It’s hard to imagine Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie, but too often it’s a soggy, bland dessert that disappoints. Even if you’re usually a pumpkin pie lover, traditional pumpkin pie—made with loads of sugar and white flour—is an indulgence that may not be worth the carbs, not to mention the post-meal bloating.
Sure, you can invoke the 80/20 principle and enjoy Grandma’s pumpkin pie guilt-free, but what if you broke from the traditional recipe? What if you removed the granulated sugar and flour… and it made the pie taste better?
That’s exactly what happens with this new and improved Primal Pumpkin Pie.
Giving Thanks for Better Pumpkin Pie
The best place to start reimagining a Primal, paleo, grain-free pie is with the crust. Nut-based crusts, like the one here, don’t have the same flavor or texture as a flour-based crust. However, the buttery-crumbly texture and flavor of a nut crust pairs perfectly with any of your favorite pie fillings. The natural sweetness of nuts means that you can add less sweetener to your pie filling. Plus, nut-based crusts are filling, so a small slice of pie is likely to satisfy your dessert craving.
The filling of this Primal Pumpkin Pie is made with coconut milk instead of heavy cream, which gives the pumpkin a silky texture. It also imparts just a hint of sweetness, so a scant 3 tablespoons of maple syrup for the entire pie is the only additional sweetener needed. A little bit of arrowroot powder ensures that the filling delivers the texture you expect from pumpkin pie. Throw in a generous blend of baking spices, and their aroma alone will have you salivating.
Your first bite of Primal Pumpkin Pie will confirm that change is a good thing. Even your non-Primal friends and family will agree. 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 for a dairy-free option.) Enjoy the holidays!
Primal/Paleo Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Servings: 10
Time in the Kitchen: 30 minutes prep + 1 hour total cook time + cooling
Ingredients:
Crust:
1.5 cups walnuts
1 cup hazelnuts (see recipe notes)
1 Tbsp coconut sugar (optional)
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Filling:
1 15-oz. can pumpkin puree or 1.5 cups roasted fresh pumpkin, mashed
1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
2 Tbsp coconut cream
3 Tbsp maple syrup (see recipe notes)
1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 Tbsp arrowroot powder or tapioca starch (1 Tbsp if using roasted fresh pumpkin)
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
3 large eggs
Maple Caramel (optional, see recipe notes):
3 Tbsp coconut milk
1/2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp coconut sugar
1 tsp unsalted butter
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 degrees Celsius).
Add the walnuts, hazelnuts, coconut sugar, and baking soda to a food processor. Process the nut mixture until a crumbly meal forms. You may need to stop the food processor one or two times to scrape the nuts off the side of the container. Add in the pieces of butter and continue pulsing until the crust mixture comes together in a ball.
Lightly grease a 9-inch tart tin. You can also place a circular piece of parchment on the bottom of the tin if you’d like. (Using a tart pan instead of a pie plate gives the crust better shape.) Press the crust mixture into the bottom and sides of the tart tin, working carefully to make sure the inside of the tin is covered in an even layer. Use a fork to poke a handful of holes in the bottom of the crust.
Place the crust in the oven to bake for 10 to 12 minutes. (Pre-baking the crust prevents a soggy bottom. Nobody wants a soggy bottom.)
While the crust pre-bakes, clean the food processor and add all of the filling ingredients to the food processor except the eggs. Combine the ingredients until smooth and uniform. Crack the eggs into the processor and process again until the mixture is smooth.
Remove the crust from the oven. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the crust, filling it almost to the top of the crust but leaving a small rim of crust peeking over the top. Do not overfill.
Carefully place the pie into the oven for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the center of the pie is just firm. If the outside crust is browning too quickly, cover the edges with a pie crust shield or foil.
Remove the pie from the oven and allow it to cool in the tart pan.
While the pie is cooling, make the maple caramel by combining the caramel ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking occasionally. Once the mixture begins bubbling, reduce the heat to medium low. Continue heating the caramel for an additional minute or so until it reduces and thickens to the consistency of runny honey. Allow the caramel to cool slightly, then use a pastry brush to brush the top of the pumpkin pie with the caramel. Place the pie in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Once cool, carefully remove from the tart pan. Serve slices topped with a dollop of whipped cream. Enjoy!
