I just made this using fresh pumpkin puree, about 1 3/4 cups, which is about equivalent to what is in 1 can. It was absolutely delicious!
Where do you find canned coconut mile?
WOW i made this but with a coconut flour crust. I used nuttykitchen’s crust with this filling. I added 1 extra tablespoon of syrup and baked at 400F for 1h10min. Thanks so much!
This looks really yummy but I’m alergic to both walnuts and pecans. Can I use almonds or another kind of nut?
I’m a huge pumpkin pie fan from way before going paleo so .. this looks really good. Then I tried it and .. couple lessons learned.
First, WATCH THE TEMPERATURE! I scorched the crust on the first one – its’ edible, but not as good as it should have been.
Second, READ THE INGREDIENTS! Some canned coconut milks have sugar added, some don’t .. my first batch came out unpleasantly un-sweet; although the flavor is good, it isn’t dessert without being a little on the sweet side.
If your coconut milk is sweetened, it should be fine. If using unsweetened, add an extra tablespoon of maple syrup, and an extra pinch of salt to balance things out.
JP
I made this recipe and was excited about it because it was Gluten free. I am a little concerned, it is cooling on the counter now. I think the crust looks a little too done. I baked at 350 for 50 min. Also reading the comments on here I am worried it will be too salty. I am also concerned it will not be sweet enough. I used unsweetened coconut milk, but added 1/2 tsp more syrup? I am all of of nuts, and this is for Thanksgiving…and dont have time to re-do. I have not “officially” tried it yet…put tasted a little of the crust and filling on finger….
does anyone know how long to bake this without burning it if using it for a non baked filling?….I’ve baked it for about 20 + minutes and it’s browning a bit much but still kinda soft. does it crisp up?
Just made this for TG dinner. Was fabulous and I had 2 small pieces. Yummy, yummy. Loved the buttery crust. Gently sweet. Can;t feel guilty about eating this and it will be great for breakfast!
By the way, my coconut milk was unsweetened and it was still delicious. But I did think I might add more maple syrup next time because it is more of a treat at holiday to have it be sweet. I had no trouble with burning either the crust or the filling and my filling cooked through in 55 min.
I made this today and it turned out great! Skipped the cardamom though. Who has that?! Lol
I was so excited when I saw this crust recipe. I can’t have almonds or grains or coconut or sugar and was having a lot of trouble finding a crust recipe for my pumpkin pie. I made this the other night and am very disappointed in it. I tasted the crust before it went in the oven was really worried about the taste- it was salty and I could definitely taste the baking soda. I thought it would change once baked, but it tasted horrible. I don’t think it needed sweetness, but it was extremely salty, I could still taste the baking soda, and it looked burnt around the edges. I had to throw my pie out. I am not sure why there is so much baking soda and salt in the recipe, but I won’t be trying it again.
Can you freeze the pie??? If so would you bake t then freeze it? I want to make it for Christmas. Also, do you simply store it on the counter… If it lasts longer than one meal.
I baked the walnut crust as directed and then filled it with a traditional pumpkin filling. The pie filling directions were 15 mins at 450 and then 325 for 40 to 50 mins. I pulled it at 40 mins and the crust was burnt. Do you have any idea what I did wrong? I want to baked it again for New Years.
Thanks
Paula Blum