Healthy Pumpkin Pie

Gluten-free | Sugar-free | Dairy-free 

Though not common in my part of the world, pumpkin pie is a long-held favourite in The United States of America and other pumpkin loving areas. This delicious dessert is a Fall (Autumn) food when pumpkins are seasonally abundant. Unfortunately, pumpkin pie is usually filled with sugar, flour, and dairy like most sweet traditional treats. Although delicious, it's not the best for us, especially if you're on a journey to a healthier you. 

My version of the humble pumpkin pie is healthy, well-spiced, delicious and easy to make. It's free from gluten, sugar and dairy and is a beautiful treat served hot or cold. 

You can find more healthy treat recipes like this in my popular cookbook, Treat Yourself Healthy. 

Hints, Tips & Tricks

I use my Sweet As Fibre Syrup as a refined sugar substitute in this recipe due to its natural sweetness. My fibre syrup is a low-calorie prebiotic fibre that's made from 100% pure chicory. Feel free to use your own fibre syrup, but make sure to read the labels. Many companies lace their syrups with ingredients such as malt extract and stevia to make them sweeter. If your fibre syrup isn't golden, it probably isn't 100% pure. If you would like to purchase my Sweet As Fibre Syrup, click here.    

You can serve this recipe as little individual pies as I did or as one large pie for sharing. I like to serve mine with whipped coconut cream, but it's also delicious as is.

RECIPE

Ingredients

Pumpkin pie filling

• 1 small butternut pumpkin about 
• 1.5 kg (3 lbs), peeled, deseeded and cut into large chunks
• 4 tsp cinnamon powder
• 3 tsp ground ginger
• 3 eggs
• 300 ml (10.1 fl oz) light coconut milk
• 3 tbsp fibre syrup
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• ½ tsp ground cloves

Pumpkin pie crust

• 300 g (10.5 oz) pitted dates
• 150 g (5.2 oz) desiccated coconut
• 150 g (5.2 oz) pecans
• ½ tsp Himalayan salt
• Coconut whipped cream to serve, optional
• Unsweetened coconut yoghurt to serve, optional

Method

1. Preheat your oven on bake at 180C (350F) and line a small roasting tray with baking paper. Place the chunks of pumpkin on the tray and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder and 1 teaspoon of ground ginger. 
2. Roast the pumpkin in the oven for 45-55 minutes or until the pumpkin is well cooked, tender and slightly caramelised. Set the pumpkin aside to cool for a couple of minutes. 
3. While the pumpkin cooks, make the pie crust by placing the dates, coconut, pecans and salt into a food processor and process until the mix is blended. The mixture should be able to be squashed in your fingers and held firm. If the mixture still crumbles, add a few more dates and mix until the mixture comes together. 
4. Line a large pie tin or 12 individual muffin cases with baking paper or muffin tin liners and press the pie crust into the case/s. Make sure to push the mixture up the sides of the tin, making the crust as even as possible. 
5. Add the cooked and slightly cooled pumpkin into a clean food processor, along with the cinnamon and ground ginger, eggs, coconut milk, fibre syrup, nutmeg, and cloves and blend until smooth. 
6. Carefully pour the pumpkin filling into the pie crust and bake the pie in the oven for 20 minutes for small pies and 35-45 minutes for large pies or until the filling is firm in the middle but still has a wobble to it.
7. Remove the pie from the oven and allow it to cool on a wire rack before removing it from the pie tin or serve immediately, straight from the pie tin with whipped coconut cream or coconut yoghurt.