Notes/Tips:
Experiment with the types of nuts used for the crust. Almonds and walnuts tend to make crusts that hold together well. A walnut-pecan or pecan-hazelnut crust would also be delicious.
To make a dairy-free crust, substitute coconut oil or dairy-free butter. Real butter works best, though.
Instead of coconut milk, you can opt to use heavy cream instead of coconut milk, in which case skip the tapioca/arrowroot starch.
The more tapioca/arrowroot starch you use, the more quickly the pie filling will cook.
The caramel topping is optional but helps to provide a little additional sweetness and also fills in any cracks on the top of the pie. If you don’t make the caramel, consider adding an additional tablespoon of maple syrup to the pie filling.
Pumpkin pie is a holiday staple, but between the sugar, flour-based crust, and often disappointing flavor, it’s not exactly a Primal or paleo-friendly indulgence. This holiday, you can have your pie and eat eat too, thanks to this reimagined pumpkin pie recipe. It features a nut-based crust and just enough natural sweetener to highlight the flavor of pumpkin. Everyone around your holiday table will give thanks!
Ingredients
Scale
Crust:
1.5 cups walnuts
1 cup hazelnuts (see recipe notes)
1 Tbsp coconut sugar (optional)
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Filling:
1 15-oz. can pumpkin puree or 1.5 cups roasted fresh pumpkin, mashed
1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
2 Tbsp coconut cream
3 Tbsp maple syrup (see recipe notes)
1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 Tbsp arrowroot powder or tapioca starch (1 Tbsp if using roasted fresh pumpkin)
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
3 large eggs
Maple Caramel (optional, see recipe notes):
3 Tbsp coconut milk
1/2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp coconut sugar
1 tsp unsalted butter
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 degrees Celsius).
Add the walnuts, hazelnuts, coconut sugar, and baking soda to a food processor. Process the nut mixture until a crumbly meal forms. You may need to stop the food processor one or two times to scrape the nuts off the side of the container. Add in the pieces of butter and continue pulsing until the crust mixture comes together in a ball.
Lightly grease a 9-inch tart tin. You can also place a circular piece of parchment on the bottom of the tin if you’d like. (Using a tart pan instead of a pie plate gives the crust better shape.) Press the crust mixture into the bottom and sides of the tart tin, working carefully to make sure the inside of the tin is covered in an even layer. Use a fork to poke a handful of holes in the bottom of the crust.
Place the crust in the oven to bake for 10 to 12 minutes. (Pre-baking the crust prevents a soggy bottom. Nobody wants a soggy bottom.)
While the crust pre-bakes, clean the food processor and add all of the filling ingredients to the food processor except the eggs. Combine the ingredients until smooth and uniform. Crack the eggs into the processor and process again until the mixture is smooth.
Remove the crust from the oven. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the crust, filling it almost to the top of the crust but leaving a small rim of crust peeking over the top. Do not overfill.
Carefully place the pie into the oven for 35 t0 45 minutes, or until the center of the pie is just firm. If the outside crust is browning too quickly, cover the edges with a pie crust shield or foil.
Remove the pie from the oven and allow it to cool in the tart pan.
While the pie is cooling, make the maple caramel by combining the caramel ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking occasionally. Once the mixture begins bubbling, reduce the heat to medium low. Continue heating the caramel for an additional minute or so until it reduces and thickens to the consistency of runny honey. Allow the caramel to cool slightly, then use a pastry brush to brush the top of the pumpkin pie with the caramel. Place the pie in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Once cool, carefully remove from the tart pan. Serve slices topped with a dollop of whipped cream. Enjoy!
Notes
Experiment with the types of nuts used for the crust. Almonds and walnuts tend to make crusts that hold together well. A walnut-pecan or pecan-hazelnut crust would also be delicious.
To make a dairy-free crust, substitute coconut oil or dairy-free butter. Real butter works best, though.
Instead of coconut milk, you can opt to use heavy cream instead of coconut milk, in which case skip the tapioca/arrowroot starch.
The more tapioca/arrowroot starch you use, the more quickly the pie filling will cook.
The caramel topping is optional but helps to provide a little additional sweetness and also fills in any cracks on the top of the pie. If you don’t make the caramel, consider adding an additional tablespoon of maple syrup to the pie filling.
